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
Chrisse says
Am I covering it while cooking? With the roasting pan top?
Debbie says
Very easy and always turns out perfect!
Alma D. says
About to try this tomorrow for dinner! I don’t have a roasting pan at the moment….can I cook without it?
Madelyn says
Is it mandatory to use a lid? IOW, it will be too dry if you don’t put a lid on the pan.
(I’m definitely not a cook.)
Keilani says
Kudos for this recipe Aubrey! I have been cooking for over 50 years and know my way around the kitchen very well. But when it came to pork tenderloins I just couldn’t seem to have it turn out moist. I decided, why not try it again; so I bought a Costco marinated pork tenderloin (I usually find pre marinated meat to salty but it was perfect seasoning). It was a 4.63lb roast, did the recipe as written. Once it was turned to 350° cooked for 90 mins. Because I was busy I loosely covered with foil & let it rest 45 mins. It was THE BEST pork tenderloin I’ve ever made & everyone eating it agreed! Thanks for posting it & teaching this old dog new tricks 😉
Judith says
This was DELICIOUS! My roast was 3.5 pounds and even though it cooked to 154 (I forgot to flip the switch so the meat thermometer would buzz at 145 as recommended!) but it was still tender and yummy!
Garnet Faulkner says
This was so easy and the result was pork perfection! I added fresh garlic and jerk seasoning. Thank you Aubrey!
Tracey says
Love this recipe and I use the spice rub on beef roasts as well!
Toni says
I posted earlier but don’t see it. This was AMAZING! I seriously thought It was going to be dry but sliced thin & added to gravy. Yum!!
Toni says
I followed the directions to a T & just checked after 90 min & temp was 175. My pork loin was a 4 1/2 lb. I’m thinking it’s going to be dry. It’s resting now.
Victoria says
20 mins per pound would make a 4 1/2 lb pork loin cook at 70 mins, 80 with the initial 10 min cook. 90 mins was too long to leave it in.
Victoria says
Sorry, I just realized my math was extremely wrong. 😅🤣🤣
Garnet Faulkner says
Perfect Recipe!
Annabel Lapalme says
I’m eating this while eating the dryest pork of my life. Should have read the comment before cooking it haha
Sherry says
I had a package of 4.7lbs pork loin. When i opened it i realized there were 2 in there. So after the first 10 minutes, i cooked them at 350 for 50 minutes. (Roughly 2.5 lbs each x 20 min per lb) I guess i should have checked earlier because when i took them out they were already 190 degrees. Ugh-Needless to say, a little tough, and also a bit salty. Next time i will start checking them much earlier. Thank you for the recipe.
Renee says
If there were two in a pkg, most likely they were tenderloins. Little medallions when cut? Needed to follow directions for tenderloin
Martin says
Pork loin was on sale for $1.99 LB. I couldn’t turn it down. No matter what I do, I always over cook pork chops but figured a roast would be easier to manage so I bought it and went to Google for advice. Your’s was the first recipe I saw and it was so simple, I had to try it. I only had garlic salt, and onion salt so I just used that and skipped the additional salt. I then cooked the roast as the reciped suggested.
It was a 3 lb. Roast so one hour later it was finished. When checked it was exactly 145 degrees AND after resting under foil, it so moist you could squeeze out the juice.
It was a perfect meal.
Thanks!
Brandi says
I also cook my pork loin this way now. It was so moist turned out great best I’ve ever made. I like to add some more seasoning like garlic pepper and I use garlic another flared virgin olive oil with mine too.
Carol says
Excellent flavour and so moist. I sliced up potatoes and put some oil and the spice mix on them and cooked them along with the roast in a covered roasting pan.
Kathy S says
I used this recipe last night for a 6 plus pound pork loin for a family dinner. I followed directions exactly. I set the timer for 120 minutes based on 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees. After 100 minutes, I used a thermometer and the roast internal temperature was already at 165 degrees! My plan was to remove it at 145 degrees. I looked at my oven thermometer and it was exactly 350. Needless to say, the meat was very dry! What a disappointment!!
Karen says
Did you include your 10 minutes that the roast was on 400°
Mine was perfect..
Jeremy says
Maybe pay attention to what you are doing and don’t blame the recipe! Elevations and ambients can change the necessary cook time. This is a solid recipe and a good guideline. Stop being a little troll and make your own recipes!
Mindi says
Kathy, the first 10 minutes it gets cooked at 400 , then turned down to 350, I would absolutely subtract the 10 minutes, and a meat thermometer is good to have , you can insert it into the thickest part of the meat and leave it , when you check on it every 20 minutes you can see the internal temp. Hope this helps for next time.
Deanne says
Been there,done that!! I think everyone’s oven may be different. I highly recommend getting a Meater. I have the Meater plus 2. It is a smart smart digital thermometer. There’s an app for your phone and you can watch the temp on there. It works in the oven, air fryer and grill. I use it all the time!!!
Adam says
Time means nothing when cooking meat, a good WiFi/bluetooth meat thermometer to monitor as the cook progresses is how.
Kim says
I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out so dry. I fed it to my dog. Maybe it was too big 4.22 pounds and maybe my oven doesn’t coincide with your oven by the way how can I even tell that about the difference between temperatures between ovens? I am definitely not a cook, but I thought I could at least follow a recipe. I’m bummed.
Erin says
Hi Kim – don’t be discouraged. Pork loin is easy to over cook. I would try a pork shoulder next time – it has a lot more fat on it and is much more forgiving. Hope your next attempt is more successful!
Keilani says
I made this today & it turned out perfect. Although I used a marinated Costco pork loin I was looking for the method for perfectly cooked loin. I usually smoke them but today’s weather didn’t allow for it. 4.63 loin only took 90mins to hit 151° which is where I like it! I’ll definitely be trying the Scrual recipe here too. Thanks for publishing it!
Laura says
I used the meat thermometer on our Costco pork loin while cleaning this evening, didn’t watch the time but just took it out when yhe thermometer went off at 145 degrees. Turned out delicious plus more I also used it as a cleaning alarm so spending the rest of the night as family time.
Matt says
Great recipe! We’ve made this alot in our house. Your cooking instructions work well with marinated pork loin as well. I always keep a few pork loins in the freezer, already in a bag w/ the marinade. Just thaw overnight in the fridge & follow your cooking instructions. Works every time.