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This easy creamy brandy apple pork tenderloin recipe has a rich apple and brandy cream sauce and tender pork! It has very few ingredients yet tastes restaurant quality.
Try my Easy Pork Chops and Apples or Apple Slaw Recipe next if you’ve got apples to use up.
Why you’ll love it
Pork tenderloin medallions are smothered in a comforting creamy sauce in this pork with apples recipe. Apples and pork go so well together since they bring out the natural sweetness of the meat! This simple 35-minute dish is a weeknight treat.
Every fall, I look forward to making this brandy pork recipe since it’s the perfect seasonal meal. The creamy sauce is super easy to make, and it’s so elegant with sweet and smooth undertones from the brandy. Juicy bites of apple top it all off.
Do you taste the alcohol?
- Nope! If you’ve never cooked with brandy, it mellows out in the apple cream sauce and gives a hint of sweetness, complexity, and depth of flavor that sort of tastes caramelized. The alcohol cooks off, so you don’t get the strong taste.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Apple – I use Granny Smith, which is a great cooking apple since it’s a little bit tart to add overall balance
- Onion – my go-to is Vidalia onions
- Pork – we’re using pork tenderloin. Note that this is not the same as pork loin. They’re two totally different cuts of meat and not interchangeable.
- Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, this infuses savory goodness into the pork
- Brandy – use your favorite brand
- Heavy cream – it really enhances the sauce and makes it silky, mellowing the brandy
Pro tip
- Don’t rush through the step of browning the apple and onions. The light browning imparts tons of flavor in this dish!
How to make brandy pork tenderloin
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Heat up the oil in a skillet, and cook the onions and apples until softened and lightly browned, transferring to a plate when done. Cut the pork into medallions, and season them with salt & pepper and garlic powder. Cook the pork for a minute/side, then transfer to the plate.
Increase the heat, then add the brandy. Let it reduce by half, scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Pour in the cream, and return the pork, onions, and apples. Simmer until the pork is fully cooked (145F) and the sauce has thickened. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- An instant read meat thermometer ensures pork is that perfect 145F (a little pink in the middle is totally fine!) and not overcooked.
- Using a sharp chef’s knife makes the chopping go smoothly.
- This is the 10.25″ cast iron skillet I use for this one.
- A good melamine cooking spoon won’t scratch your cookware.
Substitutions and variations
- I wouldn’t recommend substituting the cream for something with a lower fat content. The sauce won’t be as velvety or tasty, and we can’t predict the results (e.g., it may curdle).
- Thyme would be a great addition to this dish, or feel free to add whatever fresh herbs you’ve got from the garden to use up!
- We’ve only tested with Granny Smith, but you could experiment with a different variety of apple.
What to serve with this pork recipe
- The sauce is fabulous with a big pile of Garlic Mashed Potatoes or a Baked Potato. Rice works great too, or try my Garlic Buttered Noodles.
- For veggies, broccoli or Roasted Green Beans are my favorite. I also enjoy Brussels Sprouts or Easy Roasted Cauliflower.
- I like this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad for a salad pairing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this pork and apples in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat slowly and over a low heat in a saucepan so that the meat doesn’t dry out.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
If you made this pork with apples and brandy, please leave a star rating and review below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made any of my recipes.
Creamy Brandy Apple Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled & chopped
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup brandy
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned (about 12-15 minutes).
- Meanwhile, trim any fat from the pork tenderloin and then cut it into 1/2" medallions. Season the pork with the garlic powder and some salt & pepper.
- Once the apples and onions are cooked, transfer them to a plate.
- If the pan is looking really dry, add another small splash of olive oil. Add the pork to the pan and cook on each side for about a minute, then transfer it to the same plate as the apples and onions.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the brandy to the skillet. Let it bubble until reduced by half (about 1-2 minutes), scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the cream, then add the pork, apples, and onions back into the pan.
- Cook for another five minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened up a bit (reduce the heat as needed so it's bubbling but not boiling furiously).
- Season with extra salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on October 23, 2015. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
Wonderful recipe, I first had this at a restaurant in San Francisco, and have been enjoying it at home ever since. Calvados, an apple Brandy, it just makes this recipe extra special…
I love Calvados!!
I made this for dinner this past week, my wife loved it (so did I). It was very easy and delicious. Thanks again for sharing all these GREAT recipes!
You are very welcome, Dave! 😀
This is delish! I do suggest adding 1.5 apples for extra flavor and a bit of garlic. We served with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Also- for readers in the US if you aren’t a Brandy drinker- I purchased two nips of Henessey Cognac which can be used for brandy in recipes.
So glad you liked it!!
hi Natasha, i need to make this now but i do not have brandy. what would be a good substitute without throwing off the flavor….i have ginger brandy, apricot brandy and southern comfort??????
Hi! Ahh that’s a tough one. Probably apricot brandy? That would probably be a good flavor combo with the pork. 🙂
Is there a big flame up when the brandy is added to the pan (you know, like you see on tv cooking shows)?
The thought of a big flame in my small apartment kitchen makes me a bit anxious. . . but Im also anxious to try your delicious-sounding recipe!
Hi! I’ve made this on various stoves (most recently my gas stove twice in the past few months) and there is no flame. As long as you don’t spill any of the brandy outside of the pan you will be good. 🙂 Bobby Flay etc angle the pan so those vapors hit the flame and they intentionally light it. This is a good question as I actually had the same worry when I first got a gas stove haha. On electric I would worry even less – you’d have to light a match or something to get that big flame. Hope you enjoy the recipe, CarolAnne!
Delicious & elevated pork tenderloin that can be a weeknight meal.
So happy you enjoyed it!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
We very much enjoyed this meal. It is a different and great meal with boiled small potatoes and beans.
thanks
You’re very welcome! 😀 So happy you enjoyed it!
Made this recipe this evening and had to come and thank you! It was absolutely delicious! It was quick, easy and turned out perfectly. This will be the sort of recipe to pass down. So much flavour, and the sauce was enough for to cover all of the pork, which is always important.
Aww I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!! I appreciate your review! 😀
What a delicious recipe. Easy to prepare and ever so tasty. Great way to utilize extra apples.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Leslie!! Appreciate your 5-star review.
Beautiful dish! And that cream sauce looks incredible!
Thanks Kathleen!! 🙂
Is there anyway this could be made ahead of time. I’m thinking of doing this for Thanksgiving. It’s a busy weekend for us so want to make as much ahead of time as possible?
Hi Michelle! It’s easy for cream sauces to separate when reheating, and pork tenderloin is easy to dry out. With that said, I would definitely do a test run prior to Thanksgiving to see if you like the reheated results. I’d reheat it slowly over a low heat.