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
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!
This looks and sounds simply delicious! I plan to try the recipe out this week, however, only have pork chops – can that work?
Thanks!
Hi Rebekah, It will work(ish) with pork chops. Of course, the cooking time will be much less, unless you have super-thick chops. I would follow the recipe pretty closely (searing, partially covering pot etc.) except reduce cooking time for pork. Let chops rest while you cook down the gravy. Let me know how it turns out!
Just made this tonight – it turned out great! Even with chops.
Made with roasted cauliflower and egg noodles. Thanks!!
Good to know, Rebekah. Sounds delicious!
Hi, I was wondering how long the cooking time took you with the pork chops? :)
Hi Adiel, I haven’t made this recipe with pork chops, so can’t tell you exactly, but I would expect 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork chop.
Jennifer,
I am currently making this and when sauteing the pork I found that I couldn’t avoid burning the garlic and herbs. Is that expected? I know that typically burnt garlic ruins the taste of food. If it is not expected how do you avoid it?
Hi Kris, you should expect the garlic and herbs to get well cooked – golden-browned, as far as the garlic goes and your herbs should get a bit crispy. It shouldn’t reach the level of burnt though. I’m assuming you’re using halved pieces of garlic (minced will definitely burn) and roughly chopped herbs (not too small pieces). Also, a heavy-bottomed pan is a must to cook at this temperature. If all that is in place, turning the burner down a touch would be the only other thing.
I have a 3lb pork loin. Does that adjust the cooking time?
Hi Sarah. Yes you’ll definitely need to cook it a bit longer.
Thank you. I actually ended up cutting the loin in half because it didn’t fit in my pan and cooking with the original times. Turned out amazing. Really flavorful!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
This looks amazing!! My boyfriend is not a fan of Pork. If I try it with chicken I just need to lessen the cook time, right?
Hi Rachel, Yes, the cooking time will definitely be less. Are you doing boneless or skin-on/bone-in? If it were me, I’d do at least skin-on (you can cut the bone out, if you like), so you get some nice golden skin and a little fat in the sauce. Let me know how it turns out!
I was planning on doing breast. However, your suggestion sounds good to. I’m going to try it tonight. I will let you know how it turns out. :-)
I tried this tonight and it was amazing! I threw in some finely diced onions and sliced mushrooms, which really absorbed the flavor. It was difficult not lick the sauce from my plate! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Darah and love your additions. Sounds delicious!
Dry vermouth is a great option for any recipe that calls for white white. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t require refrigeration, so you can always have it on hand. I made this recipe with it and it was delish.
Great tip, Kathie. Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed it :)
Can you specifically recommend a dry white wine? This always confuses an amateur like me. Can I use a bottle of drinking wine– Pino, chardonay, etc? Or should I use a cooking wine? Pretty sure the white cooking wine I purchased is over a year old, does it go bad? Thanks for your help!
Hi Sarah, Definitely not a cooking wine. A nice chardonay would be perfect. Doesn’t need to be an expensive one. Just any one you’d pour to drink yourself. Enjoy!
Hey There. This looks beautiful! I want to make it for Christmas dinner for about 12 people. I have two 2 lb pork tenderloins. Would you recommend doubling up on all the sauce ingredients for the increased serving size?
Hi Maile, Yes, I would definitely double the sauce ingredients. The sauce is so delicious, you’ll be glad you have enough to go around! Enjoy!
Looks mouthwatering!!!!! How might you make this with chicken?
Thanks Jana. I don’t really have any guidance to offer re chicken. I’ve never it.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was the most delicious pork loin my husband and I have ever had!! I added a little chopped onion and mushroom to the recipe and it turned out great. Thank you so much for the recipe:) I can’t wait to make it again!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ashley!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Used half and half instead of cream and since I didn’t have corn starch I threw in a Tbsp of flour before adding vegetable broth (better than boullion) into the herbs and drippings. Rested it for the 20 and heated the sauce back up til it thickened. It was so great. Also at the very beginning when browning the loin I probably used a bit more sage and tossed the stems in too once my liquid had reduced a bit. It did take me a bit longer than 2 hrs but most of that is because of the time it takes for me to get to temp and make a sauce at a higher altitude. Very great recipe. Delicious on a cold night.
So glad you enjoyed it, Carrie :)
I made this tonight! It was absolutely delicious. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Debbie :)
This looks amazing! My husband does not like rosemary or sage, are there any other herbs you could recommend to use instead?
Hi Amy, I’m sorry but I can’t really think of any other herbs that would be comparable.
This looks amazing and I look forward to trying it – once I get that dutch oven. Is there any reason this couldn’t go in the oven for most of the cooking instead of on the stove top? Seems like it could, but I thought I would ask. Thanks for this awesome recipe. Pork loin is my favorite thing to cook, and I never find it boring ;-)
Hi Sarah and thanks :) Tecnhnically, oven cooking it is definitely going to work. That said, I’m not completely sure it will yield quite the same results. That said, if you don’t have something to use for the stove-top, give it a go. I would still turn it every 20 minutes or so though. Let me know how it turns out!
Sarah – I am wondering if you did try this in the oven and how it turned out? I was thinking of using the oven to make this on Christmas
Hi Lynn. Hoping Sarah can offer you some feedback re: cooking this in the oven. This dish was delicious and would make a great Christmas meal. I know the stove-top cooking sounds fussy, but it really isn’t. Just turn the meat over a couple of times.
This is definitely my kind of comfort food…. love the large amount of fresh herbs!
Thanks Nancy. The fresh herbs were great in this!
I’m so excited to make this! However, I’ve never cooked pork, so I’m a little scared. With that being said, I don’t own a dutch oven, but I was wondering if it would taste just as heavenly if I cooked it in a normal big pot? Love your posts! :)
Hi Amanda and thanks so much :) The main reason to use a Dutch oven is for their heavy bottom, which is great for things that cook a while. As an alternative, use your heaviest pot. I’d even recommend a cast-iron frying pan, if you have one of those. You could partially cover using tin foil. If not, use what you have. I would just watch it a little more closely to make sure it doesn’t boil dry. Add a splash of warm water if it’s getting thin. I’d keep the heat a little lower, too. As for cooking pork, the key to success is cooking it to the right temperature. If you have a thermometer, it makes life a lot easier. I just test until it gets to 150 degrees. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to slice in to it and see how it looks. It should be moist and evenly white-ish (not pink). Enjoy!
I felt like I just read something from an encyclopedia! You’re amazing! Thank you so much :)
I want to eat this Right. Now. It looks absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to try it, but I’m kind of a spaz in the kitchen… Do you think I could get the same results just using a crock pot?
Hi Gabrielle, I don’t think a crock pot is ideal, but if you really want to try it, here’s what I would do. Sear your pork on the stove-top until golden. Add to the crock pot with the wine. Cook PARTIALLY UNCOVERED at a temperature that will maintain a gentle simmer, probably in the medium-high range. Cook it that way for 1 1/2 hours or so, following the instructions in the original recipe. Hope that helps!