How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in the Air Fryer

Learn how to cook pork tenderloin in the air fryer! The quick and high heat cooking of the air fryer make pork tenderloin brown on the outside while still juicy on the inside.

Pork tenderloin is a nice lean cut of pork. Because of that, you don’t want to overcook it. Over the years I’ve found ways to cook pork tenderloin so that it’s brown on the outside while still being juicy on the inside. I have lots of tips for cooking pork tenderloin over here. And, if you want to grill it, here is my go-to method. But, if you want to the best pork tenderloin ever, then you’ve got to try the air fryer. I was so seriously impressed!!!

Pork Tenderloin Versus Pork Loin

First, let’s make sure we’re looking at the same cut of pork. We’re talking about the tenderloin here. It should say that whole long word, tenderloin, on the package. If it just says loin, then you’ve got something else. A pork loin. (Try my Air Fryer Pork Loin recipe or this Pork Loin Roast.)

If you have a tenderloin, it will be long and thin and weigh about 1 to 1.5 pounds. A loin is thicker and stumpier (in other words, it is more proportional than the long, skinny tenderloin) and weighs between 2-5 pounds usually, although you can get whole loins that weigh 8-10 pounds. Those bad boys definitely don’t fit in the air fryer though!

Preparing Pork Tenderloin

Before you cook pork tenderloin, you need to remove the silver skin. This is a tough bit of thin, silvery skin that runs along one side of the loin. Here are instructions for how to remove it. Note that in those instructions it also shows you to tuck one end of the tenderloin in to make it of an even thickness. I don’t do that for the air fryer because I don’t want to use the metal skewers since my air fryer is non-stick. I suppose you could use wooden ones or string but I don’t and it always turns out really nice.

It’s also a good idea to brine pork tenderloin. It’s such a lean cut of meat that brining it, even for a few hours, really helps. I have skipped this and the recipe has turned out fine, but it’s better when brined. Here are basic brining instructions for pork tenderloin.

Whether you brine it or not, do take your tenderloin out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. If it’s too cold, it will take too long to cook through and will end up dry inside.

Cooking Pork Tenderloin In The Air Fryer

Once your tenderloin has been out of the fridge for 20 minutes, preheat the air fryer to 400°F.

In a small bowl mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil with ¼ teaspoon of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder. If you brined your pork, do not add salt here. If you didn’t brine the pork, then add ¼ teaspoon of salt to this mixture. Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloin.

Put the pork tenderloin into the basket of the air fryer. If it doesn’t fit while straight, bend it a bit to fit it in.

Cook for 10 minutes. Flip it over. My air fryer is non-stick so I use these silicone coated tongs to flip things in there.

Cook for another 8-15 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.

I actually take mine out when it’s at 140°F. Cooking it to only 140°F makes it juicier, but be aware that it may not be safe to do so and you should follow the pork board’s guidelines always, thus take it out when it is at 145°F minimum.

Let the pork tenderloin rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 8-10 minutes is better. Slice into ½ to ¾ inch slices and serve immediately.

That’s it! Your pork tenderloin will be the best ever, nice and brown on the outside while still nice and juicy inside. Enjoy! – Christine :)

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This post originally appeared in May 2019 and was revised and republished in August 2021.