Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin recipe with Coffee Rub will satisfy your taste buds in the most delicious way! This super juicy, deeply flavorful pork is an excellent main course for a special occasion, and it's also easy enough for a busy weeknight.
This Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin is perfectly succulent and the coffee rub adds an earthy, spicy sweetness to every bite.
In a nutshell, this recipe is dreamy!
The Ingredients
(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)
- pork tenderloin - Choose a pork tenderloin that is pinkish-red in color with with a small amount of marbling in the meat. (Most pork tenderloins weight about 1 pound, which is what this recipe calls for.)
- instant espresso powder - My favorite is Medaglia D'Oro.
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- brown sugar
- olive oil - Regular of extra virgin is okay.
- salt - I cook with Kosher salt. I prefer it over other salts for a few reasons: its larger flake size makes it easy to pick up and sprinkle over food, it's less refined and usually doesn't contain additives, and it does a great job enhancing the flavor of foods without making them taste salty.
- black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
(See recipe card below for quantities.)
Substitutions
- For those who don't like garlic, or are allergic, you can switch out the garlic powder for more of the onion powder.
Recipe Tips
- If you want to add more heat to this dish, it’s delicious. Add about ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the rub mix. As a rule, when I'm serving guests whose tastes I'm not sure of, I try not to make things too spicy.
- While the minimum cooking time to sous vide pork tenderloin is an hour (for my desired temperature), I typically set the timer for an extra thirty minutes. It's just for insurance, and since it's impossible to overcook, there's no reason not to. (In sous vide cooking, once the temperature is set, the meat will not cook beyond it.)
How to Make it
- Place the sous vide immersion circulator in the vessel you're using, and fill it with water so the level is between the minimum and maximum lines, and then preheat to the desired temperature.
- Make the rub by mixing the espresso powder, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and brown sugar together.
- Coat the entire surface of the pork tenderloin with the rub.
- Place the rub-coated pork in a large zip-lock bag, or vacuum sealing bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal it.
- When the sous vide cooker has preheated, add the bag to the water and set the timer for at least 1 hour. Be sure the pork is completely submerged.
- Remove the bag after the allotted cooking time. Take the tenderloin out and gently pat it dry with paper towels. Set it aside on a clean dry surface and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- Lightly coat a large sauté pan or stove-top grill with olive oil and place it over a high flame to preheat. Once the pan is piping hot, add the pork and sear it only long enough to brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each surface.
- Slice and serve. Could this possibly look any more juicy and delicious!?
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Serving Suggestions
- Pork is always fantastic with potatoes. Here are 15 potato side dishes that are excellent served with sous vide pork tenderloin.
- It's always nice to serve a salad or a vegetable dish with pork. I love serving my Chopped Mexican Salad with this recipe because the flavors in the coffee rub pair really well with the flavors in the salad. Snow Pea Shoot Cranberry Salad and Lemon Asparagus are also great choices.
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
- Peach Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri
- Persimmon Prosciutto Pork Tenderloin
- Pepper Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Salami and Provolone
Making it Ahead and Storing it
Yes, you can make sous vide pork tenderloin ahead of time.
Refrigerator: Let the bag cool to room temperature once it’s out of the water. Refrigerate it in the bag for up to three days. When you're ready to serve, remove it from the bag, pat dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear it.
Freezer: Let the bag cool to room temperature once it’s out of the water. Freeze it in the bag for up to four months. The day before serving, place the bag in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Remove it from the bag, pat it dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sear it.
What does coffee do to meat?
Using coffee in meat recipes is delicious!
Coffee grounds are acidic, and the acidity helps to bring out flavor and works as a tenderizer.
Additionally, coffee grounds in a meat rub become a “crust” when the meat is seared. This crust helps to seal in moisture, making the meat even juicier.
In this sous vide pork tenderloin recipe I use espresso powder, which is very fine. Even so, it forms a lovely crust. Of course, the coarser the coffee grounds, the thicker the crust will be.
Temperatures and Times
These guidelines are for an approximately one pound tenderloin.
Medium-Rare: 130°F / 54°C – 1 to 4 hours (Buttery, juicy and pink.)
Medium: 140°F (60°C) – 1 to 4 hours (Firm but tender, a bit less pink.)
Well Done: 150°F (66°C) – 1 to 4 hours (Firm, dry, not pink at all.)
(Personally, I find anything over 137°F too dry for a sous vide pork loin temp.)
Can you use a different cooking method?
Yes, here’s how: Add the rub to the pork tenderloin, cover with plastic and refrigerate for one hour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear all surfaces of the pork in a very hot pan and then place in a 375°F oven and roast just until the pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
I hope you love this Coffee-Rubbed Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin as much as we do!
Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 (approximately 1 pound) pork tenderloin
- olive oil for searing
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set up and preheat the sous vide. Set up the sous vide immersion circulator in a pot or food storage container. The water level should be between the minimum and maximum lines. Preheat the sous vide cooker to the desired temperature: Medium-Rare: 140°F, Medium-Well: 140°F, Well Done: 150°F. (I like it set to 132°F.)
- Make the coffee rub. In a small bowl, mix the espresso powder with the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Prepare the pork. Trim any excess fat off of the tenderloin. Pour the rub onto a large plate and place the tenderloin on top. Roll and move it around, pressing gently to coat the entire surface with the rub. Then place it in a large zip-lock bag, or vacuum sealing bag. Remove as much air as you possibly can from the bag and seal it.
- Sous vide cook. When the sous vide cooker has preheated to the desired temperature, add the pork bag and set its timer for at least 1 hour. Be sure the pork is completely submerged in the water. Remove the bag after the allotted cooking time. Take the tenderloin out of the bag and gently pat it dry with paper towels — the rub should still stick to the pork. Set aside on a clean dry surface.
- Sear the pork. Lightly coat a large sauté pan or stove-top grill with olive oil and place it over a high flame to preheat. Generously sprinkle the rub-coated pork tenderloin with salt and pepper on both sides. Once the pan is piping hot, add the pork. You should hear a loud sizzling sound when it hits the pan — if you don’t, it’s not hot enough yet. Sear the pork only long enough to brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each surface.
- Serve. Slice the pork and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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angiesrecipes
I too also had some coffee rubbed steak days ago. So GOOD 🙂 Yours prepared with sous vide turned out really juicy and tender.
valentina
Thanks, Angie. I love it with steak also! Yum. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
The only way I cook pork loin and tenderloin these days is via sous vide. I comes out so incredible juicy. I also set the temp at 132 and sear it on my gas grill. But, I've never used a coffee based rub. Great idea, I'll be using your rub the next time we to pork loin...
valentina
Thanks, Ron. I love hearing you also like it at this temp. SO juicy! Hope you enjoy the rub, too. Have a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Wow ! Coffee and chili ! It must be heavenly good ! Printing to make, luckily, my son loves spicy ... 🙂
valentina
Thanks, Davorka. One of my sons loves spicy, and the other not at all. I always have to make things a few different ways to satisfy all of the taste buds in this house. 😀 ~Valentina
Diane
Do I adjust the number of hours cooked and the temp if I have a 5 lb tenderloin ? If so what are the changes?
Thank you
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I LOVE espresso powder, especially when used in recipes like this. I can only imagine just how good this tastes and smells, especially with the other spices! Perfect for Sunday supper this weekend 🙂
valentina
Thank you, Dawn! Ah, Sunday supper -- sounds lovely. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
Thank you for this recipe! I love to sous vide, and I love coffee crusted meats - especially pork. I had no idea that a crust would stick to something during the sous vide process. What a revelation! I'll definitely be trying this.
valentina
Thanks, Jeff. Yes, I wondered about that -- adding the rub first, before it goes in the bag. I think it's sort of like marinating it -- the flavors of the rub really soak into the meat this way. Enjoy and have a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
Our local butcher introduced us to their coffee rub this summer - divine! I'm so excited to have a recipe to make our own. Thank you, Valentina!
valentina
That's so cool your butcher uses a coffee rub. Love that. Thank you and enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha Carr
What a great rub to follow ! As I have mentioned before I do not use the sous-vide method of cooking . . . not a problem here !! Having Estonia as a birth country I have made and eaten lamb cooked in coffee and cream Scandinavian style since childhood . . . still make it occasionally if I can afford good lamb in ''lamb country' !! But love pork fillet and this certainly will be copied soonest . . . shall report back !!
valentina
Hi Eha, Wow, that lamb in coffee and cream sounds divine. I will have to look into that. I hope you're doing well. Enjoy and thank you. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Oh, my... I might actually have ot buy some coffee! (It would be the first time in this house - 15 years!) Thanks also for the non-sous vide version for us troglodytes that are still using the old methods. 🙂
David Scott Allen
I think I implied it but never directly said - this looks AMAZING!
valentina
Thank you!!! 😀
valentina
Ha! You know I love the non-sous vide methods too! Enjoy and Yay for coffee.;-) ~Valentina
Liz
I've had a coffee rub on beef, but it sounds amazing on your pork!! And how perfectly cooked it is!!
valentina
Thanks, Liz! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Every bit of this looks amazing - from the rub to the pork. I need to get myself a sous vide cooker and make this right away.
valentina
Thank you so much, Kathy. Enjoy and hope you had a lovely weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Christina Conte
How did I miss this gem? I've never used coffee in a savory recipe before! Looks incredible, and I love how I can make this in the oven without a sous vide cooker! Thanks, Valentina!
valentina
Thanks, Christina. Coffee is delicious in marinades and rubs for savory recipes. Hope you try it. 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
We have a sous vide wand, and we keep saying we want to use it more! This recipe is perfectly timed...and with that coffee rub!? This tenderloin is totally happening soon - it looks quite delicious!
valentina
Awesome you have the a sous vide cooker, David. I love ours -- especially for pork (and eggs!) Enjoy and thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Using the sous vide method of cooking for pork is perfect. Your tenderloin looks pink, juicy and delicious.
valentina
Thanks so much, Karen! Yes, I love pork prepared this way. 🙂 Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ben @ Havocinthekitchen
Oh my goodness, this is one of the most succulent piece of meet I've ever seen. In fact, we were thinking of trying something different for our Thanksgiving dinner, something like ham or pork roast, and this tenderloin looks and sounds splendid. This coffee rub is a great addition, too.
valentina
Thanks so much, Ben! I hope you love it. It's definitely a good one for special occasions. 🙂 ~Valentina
Colette
You know, I'm absolutely nuts about coffee, but I've never been able to convince my hubs to add it to a rub. He's got a Kamado Joe and has become quite the BBQ master. Let me see if I can entice him with this divine recipe of yours!
valentina
Thanks, Colette. Hope you can convince him. 🙂 So cool you have a Kamado Joe! ~Valentina
Kim Lange
Cooked to perfection. So tender and moist with a fabulous rub that sounds and looks stunning! Pinned!
valentina
Thanks so much, Kim! Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Sean
Can you vac seal it and let it marinade for a few hours before putting it in the sous vide?
valentina
Hi Sean. Thanks for writing in. Yes, absolutely! Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Coffee rub?!? Yes! I'm in! 🙂
valentina
I love all things coffee, too, Davorka. Enjoy and thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn
Oh wow! This looks like quite the delicious meal!! The pork looks incredibly tender and I'm loving that coffee rub with espresso powder. I can only imagine just how good it tastes (and smells).
Valentina
Thanks so much, Dawn. Hope you love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
Diane
How long and what temperature 5 lb tenderloin. Thank you
Valentina
Hi Diane, Thanks for writing in. Are you talking about a pork loin? Pork tenderloins are typically only up to about 1 1/2-pounds. Either way, the time will depend on the thickness, not the weight. A tenderloin usually has about a 1 to 2 inch diameter, while the loin is more like 3 to 4 inches. So if your going to sous vide a tenderloin, even it weighs more, the time shouldn't change, because the thickness likely wouldn't be different. However, if you're talking about a loin, and it's 3 to 4 inches in diameter, the time will change, and is around 4 hours. (Temp is the same.) This guide might be useful. I hope this helps. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
Sometime coincidences like this are just too weird. 🙂 I've already decided to make a coffee-crusted pork roast for Christmas dinner, and I've been thinking about how I'd do it. And here you are, showing me how! I hadn't even considered sous vide, but now I will! Also, I hadn't considered making the rub as interesting as you have. This is going to be so helpful!
Valentina
Hey Jeff. This makes me so happy! I love the way you think about the holiday meal. I bet that's going to be fantastic -- especially on a large roasted pork loin. Now you're inspiring my holiday dinner. 🙂 ~Valentina