This Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin ticks all the right boxes. Quick, easy and delicious! And a reminder that cranberries aren’t just for Thanksgiving :)
This cranberry balsamic pork tenderloin is a favourite dish and one I have been making for years! It is one of those perfect trifecta recipes – quick, easy and delicious. It’s solid and reliable. It’s quick and easy enough for weeknights and special enough for company. And for those conscious of these things, it’s also low in fat and calories.
I was inspired to make it this week after finding some left-over cranberry sauce while Spring cleaning my freezer. If you have left-over cranberry sauce (perhaps you froze some too?), this dish is a perfect use for some of it. You can also use canned whole berry cranberry sauce or if you have some frozen cranberries, see the Cook’s notes below for how to quickly turn them in to some cranberry sauce to use for this dish.
I served my pork with oven roasted sweet potatoes and wilted spinach. See the “Cook’s Notes” below the recipe for details on the sides.
Cook’s Notes for Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
You can use use fresh rosemary instead of thyme, if you prefer or for a change.
A small centre-cut pork loin roast could also be used for this recipe. Definitely double the sauce and of course, the oven cooking time will increase considerably.
If you have fresh or frozen cranberries on hand, you can make your own cranberry sauce quickly. Simply bring 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup white sugar to a boil in a sauce pan. Add 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cranberries burst and sauce thickens. Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until needed. To use in this recipe, simply measure out the amount you need and freeze the rest!
I served my pork with roasted sweet potatoes and wilted spinach. For the sweet potatoes, simply peel and cube. Toss in a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter onto a baking sheet and cook in 425° F. oven for about 25-30 minutes, without stirring. I like to use a small baking sheet, so there’s room for my skillet in the oven to cook the pork at the same time. You could also use two racks. For the spinach, I microwave in a bowl, with a splash of water and covered with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1-1:30 minutes or until wilted, depending on amount of spinach. Drain excess water and season with salt, pepper and a bit of butter, if desired.
Cranberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter DIVIDED
- 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce (or homemade cranberry sauce - see Cook's Notes for how-to)
- 1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (I prefer 2 Tbsp.)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 450 F.
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Melt 1/2 Tbsp. butter in heavy large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat (I love to use my cast iron frying pan for this, as it makes the tastiest drippings!).
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Remove silverskin and any visible fat from pork. Pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Sear pork in hot skillet, cooking on all sides, about 2 minutes. Place skillet with pork in preheated oven. Roast pork until thermometer inserted into centre registers 150° F, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your pork.
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Remove skillet from oven. Remove pork to a cutting board and tent in foil to keep warm. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet on the stove-top over medium-high heat. Add onion and thyme and sauté, stirring until onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add broth, cranberry sauce and balsamic vinegar and whisk until cranberry sauce melts, about 2 minutes. Boil until sauce is syrupy and has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes (or a bit longer, if you’ve doubled the sauce). Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
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Remove foil from pork and add any juice on the cutting board to the cranberry sauce. Slice pork and place on a plate. Spoon sauce down the middle of the pork. If you used fresh thyme, grab a sprig and place it on top. If not, a sprinkling of something green (parsley, or even dried rosemarwill brighten up the dish. Serve any extra sauce on the side.
Recipe Notes
Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
What temperature should the oven be preheated to for the pork to roast? Thanks
Sorry Holly. I just updated my recipe plugin and that instruction must have dropped off. It’s 450F. I’ve added it to the instructions. Thanks for letting me know :)
Recently made this and WOW!!!! Had homemade cranberry sauce leftover. So easy & tasty! Ran into a slight problem – would have liked a second tenderloin! Next time!!
Since there’s just the two of us, it’s been decided that this will be our Christmas main. Will repeat with roasted mini potatoes & a whole baked buttercup squash.
A home run in this household!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Irene and I think this is the PERFECT dish for a Christmas main :)
I love the combination of colors, flavors and textures in this dinner Jennifer. The pork tenderloin sounds so simple to make and I bet that sauce is full of wonderful flavor!
Thanks so much, Chris :)
This meal blows me away, Jennifer. I love that some of our best meals are with super flavorful, healthy ingredients. So colourful, too! I get my pork at an organic farm close by and I can’t wait to taste this. I love cranberry sauce and I keep forgetting that we can use it throughout the year, lol.
Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Thanks Robyn. And so true! I eat cranberry sauce year round. I love it on sandwiches :)
What a lovely recipe, Jennifer! I love pork tenderloin and you are absolutely right about cranberries. I often get so annoyed with strictly “seasonal” recipes! I have cranberries in my freezer the whole year! Delicious!
Thanks Julia and yes, I have cranberries in my freezer year round as well. They are great for baking, too!
Oh wow Jennifer this pork tenderloin sounds amazing!! The combination of balsamic and cranberries with that juicy meat is making my mouth water!
Thanks Linda. This dish never disappoints. So simply but full of flavour!
What a fantastic meal, so pretty and the flavors are out of this world, I can almost smell the deliciousness from here.
Thanks Diane. Definitely eating my colours here :)
I love these flavors, what a great looking meal! And that side of sweet potatoes and spinach is calling my name!
Thanks Laura. Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite easy sides. Just cut and roast. And so yummy!
Oh my goodness Jennifer, I wish I was coming to your house for dinner to enjoy this dish! Perfect with the sweet potatoes and wilted spinach! A win-win-win!!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
You are the queen of comfort food, Jennifer — just reading about the cranberries and balsamic vinegar has my mouth watering — sharing and pinning!
Thanks Sue. I cook meals like this more for my husband, than myself. This is MY version of “meat and potatoes” though ;)
Uhm… dream come true recipe right here. I love all your posts!!! I am always game for pork tenderloin with some sort of sweet chutney type sauce. Looks perfect for the end of winter! And perfect for this weekend :)
Thanks so much, Sarah. I love pork tenderloin, so I have tons of ways to cook it. It’s a nice change from all the chicken :)
I must put this on my list – it sounds and looks perfectly moist and tender. Love those special finds in the bottom of the freezer – kind of like dumpster diving! I’ve started a spring cleaning of my freezer(s) with a feeling of urgency over all the frozen treasurers that are getting to the “age” of no return. Have a great weekend!
Thanks Tricia and yes, I found some great things in the freezer and so glad I caught them before it was too late :)
Outstanding ! I wouldn’t change a thing . You’ve got to make this.
Thanks so much, Jayne :)