A quick and easy pork tenderloin recipe with an absolutely delicious peanut sauce of peanut butter, coconut milk, lime and cilantro. This sauce is one of my favourites! Ready in just about 30 minutes, too!
If you looking for a fabulous sauce for pork tenderloin this peanut sauce is one of my favourites! It’s Indonesian in its flavour profile, with a nice bit of ground coriander to complement the peanut butter, soy sauce and coconut milk. A generous hit of fresh lime juice lightens and freshens the flavours. The fresh lime juice is a must!
In the warmer months, I love to cook the pork up on the BBQ. In the colder months, it can be cooked quickly on the stove-top in a grill pan or on a baking sheet under the broiler. Butterflying the pork tenderloin means it always cooks up quickly!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Coconut Milk – I always use and recommend full-fat coconut milk, as it makes for the thickest and richest peanut sauce. Low-fat coconut milk will work here but will result in a thinner and less creamy sauce.
Peanut Butter – Use whatever is in your cupboard, as long as it’s smooth. Natural and regular peanut butter will both work nicely here.
Lime Juice – Fresh lime is best and for best results, don’t skip the lime! The freshness and acidity really elevate and balance the sauce.
Brown Sugar – The recipe specifies dark brown sugar for the richest taste, but I’ve made it with light brown sugar, as well, and it works just fine.
Ground Coriander – I hope you have this wonderful spice in your spice rack. Coriander is dried cilantro seeds and ground coriander is, well, ground up :) Don’t worry if you are a Cilantro hater. Coriander has a different flavour profile that you will probably find you tolerate just fine :)
If you don’t have it and you want to make this dish anyway, simply finely chop some of the fresh cilantro and simmer it with the sauce instead.
Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds great flavour and colour to this dish. Hate fresh cilantro? Replace it with flat-leafed parsley.
Recipe tips!
- A short marinating time is all that is needed, but if you like, you can start the pork marinating well ahead (up to 8 hours) and then just cook it up when you’re ready.
- You’ll notice that the marinade is cooked down to make the sauce. As such, you’ll want to be sure that you bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to simmer for several minutes. This ensures that any raw meat juices are thoroughly cooked in the sauce.
What to serve with this pork with peanut sauce
Serve this pork and peanut sauce with a simple vegetable, salad and/or with rice for a delicious and easy weeknight meal (that’s also company worthy!). I love a cilantro-lime rice with this one!
Get the Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk, full-fat recommended
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, natural or regular
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium recommended
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar, or light brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 lb pork tenderloin, 1 large or two small
- Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Fresh lime wedges, for serving/drizzling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, and coriander to make a smooth sauce.
- Trim the pork of excess fat and silverskin. Butterfly the tenderloins by splitting each one lengthwise almost, but not quite all the way through, so the halves remain attached.
- Open each tenderloin like a book, cover with plastic wrap, and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small skillet. Put the pork tenderloins in the large, shallow bowl with the marinade and turn to coat. Let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes on the counter (or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator).
- BBQ Method: While the pork marinates, heat a BBQ on high. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the bowl (don’t discard the marinade). Grill the tenderloins, turning once, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Oven Method: Preheat oven broiler to high with rack about 6 inches from heat. Place tenderloins on a foil-covered baking sheet and broil, turning once, until cooked through and browned in spots, about 15 minutes. You could also cook the pork in a large grill pan over medium-high heat on the stove-top.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and add 1 Tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. ** It is important to boil and thoroughly heat the sauce for the time specified! Remove the sauce from the heat. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it with a bit more water. Slice the pork and serve drizzled with the sauce. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges for drizzling. Additional sauce can be placed in a small bowl for passing at the table.
Notes
More pork tenderloin recipes to love!
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!
Great recipe. All the family loved the taste.
Want to take this to some shut-ins and need to know if I can cook the tenderloin at home and reheat the meat in the peanut sauce. Maybe doubling the sauce? Do you think this would work or do you have any other suggestions?
Hi Donna, cooking ahead and reheating in the sauce should work just fine. The only thing I usually do with pork that I’m making head is to undercook it just slightly, so that when it is reheated, it doesn’t become over-cooked.