Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin Medallions

Pork tenderloin is lean and mild and cooks quickly, making it an excellent choice for any night of the week. The prep work is minimal as well. You have to slice the pork, combine the sauce ingredients, and cook—that’s all there is to it! The sauce is made with basic pantry ingredients you probably have on hand: vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch.

The sliced pork cooks quickly, and the pineapple’s sweet and sour sauce flavors it perfectly. Add a bit of sambal or crushed red pepper to the sauce if you like some heat. The pork is lovely served over plain white or brown rice or with noodles or quinoa. It’s versatile as well. Feel free to use all green bell peppers or any combination of other colors. Add some minced chile pepper, such as red Fresno or green jalapeño, if you like heat. Or add a small amount of chili garlic paste (sambal).

According to the USDA, pork must be cooked to a minimum safe temperature of at least 145 F. This temperature recommendation may be different in other countries.

Ingredient Notes

• Pork tenderloin: Trim off the silver skin and slice into medallions about ½ inch thick.
• Pineapple tidbits: Use canned in juice—drain and reserve the liquid for the sauce.
• Vegetable oil: Neutral oil for browning the pork.
• Apple cider vinegar: Gives the sauce tang and balance.
• Soy sauce: Adds umami and depth to the sweet and sour base.
• Brown sugar: Sweetens the sauce and deepens the flavor.
• Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce to a glossy consistency.
• Onion: Sliced thin for quick cooking—yellow or white both work.
• Bell peppers: Use green and red for color contrast, or substitute other varieties.
• Salt: Enhances all the flavors in the sauce.

Steps to Make Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin Medallions

1. Trim and slice the pork tenderloin into ½-inch medallions. Pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and sear pork slices until browned on both sides.
3. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. Set pineapple aside.
4. In a bowl, combine the reserved juice with water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Add to the pan.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer the pork in the sauce briefly. Remove pork and keep warm.
6. Stir cornstarch with water and add to the skillet. Cook until the sauce is thickened.
7. Add pineapple, onion, and bell peppers. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.
8. Return pork to the skillet and simmer briefly to heat through.

Recipe Variations

• Add heat. Stir in sambal, chili garlic paste, or minced chile pepper to spice it up.
• Swap the protein. Try chicken breast or thigh, tofu, or shrimp instead of pork.
• Extra veggies. Add snow peas, thin-sliced carrots, or mushrooms along with the peppers.
• Ginger flavor. Add 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger to the sauce for extra zing.
• Low sugar version. Use less brown sugar or substitute with honey or maple syrup.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve over white rice, jasmine rice, or brown rice to soak up the sauce.
• Pair with noodles or quinoa for a change of pace.
• Add a simple cucumber salad or steamed broccoli on the side.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds or scallions for garnish.

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin Medallions

Diana

Try this sweet and sour pork tenderloin medallions for an easy weeknight meal. The dish is fantastic served over noodles, rice, or quinoa!

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Servings 6 servings

Calories 296

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Course Pork

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  

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• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed, light or dark
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Instructions

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• Pat the pork tenderloin with paper towels to dry. Trim any visible fat and remove the thin, shiny silver skin. Slice it into 1/2-inch thick medallions.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the pork slices. Cook until the pork is nicely browned on both sides (about 2 minutes on each side).
• Drain pineapple through a colander over a bowl; reserve the juice.
• add 2/3 cups of water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and salt to the reserved juice. Pour over the pork tenderloin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pork pieces and keep warm.
• In a cup or bowl, combine the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of water; stir until smooth. Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and bubbly.
• Add the pineapple tidbits, onion, and green pepper to the skillet. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender. Add the pork back to the skillet and heat through.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 32gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 448mgPotassium: 688mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 351IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 2mg

Disclaimer:

Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.

Keyword sweet and sour pork tenderloin

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