This juicy turkey tenderloin recipe comes together with a simple but flavorful marinade that only needs 30 minutes rest time. Then it bakes at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It requires very little hands on time but you are still left with tender turkey that is full of smokey flavor with the smallest hints of sweet and spice.
Whether you are cooking a holiday meal for a small group or you are looking for a low-carb dinner, this is a recipe that you are going to want to come back to again and again. This recipe is so quick to make and comes together with ingredients you have in your pantry, but you end up with a never dry piece of turkey that will wow everyone.
Another delicious recipe from you! We really enjoyed this and I was apprehensive of the marinade, but it was so good. Another one of your recipes I would recommend.
What is Turkey Tenderloin
A turkey tenderloin comes from the breast of the turkey. Turkey breast meat tends to be low fat and high protein, making it a great main dish for any dinner. Jennie O sells turkey tenderloin and you should be able to find them with the other cuts of turkey in the grocery store. Many recipes that work for pork tenderloin will work with turkey tenderloin, but of course I’m partial to this recipe.
How to Cook Turkey Tenderloin
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Marinate the turkey tenderloin. The first step in this recipe is to whisk together a simple marinade. Let the turkey sit for 2 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Bake the turkey. After marinating, the turkey is removed from the marinade. You then bake it in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the turkey registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit with a meat thermometer.
- Let the turkey rest. After roasting any meat, you should let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This prevents the juices from running out of the meat and leads to juicier cuts.
- Slice and enjoy.
Turkey Tenderloin Marinade
We tweaked and tested the marinade a few times until we were left with something we really fell in love with. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. For the full measurements, please scroll to the bottom of the post and find the printable recipe card.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This brings some acidity to the recipe so it helps break down just the outer layer of the meat while also imparting flavor.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce: A great way to introduce both flavor and salt to this recipe. If you can’t find low sodium, I suggest cutting the amount you use to 1/3 cup and filling in the rest with water.
- Lime Juice: Another ingredient to bring both acidity and flavor.
- Brown Sugar: This imparts just a little bit of sweetness to the marinade while also helping to caramelize the outside of the meet.
- Garlic Cloves: Bring great flavor to this recipe. I prefer fresh, but it could be replaced with one teaspoon of onion powder.
- Chipotle Powder: This is one of my favorite ingredients. It brings such a great and subtle smoky flavor to recipes. We also love it in our crock pot chili and our chicken tacos.
- Dried Onion Flakes: These are such a great way to impart onion flavor. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use one teaspoon onion powder.
- Chili Powder
- Ground Mustard
How Long to Marinate
A common misconception is that you can’t marinate meat for too long. Or that the longer you marinate the meat the better. This is actually not true. The acid that we use in a marinade, in this case the apple cider vinegar and the lime juice, are great because they break down the outside of the meat. This allows the rest of the flavors to penetrate the meat.
However, if you marinate meat for too long, the meat will break down too much. This will lead to meat that isn’t tender, but rather gummy. No one wants that. A good rule of thumb is to not marinate your meat for longer than 24 hours. Because the turkey tenderloin is already quite tender, you can get away with marinating this for just 30 minutes.
Moist Turkey Tenderloin
Besides a great marinade, the other key to keeping a turkey moist when cooking is to not over cook it. This recipe goes from underdone to done very quickly. In our oven, it reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit at about 47 minutes.
I highly recommend investing in an instant read thermometer so that you can pull this out of the oven right when it hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can even it pull it out a minute or two before and it will continue cooking outside of the oven. Don’t be shy about testing the meat. At about 40 minutes take a read of it so you know how quickly it is cooking.
Instant Read Thermometer
Storing Leftovers
Leftover turkey tenderloin should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can reheat leftovers in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I suggest adding a little bit of chicken broth to the dish to prevent your leftovers from drying out.
Alternatively, you can eat leftovers cold as part of a turkey sandwich. This would be especially delicious as part of a grilled cheese sandwich with some ranch dressing and cheddar cheese. As with any leftovers, you should only reheat them once and you should always use your best discretion.
What to Serve with Turkey Tenderloin
There are so many great side dishes to serve with this recipe. If you are specifically looking to keep this dinner low carb, I recommend the following sides:
If you aren’t looking to keep things low carb, I would make these amazing Cheddar Bay Biscuits to go with this.
Turkey Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds turkey tenderloin
Turkey Tenderloin Marinade
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
Instructions
- Make the marinade by combinging all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Put the turkey in a sealable container. Pour the marinade over the turkey tenderloin. Place the container in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Take the turkey out of the marinade and place in the baking dish, discarding the rest of the marinade.
- Bake uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes or until the turkey registers 165 degrees. We highly recommend checking the temperature at 40 minutes as this recipe can quickly go from undercooked to over done.
Susan Clark says
Where can I buy a turkey tenderloin? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.
We have been able to find them with the other turkey products in the meat section of the grocery store.
Amanda says
Another delicious recipe from you! We really enjoyed this and I was apprehensive of the marinade, but it was so good. Another one of your recipes I would recommend.
I’m so glad you liked this! Thank you for coming back and tell me.
Peter Gordon says
Lisa: This looks wonderful. However, my wife cannot have salt. Do you know of a replacement for the soy sauce? I expect it is supplying a umami flavor. I know this dish wouldn’t be the same without the soy sauce but the other spices look like they would make a tasty dish without it.
I have been enjoying your recipes for a while now and appreciate the obvious effort and love that you have been putting into it.
So, about 1/3 of the calories and sodium of a marinade gets absorbed into the meat. So that means about 2 1/2 tablespoons will be absorbed. That is about 1500 grams of sodium for the whole recipe or 375 grams per serving. If that is still too much, I would suggest only using 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce or 187 grams per serving.
Sandy says
Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try.
Graham Fruth says
I’m going to do whatever it takes to serve a tasty turkey for Thanksgiving this year. The last few years have been a real disappointment. I don’t know why I’ve had such a difficult time of it. Wish me luck!
Good luck!
Jessica says
I’d never made turkey tenderloin before and this was really good. The meat was tender and juicy with a lot of flavor and zing from the marinade.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Fran says
I wondering if there is a substitute for the soy sauce in the recipe on the turkey tenderloins. Because I’m allergic to soy ?
I know some people have had really good results with coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. Though I haven’t personally tried it as a replacement.
Libby Brouwer says
I am going to make this on Sunday. I’m just replying regarding the coconut aminos as a replacement for soy sauce. I’ve been using it for about 6 years now and will never go back to soy sauce. You get the full soy flavor and only 90mg sodium per tsp. as opposed to 291mg in soy sauce.
Vickizig says
This recipe is really wonderful. We marinated for about 6 hours and that seemed perfect. Wonderfully flavorable. We mixed the tenderloin leftovers the next day into a hash of sorts with cilantro/lime rice and beans, and the wedding of those flavors was tremendous.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Louise says
I plan on making this for Easter Sunday dinner. I’m trusting it will be delicious. It sure sounds good. Thank you
I hope everyone enjoyed it, Louise.