This four-ingredient slow cooker pork tenderloin is tender, savory, and covered in an easy onion gravy. You’re going to love how little prep it takes and how comforting it tastes over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. Add green beans, a salad, or roasted broccoli and call it supper.
Why You’ll Love It
- Only 4 ingredients — simple pantry staples make a rich, oniony gravy.
- Hands-off cooking — add everything to the slow cooker and let it do the work.
- Tender, sliceable pork — the pork stays juicy instead of turning into shreds.
- No-fuss gravy — no roux, pan drippings, or extra dishes needed.
- Great leftovers — the pork stays moist when stored in the gravy.
Ingredient Notes
Pork tenderloin is not the same thing as pork loin. They are different cuts, despite the grocery store labels seeming determined to create confusion where none is needed. Tenderloin is the slim, tender piece that cooks in this shorter window. If you use pork loin, it will need longer—more like 5 to 6 hours on LOW—and I would keep an eye on it.
Save This Recipe
Just drop your email here and We'll send it right away!
For the onion soup mix, the ordinary dry packet from the grocery store is exactly what you want. No need to get fancy. I usually buy the Lipton kind, but any 1-ounce packet works just fine.
Condensed cream of mushroom soup gives you that old-fashioned, savory gravy feel. Use the regular canned version, not the ready-to-eat soup in the carton. I’ve tried reduced-sodium soup once, and it was fine, though the whole thing tasted a little less like the dinner I remembered. Not bad. Just… polite.
Low-sodium beef broth is my preference because onion soup mix has plenty going on already. Water works too, especially if the pantry is looking bleak and you’re trying not to go to the store for one single item. I have done that more times than I care to admit.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, either 1 large piece or 2 smaller ones, with the silver skin trimmed off
- 1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix, the regular grocery-store kind
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, or plain water if that’s what you’ve got
Instructions
Spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, or rub it lightly with a little oil. This is mostly for cleanup, and I’m not above making decisions based entirely on how much scrubbing I can avoid after dinner.
Place the pork tenderloin in the bottom of the slow cooker. If you have two smaller tenderloins, lay them side by side. Tuck the skinny ends underneath a bit so they don’t overcook while the thicker middle catches up—learned that one the annoying way.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry onion soup mix, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and beef broth until mostly smooth. “Mostly” is doing important work here. A few little lumps of soup are not going to ruin anybody’s evening.
Pour the onion soup mixture over the pork, spreading it around so the meat is mostly covered. A little pork may peek out of the top, and that’s okay; it will baste in the sauce as it cooks. Put the lid on and resist checking every twenty minutes. Every peek lets out heat, and slow cookers are not known for their ability to recover from emotional disruption.
Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, until the pork is tender but still holds together for slicing. Start checking at the early end of the range if your slow cooker runs hot. Mine does, apparently out of spite. Make sure the thickest part reaches at least 145°F.
Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes. I know you want to slice it immediately because the kitchen smells wonderful, but that short rest helps keep the juices in the meat instead of all over the cutting board.
While the pork rests, stir the sauce in the slow cooker. It should look like golden-brown onion gravy, with soft onion bits floating around. If it seems a little thin, don’t panic. It thickens some as it sits around the sliced pork, and mashed potatoes are forgiving creatures.
Slice the pork into roughly 1/2-inch medallions. Return the slices to the slow cooker and gently turn them in the warm gravy until they’re coated. Spoon the pork and plenty of gravy over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, or cauliflower rice if you’re in one of those phases. Add green beans, a salad, or roasted broccoli and call it supper.
Variations
If you don’t have cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery works nicely, and cream of chicken works too. I know that last one sounds a little odd alongside pork, but it’s good—rich and savory, no fuss. Use whatever is in the cabinet.
For more onion flavor, lay one thinly sliced yellow onion in the bottom of the slow cooker before adding the pork, along with a few grinds of black pepper. Serving it over egg noodles is delicious but makes me feel like I need to put on stretchy pants.
You can stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of sour cream into the gravy at the end, with the heat off, for a creamier, almost stroganoff-like sauce. I did that once when I had half a container of sour cream threatening to become a science project in the refrigerator. It was very good.
For thicker gravy, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir it into the hot sauce, and cook on HIGH for another 10 to 15 minutes. I tried adding dry cornstarch directly once because I was in a hurry. Do not do that. Unless you enjoy tiny, stubborn white blobs in your gravy. I do not.
Storage & Reheating
Get leftovers into shallow containers within 2 hours, then refrigerate them for 3 to 4 days. I like to store the pork right in the gravy because it stays moist that way, and because dry leftover pork is one of life’s quiet disappointments.
Reheat it gently in a covered skillet or microwave until it reaches 165°F. Add a splash of broth or water if the gravy has tightened up overnight. It usually does. The leftovers are great piled onto toasted bread for an open-faced sandwich with gravy poured over top, which is not elegant but is awfully satisfying on a rainy afternoon.
I don’t recommend freezing this one if you can help it. You can, technically, but cream-based sauces sometimes separate after thawing and look a little—well, like they’ve had a hard week. The flavor is still there, but the texture gets fussy.
Final Notes
There’s something comforting about a dinner that doesn’t ask much of you. Especially when the day has been long for no particular reason.
A slow cooker sitting there, steaming away, can make a kitchen feel especially comforting: pork, gravy, and a warm meal.
Slow Cooker 4-Ingredient Onion Soup Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin Use 1 large piece or 2 smaller ones; trim off the silver skin.
- 1 1-ounce packet dry onion soup mix Use the regular grocery-store kind.
- 1 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup Use condensed soup, not ready-to-eat soup.
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth Plain water may be used instead.
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, or rub it lightly with a little oil.
- Place the pork tenderloin in the bottom of the slow cooker, laying two smaller tenderloins side by side if using them, and tuck the skinny ends underneath slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry onion soup mix, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and beef broth until mostly smooth.
- Pour the onion soup mixture over the pork, spreading it around so the meat is mostly covered, then put the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, until the pork is tender but still holds together for slicing and the thickest part reaches at least 145°F.
- Transfer the cooked pork to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
- While the pork rests, stir the sauce in the slow cooker until it resembles golden-brown onion gravy with soft onion bits throughout.
- Slice the pork into roughly 1/2-inch medallions, return the slices to the slow cooker, and gently turn them in the warm gravy until coated; serve with mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, rice, or cauliflower rice.
