Easy Pork Tenderloin Tacos
These pork tenderloin tacos are such an easy weeknight dinner featuring juicy marinated pork, zesty lime, and smoky spices wrapped up in a fluffy tortilla. Top them with chunky corn salsa and sour cream, they’re perfect for taco night!
Tacos are practically a food group in our family. While my daughters love classic ground beef tacos or my baked chicken tacos, I'm a huge fan of these lean pork tenderloin tacos because they are so easy to prep and stash in my freezer.
While the meat thaws it marinates and then I can quickly saute up the taco filling on a busy night.
Pork tenderloins frequently go on a BOGO sale at our grocery store, this would be a great way to prep this budget-friendly meat so nothing goes to waste.
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Quick & Flavorful: Thinly sliced pork absorbs the marinade quickly and cooks in minutes.
- Perfectly Balanced Marinade: A mix of honey, lime, and spices gives the pork a sweet, tangy, and smoky taste.
- Great for Meal Prep: Marinate ahead of time for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.
- Budget-Friendly: Prep bags of marinated pork for the freezer when pork tenderloin goes on sale.
Ingredients
This simple ingredient list brings smoky, zesty flavors to every taco.
- Pork Tenderloins
- Lime Juice
- Honey
- Minced Garlic
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
For serving as seen in my photos, you will also need:
- Small Corn or Flour Tortillas
- Salsa: I prefer this chunky corn salsa or my homemade restaurant style salsa. Whatever salsa you love will work great.
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Green Onions
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Marinate the Pork
In a large mixing bowl or zip-top bag, combine olive oil, lime juice, honey, minced garlic, and spices. Whisk everything together.
Slice the pork tenderloins lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick pieces, then cut each strip crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces for quick cooking.
Add the sliced pork to the marinade and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Cooking Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add 1/4 of the pork to the pan, making sure not to overcrowd it. Sear for 2-3 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
Transfer the browned pork to a plate and repeat cooking the remaining pork.
Once all pork is cooked, return it to the skillet to warm through.
Make Ahead Tips
Storage: Store the cooked pork taco meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Freeze raw marinated pork in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking as directed. The pork will marinate as it thaws, there's no need to marinate it before you freeze it.
Reheating: Warm the cooked pork in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave before serving leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
When I served the pork tenderloin tacos for family dinner, I microwaved the flour tortillas to warm them through and then served with spoonfuls of chunky corn salsa and a dollop of sour cream and green onions over the top.
For my own dinner serving, I actually made a pork taco salad bowl on a bed of lettuce. If you want to try that, I recommend pairing it with my cilantro lime ranch dressing, so yummy!
For extra crunch, you could add spoonfuls of my Mexican slaw or this easy Cuban slaw.
To bulk up the dinner, you could serve the tacos with chips and salsa or bowls of my favorite Mexican corn rice.
More Easy Taco Recipes
Looking for more great dinner ideas for Taco Tuesday? I've got you covered! Here are just some of our favorites:
📖 Recipe
Pork Tenderloin Tacos
Ingredients
For the Pork Filling & Marinade:
- 2 (2.5 pounds total) pork tenderloins thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lime juice from 4 limes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 4 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving:
- Small corn or flour tortillas
- Chunky corn salsa or your favorite salsa
- Sour cream
- Fresh green onions chopped
Instructions
- Slice the pork tenderloins lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick strips. Turn each strip and then slice again cross-wise into 1/4-inch strips. These thin pieces of pork will cook quickly and have more surface area for absorbing the marinade. Set aside.
- In a large glass dish or a plastic zip top storage bag, add all the remaining ingredients listed for the marinade. Stir them together. Add the prepared pork slices and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours in the fridge.
- While the pork is marinating, prepare the chunky corn salsa and remaining toppings for the final garnish.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and once it is shimmering add just one quarter of the prepared pork mixture. Do not overcrowd the pan or the pork will steam rather than crisp up. Transfer the cooked pork to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining pork. The thinly sliced pork will cook quite quickly, about 2 - 3 minutes to reach 145°F.
- Return the plate of cooked pork to the skillet and warm through before serving. Warm your tortillas in the microwave. Pile up the pork on the tortillas and top with corn salsa and remaining toppings as desired.
Recipe Notes
Freezer-Friendly:
You can cook just half of the mixture for dinner tonight and freeze the other half still raw. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before cooking, the meat will marinate as it thaws. Then cook as directed. You could also cook the entire batch as is, the cooked pork will freeze well. Thaw it in the microwave and then serve warm.Meal Prep Suggestions:
This is an excellent meal prep recipe if you want to make easy lunches to bring to work. Cook the pork as directed and then store in your meal prep dishes alongside some Mexican rice or taco toppings and tortillas you'll pack separately.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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