This juicy grilled pork tenderloin with tangy blueberry-maple marinade is an easy dinner for all your cookouts. You’ll love its hints of garlic and thyme in each tender bite!
The Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Sliced fresh out of the grill, this grilled pork tenderloin makes the perfect meal when you want to impress your guests or treat yourself on a weeknight. A 30-minute marinade with blueberries, smokey maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar is all it needs to load up on flavor. A hint of thyme and garlic also add plenty of fragrance. Beautifully charred for some toasty goodness, you’ll love every single bite.
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Everyone loves a simple pork dinner with smokey marinade that can double as a weeknight dinner or cookout-favorite.
- Fancy but easy. The easy blueberry-thyme marinade will impress all your guests with its combination of sweet blueberries and savory thyme.
- Beginner-friendly. You don’t need to be a grill master to pull off this pork dinner, even on a weeknight.
- Versatile. Use leftover blueberries, add orange juice for tartness, and marinate it overnight if you prefer.
- Perfect for the summer. It’s a great excuse to fire up the grill for a cookout or BBQ!
What You’ll Need
Fragrant garlic and herby thyme balance out the maple syrup’s sweetness and the balsamic vinegar’s tartness. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact ingredient amounts.
For the Marinade
- Blueberries – Fresh or frozen (thawed) work.
- Maple syrup – Feel free to use agave nectar or raw honey.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Avocado oil is a good swap.
- Balsamic vinegar – Reduce the amount by half if you use balsamic reduction.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic or garlic paste are best.
- Dried thyme – You can also use dried rosemary.
For the Pork
- Pork tenderloin – Remove any excess fat.
- Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper are best.
How To Make Blueberry Grilled Pork Tenderloin
The fruity, blended marinade is an easy way to use up leftover blueberries. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Make the marinade. Blend the blueberries, maple syrup, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar until smooth. Set it aside.
- Prep the pork. Season the pork with salt and pepper on all sides. Place the pork in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in the marinade. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal it. Shake well and then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
- Sear it. Preheat the grill to high. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and discard the excess marinade. Place it on the grill and sear it for 6 minutes on each side.
- Cook it. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the pork for 15 minutes. Flip it over and cook another 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve. Slice the pork, serve, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Butcher’s twine and a meat thermometer are the secret to making a perfectly juicy, grilled pork tenderloin every time.
- Marinate it longer. The pork can be marinated for up to 12 hours. The longer you let it sit, the more sweetness it can absorb from the mixture.
- Add tartness. Pour 1-2 cups freshly-squeezed orange juice into the marinade for some natural tartness to brighten up the marinade.
- Ask the butcher. Reduce prep time by asking your local butcher to remove any excess fat or connective tissue from the pork.
- Use a meat thermometer. While you can slightly slice into the pork to make sure it’s done, it’s best to stick a meat thermometer into the center. If the internal temperature reads 140F, it means it’s ready. Anything under this and it’s still raw. Over this and it will be over-cooked.
- Add twine. If the pork is slightly thicker on one end, you can tie it tightly with butcher’s twine to make sure it’s an even thickness throughout. This will help ensure even cooking.
Serving Suggestions
This tender grilled pork tenderloin is perfect for dinner. Pair it with my Grilled Vegetable Plate, Sautéed Brussels Sprouts, or Grilled Asparagus with Onion. For salad options, try my Kale Brussels Sprout Broccoli Salad or Spring Mix Salad with Champagne Dressing. If you prefer soup, make my Mushroom Soup or Creamy Broccoli White Bean Soup.
Proper Storage
This recipe is juiciest the day it’s made, but you can store the leftovers for later.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To reheat it: Sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon water and microwave it for up to a minute or until warm. You can also reheat it in a pan over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes.
More Pork Recipes To Try
- Pan Seared Roasted Pork Chops with Fig Sauce
- Orange Rosemary Pork Tenderloin {Paleo + Whole30}
- Grilled Pork Chops and Peaches
- Grilled Pork Chops
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced {about 1 generous tablespoon}
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
Tenderloin:
- 3 1/2 pound pork tenderloin tied with butchers twine if needed
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add blueberries to a blender and process until pureed. Add maple syrup, olive oil, balsamic and blend until combined.
- Sprinkle pork tenderloin evenly on all sides with salt and pepper
- Pour the marinade into gallon size plastic freezer bag, add in garlic and thyme. Place the pork tenderloin in bag. Remove as much air from the bag and zip the top. Gently roll the bag on the kitchen counter to make sure that the marinade coats every inch of the tenderloin.
- Place the bag in the fridge and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- When ready to cook, remove the bag of tenderloin from the fridge and preheat the grill to high heat.
- Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place on grill. Discard bag with marinade.
- Cook tenderloin for about 6 minutes, flip and cook an additional 6 minutes.
- Lower heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, flip and cook an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes, remove twine if used and serve.
Tried this over the weekend. The pork was nice and juicy. However, next time, I will take the leftover marinade and boil it down into a sauce, just for more blueberry flavor. Served it with stuffed zucchini.
Really good! Grill over indirect heat. I used blueberry jelly, did not add sweetner, added a pinch of rosemary. Simmered excess marinade about 10 min, until thick, to make a yummy sauce!
Mine is marinating in the fridge. Cannot wait to get on the grill. The kids were getting tired of chicken and beef, so I thought this recipe would be a great summer dinner with some veggies from our exploding garden!
My garden has just exploded, with vegetables and weeds 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the tenderloin, I served it at a cookout last weekend and everyone loved it!