This Mexican pork tenderloin with spicy peanut sauce is simple to make and absolutely mouth-watering. The peanut sauce is made with roasted peanuts, tomatoes, cinnamon, and 2 types of peppers! It's the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors. Serve this dish with rice or tortillas and you'll have a meal that everyone will love!
Today’s recipe is one of those meals that looks so elegant when served at a fancy dinner party. Between the juicy slices of pork tenderloin and roasted peanut sauce with peppers, you end up with a delicious, creamy bite of food!
💕 Why You'll Love This Recipe
The roasted pork tenderloin with spicy peanut sauce starts with a quick sear on the pork. In Mexico this dish is known as "Encacahuatado de Cerdo"
This meal is usually made using pork loin, but since this cut of meat is a little dry, I prefer to use pork tenderloin, especially the type of tenderloin sold already marinated. This helps to lock in all of the juices so that when it’s finished cooking, the pork is nice and tender.
Once the pork is seared, it’s simmered in a Mexican-inspired peanut sauce.
The sauce is made with roasted peanuts, tomatoes, cinnamon, and two types of peppers. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors!
😍 My Version Of Mexican Pork Tenderloin
I just discovered this pork tenderloin sold in vacuum-sealed packages at my local supermarket and it really made this recipe so much better.
It really cuts the time of your cooking. Plus, it is a great option to create beautiful and tasty meals without the stress, since you know the meat will always come out deliciously seasoned and full of flavor!
And, as with any recipe, every cook in Mexico makes his own changes to it, like adding other spices or using ancho pepper instead of guajillo, arbol pepper instead of chipotles.
This is a very popular stew, especially in the central part of the country, and it is not as complicated to make as Mole Poblano.
🙋♀️ FAQ
Before I share my recipe, here are a few questions I've been asked about homemade pork tenderloin with peanut sauce.
Can I use pork chops instead of pork tenderloin?
Yes, you can use pork chops instead of pork tenderloin. The cooking time may be a little different, so make sure to check the recipe notes for more information.
What type of peppers should I use?
I used a mix of chipotle and guajillo peppers in this recipe, but you can use other types of peppers, like a combination of guajillo, ancho, and chipotle or puya pepper. Just make sure to adjust the amount of peppers based on how spicy you want the sauce to be.
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
Yes! This Mexican pork tenderloin with peanut sauce is perfect for making ahead of time. Just cook the pork tenderloin and make the sauce ahead of time. Then, all you have to do is reheat the pork and sauce before serving.
📋 Ingredients
Here is a list of ingredients you'll need to make this juicy pork...
- pork tenderloin
- Guajillo peppers
- Water
- Vegetable oil
- Tomatoes
- White onions
- Chipotle peppers in adobo
- Roasted peanuts
- Garlic cloves
- Peppercorns
- Cinnamon stick
- Cloves
- Chicken broth
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
🔪 Instructions
To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to make roasted pork tenderloin and spicy peanut sauce.
Prep Guajillo Peppers
- Place the guajillo peppers in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium-high heat.
- When the water starts boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat, cover, and set aside.
Brown Pork Tenderloin
- Remove pork tenderloin from the package and pat dry with pepper towels.
- Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
- Sear the tenderloin until golden browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer pork to a large plate and cover it with aluminum foil forming a tent.
- Let it rest.
Make Peanut Sauce
- While the pork is resting, chop the tomatoes and white onion.
- Place in a blender along with chipotle peppers, peanuts, garlic cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, drained guajillo peppers, and chicken broth.
- Process everything together until you have a smooth sauce.
Finish Cooking Pork
- Drain the rendered fat from the skillet and reserve. Using a pepper towel, wipe any meat residue on the skillet.
- Return the reserved fat to the pan, turn the heat to medium, and pour peanut sauce using a strainer.
- Once the sauce starts boiling, add the pork tenderloin, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
- Turning meat halfway through the cooking time. Stir occasionally to avoid the sauce from sticking to the bottom.
- Remove from the skillet from heat and let pork rest in the sauce for 5 minutes, then cut into ½-inch thick slices.
Tip: Make sure the pork has an internal temperature of 145°F to be fully cooked!
🍽 Side Dishes
This Mexican pork tenderloin tastes best when serve with white rice and black beans. To top it all off, drizzle the pork tenderloin with the spicy peanut sauce to tie everything together.
Trust me- it's delicious!
📚 More Authentic Mexican Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for peanut pork tenderloin, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Country-Style Pork Ribs In Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Seasoned Pork Chops
- Mexican Pork Ribs In Adobo
- Pork Spare Ribs In Salsa Verde
- Pork Loin In Prune Sauce
I hope you make this Mexican pork tenderloin! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
📖 Recipe
Pork Tenderloin in Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Guajillo Peppers seeds and veins removed
- 2 cups of water
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 2 Lbs. Peppercorn & Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin from “Smithfield”
- 2 medium-size tomatoes about 12 ounces.
- ¼ medium size white onion
- 2 Chipotle in adobo peppers*
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 peppercorns**
- 1 ½ ” in Cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 cups of Chicken broth
Instructions
- Place the guajillo peppers in a medium saucepan with the 2 cups of water over a medium-high heat. When water starts boiling turn heat down and simmers for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, cover and set aside.
- Remove pork tenderloin from package and pat dry with pepper towels. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook tenderloin until well browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer pork to a large plate and cover with aluminum foil forming a tent. Let it rest.
- Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and onion, place in a blender along with chipotle peppers, peanuts, garlic cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, drained guajillo peppers and chicken broth. Process until smooth.
- Drain rendered fat from the skillet and reserve. Using a pepper towel wipe any residue of the meat on the skillet. Return the reserved fat and turn heat to medium and pour peanut sauce using a strainer.
- Once the sauce starts boiling add the pork tenderloin, reduce heat and simmer, about 20-25 minutes. Turning meat halfway the cooking time. Stir occasionally to avoid the sauce from sticking to the bottom.
- Remove skillet from heat and let pork rest in the sauce for 5 minutes, then cut into ½ inch thick slices. Serve, with rice or black beans and drizzled pork meat with the peanut sauce.
Nina
Can I use dried chipotle peppers instead of those in adobo sauce?? Thx!
mmartinez
Hello Nina,
Yes, you can use dried chipotle peppers.
Chris
This sounds like a winner to me, I can't wait to try out this peanut sauce with some grilled pork.
Munchberry
Ah I see the straining part now! Whew!