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Roast pork loin is tender, flavorful and juicy! The pork loin roast is marinated, then seared in a cast iron skillet to lock in all those yummy juices, then roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Serve this roast pork loin with some of our favorite side dishes, like Cauliflower Gratin, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, and 7 Layer Salad.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Simple Marinade – The pork gets its delicious flavor from the marinade, which is just soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, dry ground mustard, and garlic powder.
- Tender and Juicy – It’s rubbed all over with olive oil to help keep it juicy and moist.
- Perfect Year Round – This roast is perfect for the holidays or for Sunday dinner any time of the year.
What you need
Ingredient Notes
- Pork Loin – Make sure you grab the right cut of meat. This is the larger pork loin, not the skinnier tenderloin.
- Marinade – Olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, dry ground mustard, garlic powder, fresh minced parsley.
How to Make Roast Pork Loin
There are a few things to keep in mind when cooking meat in general, but especially a boneless roast like this that has very little fat and can dry out pretty easily.
- SEAR IT. You may want to use two sets of tongs if you can because the roast is quite heavy. Turn it so it sears on all sides, even the ends. You want to avoid using a fork and piercing the meat, that’s when you lose valuable juices. Searing the meat in a large cast iron skillet caramelizes the exterior and forms a crust, and keeps the juices trapped inside.
- ROAST IT. Slide the cast iron pan into the oven and cook at 425℉ for about 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature after about 25 minutes because oven temps can vary. This is where having a digital instant-read thermometer is quite handy. Roasting at a high temperature locks in the moisture and flavor.
- REST IT. Trust me the smell coming from your oven as you are waiting for that glorious meat to finish cooking is enough to make you want to slice into it as soon as it comes out of the oven. But if you want to keep that juiciness, you’ll need to let the meat rest. Tent it with some foil and let it sit for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Often confused with pork tenderloin, a pork loin is cut from the back loin muscle of the pig. A tenderloin is long and narrow while a pork loin is wide and thick. If you were to slice a pork loin roast into thick pieces, you’d get pork chops!
Because they are completely different cuts of meat, you cannot swap one out for the other. Each requires a different cooking time so it’s best to use what your recipe calls for. If you accidentally bought a tenderloin instead though, I’ve got you covered! Try my Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin or Cajun Pork Tenderloin.
The length of time needed can vary based on the size of the pork loin and the temperature of your oven. We are roasting at a high temperature so it only takes about 30 minutes. For a 3-pound pork loin, that comes to roughly 10 minutes per pound.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re looking for a new Sunday dinner option, look no further! A pork roast is a classy, yet super simple main course that pairs great with sweet or savory sides, like Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, Corn Casserole, or Fried Apples. Add a simple green salad or some Easy Oven Roasted Asparagus, and you’ve got an elegant meal for Sunday dinner or just about any night of the week.
For the holidays, you can serve this roast as an alternative or in addition to a Thanksgiving Turkey or Glazed Ham.
Storage Tips
What to Do With Leftovers
If you happen to have leftover pork, there are lots of ways to use it up! Stored properly in an airtight container, your pork loin will remain fresh 4-5 days in the fridge.
- Slice thin and make yourself a Cuban Sandwich.
- Cut into chunks for Pork Fried Rice.
- Dice into small chunks and use in place of chicken for soup.
- Add sliced pork to Chow Mein.
- Freeze the leftover portion in an airtight container for another meal. It will remain fresh for up to 6-7 months.
More Pork Recipes to Try
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Crock Pot Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili
- Pork Stew
- BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos
- Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese
Pan Roasted Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dry ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Fresh chopped parsley
- 3 pounds Pork loin roast (NOT tenderloin)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients, except pork, to combine.
- Pat roast dry with paper towels. Place in the marinade mixture, turning to coat all sides and rubbing the mixture into the meat. Set aside.
- Heat a cast iron (or other heavy bottomed, oven safe skillet) over medium-high heat. Place the meat in the hot skillet. Using two sets of tongs, turn the meat every two minutes until all sides have a nice sear, and leave it fat side up. Slide into the preheated oven. Do not pierce with a fork to flip.
- Roast pork for about 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reads 140-145℉.
- Remove from the oven and transfer pork to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
This came out beautifully! Our roast was just shy of 1 kg, so I checked it after 20 minutes. It needed more time, gave it 6 more minutes and it was perfect. This sear-in-cast iron pan then roast at high temp method is ideal. The roast was so tender and juicy. As for flavourings, we were honouring my partner’s father, so after patting dry, I applied a high-temp oil allover then coated all sides in a mix of caraway seeds, garlic powder, pepper, salt. The caraway imparts the interest, the rest is just in support. Very happy with the result! Thank you 🙂
You are so welcome Sarah! Fantastic feedback, thanks for stopping by.
Just starting to put 3lb pork loin in cast iron skillet in oven and was wondering if the marinade can be incorporated with the roast during cooking and does the marinade have a “second life.”
A prior review included the marinade whilst cooking.,
Cheers,
Bob
You can simmer the marinade on the stove until it boils and use it as a sauce, brushing it on the pork loin when it’s finished cooking. It must boil in order to make it safe to eat. Enjoy!
Perfect. Marinated for 3 hours before cooking. Followed recipe as is, just added onions to caramelize. Absolutely delicious.
Nice! Thanks for the awesome feedback Marci.
Can I still use this recipe with Pork Loin Center cuts??
Sliced pork loin would work, but you’d need to reduce the cooking time and it really depends on how thick the cuts are.
What if my loin is only 1.5 lbs? How long should I roast it for?
First make sure it is a pork LOIN and not a tenderloin. I would check it at about 20 minutes to see what the temperature is. Pork should be 140-145 degrees F.
I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious. Great recipe, Kristin. Tonight I am using the basic instructions but with different seasonings. We’ll see how that turns out. I am dry brining with salt and pepper and then inserted rosemary and garlic into little slits. It’s an experiment, but I freestyle cook a lot.
Roasting this at a high temperature gives a very nice crust for a smaller roast. I never thought of doing it this way. Thank you for the inspiration.
You are so welcome KayElle. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
I bookmarked this recipe because the method will lend itself to many different applications I am thinking. And, by the way, the pork with rosemary and garlic turned out amazing. I picked up a huge quantity of Rosemary at my local asian grocery store. Not even sure why they had it. Rosemary is not exactly an asian herb. Now I have to find ways to use it. If you want to use my idea for your own inspiration, I am cool with that.
Again, thank you for sharing your amazing recipes.
K
You are so welcome KayElle! Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Kristin!
I’ve made this and it is divine!!! I was curious though, how long you leave your pork in the marinade? I did half an hour but noticed that you don’t specify in the recipe. I also poured the marinade into the cast iron skillet along with the pork since the high oven heat will cook off the raw meat from the marinade. It turned out so juicy! Just wanted to drop back in and let you know how I used your recipe and that I LOVED it, as did the hubby and kids. Thank you!!! 🙂
Only 30 minutes for 3 lbs
Yes, you are roasting it at a high temperature.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!! Can’t wait to try it 🙂