This pork tenderloin cooked in a Dutch oven is easy to prepare with only 6 simple ingredients. Perfectly juicy, tender and deliciously flavorful pork tenderloin cooked on the stove with oranges and orange juice.
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This Dutch oven pork tenderloin with oranges recipe is actually one of mom's creations. She makes this dish either for a nice Sunday lunch or even for fine dining when she's hosting dinner.
So for those of you who've been following me since the beginning of this blog, you might have already heard me say that the hardest part of this recipe was not making it but actually getting it out of my mom's head. lol
She does everything automatically and without measuring anything. So when you ask her how much orange juice do I need? She will answer you "well, you pour it and you see" and you will probably answer as I did "and what am I supposed to see???" 😂
⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
- This Dutch oven pork tenderloin with oranges recipe is very easy to prepare.
- Only 6 simple ingredients.
- It doesn't take much time to prepare.
- Looks fancy enough for an elegant dinner.
- This recipe is paleo, AIP and whole30 compliant.
📖 Ingredient notes
- Pork tenderloin or filet mignon. It is a long, narrow, boneless cut of pork meat. It is very tender.
- Orange juice. Freshly squeezed orange juice is the best way to go but if you are in a hurry, you can use store bought orange juice. Make sure to but 100% pure orange juice.
- Oranges. You will need fresh oranges for the garnish.
- Arrowroot. It is a starch. It is used here to thicken the orange sauce. See below for substitutions.
For the quantities and complete list of ingredients for this Dutch oven pork tenderloin with oranges recipe, please see the recipe card below.
💭 Substitutions
Arrowroot substitutions. If you are not cassava intolerant, you can use tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) instead of arrowroot. Both are AIP, paleo and whole30 compliant. If you are not on the AIP, paleo nor whole30 diets you can use potato or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
🔪 Step by step instructions
How to cook the pork tenderloin
- Put a Dutch oven (I'm using a 2.5 qt or 2.4 L Dutch oven) on medium high heat and pour the olive oil in it.
- When the olive oil is hot, put the pork tenderloin in the Dutch oven and cook it for about 2 minutes on both sides until it gets a golden color (see on the picture below). Season with salt.
- Pour the orange juice in the Dutch oven. As explained below, the quantity of orange juice will vary according to the size of your pork tenderloin and the size of your Dutch oven.
- Then let it cook on medium high heat (the orange juice should be on the verge of boiling but not boil completely) for about 20-25 minutes. At half the time, flip the pork tenderloin on the other side.
- In the meantime, using a knife, peel the oranges making sure to also remove the white membrane.
- Slice the oranges.
- Add the orange slices to the Dutch oven at the end of the cooking process (for about 5 minutes only). If you add them at the very beginning of the meat cooking process, the orange slices will dissolve completely in the juice. It will still be delicious but less pretty for the eyes.
- Once the meat is cooked remove it along with the orange slices from the Dutch oven. And set them on a plate. Leave the orange juice in the Dutch oven.
How to make the orange sauce
- Take a separate bowl and transfer the arrowroot in it. Using a ladle or a very large spoon, take about ½ cup (125 ml) of orange juice out of the Dutch oven. Pour it slowly over the arrowroot while whisking. Once the arrowroot is well combined to the orange juice, transfer the bowl content to the Dutch oven. Mix the 2 juices together. I find that this method avoids getting lumps rather than if you pour the arrowroot directly in the Dutch oven.
- Pour part of the orange juice over the meat and put the rest in a sauce boat. Et voilà! Serve immediately. Bon appétit!
👩🏻🍳Top tips about the orange juice and arrowroot quantity
The orange juice quantity in this recipe will both depend on the size of your pork tenderloin and the size of your Dutch oven. You need to make sure that about half of your pork tenderloin is soaking in the orange juice. So that it will properly cook in it and get the nice orange flavor. If your Dutch oven is bigger than mine (I'm using a 2.5 qt / 2.4 L Dutch oven) you will need more orange juice. And if your pork tenderloin is smaller than mine, using the same dutch oven size, you might need a little less orange juice. Your pork tenderloin should be soaking in orange juice but not completely immersed (to the point where you can't see the meat) in it.
You might also need to adjust the quantity of arrowroot. Let's say you end up using twice as much orange juice as I do, you will also need twice as much arrowroot. The purpose of the arrowroot is to thicken the sauce.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
If you are on AIP, paleo or whole30, serve this pork tenderloin with cauliflower rice.
If you are not on any of those diets you can serve this pork tenderloin with basmati rice or potatoes.
To make sure that the pork tenderloin is cooked, slice it in the middle. Then look at its color: it should NOT be pink (or only very faintly).
🍲 Other recipes you might like
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card and leave a nice review below! Tag @gohealthywithbea on Instagram and hashtag #gohealthywithbea! Also, let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
📋 Recipe / Recette
Dutch oven pork tenderloin with oranges (AIP, paleo, whole30)
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin (the one I'm using here weighs 500 g (1.1 pounds))
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 500 milliliters (2 cups) freshly squeezed orange juice (quantity will vary according to the size of your pork tenderloin and of the Dutch oven you're using please see notes for more explanations)
- 1 Tablespoon arrowroot (see notes below for substitutions)
- 3 oranges fresh
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Put a Dutch oven on medium high heat and pour the olive oil in it.
- When the olive oil is hot, put the pork tenderloin in the Dutch oven and cook it for about 2 minutes on both sides until it gets a golden color.
- Pour the orange juice in the Dutch oven. As explained above, the quantity of orange juice will vary according to the size of your pork tenderloin and the size of your Dutch oven.
- Then let it cook on medium high heat (the orange juice should be on the verge of boiling but not boil completely) for about 20-25 minutes. At half the time, flip the pork tenderloin on the other side.
- In the meantime, using a knife, peel the oranges making sure to also remove the white membrane. And slice them. Add the orange slices to the Dutch oven at the end of the cooking process (for about 5 minutes only).
- Once the meat is cooked remove it along with the orange slices from the Dutch oven (leave the orange juice in the Dutch oven). And set them on a plate.
- Take a seperate bowl and transfer the arrowroot in it. Using a ladle or a very large spoon take about ½ cup (125ml) of orange juice out of the Dutch oven and pour it slowly over the arrowroot while whisking. Once the arrowroot is well combined to the orange juice, transfer the bowl content to the Dutch oven and mix the 2 juices together (I find that this method avoids getting lumps rather than if you pour the arrowroot directly in the Dutch oven).
- Pour part of the orange juice over the meat and put the rest in a sauce boat. Et voilà! Serve immediately with cauliflower rice (if you are on AIP, paleo or whole30) or serve with rice (if you are not on any of those diets).Bon appétit!
Emma Spahr
Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
Graciela
Se ve espectacular,espero hacerla en cuanto pueda!
Bea C.
Muchas gracias Graciela! Dime si lo hace.