Perfectly Moist Pork Loin is the ULTIMATE “set it and forget it” recipe! It’s easy to prep, easy to cook, tastes delicious & your house will smell amazing!!
Do you have reluctant pork eaters in your family? We definitely did. My boys wouldn’t eat any kind of pork that wasn’t smothered in BBQ sauce (like these Honey BBQ Pork Chops – a family favorite!). That was until we crafted up this Perfectly Moist Pork Loin recipe.
Now my family is requesting pork nearly every week (without any BBQ sauce in sight). When I say this easy pork loin is moist, I mean it. It is tasty, juicy, and tender pork. It’s the perfect main dish for your hungry family!
PERFECTLY MOIST PORK LOIN
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Pork. It can be SO SO good, or it can be SO SO meh. It really does take a good recipe in order to cook up a pork loin that isn’t dry, tasteless, and tough. Believe me, I have cooked plenty of bland pork roasts in my day (and my fair share of dry pork chops too).
Things have changed here in the Real Housemoms kitchen though – pork is no longer bland and boring. Pork is my favorite meat to cook with. My husband loves it, my kids beg for it, and I love how simple it really can be!
I love that this pork loin roast recipe is a no-frills meal that will please even the pickiest of eaters. The flavor palate is simple – garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Who knew that those few ingredients could work so beautifully together and create a family-friendly meal? All it takes is some sprinkling of the seasoning and a few hours in the oven and you’ve got yourself a huge hit!
Perfectly Moist Pork Loin is a family favorite for all seasons. In the fall we love the classic combination of pork and apples, so I’ll cook up a pork loin and serve it with my famous Baked Apples.
In the cold winter months, it pairs beautifully with some warm, creamy mashed potatoes (you have to try these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes).
And as the weather starts to warm up in the spring and summer, I serve pork loin roast with some chilled pasta salads – this Pesto Pasta Salad fits the bill perfectly!
Ingredients for Perfectly Moist Pork Loin
- Boneless pork loin roast
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
As someone who never really cooked with pork (because I simply couldn’t get it to taste good!), I was a little overwhelmed when I was in the grocery store trying to buy meat. There are SO MANY different cuts of pork. You’ve got pork chops, pork loin, pork tenderloin (yes, they are different, who knew?!)… it can definitely be intimidating when trying to pick out the right cut!
For this recipe, you’ll want to purchase a pork LOIN. Not chops, not tenderloin. You’ll know a pork loin from the other cuts of meat because it is wide enough to cut large slices from and it has a thick layer of fat on the top.
This layer of fat is actually integral to the cooking process because it helps to keep the juices inside the meat. That’s what makes it so moist!
How to Cook Pork Loin
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. You will eventually lower the temperature of the oven, but you start it higher to give the outside of the pork loin a little extra heat to really trap in the moisture!
- Next, rub all sides of the pork with the seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil). You can put them on individually or mix up a little dry rub for yourself in a small bowl. I personally like having it all mixed together before putting it on the meat. That way I know it’s being evenly rubbed throughout the entire roast!
- THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!! Place your pork loin fat side up in your roasting pan. By having the fat on top, you’re allowing the fat layer to baste the roast as it cooks. This is the step that keeps the pork from becoming dry and tough!
- Cook the pork loin for 10 minutes in the 400-degree oven. This will help to create a kind of “crust” on the meat to help keep the juices inside.
- Next, lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook your roast for about 20 minutes per pound of meat. Yes, it takes some time. But believe me, it’s worth the wait!
- Once the pork loin has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, pull it out of the oven. Then cover the roasted pork loin loosely with a piece of foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. This is yet another very important step in order to keep the juices inside the meat where you want them to stay!! Patience is a virtue 🙂
Every time I make this pork loin roast recipe, I find that my family gravitates towards the kitchen basically begging for dinner to be ready. There’s something about the long roasting time that makes the smell of delicious pork waft throughout the entire house. My oldest son always says that those last 10 minutes of “rest” time for the meat feels like an eternity!
How Long to Cook Pork Loin
This recipe takes a bit of time to cook. It’s not one of those “30-minute meals,” but that cooking time is what helps to make it truly the perfect pork loin.
- You’ll need 10 minutes to oven sear the roast, and then about 20 minutes of cooking time per pound of meat.
So you’ll definitely want to plan ahead. This is not a last-minute recipe.
One great thing about this recipe is that it is very hands-off in terms of prep work. Just a quick dry rub and pop it in the oven! So, if you’ve got time on your hands, but also want to be productive in other places around the house, this is the pork loin recipe for you!
More fo my family’s favorite easy meals!
- Grilled Pork Chops with Peach Salsa
- Best Classic Meatloaf
- BBQ Pork Loin Tacos
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- more MAIN DISH recipes
Tools used to make this Perfectly Moist Pork Loin recipe
Roasting Pan: while this isn’t a pan that gets daily use in our house. When I pull it out, you know we’re going to have a great meal. Every kitchen should have a reliable roasting pan!
Meat Thermometer: I love this tool because it takes the guesswork out of cooking meat. Just stick it into the middle of your pork loin and see if you’ve reached the correct internal temperature. No need to cut into the roast, lose some juices, just to find out it needs more cooking time!
*This post originally posted on 09/03/2013.
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rub entire pork roast with olive oil. Then rub with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powders on all sides.
- Place pork in roasting pan fat side up.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Lower heat to 350 degrees F and cook for 20 per pound until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F.
- Remove pan from oven, and put a piece of foil loosely on top of the roast. Let meat rest for 10 minutes.
- Transfer roast to a cutting board to slice for serving.
Video
Nutrition
Rob says
7×20;is 140 minutes exactly. So the instructions are correct.
Aaron says
This is a great recipe, but this wonderful short novel biography is the icing on the cake for this recipe. The great personalized family story earned it an additional star, it was a 3 star recipe (I am very strict on my ratings) but the personal love and background this author put into this post really pulled the heart strings and had me add a star. I whole heartedly hope this author writes a full 300+ page autobiography with her next recipe so that we can all find out more about her fascinating family.
Claire's Mom says
Does the salt provide anything to the recipe other than flavoring? I need to watch my sodium intake carefully, so I’ll experiment with a salt-free seasoning blend.
Christina says
My whole family loved this! Even the toddler!
Betsy Harris says
Wow! Made this tonight because pork loin was on sale and it was fantastic! Very jucy and flavorful! Will definitely make it again!
John says
This recipe is legit. I’m a bachelor, and if I can pull it off, anybody can. It has just a few simple ingredients and seems difficult to mess up. I carefully followed the instructions and it came out both tasty and juicy. I used a 4 1/2 .lb pork loin and avocado oil (because I didn’t have olive oil). I baked it on a bare aluminum half sheet, lined with parchment and a cooling rack on top of the parchment. Easy prep…easy cleanup…and delicious. Aubrey knows how to cook a pork loin. This recipe is going in the rotation.
Elizabeth B. says
Like another person said here, this recipe and cook times are for a pork LOIN roast, NOT a tenderloin (the narrower cuts, commonly found in packages). I did not have a pork loin on hand (using what’s been in my freezer) and made this with the two tenderloin cuts in a package from Costco. Together they weighed 2.7 pounds. If you must use tenderloin, my tip is definitely cook with a meat thermometer during cooking set to alarm at 145 degrees F. I was able to roast per temperature rather than timing as she suggests for a 4-5 pound LOIN. My tenderloins turned out great & delicious! However, next time I’ll def make with a pork LOIN with that layer of fat on one side for extra flavor. 🙂 thank you!
Barbara Williams says
How many oz or g per serving for the Nutrition Facts?
Chris says
Time is WAY off! 7 lb piece of meat should be 140 minutes. Checked 30+ minutes early and already at 175 and was shoe leather. What a waste.
Peg says
Easy-peasy to follow and tasted amazing!
Gretchen Webster says
This recipe was wonderful for our New Year’s tradition of roast pork and sauerkraut. I cooked this exactly as written until the last half hour when I took the rack out and added 3 cans of Bavarian sauerkraut to the roasting pan topped by the roast. For the remaining half hour the pork juices make the sauerkraut taste so rich and delicious. Now we have good luck for the year to come!
Dan says
I tried this recipe because of its simplicity (my first attempt at pork loin roast), and cooked it for Christmas dinner. I got a 5.4 pound roast, and prepared per the recipe. After the 10 minutes at 400, I cooked for another 1 hour and 30 minutes – when temp measured 145. It rested for about 30 minutes (everyone still opening presents!) The roast was very tough to eat. The flavor was great, but I was disappointed in the texture. I went online and found that this is not uncommon, but I was hoping for a better outcome.
Donna Hunt says
This was my first attempt cooking pork loin, but I decided to risk making it for Christmas dinner. Wow!! It turned out incredible and the rave reviews kept coming!! I’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you for such an easy, delicious recipe!!
Liz C says
This recipe and it’s timing is perfect. I made it for a catering event and topped it with raspberry chipotle sauce. Everyone raved about it. If someone is having a problem with it being overcooked, it’s either less than the weight given in the recipe, it’s a pork tenderloin and not a loin, or you left it on 400 and didn’t turn the temp down.
Tina says
This is delicious!! My family loves it & it’s so easy!!