Cider-glazed pork tenderloin is a fall dinner that lets the season do the work: fresh apple cider reduced into a honey-thick glaze, brushed over pork, and roasted with Honeycrisp apples, sweet onion, and mini purple potatoes. It’s a recipe that sends you straight to the farmers market, and it takes only three steps.
A simple glaze makes this Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Potatoes recipe a perfect weeknight dinner… but it’s also good enough for a special Sunday meal, too.
Why You’ll Love This Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
It’s seasonal. Apples, cider, onions, and potatoes are all at their best in fall, and you can find every one at a local orchard, farm stand, or farmers market. It’s simple. There are three steps: reduce the glaze, arrange the produce and pork, and roast while brushing with glaze. It’s delicious. The cider reduces into a glaze that’s thick like honey, sweetened with brown sugar and scented with sage and bay. And it’s flexible. It works for a quick weeknight dinner or a Sunday meal with guests.
Shop Local for This Recipe
Nearly everything here can come from a local farm. Look for fresh apple cider and Honeycrisp apples at orchards and cider mills, mini purple potatoes and sweet onions at farm stands and farmers markets, and fresh sage from a market herb stall. Many farmers markets also sell pork from local farms, so ask about a loin or tenderloin. Because the cider is reduced on the stove, you can use any plain cider.
Do Purple Potatoes Taste Different Than Russet Potatoes?
While both are members of the Solanum tuberosum species, purple potatoes contain higher levels of anthocyanins, which gives them their vibrant color. These anthocyanins also happen to contribute to a slightly nuttier, earthier, and almost slightly sweet taste in comparison to russet potatoes. Outside of the taste, the texture can vary a little as well. Purple potatoes tend to have a firmer texture, which makes them great for roasting with our pork tenderloin.
Ingredient Notes: Honeycrisp Apples, Purple Potatoes, and Cider
Honeycrisp apples. The Honeycrisp was developed at the University of Minnesota and released in 1991, after it was nearly thrown out. A horticulturist named David Bedford saved it from the reject pile in 1982. It became Minnesota’s official state fruit in 2006. Its crisp, juicy, sweet-tart flesh holds up well to roasting.
Mini purple potatoes. Potatoes were first domesticated in the Andes of South America, where farmers still grow them in many colors. Their firm texture and slightly nutty flavor make them a good match for pork.
Apple cider. Fresh cider is typically unfiltered and cloudier than clear apple juice. Reducing it concentrates its sweetness into a syrupy glaze. See our apple cider recipes for more ways to use it.
How to Make Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin: Step-by-Step Tips
Reduce the glaze. Stir the cider, brown sugar, bay leaf, and sage in a saucepan for a few minutes over a medium flame and reduce until the glaze is as thick as honey, then set it aside.
Arrange the produce. In a roasting pan, spread the sliced apple, sliced onion, and halved potatoes in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Place the pork on top. Set the pork tenderloin over the produce so its juices flavor the apples, onion, and potatoes as it roasts.
Brush and roast. Brush the tenderloin with glaze, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400°F, brushing with glaze every 5 minutes for the whole cooking time. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
Rest, slice, and serve. Rest for 3 to 5 min and slice. Serve hot with juices and bits of apples, onions and potatoes.
Storing Leftover Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 days.
Looking for more? Try our Apple Cider Pumpkin Bread and Vegan Apple Cider Muffins, see our Apple Recipes to Embrace the Fall Season, and browse TABLE’s Mains and Fall recipes.
Print
Easy Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Potatoes
- Total Time: 50 to 60 min
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
Pork tenderloin brushed with a honey-thick apple cider and sage glaze and roasted over Honeycrisp apples, sweet onion, and purple potatoes.
Ingredients
For the glaze:
- 2 cups apple cider
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sage sprigs
For the pork tenderloin:
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, sliced
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 2 cups mini purple potatoes, cut in half
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pork tenderloin, approximately 1.5 lbs
Instructions
- Put all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and reduce over medium flame for a few minutes until the consistency is thick like honey. Set aside.
- Arrange the apples, onion, and potatoes in the roasting pan the pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the pork tenderloin on top
- Brush the tenderloin with glaze, season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, brushing the tenderloin with glaze every 5 minutes for the whole cooking time. The internal temperature should be 145°F.
- Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes prior to slicing. Baste slices with juices and serve hot with spoonfuls hot with bits of apple, onions and potatoes.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: Around 15-20 minutes at 400°F, plus 5 to 8 to reduce the glaze
- Category: Main course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 300
Cider-Glazed Pork Tenderloin FAQs
What internal temperature should the pork reach?
The recipe calls for an internal temperature of 145°F.
How thick should the cider glaze be?
Reduce the cider, brown sugar, bay leaf, and sage until the glaze is thick like honey.
What kind of apple works best?
The recipe uses a Honeycrisp apple, whose crisp, sweet-tart flesh holds up to roasting.
Do purple potatoes taste different from russets?
Purple potatoes contain more anthocyanins, which give them their color and a slightly nuttier, earthier, almost slightly sweet flavor. They also tend to be firmer, which makes them great for roasting.
Can I make this on a weeknight?
Yes. The recipe has three steps and roasts in one pan, so it works for a weeknight dinner as well as a Sunday meal.
About the Recipe Author
Anna Franklin is TABLE Magazine’s food stylist and recipe developer. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, she spent many years cooking in restaurant kitchens and photo studios before moving into food styling. Anna tests, plates, and styles the recipes and restaurant features in TABLE’s print and digital editions, working alongside photographers Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla. She is also the founder of Bazaaa Sauce, a Pittsburgh hot sauce microbrand. Read more of her work at TABLE.
About the Stylist
Keith Recker is Editor in Chief and Co-Owner of TABLE Magazine. A color and trend forecaster for nearly 20 years, his clients have included Pantone, WGSN, Stylus, and the Color Association of the United States. He is the author of three books on color, including Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls and True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments, and co-founder of the Open Source Colour Association. Read more of his work here or contact him at keith@tablemagazine.com.
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living With and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com.
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