Freaking Amazing Pork Tenderloin Marinade

This pork tenderloin marinade is freaking amazing! With honey, soy sauce and garlic, it’s sweet, sticky, tangy and kid-approved!

You guys know I love my marinades, but there is nothing more disappointing than taking the time to marinate your meat and then not being able to taste it, am I right?

Well. This pork tenderloin marinade is definitely not meek, and it’s going to add flavor to your dinner!

With sweet honey, tangy soy sauce, and a punch of umami from fish sauce (which I promise does not taste fishy at all!), this marinade gives so much flavor to the tenderloin!

Not only is it delicious, but super easy to mix up. All you need is five minutes to get your meat into the marinade and you are set.

Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!

How to make it

I know I’m talking ‘the best’ but honestly I’m picky about my marinades. This pork tenderloin marinade is freaking delicious!

1. shake up your marinade ingredients- soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, lime juice, chili powder, ground coriander and garlic.
2. pour half the marinade over your pork tenderloin. You can marinate in a reusable silicone bag or a baking dish. If you use a baking dish, I’d flip the tenderloin over halfway through the marinating time. *reserve half the marinade for brushing onto the pork while cooking*
3. marinate for 24 hours. I know I know, you want a 2 hour marinade but trust me, you’re going to get SO MUCH more flavor if you take the full 24 hours to marinate.
4. cook it up– I grilled my tenderloin, brushing the reserved marinade on as it cooks. You can also roast it in the oven (find cook times for pork tenderloin in the oven here!)

Can I skip the fish sauce in this marinade? I know I’m going to get asked this question because fish sauce freaks people out. The answer is I haven’t tried without, but I bet you could swap the fish sauce for an equal amount of reduced sodium soy sauce to replace the umami flavor it gives to this marinade.

How long can I marinate this pork tenderloin? Disclaimer: I have only tried marinating for 24 hours. According to the USDA, you can safely marinate pork for up to 5 days! Isn’t that crazy?

Personally, I would take a close look at the marinade ingredients. Are there any acids? (lime, lemon juice, vinegar, etc). If so, I would personally only do up to 48 hours, as acids run the risk of breaking tender cuts of meat (like pork tenderloin) down and make them ‘mealy’.

Can I freeze pork tenderloin in a marinade? Yes yes and YES. I LOVE freezing meat in a marinade. If you have an already frozen pork tenderloin, do not thaw, simply add the marinade to the bag and pop it back into the freezer. OR you can add the marinade to the bag as you pull it out of the freezer.

How do I cook the pork tenderloin?

I’ve written this as a grilled pork tenderloin recipe, however you can actually cook it a few different ways.

1. Grilled pork tenderloin– grill over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, then for another 15 or so minutes (depending on the size of your tenderloin) over lower heat, brushing with reserved marinade and flipping every 4 minutes
2. Instant Pot pork tenderloin– I have not tested this recipe in the Instant Pot but feel like it would work well. I don’t even think you’d need to marinade. I would cook your tenderloin according to this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin post. After cooking, remove the tenderloin to rest, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mix it into 2 tablespoons water), and set the Instant Pot to simmer for 1-2 minutes to thicken.
3. Oven Roasted– bake at 400°F for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your tenderloin (see more descriptive information here). I’d brush with the reserved marinade 2-3 times during the cook time.

Whichever method you use, check the internal temperature of your pork tenderloin using a good digital thermometer and make sure it’s at least 145°F.