Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin (Slow Cooker or Oven)

This cranberry glazed pork tenderloin is tender, juicy, and topped with a rich cranberry-orange sauce flavored with rosemary. Make it in the slow cooker for an easy holiday dinner that practically makes its own sauce, or roast it in the oven for a faster meal with a browned exterior.

I tested both methods side by side and couldn’t tell any difference in tenderness or juiciness. The oven pork browned more, but the slow cooker made the more flavorful sauce. Once I spooned that glossy cranberry glaze over the slices, the difference in appearance was hardly noticeable!

Pork tenderloin is a wonderful alternative to an expensive bacon wrapped beef tenderloin roast for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Sunday supper. I used my homemade cranberry sauce, which freezes and thaws beautifully.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

The complete measurements are in the recipe card below. Here are the ingredients that matter most.

• Pork tenderloins: Use two tenderloins of about 1½ pounds each, not one 3-pound pork loin roast. Pork loin is a different, thicker cut. Check for tough, shiny silver skin and remove it with a small, sharp fillet or boning knife before seasoning; some packaged tenderloins are already trimmed.
• Whole-berry cranberry sauce: Homemade or canned works. I used my homemade cranberry sauce recipe but left out the fruit and nuts. All 1½ cups go in before slow cooking; there’s no need to reserve any.
• Orange zest and juice: Two tablespoons of zest and four tablespoons of juice brighten the sauce without watering it down.
• Rosemary: Four fresh sprigs add a lovely savory flavor.
• Butter: A quarter cup helps sear the pork and adds richness.
• Salt, pepper, and onion powder: Season the meat well; the oven sauce may need additional seasoning to taste.

Variations

Whole-berry canned cranberry sauce is a convenient shortcut. You can also cook a single 1½-pound tenderloin in a smaller Crock-Pot: mine took 2 hours 22 minutes on LOW in a 2.5-quart cooker. Two tenderloins in a larger cooker took approximately two hours. Always cook to temperature, not time.

How to Make Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

This is my favorite method because the seasoned pork and cranberry-orange sauce cook together. No chicken stock, extra cranberry sauce, or separate saucepan required. The complete directions are in the recipe card.

1. Trim and season: Use a small, sharp knife to remove any tough silver skin from the tenderloins. Pat dry and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.

2. Sear: Melt the butter in a skillet and brown the pork briefly on all sides, about a minute per side. Leave the flavorful pan drippings in the skillet.

3. Add flavor: Stir the chopped rosemary, orange zest, and juice into the buttery skillet drippings, scraping up flavorful browned bits.

4. Add to Crock Pot: Add tenderloins. Pour orange sauce and pan drippings over the pork. Top with cranberry sauce.
5. Cook on LOW: Start checking before two hours; cook until each tenderloin reaches 145°F in the thickest part. My two-tenderloin test took approximately two hours.

6. Rest and serve: Rest at least three minutes, slice, and spoon the sauce straight from the slow cooker over the pork.

What I learned: The original recipe called for four hours on LOW, but both of my slow cooker tests finished in roughly two to two-and-a-half hours. A thermometer matters much more than the clock.

How to make Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin in the Oven

The oven version is faster and browns the pork more. The important difference is to roast without the pan sauce and cranberry sauce: its sugars scorched in my 400°F cast-iron skillet. Prepare the sauce separately.

1. Trim, preheat, and sear: Remove any silver skin, heat the oven to 400°F, season the tenderloins, and brown in butter in an oven-safe skillet. Reserve some flavorful butter and browned juices for the sauce if possible.
2. Roast without sauce: Cook to 145°F internally. One 1½-pound tenderloin took 22 minutes in my test; two may take longer.
3. Rest: Transfer the pork to a platter, away from the hot cast iron, for at least three minutes.
4. Make the sauce: Gently reduce the orange juice, zest, rosemary, and any unburned reserved pork juices in a saucepan. Stir in the whole-berry cranberry sauce, warm through, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve: Slice the pork and spoon the warm sauce over the top.

My stovetop sauce thickened without flour or cornstarch, but it tasted better after I added salt and pepper. The slow cooker sauce is richer because it cooks with the seasoned pork.

Slow Cooker vs. Oven: Which is better?

The slow cooker wins for sauce flavor and convenience. The oven wins for speed and browning. Both produced equally tender, juicy pork, and once the glaze went over the slices, the difference in appearance barely mattered.

Sharon’s Tips

• Buy tenderloin, not a pork loin. They’re different cuts and need different cooking times.
• Use a leave-in oven thermometer if possible. But check the internal temperature in several places. USDA guidance for whole cuts of pork is 145°F internally, followed by at least a three-minute rest.
• Keep cranberry sauce out of the roasting skillet. Sugar can scorch at 400°F.
• If you are using my homemade cranberry sauce recipe in this recipe, do not add the fruit or nuts.
• Taste before serving. If you cook your tenderloins in the oven, the sauce may need a little extra salt and pepper.

What to Serve with Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin

My Easy Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes are a natural choice, especially with that delicious cranberry-orange sauce spooned over them! For a holiday dinner, I’d also serve my husband’s sweet potato casserole with a pecan topping, broccoli cheddar casserole with Ritz topping, or my green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make ahead: Prepare the cranberry sauce in advance. My homemade sauce freezes and thaws beautifully.
• Refrigerate: Store cooked pork and sauce promptly in airtight containers for up to four days.
• Freeze: Freeze leftovers for up to three months for best quality; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheat: Warm gently with sauce to keep the pork moist; reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin FAQs

Join the Conversation

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I’d love to know how it turned out for you, whether you cooked it in a slow cooker or the oven, and what you served it with.

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A Final Word

After testing both methods, the slow cooker has become my favorite for its flavorful cranberry-orange sauce and minimal last-minute work. Spoon that glossy ruby-red glaze over the sliced pork and you have a special dinner without much fuss. If you make it, I’d love to know which method you chose!