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.
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Nutrition
Judy says
Easy leash and VERY moist and delicious!
Brandi says
I always cook my pork loin like this now. Thank you so much for sharing this great tip 🙂
Susan says
5 STARS!!! I struggle with cooking pork loin. After we married over 26 years ago I gave my husband and I food poisoning. 😂 I stayed far away from pork. My husband has always cooked it from then on. I had a pork loin in the fridge this week and decided I would try one more time. I looked up a recipe and found yours to be the most informative and easy to follow. Success!!! It was a huge hit with the family and I will definitely be making again. Thank you for putting this out there for people like me that need a little guidance and aren’t so great in the kitchen. 🤪
Sherry says
The roasting time has never failed me! Definitely for pork loin not tenderloin. I change up up the seasonings depending on my mood. Sometimes it’s sesame oil Chinese five spice and soy sauce I love to cut it thin for the best sandwiches! Or doctoring up Asian style noodles/soup.
Rose says
So easy and delicious. My go-to for a Sunday dinner.
Margaret Travis says
I made roast tenderloin using this recipe. I prepared it as exactly as the recipe calls for. It was delicious. I cooked my weight by the time called for per pound. 2 👍 up!
MARK OSTBLOOM says
Might be your oven. Mine was perfect.
Steve says
Tried this recipe several times and had perfectly moist and tasty pork loin, but one time I had loin exceed temp temp 20 min early. That loin also shrunk greatly in size. I suspect some grocery stores inject water into the pork which could throw off bake times.
Elizabeth says
I had a pre marinated pork loin, and I cooked it using these instructions. Most delicious moist pork loin I’ve ever had!!!!! Great recipe I will definitely use again.
Tram Parham says
I have two 4 lbs pork loin. Do I double the cooking time? 8 lbs x20 min/lb? Thank you.
Shannon says
This was delicious. I had a huge 6.5 pork loin I bought from Sam’s Club, and it was almost ready to go bad so I wanted to cook the whole thing. I cut the roast in half and put them side by side on a foil lined baking sheet. I followed the ingredient list exactly. Since the pork loin was so big, I was worried about it taking forever to cook. So I started it at 425⁰F for 10 minutes and then moved it down to 375⁰F to bake the rest of the way. I think it took a little over an hour to bake like that. My meat thermometer read at 145⁰F. I took it out and covered it with foil to finish my sides. It was so nice and tender. I will definitely do this again.
Jessica Moran says
Excellent recipe for pork roast! My family liked it so much, they suggested I make it again for Thanksgiving instead of turkey! It was also tasty the next day. (I used a meat thermometer and went to its suggested 170 degrees.) I have printed it out to put with my collection of favourites. Thank you!
Mom22nTrinity says
I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. I have made this twice this month. I will use this recipe from now on because the pork loin turns out juicy.
Coletta says
I need to make 3 whole pork loins for a wedding reception, can it be cooked the day before and reheated with gravy?
Christine says
Best Pork Loin recipe ever! Simple and so good. Your spice blend makes it perfect, thanks!
Sharon C. says
Can this pork loin roast be cooked in my crockpot? If so fur how long would you recommend, please?
Thank you 😊
Sharon C.
Steve says
I tried it on the BBQ as a oven . Cooked it as you said. First loin I have enjoyed. Tender and moist.
Tara says
Thank you, I’ve always come back to this for a reference when I cook pork roast. I use it as a guide , when the butcher cuts the meat and hands it over to me , it’s not always the same shape. There are time when I have a thin long piece and sometimes I have a wide shorter piece of meat so they are going to cook differently. Again your recipe is delish and spot on.. thank you
Karen says
I think some reviewers have confused pork loin with pork tenderloin. This recipe is for pork loin. If you open your meat and find two thinner roasts, those are tenderloins. Most of your packaged marinated pork will also be tenderloins. The cooking times given in this recipe are spot on for the pork loin. There is a difference between these two cuts, most notably the tenderloin being the most tender.
Robert says
Terrible timing on the recipe, I checked the meat 20 minutes before it was supposed to be done (according to the recipe) and it was way overcooked already.
Cindy says
Use a thermometer!
Jessie says
Mine wasn’t done after an hour😭