This brown sugar pork tenderloin with chimichurri is super flavorful and SO easy. A quick brown sugar and spice rub makes a caramelized crust on the grill, and a light cilantro basil chimichurri on top makes this meal HEAVEN. Each serving has 28.2 grams of protein.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri
- Ready In: 50 minutes
- Serves: 6 -8 servings
- Calories: 207 cal
- Protein: 28.2g
- Fat: 6.2g
- Carbs: 8.7g
- Why You'll Love It: This Brown Sugar Spiced Tenderloin with Chimichurri is super flavorful and surprisingly simple to prepare. The tenderloin is coated in a rich blend of brown sugar and warm spices, creating a caramelized crust that locks in all the juicy goodness. It's paired with a vibrant, herb-packed chimichurri that pairs perfectly with the sweet and savory pork.
I’m SO EXCITED to have this one in my rotation. That sounds dramatic, but when meals and goals are built around a good lean protein and you find a new one… it’s GOLDEN. It’s so much easier than grilling tons of chicken tenderloins, which is my lot in life. And I’ve learned I’m absolutely herb-obsessed.
We go through pork tenderloin like water over here, but usually for shredded meat like this barbecue pulled pork, my favorite carnitas, shredded Greek pork, or Instant Pot pork ragu. I’d totally been missing out on a good old sliced pork tenderloin!
I tend to avoid the classic plated dinners… sometimes they remind me too much of a Jenny Craig sensible and I’m like eh. But I’ve gotten really into a more traditional meal on Sundays, and I can ALWAYS use new ways to make lean meats interesting. This was inspired by one of our favorite flank steak recipes EVER from How Sweet Eats.
Does Chimichurri Go Well with Pork Tenderloin?
YES. The fresh, tangy herbs cut right through the sweet and savory brown sugar crust. My version is a light cilantro basil chimichurri with white balsamic and fresh lemon, made with way less olive oil than most, so it’s macro-friendly too.
Can You Use Pork Loin Instead of Pork Tenderloin?
I wouldn’t! Pork loin is NOT nearly as tender or as lean. Pork tenderloin has only 2.5 grams of fat for a 4 oz portion, and it cooks fast on the grill. If you love tenderloin too, try my balsamic herb pork tenderloin.
How Long Should You Marinate Pork Tenderloin?
As long or as short as you have time for. You can cover it and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Or just leave it on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling like I did. It’s always best to let it come to room temp before it hits the grill.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pork tenderloin: I always get mine from Costco. You’ll need 2.5 pounds, which is two tenderloins.
- Brown sugar: It gives the rub that rich, caramelized sweetness and helps make a crust on the grill that is absolutely irresistible.
- Balsamic vinegar: I love all the vinegars from Baker and Olive, but I know they’re a specialty item. If you have them, USE THEM here. If not, any balsamic works fine.
- White balsamic: This goes in the chimichurri. Any fruity Baker and Olive vinegar is great here too, or use any light balsamic you have.
- Fresh cilantro and basil: The base of the chimichurri. Any other fresh herbs you have on hand work too.
- Fresh lemon juice: Always fresh! The bottled stuff just doesn’t taste the same.
- Frozen garlic cubes: My favorite are the frozen Dorot cubes. Fresh garlic works great too.
Before You Start Cooking
- Plan for about 50 minutes. That’s 30 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking, plus marinating time if you’re going overnight.
- Pull the pork out early. Let the marinated pork sit on the counter so it’s at room temp before grilling.
- Grab a mini food processor or blender. That’s all you need for the chimichurri.
- Use the grill time wisely. The pork only needs about 15 minutes, which is just long enough to make the chimichurri, toss a big salad, and slice some French or crusty bread to grill when the pork’s done. Pretty much my Sunday dinner formula.
- Track macros on the cooked pork. Log the amount you take AFTER it’s cooked, so you don’t have to worry about the raw ingredients. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal.
How to Make Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
- Trim. Trim the fat off the pork tenderloins. I like to rinse mine and pat them dry.
- Make the rub. Mix all the other pork ingredients together. It makes a thick marinade.
- Marinate. Rub the marinade all over both tenderloins with a spoon (or ziplock bags on your hands!). Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, or leave on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Grill. Heat the grill to pretty high heat and carefully spray it with cooking spray. Sprinkle the pork with more kosher salt and pepper, sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, then turn down to medium and cover. Cook 15 to 17 minutes total, rotating every 5 minutes or so, until it reaches about 140.
- Rest. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil, before slicing.
- Make the chimichurri. Pulse all the chimichurri ingredients in a mini food processor or blender. It’s not as pretty without loads of olive oil, but the taste is incredible with the pork!
Here’s what it looks like step by step.
1. Trim fat off of pork tenderloins. I like to rinse mine, and pat dry.
2. Mix all of the other ingredients for the pork rub. It will make a thick marinade.
3. Using a spoon (or ziplock bags on your hands!) rub the marinade all over the two tenderloins. You can cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, OR just leave on the counter like I did for 15-30 minutes before grilling.
4. Heat grill to pretty high heat. Spray grill carefully with cooking spray. Sprinkle tenderloins with additional kosher salt and pepper and place on grill. Sear for about 2-3 minutes per side over the high heat, and then turn down to medium, and cover. Cook for about 15-17 minutes TOTAL, including searing time, rotating every 5 minutes or so. If you have a meat thermometer, internal temp should be about 140.
5. Add all chimichurri ingredients to a mini food processor or blender.
6. Pulse until combined.
What to Serve with Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
My Sunday dinner formula is the pork, a great salad, and grilled French or crusty bread. A big house salad or corn avocado salad is perfect with it.
For a warm side, I love basil roasted veggies, or balsamic roasted fall veggies when it’s chilly. If I have guests (or for my chimichurri-loving daughters), I split the chimichurri in half and whisk extra olive oil into one jar for anyone who’s not watching their fats. My macros are calculated without it, of course, so just weigh your portion from your batch.
For more family-friendly dinners like this one, my macro-friendly meal plans send you a new high-protein menu every Thursday with a categorized grocery list. You can try it free.
How to Freeze Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin
This one is on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals, and sliced pork is so handy to have ready for salads and quick dinners.
- Let the pork cool, slice it, and freeze it in portion-size packages so you can grab exactly what you need.
- Freeze the chimichurri separately in a small container or an ice cube tray. Then you can thaw just a little at a time!
- Thaw both overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat the pork gently, covered, with a splash of broth so it doesn’t dry out. Or enjoy it cold on a salad!
- Keeps up to 3 months.
More pork tenderloin dinners to try: my Cuban grilled pork tenderloin, pineapple cilantro pork tenderloin, rosemary garlic pork tenderloin, and red enchilada shredded pork.
Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin Calories and Macros
One serving of this brown sugar pork tenderloin (100g of pork with 30g of chimichurri) has 207 calories, 28.2g protein, 6.2g fat, and 8.7g carbs. The recipe makes 6 to 8 servings. It’s naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. To log it, search Lillie Eats and Tells Brown Sugar Spiced Pork and Lillie Eats and Tells Light Cilantro Basil Chimichurri in MyFitnessPal.
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Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the Pork:
- 2.5 lb pork tenderloin only 2.5 g fat for a 4 oz portion- I always get mine from Costco
- 6 cloves garlic or my favorite frozen dorot cubes
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Light Cilantro Basil Chimichurri:
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 cloves garlic frozen dorot cubes
- 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Trim fat off of pork tenderloins. I like to rinse mine, and pat dry.
- Mix all of the other ingredients for the pork rub rub. It will make a thick marinade.
- Using a spoon (or ziplock bags on your hands!) rub the marinade all over the two tenderloins. You can cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight— OR just leave on the counter like I did for 15-30 minutes before grilling. Always best to let it come to room temp before grilling.
- Heat grill to pretty high heat.
- Spray grill carefully with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle tenderloins with additional kosher salt and pepper (not listed) and place on grill. Sear for about 2-3 minutes per side over the high heat, and then turn down to medium, and cover. Cook for about 15-17 minutes TOTAL, including searing time, rotating every 5 minutes or so. If you have a meat thermometer, internal temp should be about 140.
- Let rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil before slicing in!
- Pulse all chimichurri ingredients in a mini food processor or blender… it’s not as pretty without loads of olive oil, but the taste was still incredible with the pork!*
Notes
- If I have guests, (or for my chimichurri loving daughters) I’ll make this chimichurri, and then split it in half and whisk additional olive oil into one jar for anyone who’s not watching their fats. My macros are calculated for it without of course, but as long as you section some off, you can just weigh your portion from that batch!
- If you count macros, you can search “Lillie Eats and Tells Brown Sugar Spiced Pork” and “Lillie Eats and Tells Light Cilantro Basil Chimichurri” in My Fitness Pal and log the amount you take AFTER it’s cooked and prepared. You don’t have to worry about the raw ingredients etc!
Nutrition
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WE MAKE THIS ONCE/WEEK IN OUR HOUSE & ARE ACTUALLY HAVING IT FOR DINNER TONIGHT. sO FLAVORFUL AND SUCH A GOOD BASE FOR ANY SIDE YOU WANT TO PAIR IT WITH. aLSO MAKES GREAT LEFTOVERS FOR LUNCH!
Soooo yummy! I thought i wasn’T a big faN of pork tenderloin buUuut turns out i just never made a tasty recipe with it! My husBaNd and i loved it and That chimichurri is drool worthy! Super grateful i found this recIpe
This recipe is a serious winner!!
This was ABSOLUTELY delicious! I am curious how long the chimchuri will last kn the fridge?
So so good! Whole family loved it!
Could you make this with a pork loin instead of a tenderloin?
You can, but loin is just not nearly as tender!
My whole family loved this. It was easy to make and delicious!
Sooooo good!! I always make several at a time, slice it up and freeze it in portion size packages. So good with stir-fried veggies and rice or cauliflower rice, but even better on a toasted brioche bun with pickled veggies and some sriracha Mayo!
Another winner! We love this one in our house and the chimichurri takes it over the top!
This is a family favorite that we make weekly! I always make a double batch for leftovers too. So good!
I had never cooked a pork tenderloin before and now I make this recipe once a week! It’s so good for dinner and just as good left over on a salad for lunch!
Lillie makes the best recipes but this pork loin is at the top of the list. We make it every week.
This has been a frequent go-to recipe for my family for months! My husband and kids all love it and it’s perfect for my meal prep! I change up the sides but serve the pork about every other week.
This is my husband and my ALL TIME FAVORITE RECIPE!!!! It is so delicious! We make it at least once a week! I have also used the left overs to make an arugula salad with green apple, green onion, goat cheese and some croutons and it’s amazing!
This is so good and easy! It’s been added to my rotation.