The great snowpocalypse of Seattle helped me develop this recipe; and boy, am I glad it did!
This Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin is made with a zesty marinade of garlic, ginger, lime and soy. Accompanied by tender and delicious braised onions, your family will go bonkers over this- it really is the BEST Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin you’ll ever have.
Drizzle some fresh lime on it for zesty, deliciousness!
There are a few recipes out there that are similar to this one, but I think what really sets this BEST EVER Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin apart is:
A) Searing it beforehand adds a deep, rich flavor. SO much better than just adding the pork loin to the slow cooker, and it only adds about 10 minutes to the whole process overall.
B) The marinated onions are delicious alone, but coupled with the pork, total winner!
C) The marinade in the slow cooker- the sugar from the soy sauce and garlic give it a light caramelization and everything ends up tasting like the delicious, zesty, honey, lime & soy marinade. Yummm.
How do you make The Best Ever Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin?
First things first. Sear the pork. This really helps add to the flavor. All you have to do is sear it in a tad of olive oil, and top it with some salt and pepper. 5 minutes on both sides on medium-high heat.
Sear your Loin!
Next- let your pork rest for a minute (porky needs a nap!) and make your marinade. I use the pre-peeled garlic from Costco, but garlic from a bulb works just as great. Don’t have fresh garlic on hand? Granulated will do just fine.
The one thing I don’t want you to substitute- Lime juice! The bottled stuff is nowhere near as zesty and you won’t get the flavor we’re after here. Fresh limes only!
Finely chop garlic and add to marinade.
Toss your onions, pork, and marinade in the slow cooker. That’s it! 4-6 hours later, you got yourself the most delicious and zesty slow cooker pork loin you’ve ever had.
Garnish with cilantro and lime- delish!
Other tips to make this the Best Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin You’ll Have:
- Want a deeper flavor? Marinate your pork tenderloin for 24 hours beforehand. This heightens the flavor. Just remember that you’ll sear it for a bit less than the 5 minutes we did because of all the sugar that will caramelize in the pan. Once you get a nice crusty sear on your pork tenderloin, call it good.
- Not a fan of soy sauce? Try coconut aminos. Trader Joes’ sells it by the bottle, it’s delicious and a nice variation from soy sauce.
- Want a nice gravy like sauce to go with your slow cooker pork loin? Take the leftover sauce from the slow cooker, add it to a shallow pan along with a 1 to 2 ratio (1 part cornstarch, 2 parts water) cornstarch slurry. It will thicken up and make for a delicious sauce to pour over the pork loin!
- Squeeze some fresh lime on your pork; it adds a nice zesty flavor.
What are some other ways to serve this BEST EVER Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin?
- Shred it and serve it in tacos. Add some lettuce, some avocado, and slather on the braised onions. SO delicious! Don’t forget cilantro!
- Serve over rice; this best ever slow cooker pork loin would be delicious served with some cilantro lime rice.
- Chop up your pork loin, onions,and enjoy them on top of a salad. THIS salad would be fabulous and super fresh!
- Make a panini reminiscent of a Cuban sandwich! Pork, onion, pickles, Swiss cheese, and a lotta mustard- you got yourself a cuban. Yummmmmm.
If you love easy and flavorful meals, check out this one pan French onion chicken! Got more of a pork hankering? Our Brown Sugar and Garlic Crusted Pork Loin will do you just right!
Hope you enjoy this slow cooker pork loin recipe as much as I did! Cheers!
Rachel
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula, while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
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Pin RecipeA zesty quick soy, ginger and lime sauce and delicious marinated onions make this the most tender, and delicious slow cooker pork loin you'll ever have!
- 1 1.5-2 lb. pork tender loin
- 1 large onion sliced into strips
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced OR- 1 tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger or .5 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp honey
Pat pork loin dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides. Add olive oil to pan, and sear pork loin for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat.
Mix marinade.
Add sliced onions to slow cooker, with pork loin on top. Pour marinade over pork loin.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until pork reaches 165 degrees internally.
Other tips to make this the Best Slow Cooker Pork Loin You'll Have:
- Want a deeper flavor? Marinate your pork loin for 24 hours beforehand. This heightens the flavor. Just remember that you'll sear it for a bit less than the 5 minutes we did because of all the sugar that will caramelize in the pan. Once you get a nice crusty sear on your pork loin, call it good.
- Not a fan of soy sauce? Try coconut aminos. Trader Joes' sells it by the bottle, it's delicious and a nice variation from soy sauce.
- Want a nice gravy like sauce to go with your slow cooker pork loin? Take the leftover sauce from the slow cooker, add it to a shallow pan along with a 1 to 2 ratio (1 part cornstarch, 2 parts water) cornstarch slurry. It will thicken up and make for a delicious sauce to pour over the pork loin!
- Squeeze some fresh lime on your pork; it adds a nice zesty flavor.
What are some other ways to serve this BEST EVER Slow Cooker Pork Loin?
- Shred it and serve it in tacos. Add some lettuce, some avocado, and slather on the braised onions. SO delicious! Don't forget cilantro!
- Serve over rice; this best ever slow cooker pork loin would be delicious served with some cilantro lime rice.
- Chop up your pork loin, onions,and enjoy them on top of a salad. THIS salad would be fabulous and super fresh!
- Make a panini reminiscent of a Cuban sandwich! Pork, onion, pickles, Swiss cheese, and a lotta mustard- you got yourself a cuban. Yummmmmm.
hi kath can i cook this some otherway as i dont have a slow cooker i dont like them cheers susanne
Hi Susanne! I have not cooked this outside of the slow cooker but you could try a dutch oven and see how it worked. I would add a bit of chicken stock so it doesn’t burn and keeps things moist.
Thank you!
Is this a pork loin or pork tenderloin? I know the recipe says pork loin but the picture looks like a pork tenderloin.
Hi Danielle – It’s a tender loin…sorry for the confusion!