Roasted pork loin is probably one of the easiest (and inexpensive) main dishes you can make. Just add a little seasoning, pop it in the oven, and let it do its thing. The only thing you have to be mindful of is overcooking, but we’ll talk more about that below. As long as you avoid that one pitfall, you’ll have a tender, juicy pork loin that makes a deeelish main dish that can be paired with tons of different sides.
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“Tried this last night. It got rave reviews from my family. I usually buy pre-seasoned pork loins and I am never impressed. But this coating was yummy and the pork tender. Thank you!”
JUNIE
I’ve always loved how a simple blend of spices can completely transform a meal, and this Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin is proof of that. If you’ve made my Glazed Pork Chops, you’ll recognize the sweet and spicy brown sugar rub—it’s the same one! It strikes the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy, and while it forms a glaze when seared in a skillet, in the oven it turns into a deliciously caramelized crust. It’s incredibly easy to throw together, but the result is a tender, flavorful roast that feels totally special. This is one of my favorite low-effort, high-reward dinners.
Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin
Servings 8 ½ lb. eachIngredients
- 4 lbs. pork loin* ($13.36)
- ½ cup brown sugar ($0.32)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper** ($0.10)
- 1 tsp garlic powder ($0.10)
- 1 tsp paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.66)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Place the pork loin on a parchment lined baking sheet or in a large casserole dish with the fat cap facing up. Begin packing the brown sugar and spice mixture all over the surface of the pork loin (no need to get the bottom). The moisture from the pork loin should help the sugar mixture stick to the surface.
- Transfer the pork loin to the oven. Roast at 400ºF for ten minutes, then reduce the heat to 350ºF and continue to roast for about 15 minutes per pound of roast, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Always use a meat thermometer just to be sure.
- After roasting, let the pork loin rest for 10 minutes before slicing into ½-inch thick slices and serving.
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Equipment
- Meat Thermometer
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin Step-by-Step Photos
Make the rub: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Combine ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 3 Tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
Mix the rub ingredients together until they look like damp sand.
Gather meat thermometer: This is the pork loin I used, which was 4 pounds. Your cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pork loin, so make sure to use a meat thermometer so you can prevent over or under-cooking the pork. Pork loin usually has a “fat cap” which is a layer of fat on one side (it’s on the bottom in the photo above so you can’t see it).
Pack sugar rub over pork loin: Place the pork loin on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a casserole dish with the fat cap side facing up. Pack the brown sugar rub all over the surface of the pork loin.
Roast the pork: Roast the pork for 10 minutes at 400ºF, then reduce the heat to 350ºF and roast for an additional 15 minutes per pound of pork, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. The temperature of the roast will continue to rise slightly after it is taken out of the oven, due to carryover cooking. (Don’t worry if the brown sugar burns on the baking sheet, the rub ON the pork will not be burned. The burned sugar can be cleaned off with a quick soak in hot soapy water.)
Let pork rest: Let the pork loin rest for ten minutes before slicing into ½-inch slices and serving.
Slice and serve.
serving suggestions
I love serving classic comfort foods with this Brown Sugar Roasted Pork Loin. I have it pictured with mashed potatoes and some roasted broccoli, but I think something like macaroni and cheese or potato salad would also be awesome!
This recipe is simple and very tasty! I’ve made it once already and it was a huge hit w/my hubby. What I loved is that aside from the pork loin, I already had all other ingredients on hand – simple, delicious and affordable!
I had buttered garlic red potatoes and steamed broccoli on the side. The next time I make it, I will roast the broccoli :-)
wow, it’s really delicious.. the taste is extraordinary..
I have used this recipe once before and it was absolutely amazing, the family enjoyed it also. I am making it again for dinner tonight!!! Thank you for this!! We love it!!!
I plan on making this pork loin roast the day before serving.
How should I store in refrigerator and how will I reheat ?
Thank you
This is tough, Carol! Pork Tenderloin is pretty tricky to reheat without it getting dry and overcooked. If you have to cook it ahead of time, I’d be very diligent about making sure you don’t cook it past 145ºF, i’d maybe even undercook it slightly. Your best best would probably be to let it rest and go ahead and slice and store it in the fridge that way. To reheat, Heat up a skillet on medium heat, add some olive oil or butter and heat the pork tenderloin for about 1 minutes per side. Good luck!
Tried this last night. It got rave reviews from my family. I usually buy preseasoned pork loins and I am never impressed. But this coating was yummy and the pork tender. Thank you
Did not work for me. Coating was soggy and just slipped off the toasted pork.
I’m trying this recipe for the first time.Will let you know how it turned out.
Nice flavour but 145 degrees was probably 5 minutes too long – if I made this again I would remove at 140 as it still rose another 8 or 9 degrees when resting
Thank yoy!
How can I !make this pork roast with sauerkraut without over cooking the pork??
Hi, Monica! First, I would recommend reading back over some of the information in the blog post above the recipe, including the sections labeled “THE KEY TO GOOD PORK LOIN” and “HOW LONG TO COOK PORK LOIN.” I also suggest you peruse some of our other recipes like Bratwurst and Saurkraut, or Kapusniak (a stew made with pork and sauerkraut) for other techniques for combining those two ingredients accurately. Rather than trying to cook them together and risk overcooking the pork, you’ll likely want to cook them separately: the pork in the oven, and the kraut on the stovetop, and then slice and serve the pork on top of the kraut.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/bratwurst-and-sauerkraut/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/kapusniak/
~Marion :)
I made this and it turned out great! However I was wondering if this rub and cook method would work on tenderloin if I used a meat thermometer?
We haven’t tested it, so we can’t say for sure. xoxo Monti
I use this on pork tenderloin all the time and love it. We have a meat thermometer so we just make sure it’s done.
Not sure where I went wrong on this one. I followed the directions as written, but the brown sugar rub melted right off my pork roast in the first 10 minutes of baking. :( Do you think using less/no olive oil would help it stay on? I usually love your recipes, and the pork itself cooked fine, but there was no crust or flavor from the rub since it melted off.
Hmm, it sounds like the meat might have been too wet. I would try patting it dry with a paper towel before adding the rub next time. :)
Thank you so much for replying! I’ll try your suggestion next time and hopefully have better luck. :)
Won’t rate this again since I’ve already done it once, but I’m afraid there wasn’t much improvement the second time around. I carefully dried the roast with paper towels before adding the rub, which kept it on a little longer in the oven, but it still all melted off by the time the pork was fully cooked. I’m afraid this one’s a bust for me.
Maybe try a binder such as mustard
Looks del8sh
Should I cover the roast WITH FOIL??
I did not cover the roast.
I didn’t have paprika so I replaced it with chili powder. Oh my, this is delicious! I have leftovers and still can’t wait to make it again. Those totally aren’t 2022 prices though 😭 I think my pork loin was 4.48/lb, which would make 4 lbs about $18.
I paid $8.61 for a 4.4lb roast 12/30/23. $1.94 per lb at Wal•Mart.