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Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Plum Sauce. Only 6 ingredients! The sticky plum reduction glaze is so flavorful, you'll want to double the recipe just for the plum sauce!
This is one of the best recipes to make pork. Pork and plums go really well together in this recipe and also in this Baked Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Plums. Very easy to make, only 6 ingredients, and the preparation time is minimum. And, it's a delicious way to use some plums! Pork tenderloin coated with plum sauce looks quite pretty when served, too!
Recipe notes about cooking the pork tenderloin
- Make sure to trim pork tenderloin of any silver skin.
- Use Montreal seasoning to season the pork or just use salt and pepper.
- Roast pork tenderloin for 30-40 minutes in a preheated oven at 425 F, until the tenderloin is cooked through and pale pink in the center, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
The plum sauce adds the fruitiness and sweetness to the pork tenderloin. If you like your pork tenderloin without any sweetness, try this Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Mustard, Garlic and Herbs.
Recipe notes about plum sauce
- Use fresh plums and slice them up into small cubes.
- Cook the plum sauce (cubed plums, balsamic vinegar and honey) for about 10-15 minutes on simmer. Then, let the sauce sit off heat, covered, for 10 minutes, until it cools a bit. As the plum sauce cools (but does not become cold) it will thicken thanks to honey.
Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Balsamic Plum Sauce
Ingredients
Pork Tenderloin:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 lb pork tenderloin , boneless
- 1 tablespoon Montreal seasoning or other favorite rub or just salt and pepper
Plum Sauce:
- 5 plums , cubed into very small slices
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoons honey
Instructions
How to roast pork tenderloin:
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Trim pork tenderloin of any silver skin. Rub all of tenderloin all over with olive oil. Spoon the Monreal seasoning (or salt and pepper, or other favorite rub) over the tenderloin and spread it to cover the entire cut of meat from all sides.
- Place the pork tenderloin in a roasting pan, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes in a preheated oven at 425 F, until the tenderloin is cooked through and pale pink in the center, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Depending on your oven, you might have to cook pork longer than 30-40 minutes.
- Remove the pork tenderloin from the oven and slice in the center to check for desired doneness - if it's too pink for you, cover the pan with foil and let it sit for 10-15 minutes on the counter (the pork will continue cooking in its own heat).
- When ready to serve, slice the pork into 1-inch slices.
How to make plum sauce (glaze):
- In a medium size skillet, combine cubed plums, balsamic vinegar and honey and bring to boil.
- Reduce to simmer (but so that it's still boiling on lower heat) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, uncovered, to reduce the sauce. The plums should soften and release juices.
- Remove from heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes, covered, before serving, - that will help the sauce to thicken.
- Spoon the plum sauce over the sliced pork tenderloin.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
How would I substitute prunes for the fresh plums?
Katherine, I would "blanch" / soak the plums briefly in hot boiling water to plump them up. Drain them really well, slice them, and just proceed with the recipe as is.
This sounds good but I'm not a fan of balsamic. Is there an alternative?
Paula, to get the equivalence of the sweet sticky glaze, I would recommed using something like peach preserves or orange marmalade, or any other kind of smooth fruit preserves. If you don't have fresh plums, dried plums (prunes) would work great, too! Enjoy! 🙂
Since plums are not available, I Think I will use plum jam instead.
That sounds delicious! 🙂
I made this p
Nice little recipe. I added 1 tablespoon of soy sauce as well as using a fig infused balsamic and a lime infused honey that I happened to already have.
Thanks!
Mark, I am so happy you tried this recipe and enjoyed it!
Do you think this sauce would go with lamb?
Yes, this will be a great sauce for lamb!
Love this recipe! Making it for the second time tonight. Hard to always find plums in season but our local Asian supermarket seems to have them year round luckily!
So glad you liked this recipe! Plums are such a great ingredient!
I added thyme and salt to the sauce and it was delicious! Wonderful recipe, highly recommend!
Is the plum sauce freezable once made? Or would it be better to freeze the plums and pull out the amount needed when ready to make the sauce? Thank you!
we have plums from our trees and i made this for company we had and everyone kept complimenting on how good it was and asked me to send the recipe..i used extra plums and less honey. so easy too..cant wait to make again!
I am so jealous that you have plums from your own trees. It's my dream! Plums are delicious and work so well with pork - I am glad you tried and enjoyed this recipe!
I used your recipe for dinner tonight. That plum sauce is AMAZING!! I did switch up the meat cooking method a little by quickly browning the outside of the tenderloin before sticking it in the oven to cut down cooking time a little and to add that bit of texture, but everything else I followed and I LOVE IT!! I'll definitely be making this one again! Thanks a ton!
Selina, thank you so much for such a kind and thoughtful comment! So glad you liked this recipe. Browning the tenderloin is a great idea!
Do you remove the skin on the plums before you reduce them? I’m planning to make this dish. Looks wonderful
No, I kept the skin on the plums. Enjoy the recipe!
Was looking for something savory to use up some plums. This hit the spot. I might use a little less honey next time. So easy and delicious.
Thank you, Becky! I am so happy you liked this recipe! Sweet and savory flavors work really well in this dish!
I picked some wild Mexican plums today and was looking for recipes. Your pork roast with plum sauce sounds wonderful. I’ll be using a thicker, sweeter (already reduced) balsamic, rather than regular (ie: grocery store kind). I thought about not using the honey but since the wild plums are more tart, I just might need additional sweetness. Also, your photos are beautiful. Thanks for your recipe!
Kathy, you're so welcome! Please enjoy the recipe! Great idea to use a thicker balsamic sauce that's already been reduced. And thank you for such a sweet and thoughtful comment!
I tried this recipe and while the pork tenderloin had a great flavor and smelled wonderful cooking the plum sauce was horrible and I was very disappointed in the sauce. Definitely will not make this sauce again.
I am glad you liked the pork tenderloin. Sorry to hear you did not like the plum sauce. I was quite happy to post it I thought it was so good! 🙂 But we all have different tastes.