There is no need to cook a whole turkey or even a whole breast with this easy turkey tenderloin recipe. You can have melt in your mouth, moist and tender turkey with gravy all year round, and not eat leftovers for a week.
Introduction
Do you ever want turkey and gravy? Just a little turkey but no big production. Well, those turkey tenderloins that you walk by all the time in the meat department is your answer. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
There seem to be very few instructions for cooking turkey tenderloin. They have no skin and are a long triangular piece of very lean breast meat. From the processor, they already have been injected, so no brining here.
I wanted a buttery taste and gravy (the nectar of the gods.). I started with some pepper, then pan-seared in some butter and finished in the over with more butter during the roasting.
My Rating
A borderline 4 to 5 but the gravy makes it a 5. I do love gravy.
🦃Turkey Tenderloin
The turkey tenderloins are a very tender long strip that is the somewhat triangular muscle under the main part of the turkey breast. You have seen a slice of it when you slice a turkey breast, and there is the inside part that tends to separate some.
Because the tenderloin is an underused muscle, it is very tender - like other tenderloins, chicken, pork, and beef, it can be fork tender and an enjoyable cut of meat.
♨️Cooking
This is always one of my favorite methods of cooking things. We can take a relatively bland food, usually meat, and though something called the Maillard reaction creates great flavor.
First, we sear the meat; this can easily be done on a stovetop. But turkey tenderloins are too thick to cook fully on the stovetop. So into the oven to finish the cooking.
The Butter vs. Oil
Butter can smoke if overheated. I don't seem to have a problem with that, but some people do. You can use vegetable oil if you have that issue.
If I'm cooking turkey with skin, I try to use oil vs. butter that has been shown to develop crispier skin.
But with no skin, go for the butter taste.
The Gravy
There will be oil left in the pan after cooking, along with some great taste. I suggest a slurry method for making the gravy.
I have instructions in the recipe below but for more details on gravy making at home, see How To Make Gravy at Home for more details. It really is easy to do.
⏰🌡️Temperature and Time
I suggest an oven temperature of 375°. Normally, with pan-searing recipes, we use a 400°-425° oven, but with the butter, we are cooking a bit lower. If you have smoking, you can decrease the temperature another 25°.
How Long will it take, and when is it done?
The easiest and correct answer until you reach a 165° internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat.
This will take about 25 minutes but is highly variable. The variables are the turkey tenderloin size and thickness, how much searing you did, the oven, and the pan. So start checking the internal temperature at about 20 minutes, and don't be surprised if it takes over 30 minutes.
Always cook to a final internal temperature for recipes like this and never by time. I give times just as a general guideline for meal planning.
📖Related Recipes
How To Roast a Turkey Breast with Gravy
🖼️Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry about 1-1 ½ pounds of turkey tenderloin.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in an oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Add pepper the tenderloin. You can salt lightly if you wish, but remember, it has been injected.
Sear the tenderloin. Start with good side up. 3 minutes. Flip. 3 minutes. Get to approximately the final color you want.
Microwave 2 tablespoon butter in a microwave on high for about 20 sec. to melt. Bush with butter and place in oven. After about 10 minutes, baste again with butter.
Bake until the temp of 165°. About 20-25 minutes of total oven time. Remove from pan and tent with foil on a plate while making gravy.
Add turkey or chicken stock to the pan ( here a couple of cups). Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
Thicken with a mixture of flour and cold water. Here about ¼ cup flour and ½ cup water in a Tupperware shaker or whisk together. Add slowly while whisking continuously. It will thicken in a few minutes.
Cut across the grain to make it fork-tender.
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📖 Recipe
Butter Turkey Tenderloin – Pan Seared Oven Roasted with Gravy
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound Turkey tenderloin
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock - or turkey stock if you can find it
- ¼ cup AP flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Trim and pat dry about 1-1 ½ pounds of turkey tenderloin.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in an oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Add pepper the tenderloin. You can salt lightly if you wish, but remember, it has been injected.
- Sear the tenderloin. Start with good side up. 3 minutes. Flip. 3 minutes. Get to approximately the final color you want.
- Microwave 2 tablespoon butter in a microwave on high for about 20 sec. to melt. Bush with butter and place in oven. After about 10 minutes, baste again with butter.
- Bake until the temp of 165°. About 20-25 minutes of total oven time. Remove from pan and tent with foil on a plate while making gravy.
- Add turkey or chicken stock to the pan ( here a couple of cups). Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.
- Thicken with a mixture of flour and cold water. Here about ¼ cup flour and ½ cup water in a Tupperware shaker or whisk together. Add slowly while whisking continuously. It will thicken in a few minutes.
- Cut across the grain to make it fork-tender.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- These are usually injected with something. Do not brine.
- Generally, there are two pieces making about 1 ½ pounds. You can do only one and freeze the other for 3-4 months.
- Use a larger oven safe pan, so you have room to make the gravy.
- You can use oil in the pan and baste with butter if you have smoke issues.
- The shape of you tenderloin may vary. This can effect cooking time. So remember you are cooking to a final internal temperature and not by time.
- Sear to close to the final color you want.
- Final internal temperature is 165 and not less.
- When you make the slurry of water and flour for the gravy, be sure to have all the flour dissolved to prevent lumps.
- Cutting across the grain will make it more tender.
TO ADJUST THE RECIPE SIZE:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition
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Editor's Note: Originally Published June 29, 2012. Now updated with expanded and improved text and refreshed photos and a table of contents.
Sandy
Turkey was moist. Gravy was delicious. No waste, easy one pan cleanup, recipe needed no changes. I did add sautéed mushrooms. Best recipe I’ve followed in years
Nina Afrasiabi
I made this recipe last night, it came out absolutely amazing and succulent. Thank you so much for the detailed information. soooooo good!!!
Kathy
This recipe is absolutely delicious! The turkey is moist and the gravy is delicious. Will definitely make this again and again! Thanks for posting this!
Marilyn
I cook for two. Myself and husband. I do not eat meat so I am always looking for smaller cuts of meat. I can’t believe I have never noticed these tenderloins before. Followed your recipe exactly. My husband said it the the best turkey that he has ever eaten. And he is 75 years old. So thank you for sharing this recipe.
Cathy
The first turkey tenderloin I ever made I just salted and peppered, seared and put in the oven. Was careful to use a meat thermometer. How, I wondered, had I never even bought tenderloins. They were perfect and the gravy was great. Doing your recipe for dinner tonight. Easy, reliable, and such a nice change. I know your recipe will be a hit.
Jeff
Dr. Dan -
I have been to three different grocery stores and have been unable to find just plain turkey tenderloins..all of them have some kind of marinade, which seems ludicrous, but there you have it. I see in your pictures that you used Jenne-O. I guess I'll have to try to find a chain that has both Jenne-O and turkey tenderloins...
Any suggestions?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jeff,
Welcome to the blog.
They are at my small local chain supermarket and the local Meijer (Michigan). Also are listed on the Walmart website although I generally don't go there.
A nice small frozen turkey breast is always nice.
Dan
Sonia Kuczynski
Unfortunately we do not have Turkey Tenderloins here in Canada , not a seller , but we have Turkey Breasts so i will try this recipe using the breasts instead . Looks Yummy
many products from USA not available in Canada and that Sucks at times
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Sonia,
I don't think I have ever been in a Canadian grocery store. My deficiency.
I would not do this method with a whole turkey breast. They are too thick. For turkey breasts see https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/how-to-roast-a-turkey-breast-the-easy-way/ It is very easy to do a whole bresst.
Dan
Court
This was a hit at our house, even with our two tweens! The tenderloins were so juicy. The only changes I made was too as a bit of wine to deglaze the pan and added fresh thyme and safe because I had some that needed to be used. Thanks for the great recipe!
Melanie
I made this tonight and followed the directions exactly. I had exactly
1.5 lbs of tenderloin and after searing In a cast iron skillet, I put it directly into the oven (just a regular oven not convection) for 25min @ 375. Let the tenderloin rest for a good 5min and it Turned out perfect! Very tender and loved the gravy too. Thanks so much, I new to cooking and I find your recipes extremely helpful :)
Terri W.
I made this tonight and it was a hit!!! The hubby loved it!! I love the buttery taste the tenderloins had and it was so easy to make! Thank you for such a fabulous recipe!!!!
DrDan
Hi Terri,
Welcome to the blog.
I like this recipe since it so a "cooking for two" recipe for turkey, one of my favorite things. I tend to do turkey breasts more to get extra leftovers but still, this is very nice.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Cat
I have never made turkey tenderloin, but I would definitely make this recipe again! I added fresh rosemary to the recipe. It turned out moist and juicy. My family loved it! Thank you!
Aaron
First time cooking turkey, followed the instructions for the most part, I did add a little rosemary while searing.
It turned out perfect, thank you for such an easy to follow recipe.
What i wasn't so sure about at first was, do I transfer it from the pan to a deep baking dish, or leave it in the pan. So after looking over the pictures I pulled out my cast iron pan and did it all in that.
Brooke
I made this recipe last night and we loved it! Pan-searing the turkey gave it a beautiful color. The meat seemed a little dry (maybe because I used smaller pieces of turkey, so I should have adjusted the cooking time), but the gravy turned out great and helped with that. I also added some rosemary and a clove of garlic to the pan before roasting, and used garlic herb butter to sear and baste it. It was like a little mini Thanksgiving meal; we'll definitely make this again!
DrDan
Hi Brooke,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad it worked reasonably well for you. There are a couple of points that may help the dryness.
First, these tenderloins will not do well even with minimal overcooking so use a remote thermometer.
Second, while 165 is the minimum safe temperature. Pull it out of the oven at 162-163 and tent. It should raise a few degrees after tenting.
Third, try to use as fresh as possible (check expiration dates when buying) and do not freeze.
Forth, make extra gravy and drown it if needed.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Robert Dantuono
I like this recipe. I added fresh rosemary and white wine to the pan prior to roasting. I also added some sage with the salt and pepper for browning. The gravy is a must for turkey in my house, so, I served with turkey, roasted potatoes and turnips (roasted in the pan with the turkey breasts) and a side of peas w/butter. Delicious!
Terri
How is this to reheat ? Serving a large crowd and want to make in advance. Would you recommend under cooking it and then finishing in the oven to right temp before serving
DrDan
Hi Terri,
Welcome to the blog.
Heating this up will be like heating up leftover turkey. Probably a bit dry. I can't recommend it. As for partly cooking it, you still have to get to a 165 temperature to be safe and done. Not really a time saver.
You could use 2 large stovetop fry pans and do three in each at the same time then transfer to a large preheated oven pan.
Or go with a full turkey breast. Here is my easy way to do a turkey breast. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/how-to-roast-a-turkey-breast-the-easy-way/
Dan
Patti W
Simple and Delicious! I made this recipe tonight and used a digital thermometer to keep track of the temp. Done in 18 mins! I didn't have a bush to apply the butter so I just poured it on before placing in the oven. Thanks so a great recipe!
Ann
I made this not using salt as as I cook with sodium restriction. I covered loin in ground fresh black pepper and used unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth for gravy. I make Turkey loin often and was looking for a way to jazz it up. This was delicious and was definitely in the comfort food class. 5 Stars
DrDan
Hi Ann, Thanks for the note. That pesky salt is everywhere and those mean doctors keep yelling about it.
DrDan
robyn
I do not have a convection oven, so what does 375 degrees equate to?
DrDan
Hi Robyn,
375 convection is approximately 400 in a regular conventional oven. So that would be fine or stay at 375 and it will take a few more minutes. Remember you are cooking to a final internal temperature and not by time here.
Dan
judy r
Just tried this for early Christmas dinner tomorrow with my son - taste test says it's delicious.
Thanks so much. Traditional for two is sometimes hard to pull off, but all the right flavors are here.
Urban Tramp
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris
Tenderloins are okay but you have to be careful not to overcook them, they can get tough in a hurry. Yours look like they turned out just right.