Pork Tenderloin
cooking times
The answer
20 min – 25 minat 400°F
At the most common temperature, 400°F, a pork tenderloin takes about 20 min – 25 min. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 145°F internal.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·pork tenderloin row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
USDA safe zone — 145°F and above
Done is a temperature, not a time. Every figure on this page is a planning range; the green band is the only part that decides. For a pork tenderloin it opens at 145°F and a 8-minute rest.
Source—USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures—retrieved 2026-07
How this is worked out
- Anchor. Start from what USDA FSIS publishes for a pork tenderloin — its safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F, and the FSIS roasting timetable where one exists for this cut.
- Rate. Convert the anchor into a planning rate at 400°F: a fixed published range, cross-checked against at least three independently published sources.
- Scale. This cut is timed by piece, not by weight, so the range is published as-is and widened to cover source disagreement rather than averaged.
- First check. The first thermometer reading is set at 85% of the low end of the range — early enough that an under-reading costs nothing and a late one cannot cost the meal.
- Gate. The time is only a plan. It is not done until a food thermometer reads 145°F in the thickest part, then rests about 8 minutes. Time never overrides temperature on this site.
- Round. Every printed figure is rounded to the nearest 5 minutes; precision beyond that would be invented.
plan_range = published range at 400°F
first_check = plan_low × 0.85
DONE ⟺ internal_temp ≥ 145°F AND rest ≥ 8 min
(USDA FSIS — the gate, not the clock)
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·safe minimum for this cut·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Pick your temperature
Every temperature this chart room holds for a pork tenderloin, each with its own worked ledger.
The whole cut, temperature by temperature
SOURCE·USDA safe-temperature guidance·timing ranges derived, see method·REVIEWED JUL 2026
When it is actually done
145°F internal
The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 145°F, followed by a rest of about 8 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
Sizing: Times are for a typical 1–1.5 lb tenderloin. They usually come two to a pack — two on the same pan cook in the same time, not double.
SOURCE·USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperatures·pork tenderloin row of the FSIS chart·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the ledger does not tell you
- Do not confuse tenderloin with loin — the thin tenderloin cooks in under half an hour; a loin roast is a per-pound cut.
- Sear in an oven-safe skillet, then transfer pan and all to the oven — the timing above assumes a hot start.
- Pull at 140°F; the 8-minute rest carries it to 145°F and keeps the centre blush-pink and juicy.
The clock tells you when to start looking. The thermometer tells you when to stop.
More pork timings
Pork Shoulder (Oven)
300°F · per-pound chart
Smoked Pork Butt
250°F · per-pound chart
Pork Loin Roast
350°F · per-pound chart
Baby Back Ribs
250°F · 4 hr – 5 hr
Spare Ribs (St. Louis)
250°F · 4 hr 30 min – 5 hr 30 min
Ham (Fully Cooked, Bone-In)
325°F · per-pound chart
Fresh Ham (Uncooked)
325°F · per-pound chart
