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!
I’ve made this several times and it’s become one of my favorite recipes…my daughter is picky and doesn’t like pork, so I made it with a turkey tenderloin the last two times and it turned out great!
Sounds lovely, Melissa :) So glad you are enjoying it. Thanks so much!
Looking forward to making this tonight! I could only find a bone in pork loin center cut roast at 4.7 lbs. Have you ever used bone in for this recipe?
Hi Jacqueline and no, I have never made this one with a bone-in roast. It will cook more quickly with the bone, so monitor the meat temperature and adjust the timing accordingly.
Hello! Every time I make this one up burning my herbs. When I pour the wine in to deglaze it is an extreme reaction that I’ve not experienced before when deglazing. Should I dump some of the oil out?
Hi Kate, sounds like you just need to lower the temperature under the pot a bit. Also, keep in mind that thyme is more tender than rosemary and will burn more quickly. You can also just add the herbs a little later in the process and see if that helps.
Made this recipe a couple of times. Always delicious. Love rosemary. So much flavor.
So glad you are enjoying it, Linda :) Thanks so much!
Omg, so good. The sauce/ gravy was divine! I used fresh herbs. There was plenty of gravy. This is definitely a keeper, thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kathleen :) Thanks so much!
Made this excellent recipe many times but today Christmas Eve everyone is out of HWC. Has any one tried it with the half and half and are the results good wanting to make for Christmas.
Thank You
Ni Nanci, the half and half would do is that’s all you have. The risk is that the lower fat cream will split a bit when it hits any wine in the sauce and of course, will be a little less rich. You may want to make a cornstarch slurry and use to thicken the sauce a bit, if it is a bit thinner, which may help with any bit of cream splitting too. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
My family and i originally made this back in 2016 for Thanksgiving. It was a hit and I’ve kept it as a favorite. Planning on making again this year for Christmas dinner. We used tenderloins before and it was delicious but this year I’m using a pork roast. Cannot wait! THANK YOU!
serving with roasted garlic and rosemarry mashed potatoes along with rosemarry french bread
Enjoy, Tricia! I think you’ll love the extra flavour that comes with the longer cooking :) Thanks!
This recipe sounds delicious and I’m going to attempt it, for sure, but was wondering about using a dutch oven and doing the long term cooking in the oven.
What do you think, feasible?
Thanks
Hi Sue, it is feasible, but you would want to duplicate the stove-top experience in the oven. So that would be not to cover the pot completely and to cook at an oven temperature that maintains a gentle simmer. The oven might require more liquid (wine), as well. The most important part would be to not cover the pot completely (that would steam the meat and that’s not what we want for a nice pork loin), but to cover partially, so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly (some drips back into the pot). Otherwise, it will cook dry quite quickly and scorch.
I made this for our cottage anniversary get-away…. It was fantastic!!
I added mushrooms and onions to the sauce and used fresh Rosemary from my garden and dried sage leaves from my daughter’s garden. The flavour was amazing! I am addicted to Rosemary, partly because of the flavour and partly because it is the only herb I seem to be able to grow without hassle! :)
So glad to hear, Connie and yes, rosemary is a reliable garden plant, for sure :) Thanks!
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe. I am confused as I have a 6lb roast whether I need to triple the entire recipe or what specifically to triple. I can’t imagine using over a bottle of wine but I’m not a cook!
Thank you.
Hi T, that’s a big roast! As this recipe cooks it in a Dutch oven on the stove-top, do you have a pot big enough for it to sit in on the stove-top? Do you need to cook all 6 lbs. of it at once? Is it possible to cut it into 2 or 3 smaller roasts? The other ingredients, beyond the pork, are used to both cook the loin (the wine mostly) and to make the gravy. With that much meat, you’d need more gravy, of course, so I suspect you would need to triple everything up if you cooked it all at once. Obviously, cooking time will be longer.
It cooked in less than 1 1/2 hour. Did not cool 20 minutes before adding cream. I have made it a few times now and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Claire :) Thanks so much!
My near 3 lb loin cooked quickly, barely an hr. By then it was already 160! This is a terrific recipe, I will make again and start testing after 40 min. I used a Le Creuset oval dutch oven. My question is, I see why so many commenters want to double the sauce. Would you double everything, the wine, broth and cream, maybe even the herbs too? I wonder re: the wine since that would add quite a bit more liquid during the the cooking of the meat. I hope you have tried this and can point me in the right direction. Thank you.
Hi Den, That’s a fast cook! I generally test every 20 minutes, as I flip it, just so I know how it’s progressing. As for doubling the sauce, that would involve maybe adding a bit more wine to deglaze the pot after removing the roast. Then doubling the rest from there (broth and cream). As for the herbs, I think I might just add a bit more to the simmer in the sauce at the end, to keep the flavour balance.
Absolutely delicious. I added a small sliced onion along with the garlic. I served it with mashed sweet potatoes. Really excellent
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne :) Thanks so much!
I love looking for new recipes on line and by crackie this was a super find. Absolutely delicious. I did not use fresh herbs which I’m sure would have been a better tasting experience but overall it was flavorful and savory. I used Sauvignon blanc wine which I was very pleased with the taste. This is definitely a recipe I would try again. Leftovers were even more tasty.
I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus with cheese sauce. Truly a favourite. I found preparation was not an issue, easy recipe to follow and not a lot of ingredients. I used pork tenderloin and may have cook it a little too long next time only 30-40 minutes and allow juices come through while in cooking board. Highly recommend this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, Carolyn :) Thanks!
This sounds like a recipe I would like to try but for the cream ingredient since I have a dairy free diet. Do you have any recommendation for a substitute?
Hi Stan, I think coconut milk (stirred) is probably the best dairy-free option here. Alternately, if you want to avoid introducing any coconut flavour, I might just mix up a cornstarch slurry (2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp cold water) and add to the hot sauce in small increment, just until it thickens up a bit. It will also give a “creamy” look, as well. Enjoy!