Name: Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 92 min
Total time: 97 min
Ingredients: 1 to 1 1/2 pound whole pork tenderloin; kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper; fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs sprigs; canola oil for searing; butter for basting

sous vide pork tenderloin on plate close up 1

Pork tenderloin is one of those proteins that is luxurious enough for a fancy dinner as it is quick and easy for a healthy weeknight dinner. It is the most tender part of the animal and the leanest. It is the filet mignon of pork. That means it’s the most tender as well as the leanest.

Since it is so lean, it can easily be overcooked and become dry and chewy. That’s where sous vide cooking comes in. You set the temperature you want it cooked, add seasonings and flavors you want the pork to take on and the rest of the work is done for you while you relax. The result is extremely juicy pork tenderloin that is super tender and has tons of flavor.

As wonderful as searing and roasting a pork tenderloin after it has been brined is (check out the brined pork tenderloin recipe). This sous vide pork tenderloin recipe is my new favorite for a few reasons.

Why You'll Love It

Sous vide is the best way to cook pork tenderloin. It is perfectly cooked from the outside to the inside. It is impossible to overcook it.
Stress-free and pretty much totally hands-off.
It’s healthy. There’s no fat added unless you choose to when searing.

Temps and Times

Like steak, pork can be cooked to your favorite temperature. I recommend 139° F / 59° C as the optimal temperature for super tender and juicy texture. The pork tenderloin pictured in this post was cooked at 139° F for 1 ½ hours. See chart below for all the temperature options.

How Long to Cook it Sous Vide

There is a nice big cooking time window between 1 hour and 4 hours where the results will be the same. I recommend 1 ½ hours, but it's whatever is convenient for you.

Do you Need to Brine the Pork Before Sous Vide?

Nope! Brining pork tenderloin is not necessary when cooking it sous vide. You just need to season it with enough salt that this process will take place naturally when it is cooking sous vide. Check out this Brined Pork Tenderloin recipe if you are interested in brining pork tenderloin for roasting, smoking, or grilling. Or you can try a dry brine like with this smoked pork loin.

Where to source Heritage breed pork

Costco and Trader Joe's have really high-quality pork tenderloins available, but if you really want to go with even higher-quality Heritage breed pork, check out Crowd Cow or Snake River Farms.

pork tenderloin in bag for sous vide cooking

How to sous vide pork tenderloin

Don’t be afraid to season it. You need to be very liberal with the salt.

Season the pork tenderloin very liberally with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Place it in the vacuum seal bag or a ziplock bag, then place a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary on each side of the tenderloin. Seal the bag in your vacuum sealer or using the water displacement method.
Sous vide in the water bath at the desired temperature and for the desired time according to the chart (I recommend 139° F for 1 ½ hours). Remove the bag from the water bath and the tenderloin from the bag. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Sear it in a very hot skillet with enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan for about 30 seconds per side, 2 minutes total. Put a tablespoon or two of butter in the skillet along with some more fresh thyme and rosemary as the tenderloin sears. Baste the butter and herbs over the pork to add extra flavor.
Rest the pork for just a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Sauce Ideas

Sous vide pork tenderloin is so flavorful by itself that a sauce isn’t completely necessary. If you do want to kick it up and elevate the dish; the pork tenderloin pairs wonderfully with a bright and fresh chimichurri sauce, quick pan sauce (see below) or a mushroom sauce.

How to make a pan sauce for sous vide pork tenderloin

Making a pan sauce after searing the pork is the quickest way to elevate your dish without having to make a sauce separately. Once the pork is out of the skillet, add in a little chopped shallot. Once the shallot is softened, add about ½ cup of dry white wine and cook down until most of the wine is evaporated. Pour in any leftover juices from the sous vide bag and swirl in some butter. Taste for seasoning and serve over the top of the pork.

perfect sous vide pork tenderloin on cutting board

Can you sous vide frozen pork tenderloin?

Yes, you definitely can sous vide pork tenderloin that is frozen. Just add an additional 45 minutes to the cooking time. You can prep the pork ahead of time, vacuum seal and freeze it so it’s ready to go when you want it. Learn more about cooking sous vide from frozen.

Pork tenderloin for a crowd

It’s super easy to scale this recipe up for a crowd. You can cook 4 or more of these and serve. It’s the most stress-free way to perfectly cook pork and amaze your guests.

What to serve with the sous vide pork tenderloin

Sous vide mashed potatoes are pretty amazing. They are cooked at a much higher temperature than the pork tenderloin, so you will have to cook them first and they can stay warm in the water while the pork cooks. 194 degrees F for 45 minutes with diced-up potatoes, milk, butter and seasoning right in the bag.

Also wonderful are buttery carrots, crispy brussels sprouts, sous vide polenta, or even a baby arugula salad with a bright vinaigrette. Make some velvety sous vide crème brûlée for dessert.

What to make with leftover pork tenderloin

If you are lucky enough to have some leftovers, you are in for a treat. One of the best ways to enjoy the sous vide pork tenderloin the next day is to make a sandwich the next day on crusty bread with a little mayo and BBQ sauce. That’s all you need and it is soooo good.

Time and Temp Chart

Texture	Temperature	Time
Medium-Rare: Tender and juicy. Still pink	130°F (54°C)	1 to 4 hours
Medium (best): Slightly pink, perfectly juicy, tender	139°F (59°C)	1 to 4 hours
Well Done: firm, drying out, starts to get a chalky texture	160°F (71°C)	1 to 4 hours

Special Equipment Used

Sous Vide Machine
Sous Vide Water bath container or large pot
Food Saver Vacuum Sealer (optional)
Vacuum seal bags (optional) or ziplock freezer bags
Bag clips for keeping the bag in place
Lodge 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet for searing the steak

More Delicious Pork Recipes to Try