Pork tenderloin can be a delicious dinner, but what to serve with it? This post is filled with over 40 of the best side dishes that perfectly pair with pork tenderloin! From simple salads, roasted vegetables, cheesy casseroles, and even sauces and toppings.
What goes with pork tenderloin?
Pork tenderloin is a tender and lean cut of pork. On its own, pork tenderloin has a mild flavor. When prepared properly, it can be juicy and delicious.
There are tons of sides that go well with pork tenderloin! Here are ingredients that complement the flavor of pork tenderloin well.
Produce: green beans, apples, corn, fennel, mushrooms, onions, butternut squash
Fresh herbs: sage, rosemary, tarragon
Spices: cinnamon, ginger, black pepper
Others: balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, bacon
What’s the best way to cook pork tenderloin?
Since pork tenderloin is a small and lean cut of meat, it can be easily overcooked. When overcooked, pork tenderloin will become tough and dry, so it’s really important to cook it properly!
The best way to cook pork tenderloin is to sear it first at a high heat, then gently finish cooking it in the oven. This ensures the outer browned crust is flavorful, and the inside is tender.
You can see exactly how to make the most juicy pork tenderloin, with recommended seasonings and tools in Blackened Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin.
How to season a pork tenderloin?
The great thing about pork tenderloin, besides being a tender cut of meat, is their versatility! They are pretty mild in flavor on their own, so they pair well with various seasonings.
You can go the simple route and just use olive oil, salt, and pepper. This simple seasoning works best when using the sear and bake method described in Blackened Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin.
You can also buy pre-seasoned pork tenderloin too! This will save you some time and make cooking a tenderloin even quicker. They come in various flavors like roasted garlic and herb, peppercorn, and lemon pepper.
Best Sides for Pork Tenderloin
From healthy vegetables to cheesy potatoes, these are all the best pork tenderloin sides. They all work well with pork chops or roast pork loin main course too!
Get out of your dinner rut and complete your delicious meal with these tasty side dishes.
Vegetable sides for pork tenderloin
Potato side dishes for pork tenderloin
Salads to pair with pork tenderloin
Toppings and sauces for pork tenderloin
Pasta and rice sides for pork tenderloin
Vegetable sides for pork tenderloin
Vegetables are a classic side dish for any main course, but go great with pork tenderloin too. My favorite veggies to pair with pork are brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots.
Blackened Skillet Charred Corn
Blackened corn is a great side dish recipe to spice up your meal! Juicy corn is charred in a cast iron pan then tossed with blackening seasoning, butter, lemon, and parsley. It’s sweet, smoky, and all around delicious.
Roasted Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts is a simple, but flavorful side dish! This easy sheet pan recipe has perfectly tender but crisp brussels sprouts and green beans tossed with fresh basil, lemon zest, and a hint of garlic. It is the perfect side dish with a pop of flavor!
Perfectly roasted green beans and carrots seasoned with garlic, tarragon, and thyme make a super easy vegetable side dish! Roasted vegetables go great with pork tenderloin.
This 3-ingredient butternut squash soup recipe is simple and delicious. It is velvety smooth, rich, and filling. Freezes well to save some for later. This healthy soup makes a great pairing with a pork tenderloin.
Tender and crispy roasted asparagus and brussel sprouts are the perfect pairing for this easy healthy side dish. Ready in under 30 minutes! This plus a cast iron pork tenderloin make an easy weeknight meal.
This easy roasted corn salsa has a little bit of heat and lots of flavor. Made with just a few ingredients – jalapeño, red onion, white corn, cilantro, lime and salt. It's the perfect addition to tacos, burritos, bowls or to serve as a side.
Baked beans is a classic side dish for pork! Easy BBQ Baked Beans are flavorful and delicious, not to mention incredibly easy to make. They are the ultimate side dish for any occasion!
Easy green beans side dish ready in 20 minutes! Blistered green beans are tossed in blackened seasoning, garlic, onions, and butter. Lots of flavor, little time.
These authentic Southern Collard Greens are braised in a savory meat flavored and perfectly spiced pot liquor resulting in an amazing tender silky texture.
Flash Fried Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan and Pancetta
These flash fried Brussels sprouts are tossed with red wine vinegar and balsamic glaze, and topped with crispy pancetta and parmesan cheese. Brussel sprouts go well with pork. This side is great for a special occasion, or a weeknight dinner.
One pot gouda and cream cheese corn is an extra-special and very delicious side dish. It’s an amazing Thanksgiving or Christmas corn recipe. The combination of gouda, cream cheese and heavy cream gives this cheesy corn casserole recipe a rich taste.
Delicious 30-minute honey roasted baby carrots. The natural sweetness is balanced perfectly with a bit of garlic and pepper. Carrots are a great side dish for your favorite pork tenderloin recipe.
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole with caramelized onions and a buttery cracker crust is a fall recipe that’s absolutely incredible! Butternut squash goes great with your pork dinner.
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables make the perfect addition to any dinner entree, the caramelized flavor is delicious on all those veggies. Plus balsamic is a great flavor pairing for pork tenderloin.
Potatoes get their own category, because well, they are an amazing vegetable! Here are some of the best recipes for mashed potatoes, crispy roasted potatoes, and even sweet potatoes!
Creamy Boursin Mashed Potatoes Recipe
The perfect creamy mashed potato recipe! Smooth potatoes with Boursin cheese, cream, butter, and fresh chives. Serve them for the holiday season or a special dinner. 5 ingredients and 30 minutes.
This Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup recipe is so creamy and delicious! It’s made with only a few simple ingredients – potatoes, vegetable stock, cream, and butter – and is ready in under 30 minutes! It’s the perfect canvas for adding all your favorite toppings!
This simple roasted broccoli and potatoes is an easy and tasty side dish! Crispy potatoes and tender broccoli florets topped with parmesan cheese make a delicious side dish, ready in 30 minutes!
Sautéed sweet potatoes are the perfect easy side dish for dinner! The sweet potatoes have tender insides with crisp outsides and are coated in tasty warm spices. This is a great stovetop side dish if you are roasting your pork tenderloin in the oven.
These crispy parmesan oven roasted potato wedges are cut into wedges, coated with parmesan cheese and baked until they are golden brown and perfectly crispy.
Step up your mashed potato game with these easy, creamy smoked gouda mashed potatoes! The perfect side dish for holidays, and a great choice to serve with pork!
Salads make a great healthy option to serve with a lean pork tenderloin. Especially hearty salads like these.
Spinach Arugula Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
This delicious arugula and spinach salad is the perfect contrast of textures and flavors. Made with spinach and zesty arugula, topped with crispy prosciutto, marinated tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy balsamic lemon dressing.
Autumn Chopped Salad combines succulent pears, salty bacon, tart cranberries, sharp cheese, and crunchy pecans with a sweet balsamic dressing on romaine. A hearty side salad is great to serve with pork tenderloin.
Apple Goat Cheese Salad pairs perfectly with pork. Apple and pork are a classic flavor combination. The crunchy tart green apple is so great with that creamy goat cheese.
I love a good sauce on my main course, and pork tenderloin is no different. I usually make a quick white wine pan sauce to drizzle over my pork. Check out these other sauces and toppings to elevate your dinner.
Easy Balsamic Glaze
Sweet and tangy balsamic glaze is actually really easy to make! Only 20 minutes to make, plus you can make this without any added sugar. Balsamic glaze is great drizzled over a savory pork tenderloin.
Caramelized onions are slowly cooked, caramelizing their natural sugars to develop a depth of flavor that is so SO good! These melt in your mouth onions are like onion jam. I love adding caramelized onions to burgers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, etc.
The best pesto recipe! This pesto is bright, herbaceous, savory, and garlicky. It’s a great sauce for pasta, proteins, vegetables, pizzas, sandwiches, and spreads.
Homemade Gravy made without drippings so you can make it ahead of time. This recipe works great with pork because everything is better with gravy on it!
These easy bourbon apples are cooked with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve them as a side dish, dessert, or as a topping for pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, or in this case, savory pork tenderloin!
Roasting garlic caramelizes its sugars to make it less pungent and slightly sweet with a rich savory flavor. It is so good in pasta sauces, dressings, with chicken, steak, pork, or smeared on crusty bread. You will find so many ways to use this delicious ingredient, it's the perfect way to kick up a boring dish!
Creamy, tangy, sweet, and spicy Hot honey mustard sauce. Perfect for dipping chicken tenders, appetizers, fries, and more! Make this restaurant-style condiment recipe from scratch with just 4 simple pantry staples.
When I’m in a hurry, I pair my pork tenderloin with a simple veggie and brown rice. If you want to kick it up a notch, try some of these delicious rice and pasta sides.
Four Cheese Mac & Cheese
You can not go wrong with a creamy cheesy macaroni and cheese recipe! This one is made with four cheeses melted into a béchamel sauce, then topped with buttery toasted crumbs for the perfect contrasting textures. You'll be licking the spoon (and the plate) with this elevated ultimate comfort food!
Pasta salad makes a great side dish for pork tenderloin. This orzo pesto pasta salad has juicy tomatoes, homemade pesto, mozzarella balls, and a sweet balsamic glaze.
Elevated Mac and Cheese with Brie and White Cheddar
This creamy brie mac and cheese recipe is an elevated version of stove top mac and cheese. It has creamy brie and white cheddar melted in a silky béchamel sauce with thyme, topped with buttery toasted breadcrumbs.
This rice pilaf is made with orzo pasta, long grain white rice, onion, garlic, and chicken broth. It’s a super easy recipe that makes a fantastic side dish for chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and more!
This creamy sauce is seasoned with cajun spices and freshly grated parmesan cheese to make the perfect Cajun Alfredo sauce. Serve it as a side dish with pork tenderloin for a satisfying meal.
What’s a safe internal temperature to cook pork tenderloin to?
Pork tenderloin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). At this temperature the pork should be slightly pink with a tender and juicy texture. If it is cooked to a higher temperature than this, it will become more tough.
How do you cook pork tenderloin so it’s not tough?
The best way to prevent pork tenderloin from being tough is to NOT overcook it. Pork tenderloin comes out perfectly tender and juicy when cooked to 145°F (63°C), so use a meat thermometer so you know exactly when it’s done.
Are pork tenderloin and pork loin the same thing?
No, although similar cuts of meat, pork tenderloin are smaller and more tender than pork loin. You can usually cook them the same, although pork loin will take longer to cook since it is bigger. The sides that pair well with pork tenderloin will also be great with pork loin!
Meet Lauren
I’m the blogger, recipe developer, food photographer, and otherwise food obsessed gal behind Lauren From Scratch. I was born and raised in New Orleans and lived in South Louisiana most of my life. Growing up around Cajun country has instilled a love of food that runs deep in my bones. I am passionate about food and teaching you how to make mouth-watering Louisiana inspired dishes in your own kitchen!
