Because pork loin is such a lean cut of meat, it really benefits from being cooked in the air fryer. The air fryer’s high heat allows the meat to be in the heat for less time, so it doesn’t dry out as much, and it gives the meat a flavorful browned crust in that short time too.
I love having roast pork but usually save it for weekends. Using the air fryer and a quicker-cooking cut like pork loin means that I can have it any day of the week. Serve this juicy pork roast with a side of mashed potatoes and your favorite green vegetable for the perfect Sunday, or Wednesday, dinner.
Pork loin is a notoriously lean cut of meat, which means it can dry out if it’s overcooked. The air fryer circulates high heat around the pork, which cooks it more quickly, meaning that there’s less time for it to dry out. The high heat circulating around the roast also means that a nice brown crust will form, even though the roast isn’t in the air fryer for very long.
Video: Air Frying Pork Loin
Are Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin The Same Thing?
Pork tenderloin and pork loin can be easy to mix up, probably because they sound like the same thing. But they’re different cuts of meat with different cooking times.
Pork tenderloin is a long, thin piece of meat that comes from the muscle that runs along the backbone. Pork loin, or pork loin roast, is a larger piece of meat that’s wide and thick, similar to pork chops.
While pork tenderloin is delicate and well suited for quick cooking methods like grilling, pork loin is perfect for pork loin is perfect for oven-roasting. In fact, it’s often labelled pork loin roast. And since it’s great roasted, it’s also perfect for the air fryer, which acts a lot like an oven but with hot air that circulates to crisp things up more.
Pork Loin Brine
Brining pork loin is a great idea since it’s such an effective way to add flavor and moisture to lean meat, like pork loin. You’ll make a standard brine recipe of 4 tablespoons kosher salt to 4 cups of cold water. Put the roast into a zip top bag or large bowl with the solution, making sure that it is fully submerged. Then put the roast in the solution into the fridge for minimum 1 hour, maximum 3 hours. Discard the brine. There’s no need to rinse of the meat. However, do pat it dry and then omit salt from the recipe below since your pork loin will be salted enough from the brine.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll want a boneless pork loin. The size roast you can make will depend on how big your air fryer is. A 3 pound roast fit perfectly in my 2.6 quart air fryer. If you have a pork tenderloin and want to cook it in the air fryer, head over here. I don’t recommend cooking a pork butt or pork shoulder in the air fryer since they tend to be too large. Instead, here are instructions for the oven and for the Instant Pot.
Traditionally, pork roast is flavored with earthy seasonings like garlic, rosemary, sage, or thyme. You can make your own seasoning rub from scratch or use a store bought seasoning mix. Poultry seasoning is my favorite for this because it has those sage and thyme flavors. It’s also usually finely ground, which makes it less likely that you’ll end up with burnt little leaves on your roast. You can buy poultry seasoning at the grocery store, or make your own.
You’ll also use a small amount of oil in this recipe. I usually use olive oil in an oil mister. But you can use cooking spray or olive oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil rubbed onto the roast. You’ll need about 2 teaspoons of oil for a 3 pound roast.
The recipe also calls for kosher salt. You can use regular table salt instead, but decrease the amount by half. Note that if you brined the roast, do not add any salt at all when making the below recipe. Also, if you’re using a seasoning mix that already contains salt, reduce the amount of salt in this recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
Time
Cooking pork roast in the air fryer is pretty simple. Trim away any excess fat from the outside of the pork loin, if desired, then rub it down with salt and spices and give it a quick spritz of oil spray to help the outside of the roast crisp and brown. Cook at 370°F until it is at least 145F.
- A 3 pound pork loin roast will be done in 35-45 minutes. Start testing it at around 35 minutes to see where it’s at.
- A smaller roast will take 30-40 minutes. Start testing it at 25 minutes to see where it’s at and how much longer it might need.
- A larger roast will take 40-60 minutes. Start testing it at 35 minutes to see where it’s at and how much longer it might need. Note that the outside of the roast might be getting dark by 35 minutes. You can turn the temperature down for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking if that is the case.
Temperature
I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer here – you want the internal temperature of the roast to be between 145°F (for medium) and 160°F (for well done). It used to be the case that pork had to be at 160°F to kill bacteria. However, the USDA now says that it is safe to cook pork that has reached the temperature of 145°F, with 5 minutes of resting after it reaches that temperature.
If you are used to always eating pork that is 160°F, you might find the pinkish color of pork cooked to 145°F to be off-putting. If that’s the case, you’ll want to cork your pork closer to 160°F.
Pork Loin Gravy
No roast is complete without gravy! Since the pork loin is such a lean cut, you’re unlikely to get any juices from cooking it. Luckily, I have you covered. My recipe for how to make gravy without drippings is perfect for these situations. And, since you don’t need to wait for drippings from the roast, you can make it while the meat is cooking in the air fryer.
Podcast Episode: Making Air Fryer Pork Loin
Hear me explain briefly about how to make this pork loin, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below. Get more podcast episodes like this here.
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Air Fryer Pork Loin Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
You’re going to love this pork loin roast! Cooking it in an air fryer means the outside forms a crisp golden crust that locks the juices inside for perfectly tender meat.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork loin roast
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt*
- 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
- Oil spray
Instructions
- Heat your air fryer to 370°F.
- Trim away any excess fat from the outside of the pork loin.
- Rub the pork all over with salt and poultry seasoning.
- Spritz with oil spray.
- Place the pork roast in the basket of your air fryer. Cook for 40 minutes**, or until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 145-160°F.
- Transfer the pork loin to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
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Notes
*If your seasoning mix already contains salt, reduce the amount of kosher salt in this recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
**If your roast is smaller than 3 pounds, it will be done between 30-40 minutes. Start testing the internal temperature after 25 minutes. If your roast is larger than 3 pounds, it will take 40-60 minutes and you might need to reduce the heat towards the end of cooking if the outer edge is getting too dark. Start testing the internal temperature at 35 minutes and check every 5-7 minutes after that. The minimum safe temperature for pork is 145F, but that will still be a little bit pink in the middle. If you like yours more well-done, it will take longer and you likely want to cook it to 155F.
Easiest, best ways to cook pork loin or tenderloin. I will always make these two pork cuts in the air fryer. I like the crisp outside and juicy insides.
Hi Trish! I hope you’re doing well. Nice to see you on here. And I agree, it is the best way to cook them. The crust is amazing, and they turn out really juicy. Thanks for the comment!
How would I modify this recipe for a bone-in pork loin roast that is just under 3 pounds?
Thanks
Kathy, I haven’t tried it, actually. Generally speaking, a bone-in pork loin roast takes a bit longer to cook than a boneless one, but not much longer. I would start testing the temperature at the same time as indicated for a 3 pound boneless roast. If the outside starts to get dark before it reaches your desired temperature, drop the heat down in the air fryer to 300F. If you try it, please come back and let me know what you think. And I’m adding “Air Fryer Bone-In Pork Loin” to my recipe testing list. Thanks for a great idea!
Easy, moist and delicious!
Wonderful, Nan! We love an easy dinner!
Can I cook this from half frozen? Maybe use meat thermometer as it cooks?
Carm, I wouldn’t recommend it because I think it will turn out dry due to the outside being in heat for longer as the inside thaws. But yes, it will take about 1.5 times as long to cook as it would have, and yes, use a meat thermometer. Once it reaches 145F internally, it’s safe to eat. I would probably test that reading in a few different places to make extra sure it’s at a safe temperature.
I appreciate that you put in time amounts for different weights of meat.
Thanks
You’re welcome, Chris!
Hi Christine
I’m going to cook a pork loin this weekend. I have an oven type air fryer. Can I put it on the sheet or in the basket. Do I cook on air roast or air fry. Thank you.
Janet, sorry for the delay! You can use the sheet or the basket. Either one will work. I think the sheet will promote more browning under the roast though. Having said that, a pork loin doesn’t take very long to cook, so there might not be enough time for it to brown under there anyhow.
Outstanding results! After seasoning, I rolled the pork in Panko bread crumps used a 1.69 lbs. pork loin and air fried it at 370 degrees for 32 minutes. MOIST and Delish!
That’s wonderful, Daniel! Thank you for sharing.
Made this last night, had a 3 lb roast, did 40 minutes and it was at 115, so did 10 and 10 to get to 145 and it was so overcooked, very disappointed. Any suggestions?
Sharon, I’m actually confused by your question. Are you saying that it got to 145F but at that point it was overcooked? If that is what you’re saying, then I think your thermometer might be broken. Pork at 145F is on the rarer side. Pork can be eaten safely over 145F but it will still look a bit pink. If your thermometer says that it is 145F but the meat is dark and dry, then I think the problem must be with the thermometer. If I misunderstood your question, please let me know and I can try to help more.
Do you need to flip a pork loin half way through?
No, you shouldn’t need to flip for this recipe, Donna. Enjoy!
Can you cook the pork loin in an air fryer after marinating it in bbq sauce?
Yes, you could, Michael, but if the BBQ sauce has a high sugar content it might blacken as it cooks. You can wipe excess sauce off the pork before cooking and then baste it with more sauce as it nears the end of cooking to try to avoid that or use foil to cover it.