This is the best pork loin recipe I have ever enjoyed and it will surely turn you in to a pork loin lover, too! Juicy pork combines with a white wine sauce, flavoured with fresh herbs and garlic, for a special and elegant pork dinner.
Why you’ll love this pork loin recipe!
- The herb and wine sauce is so good! (I could drink it!)
- The unique stove-top cooking method produces the most fabulously moist pork loin.
- This pork dinner is always a special meal. It’s perfect for date night, special dinners and for company.
What is a pork loin?
Pork Loin is a solid and lean cut of pork. It has an even thickness throughout its length. Pork Loin can be boneless or bone-in and will often have a bit of fat cap attached to it. This recipe specifies boneless, centre cut pork loin, which is the finest cut from the middle, so it cooks evenly and slices beautifully.
Pork Loin is different from pork tenderloin. It is cut from a different part and is a thinner, longer and uneven thickness, tapering out through the length. As it is a quick-cooking cut, it doesn’t make a great substitute for recipes like this one, as it will likely overcook.
Ingredients you’ll need
Boneless, Centre-Cut Pork Loin – the centre-cut is the best cut of pork loin, with lean pork that cooks and slices up perfectly. The timing of the recipe is for a 2 lb. pork loin, but if yours is a little less or more, you can simply adjust the cooking time accordingly.
White Wine – any wine you like to drink is fine here. Crack open a fresh bottle for this one (you can enjoy the remainder of the bottle with your dinner). If you are looking for recommendations, a Chardonnay is always a good choice. Sauvignon Blanc also works well.
Sage and Rosemary – fresh herbs are highly recommended, but in a pinch, you can use dried.
Cream – heavy, whipping cream is recommended, as it will produce the best flavour and texture in the sauce. If you only have a lighter cream, use the cornstarch slurry detailed in the Recipe card to thicken the gravy, as needed.
Chicken Broth, Garlic and Olive Oil
Step-by-Step Photos
- Start by browning both sides the pork loin in olive oil. Remove to a plate.
- Add the garlic and herbs to the pot and cook briefly before adding the wine.
- Return the pork to the pot.
- Reduce heat and partially cover the pot (don’t cover completely!).
- After 20 minutes, flip the meat and stir the bottom of the pot.
- Check the temperature with each flip, to gauge cooking progress.
- If pot gets dry at any point, add about 1/4 cup of water. Continue cooking, flipping and checking temperature, until pork loin reaches between 140-145F.
- When pork is done, remove to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil.
- To the drippings in the pan, add a splash of wine to loosen.
- Add the chicken broth and stir up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cream and stir in. Simmer gently until reduced and thickened.
- Slice pork thinly. Place on a serving platter and pour sauce over-top.
What to serve with pork loin with wine herb gravy
- A creamy mashed potato (or garlic mashed) is nice with this gravy. Alternatively, buttered egg noodles or wild rice would also be nice. I’ve also thought about gnocchi, which I haven’t tried yet, but feel it would be nice together.
- On the side, broccolini is great (or broccoli) or green beans, would also be perfect.
Reader Review
“I absolutely agree with your very first comment on this recipe ….this truly is the best pork loin recipe I have ever made. I am cooking it for the second time tonight for dinner. I have an overwhelming desire to make tons of extra sauce and put it on everything. Thanks so much!” – Alex
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Get the Recipe: Pork Loin with Wine and Herb Gravy
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 lb. boneless, centre-cut, pork loin roast, *see notes
- 1 1/4 cups dry white wine, plus a bit more to deglaze pan
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (or similar, heavy-bottomed pan) over medium-high heat. *Be sure to use a pot big enough to allow the pork loin to sit flat on the bottom of the pot. Season the pork with a little salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pot, fat side down. *Make sure the oil is hot enough to brown the pork well, as this makes for the best flavour. It may splatter a bit, but worth it! Brown the pork for about 4-5 minutes on each side, then remove it to a plate. In the same pan, lower the heat to medium heat and add the garlic, rosemary and sage. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 45-60 seconds. *Don't allow to burn. Add the wine to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook the wine until the smell of the alcohol has disappeared, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Lower the heat under the pan to low-medium heat. Return the pork to the pan and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Partially cover with a lid (Do not cover completely!) and cook for 20 minutes. Flip pork and stir the bottom of the pan. Make sure there is still some liquid in the pan. Return the lid partially covered and cook for 15 minutes, then flip again. Stir bottom and if getting dry, add 1/4 cup of water. Check the temperature of the pork. Return the lid to partially covered and check again in 5-10 minute intervals, flipping, stirring and adding a bit of water, if needed, until the pork registers 140-145F. internal temperature. *For a 2 lb. pork loin, the total cooking time is usually 55-60 minutes.
- When the pork is cooked to the recommended temperature, remove pork to a cutting board to rest and cover with loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil to help retain the heat while it rests.
- Meanwhile, increase the heat under the liquid in the pan to medium. If your pan has little liquid, deglaze with a splash of white wine. Stir well to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook until the alcohol smell disappears (about 1-2 minutes). Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat a few minutes, to allow the chicken stock to heat through a bit. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cream. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring the sauce regularly, until it thickens a bit and is warmed through. Avoid vigorously boiling. A gentle simmer is fine. (*The sauce doesn't need to be super thick, just reduced somewhat. If you'd like the sauce thicker, mix 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. water and add a little bit at a time to your sauce until it thickens to your liking.) Taste sauce and add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. *If the sauce tastes acidic (wine-y), add more salt to balance the flavour.
- When the sauce is ready, slice the pork very thinly and place on to a rimmed or shallow serving platter. Pour the warm gravy over-top to serve.
Notes
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Hello,
Would this dish be gluten free
Hi Sarah and yes, it would be as long as you make sure the chicken broth brand you use for the gravy is gluten free. Some of them surprisingly have some gluten in them. So just check the label on them to be sure. That’s the only thing that might introduce gluten to this dish.
Could you do this in a slow cooker?
Hi Laura and no, I wouldn’t recommend a slow cooker for this dish, for a number of reasons. First, a slow cooker is a closed cooking environment, so you would be steaming the meat, which is not really ideal for meat quality when using a lean cut like a pork loin. There would also be no opportunity for the wine to evaporate. Also, I’m not sure if it really makes sense to cook something for 6-8 hours, when it can be done with minimal effort on the stove-top in one quarter of that time (and with much better results).
Hello! Can I use another fresh herb instead of rosemary? I love the sound of everything in this recipe except the rosemary.
Hi Kate, I think I would use fresh thyme sprigs instead, if you aren’t a fan of the rosemary. It would be nice with the pork, as well.
Good recipe. Added onions with the garlic. Thanks for the recipe
So glad you enjoyed it, Kyle. Thanks so much :)
I use thyme instead of rosemary and it’s awesome
I wanted to make this recipe unfortunately I forgot to buy the fresh herbs. If I use dry what measurements would you recommend?
Hi Laura, a good rule of thumb is to replace fresh herbs with 1/4 the amount in dried herbs. So roughly 1 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary and about 1 Tbsp of dried sage. Enjoy!
Can you use a dry sherry instead
Hi Hunter, I don’t think sherry is the best choice for this one, as there is a large amount of wine used.
We love this recipe! I’m wondering if I could try it with several large Costco chicken breasts??
Hi Heather and so glad you are enjoying it! And yes, I think the flavours are perfectly suited to chicken, too. Of course, you won’t need to cook the chicken breasts for as long as the pork. Other than that, should be fine. If you try it, let me know how it was!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! It was easy to prepare, but looks elegant. Will keep making for our small family but definitely keep in mind for a dinner party. My husband loved the sauce, might have to double it next time.
So glad you enjoyed it, Debra! And I’m with your husband. I could drink this sauce :) Thanks!
I put a pork loin on the grill with the same herbs and didn’t want to dry out the meat reheating it. So I found this recipe with the same herbs out of the garden. The only thing I added were mushrooms and it was wonderful!
Slow cooking even with already cooked meat made it so tender and didn’t take as long. Great way to use leftovers.
So glad you enjoyed it, Brenda :) Thanks!
This recipe is absolutely the best! I keep coming back to it. Everytime pork loin goes on sale, I get one and make this! The gravy is absolutely divine and my boyfriend really likes it too. I LOVE cooking with fresh herbs and most importantly, wine! Easy 5 stars!
I agree, V and so glad you are enjoying it. Thanks :)
Amazing and delicious! The pork was so tender! I added mushrooms to the sauce. Definitely a keeper! Yum!
So glad you enjoyed it, Dawn :) Thanks so much!
I want to try this for my next family gathering as it seems delicious. I am far from a good cook but have been getting a little more adventurous since I retired. What brand of wine would you recommend for this recipe and in general when a recipe calls for dry white wine?
Hi Rjax, In general, use a wine that you would buy to drink out of a glass. So if you like a Chardonnay or a Pinot Grigio, use that. Or a Sauvignon Blanc is always a good, safe choice. This gravy is very wine-forward, so you want to make sure that the wine flavour is one that you like :) The key to this recipe is not to over-cook the pork loin. If you don’t have one, I would invest in an instant-read thermometer, so you can accurately check the internal temperature of the meat as it cooks. Enjoy!
I wanted to know of maybe I could add some mushroomto the sauce.?
Hi Katrin, you absolutely could, though I think I would brown them separately and just add back to the gravy at the end.
I love this dish, I have made it several times in a dutch oven but I always have an issue with my herbs and garlic getting burned during the cook. I always end up with a really dark gravy bc of that. It tastes great but I never get that light creamy sauce like you describe. Any pointers?
Hi Joe, Simply add the herbs and garlic a little later – right before you add the wine to the pot. Just cook them slightly, then add the wine. Also try lowering the heat under the pot a little, as well. Hope that helps :)
I really never leave comments on recipes but I have to say: this was UNREAL. I want to put this gravy over anything and everything I can find. My loin cooked a little faster (about 45 minutes) so I appreciated the regular turning which allowed me to temp it. 140 was perfect. Served with mashed potatoes but like I said, I would probably just eat this gravy alone that’s how good it was. Thank you for giving me a really love staple (and showstopper!) recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kit! And yes, I could drink this gravy, too :) Thanks so much!
My husband couldn’t stop eating this he loved it! Shared a plate with a neighbor she said it was the best meal she had all year! I’ll be making it again Saturday can’t wait. Thank you for this awesome recipe?
So glad to hear, Bev :) Thanks so much!
So delicious. I serve mine over polenta, creamy and luxurious. Thank you!
Sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed it :) Thanks!
Hi! This looks real good. I was wondering if I can cook this in a slow cooker and get the same results.🤞🏽
Hi Raymond and no, if you want the same results, you won’t get it in a slow cooker. The main reason is that the slow cooker steams, which is different from how it is cooked on the stove-top. While there is some steaming going on, keeping the lid ajar as it cooks, means that liquid is cooking off, just more slowly. The stove-top version requires very little hands on time (just flipping it a couple of times) and is well worth it, in my opinion. Hope that helps :)