Last Updated December 11th, 2022 at 09:53 pm by Lisa
Cherry Balsamic Pork Roast is perfect for family dinner, entertaining, or the holidays. An easy 10-minute prep pork loin recipe that serves a crowd.
One of my favorite ways to entertain for a large dinner party is to serve an elegant beautiful pork loin roast. This happens to be my favorite go-to recipe. It is EASY to make at the last minute with simple ingredients, and always a crowd-pleaser...
Why This Recipe Works
- The positives of pork loin: It will slice easily (what you want while entertaining or getting dinner on the table), are inexpensive, and are so delicious.
- Easy ingredients: All the ingredients for this recipe are easy to find in your local grocery store.
- Have these ingredients on hand to make entertaining even easier when it comes time for your party.
- Perfect for holidays, parties, or any time of the year: The cherries, rosemary, and oranges definitely say holidays, but this roasted pork loin is perfect to serve year-round for dinner or any get-together.
- The flavor: Cherries, balsamic, rosemary (optional but definitely recommended), and oranges are a heavenly flavor combination.
Reader Comments
"This recipe is delicious!! I’ve made it with both frozen and fresh cherries. My entire family loves it! Making it tonight for my parents. :)" Helene
"
Could this be easier and come out more amazing? I’m not the most coordinated cook so this recipe makes me pretty happy. It is dinner party-worthy and did not cause me dinner party stress. The glaze makes the dish, as does the super easy but totally amazing and rustic presentation." Courtney.
"FANTASTIC!!! Made it last night major hit!!! Pam
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How to Make This Pork Loin Recipe
I love how easily sourced all of the ingredients are, Keep them on hand in your kitchen and whip up this pork loin recipe when you need to impress in a hurry!
- 4-lb pork loin (boneless)
Cherry balsamic glaze ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped brown onion
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 oz cherry preserves
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 16 oz. bag frozen cherries pitted
Optional Garnishes
- rosemary sprigs
- fresh or dried orange slices
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2: Trim pork loin of fat, and lay in a shallow roasting pan (metal or ceramic). Pat dry pork loin using paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Roast pork loin in the oven for 30 minutes to get the beautiful color on your roast.
Meanwhile, make the cherry pork glaze
Step 4: Mix chopped onion, balsamic vinegar, cherry preserves, allspice, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and frozen cherries in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Note: This can be done ahead and kept in the fridge.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, pull pork loin from the oven, and pour cherry glaze on the roast and around the pan, and finish roasting about 30 minutes more. (Cooking time is 60 minutes total).
Step 6: Transfer pork to platter. Let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and serve warm with cherry pan sauce.
PRO TIP: For a thicker cherry sauce, pour cherry sauce from a sheet pan in a small saucepan and heat on low.
A pork loin is a wide thick boneless or bone-in cut of meat, producing large pieces when sliced, and is cut from the back rib cage area of a pig. Pork loin makes great roasts and is used to make Canadian bacon.
Pork tenderloin is a long and narrow, boneless cut from the central spine portion of the pig. The tenderloin comes from the full pork loin. As the name indicates, the tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts of pork. Typically, pork tenderloin weighs between ¾ and 1 ½ pounds.
For this recipe, I cooked a 4-lb pork loin for 60 minutes at 425° F.
According to The National Pork Board, you can cook whole boneless pork loin at 350° F for 8-11 minutes per lb.
What Temperature For Pork Loin?
Boneless pork loin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°-160° F according to the National Pork Board. Measure with a digital cooking thermometer.
The board advises that "pork today is very lean and shouldn't be overcooked," which is why a digital cooking thermometer is so useful.
Check the temperature throughout cooking, a wireless digital thermometer makes this really easy, I love my Thermopen from ThermoWorks.
It is the most accurate thermometer on the market according to America's Test Kitchen, and I use mine for everything from baking, frying, and roasting meat.
More Pork Loin Recipes
Here are some of my favorite easy entertaining and holiday recipes using pork loin.
The low temperature and slow long cooking process make this oven Pork Roast easy to shred as it becomes tender over the hours. The result: perfectly moist yet slightly caramelized edges, a super savory pulled pork made from pork loin.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork made with pork loin and Coca Cola is so juicy, top with coleslaw, pickle chips, and tangy BBQ sauce all on a golden bun.
Inspired by the famous Cuban sandwich, these easy Pulled Pork Sliders bake to a golden brown with Dijon butter brushed on sweet Hawaiian bread rolls, I mean what could be better?
Make these Tater Tot Nachos "Totchos" with Pulled Pork and a creamy Tomatillo Sauce for relaxed weekends at home, parties, on game day, or even a simple dinner.
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Cherry Balsamic Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork loin boneless
Cherry Balsamic Glaze
- 1 cup finely chopped brown onion
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 oz cherry preserves
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 16 oz. bag frozen (or fresh) cherries pitted
optional garnish:
- rosemary sprigs
- fresh or dried orange slices
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Trim pork loin of fat, and lay in a shallow roasting pan (metal or ceramic). Pat dry pork loin using paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast pork loin in the oven for 30 minutes to get beautiful color on your roast.
Meanwhile, Make Cherry Glaze:
- Mix chopped onion, balsamic vinegar, cherry preserves, allspice, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and frozen cherries in a medium bowl. Set aside. (This can be done ahead and kept in fridge).
- After 30 minutes, pull pork loin from oven, and pour cherry glaze on the roast and around the pan, and finish roasting about 30 minutes more. (Cooking time is 60 minutes total).
- Transfer pork to platter. Let rest 10 minutes. Carve and serve warm with cherry pan sauce.
- Optional: Pour cherry sauce from sheet pan in a small saucepan and heat on low to thicken the cherry balsamic sauce.
Looking forward to making this! I have a silly question. What is meant by brown onion? Is it a type of onion? Or should I sauté the onions first? And is it a cup before or after sautéing? Thanks!
Hey Alaina! There are several varieties of onions in the store. Either brown or yellow onions will work just fine for your Cherry Balsamic Pork Loin! This is such a festive recipe for the holidays, and so easy! You don't need to saute the onions first....its faster that way and the onions cook just fine. Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the response!! Can’t wait to try this for Christmas Eve!
Perfection! I made this as the entrée for my ladies golf dinner. So easy and beautiful. I used the frozen cherries, some preserved fresh that I had on hand and cherry preserves. The dehydrated oranges along with some fresh cranberries spread on a round platter with greens made to look like a Christmas wreath and the sliced meat in the center was so pretty.
I doubled the sauce so that I could reduce some on the stove while the meat was cooking which saved me time at the end.
So delicious and festive for the holidays!
Thank you!
Lisa B - Tucson
Beautiful! What would you serve as sides for this?
Thanks, Kitty! Serve some mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes...and a nice green salad! I have recipes for all those ideas and holiday salads you could make that are super cute and easy.
Can I make this with pork tenderloins---I have several and would love to try this recipe for a dinner party this week.
If I CAN use the tenderloins....what alterations would I need to make?
Thanks so much,
Holly
Hi Holly! It will work I think...but I haven't officially ever tested it! : ) Follow the recipe, roast at 425 degrees, but pull the pork tenderloins out after 15 minutes, add the cherry topping/sauce, and finish cooking in the oven for another 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it as you go...Good luck and let us know how it goes!
I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit. I made 2. What’s the best way to reheat later?
Thanks so much
Tammy! I just put it sliced into a casserole dish, cover with foil, and reheat for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. So glad you enjoyed this recipe, I am making it for my neighbors next week!
i have a 5lb roast should I add a half hour
Hi Maria, What I would go by is the internal temperature. Check the pork loin at 60 minutes. The National Pork Board recommends boneless pork loin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°-160° F as measured by a digital cooking thermometer.
This recipe is delicious!! I’ve made it with both frozen and fresh cherries. My entire family loves it! Making it tonight for my parents. 🙂
Hey Helene! And isn't it easy? I made this for the holidays for my friends and family because it was fast and I can whip it together in no time. I have another pork loin recipe coming out this fall/winter which I have made for years, and hope you will try that one too! Thanks so much for your wonderful comment!!!
I will definitely try this recipe! Have one question: I've been told to tie the loin with string, apparently it keeps the juices in.
Is this something I should do here? I'm not an expert and would appreciate your response. Thank you!
Hello Joyce! Oh I am so glad you like it...I love this recipe because it is easy for entertaining, and honestly I never tie the pork roast! Just know when you shop for your pork (I often get mine a Costco) they are large! Pork Tenderloins are thinner and small, while a pork loin is wide enough that you can cut large steak-like pieces from the whole roast. Just read the label! Good luck, and let us know how the recipe turns out!
This pork loin is so flavorful and wonderfully moist! I pinned it for later!
Could this be easier and come out more amazing? I'm not the most coordinated cook so this recipe makes me pretty happy. It is dinner party worthy and did not cause me dinner party stress. The glaze makes the dish, as does the super easy but totally amazing and rustic presentation.