Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin With Honey Garlic Sauce

In This Post:

• ℹ️ Recipe Overview
• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📷 How To Make It
• 📹 Watch The Video
• ⏱ Cooking Times For Pork Tenderloin
• 🥦 What To Serve With
• 🫙Storage Tips
• 📝 Full Recipe
• ⭐️ Comment On & Rate This Recipe

👉 And if you like this recipe, make sure to check out our recipe for pork tenderloin with potatoes and creamy mushroom sauce. For more ideas, have a browse through our list of best Instant Pot pork tenderloin recipes here.

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

In this Instant pot pork recipe, the tenderloin is cooked in umami-rich soy sauce and balsamic broth with garlic and a little honey. Then, the meat is removed and the sauce is reduced with extra honey and thickened with butter and cornstarch into a luxuriously glossy and caramelized glaze.

Follow our easy step-by-step instructions and tips below to make the best Instant Pot pork tenderloin every time!

What Is Pork Tenderloin?

Pork tenderloin is a lean, boneless cut of meat that comes from the loin, which runs from the hip to the shoulder of the pig. It's often labelled as pork fillet or tender and is always sold a whole piece, averaging 1-1.5 pounds. It has a mild pork flavor and works well with most sauces and seasonings.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this pork dish.

• Pork tenderloin. A lean, boneless cut of pork meat, tenderloin is delicious and very tender.
• Cooking Tip. You can cook 2 tenderloins at the same time. Double the sauce ingredients, then brown and cook the pork as directed (no need to add to the cooking time). 
• Honey garlic sauce. Plenty of garlic and honey, of course, but also soy sauce for salty umami and balsamic for a little acidity to balance it all out. Chicken broth is used for extra liquid and will also add to the flavor.
• Cornstarch + Water + Butter. The cornstarch slurry helps thicken the sauce and a little butter gives it extra richness and gloss. 

How To Cook Pork Tenderloin In Instant Pot

You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.

There are three simple stages to making this this dish in the pressure cooker. The first stage is to pre-sautee the pork tenderloin on each side to seal in the juices. The second stage is to pressure cook the meat in the sauce. The final stage is to reduce and thicken the sauce on Saute setting again. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.

Sauté The Pork Tenderloin

• Step 1. Sprinkle the pork tenderloin evenly with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Step 2. Turn on the Sauté setting. When it is hot, add olive oil or butter. Place the pork in the pot and brown it on both sides for about 1- 2 minutes each. Add a little more oil if needed. Then remove it to a plate.
• Step 3. Deglaze the pot. Add the stock to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any of the fond (browned bits). This is also called deglazing. Turn off the pot. 

Pressure Cook Pork Tenderloin

• Step 4. In a small pot, whisk the soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and honey. Then add to the stock in the pot and stir. 
• Step 5. Place the pork back in the pot and coat it with the sauce. Secure and lock the lid. Set to HIGH pressure for 2 minutes. 
• Step 6. Once the cooking is done, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes (if the pork tenderloin is much thicker than 1.5-2”, then add a few more minutes to natural release). Then quick release the pressure.

Finish The Honey Garlic Sauce

• Step 7. Open the lid and remove the pork tenderloin to a plate, cover to keep warm.
• Step 8. Turn on the Sauté setting again. When it starts to simmer, add the remaining ¼ cups of honey and stir, cook for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid by about a third. 
• Step 9. In the meantime, make a slurry by whisking the corn starch (or flour) and water. Stir it into the sauce to thicken it even further, followed by butter to give it a luxurious shine. 
• Slice the pork tenderloin and pour the sauce over the top or return the sliced pork to the pot with the sauce to warm it up. Garnish with spring onions if you like. Serve rice or noodles on the side.