This sweet and savory pork tenderloin marinade produces the juiciest pork every time! A simple 5-ingredient marinade of brown sugar, soy sauce, Dijon, lemon juice, and garlic takes no time to whisk together and will infuse the lean cut of meat with so much flavor.

Overhead shot of a white bowl with a serving fork and sliced, grilled pork tenderloin topped with fresh parsley. Bowl is surrounded by lemon wedges, blue towel, and a jar of red sauce.

5 star review

“So easy and so tasty! A total hit at dinner. If you’re looking for something special and quick to cook, look no further.”

– Maria
See All Reviews »

Juicy Pork Tenderloin Start with An Easy Marinade!

Since it’s lean, pork tenderloin can tend to be dry and flavorless, however, this effortless, 5-ingredient marinade completely changes that! The ingredient list is surprisingly simple, yet the results are AMAZING, producing a sweet and savory marinade that turns into a glaze when cooked (similar to teriyaki chicken marinade, just less sweet).

Plus, there’s no chopping involved – all you have to do is whisk together the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar (or honey), Dijon mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and salt; and let the marinade do all the hard work transforming the pork. And like many of my other easy marinade recipes, you can let pork tenderloin marinate longer because it’s a larger piece of meat, meaning you can prep it in the morning, and it’s ready for cooking on the grill or in the oven when you get home for the day.

In fact, the pork turns out better the longer you marinate (up to 12 hours) as it allows the flavors to deepen. Once it’s cooked, don’t forget to let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes to allow the juices to reincorporate into the meat – this is key to juicy meat! Can’t get enough of 5-ingredient recipes? You have to try this curry chicken marinade, too!

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make Pork Tenderloin Marinade

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Overhead shot of the following ingredients: raw pork tenderloin, oil, salt, garlic cloves, brown sugar, mustard, lemon, soy sauce.
Gather ingredients.
Overhead shot of a glass bowl with oil, soy sauce, mustard, minced garlic, and salt.
Whisk marinade ingredients.
Overhead shot of a large glass bowl with red sauce and a small glass bowl with red sauce.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade.
Overhead shot of an open zip top bag with red sauce. Bag is surrounded by a small bowl of water and a baking sheet with pork tenderloins.
Pour remaining marinade in a zip-top bag.
Overhead shot of pouring water into an open zip top bag filled with red sauce. A baking sheet with pork tenderloin is in the corner.
Add water to marinade.
Overhead shot of poking raw pork tenderloins with a fork.
Poke holes all over pork.
Overhead shot of a zip top bag with pork tenderloin in a red sauce.
Add pork to marinade & let marinate.
Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with two grilled pork tenderloins, a knife, and a jar of red sauce.
Grill or bake & let pork rest.
Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with sliced, grilled pork tenderloin, knife and fork, bowl of chopped herbs, and jar of red sauce.
Slice pork & serve with reserved marinade.

How to Know Pork Is Ready

Check to make sure your pork is done with a meat thermometer. The National Pork Board and FDA recommends cooking pork tenderloin to an internal temperature of 145° F for medium rare and 155° F for medium with a 3 minute rest time.

Overhead shot of the following ingredients: brown sugar, oil, lemon, mustard, minced garlic, salt, and soy sauce.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

  • Oil: Any neutral oil will work, such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
  • Soy Sauce: Use tamari for gluten free.
  • Brown Sugar: Use the same amount of honey instead of brown sugar if you’d like, though I preferred the flavor of brown sugar in testing.
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is preferred, but bottled will work in a pinch.
  • Pork Tenderloin: I call for 2 pounds of pork tenderloin in this recipe. One tenderloin is usually about 1 pound, so you will need 2 tenderloins. If you only have 1 pound of tenderloin, you can half the marinade recipe.
Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with sliced, grilled pork tenderloin, knife and fork, bowl of chopped herbs, and jar of red sauce. A bowl of lemon wedges is in the corner.

Prep Ahead + Serving Suggestions

Save yourself time and make dinner a no-brainer by freezing the pork in the marinade! It’s so simple, just mix up the marinade ingredients, pour the marinade over the pork in a gallon freezer zip top bag, and stash in the freezer (for up to 3 months). Before cooking, take the bag out of the freezer, defrost in the fridge and use right away.

This beautifully tender meat can be the center of any meal or occasion. For a comforting meal, serve alongside these easy, creamy red skinned mashed potatoes. If you happen to have any leftovers, thinly slice up the meat for pork sandwiches alongside this creamy purple cabbage slaw for crunch.

Closeup overhead shot of a white bowl with a serving fork and sliced, grilled pork tenderloin topped with fresh parsley.

This Recipe Is…

Overhead shot of a white bowl with a serving fork and sliced, grilled pork tenderloin topped with fresh parsley. Bowl is surrounded by lemon wedges, blue towel, and a jar of red sauce.
5 stars (5 ratings)

Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin Marinade

by Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Marinade Time: 30 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
This sweet and savory pork tenderloin marinade produces the juiciest pork every time! A simple 5-ingredient marinade of brown sugar, soy sauce, Dijon, lemon juice, and garlic takes no time to whisk together and totally transforms a basic cut of meat.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup avocado oil, or any neutral flavored oil
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

Equipment

Instructions 

Marinade Instructions

  • Add the oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and the sugar has dissolved.
  • Set aside 2 tablespoons of the marinade.
  • Pour the remaining marinade along with 2 tablespoons of water into a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish.
  • Using a fork, lightly poke holes all over the pork tenderloin, then add to the bag or dish, press as much air out of the bag (if using) as possible, or cover with plastic wrap (if using a baking dish). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours, flipping occasionally.

Grilling Instructions

  • Heat a grill to medium-high. Allow to preheat for 15 minutes. Remove the pork tenderloin from the marinade, shake off any excess, and discard any remaining marinade from the bag or dish.
  • Grill, with the cover down, until the internal temperature registers 145F (medium rare) or 160F (medium), about 5-7 minutes per side.
  • Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1 inch slices, or dice into pieces (if using for taco), serve, drizzled with reserved 2 tablespoons marinade, and serve.

Baking Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F. Add the pork tenderloin along with marinade to a medium baking dish. If you have a large baking dish or rimmed sheet pan, omit the marinade as it will spread and possibly burn. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 145F (medium rare) or 160F (medium).
  • Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1 inch slices, or dice into pieces (if using for taco), serve, drizzled with reserved marinade, and serve.

Notes

  • Check to make sure your pork is done with a meat thermometer. The National Pork Board and FDA recommends cooking pork tenderloin to an internal temperature of 145° F for medium rare and 155° F for medium with a 3 minute rest time.
  • A note about the nutrition information on this recipe, since we discard the marinade before grilling or baking it can be a little difficult to calculate.
  • For more ingredients & modifications, time-saving tips, and more, see the blog post above.
  • Yields ⅓ cup marinade.
  • Use tamari for gluten-free.
Course: dinner, Marinade
Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 379mg, Potassium: 476mg, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

Share + Save this Recipe