Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Whether you’re in need of an easy recipe to feed a crowd over the holidays, or are looking for a family dinner recipe that’ll provide you with planned leftovers, look no further than this slow cooker pork tenderloin recipe with vegetables. Complete with earthy vegetables including carrots, potatoes, onion, and rutabaga, and seasoned to perfection with rosemary, thyme, and parsley, this pork roast with vegetables is a comfort food classic. Best of all, it’s made in your slow cooker, meaning active hands-on time for you is next to nothing! Plus, cleanup is a breeze, too. A friend of mine who enjoyed this meal with me commented that it reminds her of an Irish farm meal. So aromatic, hearty, and despite it being simple food, there is beauty in the simplicity. Comfort food never goes out of style, and this simple pork tenderloin in the Crockpot is just that!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
To make this pork tenderloin in your slow cooker, you’ll need the following easy to find ingredients including:
Onion Potatoes Carrots Rutabaga (see Substitutions below) Chicken broth Garlic Kosher salt Black pepper Boneless pork tenderloin – this usually comes as two pieces and can be cooked separately, or you can tie them together to keep as one larger roast Rosemary – fresh or dried Thyme – fresh or dried Olive oil Lemon zest Lemon juice Fresh parsley
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
Even if you’ve never made Crockpot tenderloin, I can assure you that this recipe is easy to make! Simply follow these very straightforward steps: Pork loin is wide and thick in shape, with a thick layer of fat on top. It’s better suited to roasting in the oven than slow cooking in a Crockpot. Use pork tenderloin for this recipe! Step 1: Add chunks of onion, potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga into the slow cooker. Step 2: Pour the chicken broth over the top and cook on high for 1 hour. Step 3: Combine the garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and rub all over the pork roast. If using dried rosemary and thyme, you can add to the dry rub at this time and rub it all over the pork. Step 4: Add olive oil to a large skillet, and sear and brown the pork on the stove. Step 5: After 1 hour of cooking the vegetables, add the seared meat on top of them. If using fresh herbs, lay sprigs of rosemary and thyme over the top. Step 6: Evenly sprinkle lemon zest and drizzle lemon juice over the pork. Step 7: Cover and slow cook on low for 3 hours or until done. Step 8: Rest the pork for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
How to Keep Pork Tenderloin From Drying Out in a Slow Cooker
Using a meat thermometer is highly recommended. Undercooked pork is a health hazard, however overcooked pork is like eating shoe leather. Rather than guessing, use a thermometer. The internal temp should be 135F. Remember, the internal temp of meat tends to rise, even after pulled from a slow cooker or the oven. For smaller cuts of meat, it’s about 5 degrees, but for larger cuts or roasts it’s 10 to 15 degrees. So while you let your pork tenderloin rest before slicing into it, and that is another tip — don’t skip resting your meat — you can pull it out at 130F from the slow cooker to avoid overcooking, knowing that the temp will rise up to 135F before it then drops.
Vegetables Substitutions to Try
For my comforting slow cooker pork tenderloin with vegetables, I used onion, potatoes, carrots, and rutabaga. For those not familiar with rutabaga, it’s a hearty root vegetable, with a fairly neutral flavor. It reminds me of something in between a white potato and jicama – if jicama could be cooked. However, you can substitute turnips, wedges of green cabbage, or really any firm vegetable such as golden beets.
How to Serve Pork Tenderloin
After resting and slicing the meat, you can simply plate it and then add the vegetables. This is what’s shown in the photos. Plus, I used some drippings from the pork, added cornstarch, and made gravy like I did in that recipe because my family loves their gravy, but this is optional. However, an optional way to serve this is to separate the broth, pork, and root vegetables. Mash the root vegetables together, make a bed of the mash on your plate, top with thinly sliced pork, and pour the broth over the top as if it were like a gravy. This is a great way to serve the leftovers especially.
Make-Ahead Instructions
If you’re taking this to an event like a family holiday meal or other get-together, this pork roast can go with you uncooked but in the slow cooker. Just plug it in when you get where you’re going and slow cook it there. Or, make it at home, and keep it hot, and then it’s totally ready to eat when you get to your destination. A slow cooker with a tightly sealing lid is best and then if you happen to have one, put it in a cardboard box to save your car floorboards or trunk from any accidental spills.
How to Store Leftover Pork Tenderloin
Being that this recipe for rosemary pork tenderloin does make a hefty quantity, you may find yourselves with some leftovers. If that’s the case, they will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
More Holiday Dinner Ideas:
Beef Tenderloin Roast with Garlic Herb Butter — An EASY yet IMPRESSIVE dish that’s ready in under an hour! Roasting beef tenderloin in the oven results in perfectly MOIST and TENDER meat every time, and the garlic herb butter adds tons of flavor without overwhelming the beef. Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Glazed Pork Loin Roast — Pork loin is first coated in a FLAVOR-PACKED dry spice rub, then topped with a tangy brown sugar glaze before being roasted. EASY enough to make on busy weeknights, but IMPRESSIVE enough to serve to guests or make for the holidays! Easy Foolproof Oven Roasted Turkey — Learn how to make juicy, flavorful herb-roasted turkey that’s not dry! This turkey has all the flavor that grandma’s used to have, minus the hassle. Slow Cooker Turkey Breast — Learn how to make a perfect turkey breast every time using your slow cooker! Making turkey breast in a Crockpot results in juicy, tender turkey every time and is nearly impossible to dry out! Honey Baked Ham — Spiral baked honey ham that’s SO EASY you really can’t mess it up! The sweetness from the honey works perfectly with the saltiness of the ham. Sheet Pan Whole-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes – FOUR ingredients + ONE pan = PERFECT roasted chicken with ZERO cleanup!! Your new FOOLPROOF and EASY roasted chicken recipe that’s ready in 1 hour!!
