• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Email Series!

5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Free Email Series!

    5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

    Free email series of my best tips!

  • Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes

Rachel Cooks®

Easy Healthy-ish Recipes

  • Recipe Index
  • Popular
    • Instant Pot Pinto Beans
    • Green Beans with Bacon
    • Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
    • Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
    • Beef Stew Seasoning
    • Chili Seasoning Recipe
    • Thousand Island Dressing
    • Poppy Seed Dressing
    • Copycat Panera Squash Soup
    • Chocolate Chip Blondies
    • Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast
    • Frosé
    • Best Chocolate Cake
    • Dill Vegetable Dip
    • Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
    • Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Learn to Cook
    • All The Basics
    • Crostini
    • Delicata Squash
    • Butternut Squash
    • Kabocha Squash
    • Spaghetti Squash
    • Guacamole
    • Croutons
    • Snap Peas
    • Baked Potatoes
    • Baked Bacon
    • Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
    • Simple Syrup
    • Pickled Red Onions Recipe
    • Toasted Pine Nuts
    • Roasted bone-in Chicken Breasts
    • Poached Chicken
    • Roasted Whole Chicken
    • Easy Cheese Sauce

Dinner Made Easy:

Slow Cooker

5 Ingredients

Grilling

Make Ahead

Sheet Pan

Tacos

Pizza

Home Recipes by Type Main Dish
OP One Pan GF Gluten-Free

Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

5
/5
45 mins
6 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 09/19/2022Updated: 01/09/2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Pork, text overlay reads "pork tenderloin with apples - easy dinner."
Pork, text overlay reads "easy pork tenderloin with apples."
Pork, text overlay reads "super easy pork tenderloin with apples."
Pork, text overlay reads "easy pork tenderloin with apples."
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

Pork tenderloin with apples is a perfect autumn meal with tender slices of pork, warm buttery apples, and caramelized onions, all made in one pan.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: It’s an easy meal that works well for weeknights or guests.

How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, sharp knife
Servings: 4

Pork tenderloin with apples, onions, thyme.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About This Recipe
  • 3 What You’ll Need
  • 4 How To Make This Recipe
  • 5 FAQs
  • 6 Make It Your Own
  • 7 Make-Ahead Ideas
  • 8 Storage & Reheating Tips
  • 9 More Ways To Prepare Pork Tenderloins
  • 10 More Pork Recipes
  • 11 Get the Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

Pork tenderloin with apples is perfect for a quick every day meal. It’s easy to prepare, doesn’t require many ingredients, only gets one pan dirty, AND it’s pretty healthy! Pork tenderloin is lean and a good source of protein.

The sweet apple slices and savory onions get nice and soft, and are flavored with butter, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and thyme. Depending on how low you cook them, they can be almost like a warm chutney and complement the pork perfectly.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, I’ll also say that this is the perfect fall meal when apples are in season and at their very best. When it’s paired with roasted acorn squash or delicata squash? Color me happy!

Living here in Michigan means that we’re pretty much surrounded by apple orchards; in fact, my house is built on a former orchard and still boasts several old apple trees. My family loves apples in any shape or form. Who doesn’t love warm apple crisp topped with a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream? My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Warm buttery apples, caramelized onions, savory pork … I’m pretty sure you’re going to love this meal!

About This Recipe

This recipe is easy to prepare and doesn’t have a lot of fancy ingredients. Apples, onions, pork, apple cider vinegar. That’s about it! It tastes fancy though and I feel perfectly comfortable serving this dish to guests.

Pork tenderloin is an easy meat to prepare. It can be roasted whole or cut into quick cooking slices. It’s usually quite tender if it’s prepared properly. Try not to overcook the pork which can make it dry and tough.

Piece of pork held with tongs.

I’ll get you started on the recipe here and throw a few helpful tips your way. Look for complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information on the recipe card located near the end of the post.

What You’ll Need

  • Pork Tenderloin: This lean fast-cooking cut of pork usually runs about one and half pounds. Look for an unseasoned pork tenderloin. Often they come with a marinade or seasoning already added and that won’t be necessary with this recipe because you’ll be seasoning the pork yourself.
  • Apples: You’ll need a couple of large apples. There’s more information about which variety to choose in the FAQ section. It’s up to you whether you peel the apples or not. The peel adds color, fiber, and nutrition but if you don’t care for it, it’s perfectly fine to peel the apples.
  • Onion: Look for a sweet onion variety such as Vidalia for the caramelized onions.
  • Butter: The apples and onions are sautéed in butter. They are slow cooked allowing the butter to soak in, creating a caramelized flavor.
  • Olive Oil: You’ll need a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or another oil that can take a little heat. The thin slices of pork are flash fried over a fairly high heat.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: The sweet tangy flavor of apple cider vinegar goes perfectly with the apples and onion. It adds just a bit of zip to them.
  • Thyme: Dried or fresh, it doesn’t matter. Use a bit more if you’re using fresh.
  • Salt & Pepper: Season the dish to taste.
Ingredients needed included pork tenderloin.

How To Make This Recipe

Begin by sautéing the onions and apples in a little bit of butter until they’re soft, about twenty to twenty-five minutes total. I usually start the onions first because you want them nice and tender, and they take a bit longer than the apples to cook down.

Uncooked onion in a frying pan.

When the onions and apples start to look almost caramelized, you’ll know they’re ready. Season with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, salt and a dash of salt. The vinegar will add a nice tang to the mixture which goes perfectly with the richness of the pork. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Apples and onions in a frying pan.

Next, you’ll sauté the pork slices in the same pan with a bit of oil for six to eight minutes. Don’t overcook the pork, you want it to be medium rare, 145°F, or with just a slight tinge of pink in the center.

Pork slices in pan.

That’s it! You’re ready to serve this delicious meal. Divide the warm apple onion mixture between 4 plates, and add a few slices of pork tenderloin.  A sprig of fresh thyme makes a nice garnish.

Pork, apples, onions on a white plate.

Serve the dinner with creamy stovetop scalloped potatoes or a piping hot baked potato. Sweet potatoes, either roasted or cooked in your Instant Pot, are a good choice, too. Round out the meal with roasted broccoli or roasted green beans with parmesan and basil. Air fryer green beans or air fryer beets are a really quick option.

Still have room for dessert? Try this apple spice cake with bourbon glaze or easy pumpkin pudding (only 4 ingredients!). Lately we’ve been loving Instant Pot rice pudding.

If you’re having guests, serve apple cider mocktails (delicious with or without alcohol) or apple cider mules.

FAQs

What is the difference between pork tenderloin and pork loin?

Pork tenderloin is a much smaller cut of meat, usually one and half pounds or less. It is lean boneless meat that doesn’t have excess fat to trim off and is best cooked quickly until it’s just done (145°F).
A pork loin is larger, up to five pounds. They are boneless as well and usually come with a thick fat cap on the top. The meat is lighter in color. Pork loins can be cooked whole as a roast or sliced (pork loin chops). They can be braised in a slow cooker (try slow cooker pork loin with balsamic glaze), an Instant Pot (Instant Pot pork loin roast), oven or a smoker.

What are the best apples to cook with pork?

Use a crisp flavorful apple that holds its shape when cooked like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or Sweet Tango. Some varieties tend to disintegrate when you cook them; you’ll have pork with applesauce.

What goes with pork tenderloin?

Pork tenderloin is mild-tasting and pairs well with many foods. Serve side dishes that go along with how you prepared the pork. For example, if you serve pork medallions with lemon garlic sauce, a good side dish could be smashed potatoes with garlic or dill roasted potatoes with lemon. Serve the meal with roasted green beans with lemon and feta or a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette.

Make It Your Own

  • Switch it up a bit. Try balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. Cook raisins with the apple mixture. Add garlic (1 or 2 cloves, finely minced).
  • Rather cook a whole pork tenderloin instead of sliced? Try spice rubbed roasted pork tenderloin.
Close up of browned pork tenderloin slice.

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you want to get a head start on this meal, prep the onions and apples up to a day ahead of time. Store them in separate containers in the fridge.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate leftover pork promptly in a covered container. It will keep for three to four days. If you’d rather freeze the leftovers, they’ll keep for two to three months in a freezer safe container. For best results, thaw frozen pork overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Gently reheat single portions in the microwave. For larger amounts, warm the sliced pork, apples, and onions in a skillet over low heat until heated through.

More Ways To Prepare Pork Tenderloins

  • Pork medallions with lemon garlic sauce
  • Spice rubbed roast pork tenderloin
  • Pork tenderloin with roasted grape sauce 
  • Grilled pork kabobs with apples
  • Maple pork tenderloin with brown sugar and carrots (Love From the Oven).

More Pork Recipes

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe (one pan!)

Breaded Pork Chops with Herbs and Parmesan

Air Fryer Pork Chops

Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops

Browse All

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Pork tenderloin and apples garnished with thyme.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Pork tenderloin with apples is a perfect autumn meal with tender slices of pork, warm buttery apples, and caramelized onions, all made in one pan.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, sliced ¼ inch thick, cut into half moons
  • 2 large apples, cored and sliced ⅛ inch thick (peeled or unpeeled)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 pork tenderloin (approx. 1.5 pounds)
  • ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion slices. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add apples; cook 10 to 15 minutes more or until apple and onion slices are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt.
  • Add vinegar and thyme to the skillet; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Remove apple mixture from skillet; cover to keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, prepare pork. Cut meat crosswise into ½-inch thick slices. Sprinkle pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  • After removing apple mixture from skillet, heat oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; reduce heat to medium and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until just barely pink in the centers, turning once.
  • Remove pork from pan and allow meat to rest 2 to 3 minutes before serving. Serve pork tenderloin topped with sautéed apples and onions.

Notes

  • Look for a flavorful apple that holds its shape when cooked, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn or Sweet Tango, to name a few.
  • Recipe created in partnership with Better Homes and Gardens.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 716kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 94g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 310mg, Sodium: 675mg, Potassium: 1927mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 237IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 5mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
Free email series

5 Time & Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

FREE BONUS!

You May Also Like...

  • Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grape Sauce
  • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Plum Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
  • Pulled pork in a bowl with rice, black beans, corn and sour cream.
    Slow Cooker Cuban Pork (Mojo Pork)
  • Image of pork medallions in a cast iron frying pan, with a brown sauce, garnished with fresh parsley.
    Pork Medallions with Lemon Garlic Sauce
Round snack board with a variety of items.
Previous Post
After School Snack Board
Air fryer green beans on a fork.
Next Post
Air Fryer Green Beans

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

  1. denise says

    November 6, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    looks good

    Reply
  2. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    November 6, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Impressed you were over at Better Homes and Garden. I like that magazine. And this is a great recipe to chatting away about. I love pork with apples.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer+@+Show+Me+the+Yummy says

    November 6, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Whenever I see pork and apples, I always think of that episode of the Brady Brunch where they talk about ‘poork chahps and apple sauce”, ha! This looks delicious :)

    Reply
  4. Marci says

    November 5, 2014 at 11:12 am

    I like this version, pork and apples all the way!

    Reply
  5. Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says

    November 5, 2014 at 11:08 am

    What a refreshing departure from all the Thanksgiving recipes! There’s something so comforting and classic about the pairing of pork with apples. And SO fall!

    Reply
  6. Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

    November 5, 2014 at 9:45 am

    This is such a perfect fall dish! Love pork with apples! Off to check it out! :)

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Rachel! Life can be complicated, cooking shouldn't be! I believe that you can put a delicious meal on the table without stressing. It's possible, and I'm here to help. Have a seat at my table...let's chat, eat, and have fun! Read more...

Air Fryer Instant Pot 30 Minutes One Pan Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Slow Cooker Vegetarian 5 Ingredients

Trending

Cooked salmon fillet on a grey-toned plate with cooked asparagus spears. The salmon is being flaked with a fork.

Air Fryer Salmon – easy and delicious!

Pizza pasta being scooped from a pan with a wooden spoon.

Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 20 minutes

Image of a giant bowl of spaghetti with turkey meatballs.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Asparagus Panzanella Salad

Seasonal

Beef and vegetable stir fry in a black wok.

Beef Stir Fry With Vegetables

Hot honey chicken sheet pan dinner with honey being drizzled on.

Hot Honey Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Sweet and sour shrimp lettuce wrap garnished with green onion.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

BBQ Chicken burrito bowl with avocado and sour cream.

BBQ Chicken Bowl

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
Free Bonus!

5 Cooking Secrets to Save Time & Stress

Free email series of my best tips and recipes!

Featured On:

Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
© 2023 Rachel Cooks®
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled