Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin – sweet and spicy pork tenderloin that’s super tender and simply delicious.
You know what’s a super quick and delicious meal?
Pork tenderloin.
Seriously! And it’s very versatile, you can make it so many different ways, it’s wonderful. This little pork tenderloin was amazing. I decided to make it sweet and spicy. You can make it more or less spicy, depending on how much spiciness you can handle, just adjust the Cajun spice.
We loved this pork tenderloin, it was full of flavor and it was cooked to perfection. To get it so that it’s perfect on the outside and perfect on the inside, you have to sear it first on all sides until it’s crisp then put it in the oven so that it cooks in the middle. You’ll end up with the perfect piece of meat.
The recipe for Cajun spice below will make 6 1/2 tbsp of spice, you only need about 1 tbsp for this recipe so keep the rest for later use.
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Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
Cajun Spice
- 2 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin
- 1 pork tenderloin about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp of cajun spice from above
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
- Combine all ingredients for the cajun spice and set aside.
- Season pork tenderloin with cajun spice. In a oven proof skillet melt butter and add honey over medium to high heat; stir.
- Place tenderloin in skillet and sear on all sides until browned and crisp. If you find the butter/honey starts to burn, turn heat down.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until pork tenderloin is done in the middle.
- Remove pork from skillet and cover it with aluminum foil. In the mean time, add water to skillet and cook until sauce thickens and starts to reduce, about 5 minutes.
- To serve slice pork tenderloin and drizzle sauce over it.
I want to make the Cajun Pork Tenderloin but I will need to use 2 tenderloins for my family…..do I need to make any adjustments with the spices and if I use crockpot what about the cooking time frame?
I would double everything if using 2 tenderloins, and if you wanted to make it in a crockpot it would probably take about 6 to 8 hours on low.
This was pretty good, but the sauce separated during roasting and was impossible to whisk into an emulsion. Is there a way to thicken it on the stovetop after cooking? Perhaps some addition that will also add another dimension to it? We both felt like there was something missing from the sauce.
Did the separation look similar to the first photo on this recipe? Fat will drip from the meat and will not mix into the sauce without a thickening agent. I usually pour the drippings into a saucepan, bring it to a simmer, and whisk in a cornstarch slurry (equal parts water & cornstarch). Start with 1 tsp and go up depending on how thick you want it.
It did look like the photo. Thanks for the slurry tip. I’ll do that next time.
Was delicious but the sauce burned in over so I just remaid the sauce in pan otherwise awesome I did cook at higher temperatures 425 for 25 always works best for me no big deal sauce didn’t think up as much as I would have liked but I was impatient too
Could it be the stone pans don’t thicken sauce as easy as other pans?
I find that cast iron pans thicken the fastest, and those non-stick pans take a little longer. If you’re ever having trouble with thickening a sauce add a small scoop of cornstarch mixed with a splash of water. Whisk well into your sauce and it should thicken immediately.
This is so good. My family really enjoyed it.
Can this be cooked in a crockpot?
For sure, Give it a try .
This recipe looks delicious, but I am a little concerned that this will will burn when it’s in the oven (because of the honey) Has anyone had this problem?
I have made this recipe numerous times and it doesn’t burn. I would adjust the salt btw. 2.5 tbs is insane!!! I put 1.5tbs and it’s perfect.
Please see the notes section of the recipe, out of all the spice made, you only need 1 tbsp of the spice for the pork.
I’m sure this is a lovely recipe when made right. If only I had read the “fine print” 😉 Being new to the kitchen I went right to the recipe details and it turned out to be so super salty my husband and I almost felt over! It would be great if you could incorporate your note regarding the Cajun spice in the recipe itself as well for all us new in the kitchen gals who don’t know any better 😉
“The recipe for Cajun spice below will make 6 1/2 tbsp of spice, you only need about 1 tbsp for this recipe so keep the rest for later use”.
Oh Paola,
I want to cry and laugh at the same time! I did add that note in the notes section of the recipe as well, just so that it’s not missed again. You poor thing!
I used cajan seasoning by Tome instead of putting the seasoning all together ….try again…its a wonderful easy recipe . I’m not a very good cook and mine turned out perfect
Hey! so even with the butter this is paleo?
Hi Leah,
I’m not really sure, don’t know too much about paleo diet, like what is allowed or not.
This was SUPER good! It’s going to be a family recipe for sure! I used 1 TBSP of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Spice instead of making the spice mix & it was great!!
Hi Amy,
So glad you liked it, this is now one of my husband’s favorite way of making pork tenderloin. 🙂
Did I do something wrong??? It was seriously CRAZY salty…
You didn’t use the whole spice did you? You only need about a tbsp.
I just grabbed a couple of pinches…maybe that was the problem. We will be trying it again because it was delicious despite being too salty.
Try it again and just use less spice, you could always add some salt after if it’s not enough.
Oh this pork looks amazing! Definitely can see myself doubling or tripling the cajun spice mix because we would put it on everything!
Oh yeah, I’ve been using the left over cajun spice on everything I’ve been cooking. It’s so good. 🙂
We love pork tenderloin, and cajun seasoning – so I know this will be a winner in our house. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome, I hope you’ll like it. 🙂