This roasted turkey breast tenderloin is so easy to prepare and made super flavorful thanks to the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and herb marinade!
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This unsuspecting turkey tenderloin may very well be the best turkey I’ve ever had! It’s delicious enough to be the centerpiece for a smaller Thanksgiving but easy enough for a weeknight if you’re looking for a change from your typical protein. The quick marinade infuses it with tons of flavor and locks in the moisture, making for totally crave-able turkey.
If you’ve never cooked turkey tenderloin before, have no fear! It’s very similar to making oven-roasted pork tenderloin and is done in just a few simple steps.
Ingredients for Turkey Tenderloin Recipe
You’ll just need a few pantry and fridge staples to make this ultra-flavorful marinade!
- Turkey Breast Tenderloins – to start, you’ll need to grab 2 turkey breast tenderloins that are about 1 pound each.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – to really help to break down and tenderize the meat, you’ll also need 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
- Brown Sugar – 1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar,…
- Dijon Mustard – …1 tablespoon of dijon mustard,…
- Garlic Cloves – …3 minced garlic cloves,…
- Fresh Thyme – …a ½ tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme,…
- Fresh Rosemary – …a ½ tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary,…
- Sea Salt + Ground Pepper – …1 teaspoon of sea salt, a ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and…
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – …2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil combine to create a really flavorful marinade. You’ll also need a tablespoon of EVOO for searing the herby tenderloins.
How to Keep Turkey Tenderloin Moist
When cooking turkey tenderloins, there are two things that we always do to ensure the moistest, juiciest meat possible. First, we let our tenderloins sit in a marinade for at least 30 minutes (longer if we have time). This guarantees a really great flavor, and it goes a long way in helping the meat to stay moist and tender. We also like to sear the tenderloins in a skillet before sticking them into the oven to bake. Searing the meat not only caramelizes the marinade, but also locks in a ton of moisture!
How to Cook Turkey Breast Tenderloin
Though this easy turkey tenderloin recipe requires a little bit of searing before the oven does the work, it’s still totally doable! Here’s how you’ll throw this one together:
- Whisk Together the Marinade – in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, garlic, seasonings, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until evenly combined.
- Coat the Turkey Tenderloins – place turkey tenderloins in the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight) to let the flavors infuse.
- Preheat the Oven – when you’re ready to cook the tenderloins, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Sear the Tenderloins – heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet (or another oven-safe skillet) over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the tenderloins in the pan and sear for 2-3 minutes per side (you may need to work in two batches to prevent overcrowding).
- Bake – transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 165°F.
- Let Rest, Slice, and Serve – remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
More Turkey Tenderloin Flavors
Though this perfectly herby turkey tenderloin recipe is our FAVORITE, these other marinades from our pork tenderloin marinade recipe would also be delicious and make for an easy recipe any night of the year!
- Balsamic Rosemary – this marinade is equal parts sweet and tangy and is loaded with fresh rosemary flavor.
- Maple Dijon – this marinade is pretty much a universal crowd-pleaser.
- Sesame Ginger – this marinade is super delicious and gives you a really great reason to cook up turkey tenderloins year-round!
Turkey Tenderloin Recipes Frequently Asked Questions
Glad you asked! Turkey breast tenderloins are super tender, lean cuts of turkey breast, and typically range in size from a half-pound to 1 full pound per tenderloin. Because they’re super lean, you’ll need to be careful to not overcook your turkey tenderloin as this can result in a really dry end product. They also don’t have a ton of flavor on their own, so you’ll want to use plenty of seasoning.
Not quite! The turkey tenderloin is a portion of the turkey breast and it is boneless and skinless. A turkey breast, on the other hand, is usually bone-in, skin-on. We have a great roasted turkey breast recipe if you’re looking for one!
We think marinating turkey tenderloin is a fantastic idea. As mentioned before, because this cut is super lean, it dries out REALLY easily and is lower on flavor. Luckily, a flavorful marinade can prevent that and give you really delicious, well-seasoned meat!
According to the FDA, turkey, and all poultry, should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F.
Using a meat thermometer is the absolute best way to guarantee a safely-cooked but also still moist and juicy turkey tenderloin! You’ll know the tenderloins are ready to come out of the oven when the internal temperature at the thickest part of the turkey reads 165°F. If you don’t have one on hand, you’ll know that the turkey is done when you cut into it and the juices run clear.
Video
More Favorite Turkey Recipes
Baked Turkey Tenderloin with Garlic Herb Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 turkey breast tenderloins about 1 pound each
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until evenly combined. 2. Place the turkey in the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight, to let the flavors infuse.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a cast iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, place the tenderloins in the pan, working in two batches if needed to prevent over-crowding. Sear for 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 165 F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
- For Whole30 and low-carb: Omit the brown sugar
- For Paleo: Use coconut sugar or honey in place of the brown sugar
- For Low-FODMAP: Omit the garlic. You can use 1 tablespoon of garlic-infused olive oil in its place.
Nutrition
I was looking for a tenderloin marinade as I use to buy the marinaded pork tenderloins and wrap them in puff pastry for a fast and fancy meal but you can’t buy those anymore, so got a turkey tenderloin With so many wonderful reviews I am going to use your marinade then wrap in puff pastry like i have done with the store bought marinaded ones, hope it works
Let us know how it goes, Bobbie!!
I did a 2 day buttermilk and salt brine, than did a 2 hour marinade (minus the apple cider vinegar) and it was the best turkey ive had in a long long time. Will make delicious sandwiches this week at work.
Yum! I bet it was delicious, Heather!! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I love turkey and this is by far the absolutely best recipe for a moist and delicious turkey tenderloin! My boyfriend hates white meat poultry but ate a plateful and went back for seconds! Thank you! I followed recipe as written with the exception of marinating for 2 hrs prior to cooking (only because I forgot and got busy).
Wahoo! So glad that you both loved it, Wendy! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Absolutely delicious! The turkey was so moist it practically melted in my mouth and the flavoring was soooo good. I’ll def be using this recipe again and again.
I’m so glad, Lisa!!
Absolutely delicious! Great recipe…will be using regularly! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved this one, Debbie! Thank you for sharing this with us!
If you substitute a pork tenderloin, would the cooking time differ? I know the whole point of this recipe is that it uses turkey tenderloins, but my store did not have it. Thank you!
Hi! It will differ a little bit — find instructions for cooking pork tenderloin in the oven (with times, temperatures, etc). HERE.
I made this for dinner tonight with the following additions: to the marinade-1 tablespoon dill mix, 2 stalks chopped celery. After braising, I added carrot sticks to the remaining marinade and poured them next to the turkey, then arranged sweet potato medallions around the pan. Everyone loved it!
Wahoo! That’s great to hear, Teresa! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Seriously, we were amazed… moist, tender, tasty! Probably the best ever! Marinade works like magic! Wonderful to have a new easy option for dinner!
Wahoo! So glad y’all loved it, Wen! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Thank you for this recipe. Tonight was my first attempt at turkey tenderloin and I found your recipe online when I was trying to figure out how to prepare. It came out perfect! Will definitely make again!
That’s so great to hear, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Can I grill the turkey breast ?
Sure! That would be delicious!
Can the turkey tenderloin recipe work for pork tenderloin
Sure! Just make sure the internal temperature of the pork is 145°F before pulling it out of the oven!
This recipe is outstanding!! I’ve made it twice and it’s perfect! My go to from now on.
Awesome! We’re so glad you love it, Christine. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Recipie looks great and actually trying it now. I omitted the mustard because I really don’t like it and I didn’t even have it in the house.
I hope it still comes out good!
I think it’ll still be delicious, Jennifer!
Made this last week.. I’m also not a mustard fan, but you cannot taste it in this recipe. I would go to the store to get a small bottle just to have for this. I plan on getting a pork tenderoin roast to try it. Bet it’s also to die for. It really was THAT good . Hope your family enjoys it as much as we did!
Wahoo! So glad to hear that, Diane! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
What a delicious surprise – apple cider and mustard, very adult flavors, I expected my kids to frown, but both (boy 10, girl 6) loved this dish! We will do this again, thank you!
That’s awesome, Olivia! We’re so glad to hear that!
I am serving this to people who eat keto (low carb). Can I swap out the sugar for a different ingredient that would balance out the vinegar?
I’d just omit it altogether and not worry about swapping it, Murielle. It’ll still be really delicious. Enjoy!