Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Tenderloin
Instant Pot Pulled Pork Tenderloin is a healthy and delicious alternative to Smoked Boston Butt. It is BBQ reimagined in a healthier way. No mess, no fuss, we do everything in our trusty Instant Pot for a cleaner version all the way around!
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Tenderloin is SMOKED BOSTON BUTT‘s more health conscious cousin. Lots of BBQ pork recipes feature lots of sugar or molasses in their rubs or sauces. Even ours!
We show you how to take our SUGAR FREE BBQ RUB and use it to prepare a delicious pork tenderloin that will rival any pork dish out there. Also take a look at our EASY OVEN BAKED PULLED HAM recipe!
We love showing delicious yet healthy alternatives. For a great southern casserole alternative, check out our SQUASH AU GRATIN.
We use our favorite kitchen gadget to get the job done in a flash too. All without heating up the kitchen. And also without spending hours outside getting the right temperature on a smoker in the southern heat.
This recipe is perfect anytime you need that BBQ and need it fast!
Ingredients for this delicious and healthy Pulled Pork
With 6 ingredients, this is just as easy as it is delicious. You can use it on any type of protein too. We use it often on chicken, fish, beef as well as pork.
- Pork tenderloins
- Olive oil
- Sugar free BBQ Rub
- Chicken broth
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar free BBQ Sauce
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Searing the meat is a HUGE part of this. It locks in moisture AND that great flavor we invested in it with that BBQ Rub! Then we steam the meat in all of those great flavors so that there is no sauce required!
Rub those pork tenderloins down and allow them to sit for at least an hour or even overnight in the fridge.
Add the olive oil to the liner of the Instant Pot.
Set the Pressure Cooker to “saute”.
Cut tenderloin into chunks.
Sear to brown on all sides.
Remove browned tenderloin and rest on a paper towel.
Add in chicken broth, apple cider vinegar and sugar free bbq sauce. Scrape the pan to remove those good bits of flavor.
Turn off Saute function and add tenderloin back in.
Set unit to Pressure Cook for 45 minutes. When done, switch to off and allow pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from pot and shred with forks.
Place shredded meat back in pot with sauce. Allow to sit with lid on to stay warm until time to serve.
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Storage and Freezing Instructions
Serve right away or allow to come to room temperature and will keep in an airtight container in refrigerator for about a week.
This also freezes well packed in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Why Brooke loves this recipe!
Recipes are like antiques. They are meant to be handed down from one generation to another. Each one holding a special memory or nostalgic memory. Here is why we love this one!
Simply put, I love it for the ease of it. Not to mention it is a good way to enjoy a slightly decadent meal in a healthier manner. Finding manageable substitutes for the food things we love helps keep us on track. If you can do that without a lot of fancy ingredients or complicated cooking methods, you have made your life easier.
Variations and Substitutions
- Pork – while we think that pork is the bees knees, we do know some have dietary restrictions. Here you can sub the pork for a beef roast or even large boneless chicken breasts.
- Rub – if you are not watching your sugar intake, use your favorite rub recipe or store bought rub. Plain yellow mustard seasoned with salt and pepper works great too!
- What to serve with or How to Serve it – We like this with all the traditional trimmings like beans and potato salad. However, making this can allow for many different serving variations. Like pork tacos, stuffed potatoes or sweet potatoes. It is even perfect for open faced or sub pork sandwiches. The possibilities are endless!
Tips and Tricks for the best Pulled Pork
Yes! You can and your cook time will be exactly the same! provided it is about the same size.
The trick is when it pulls away from the bottom of the pan. If it’s stuck, leave it be a couple of more minutes. When it easily turns, its ready. Like so many other things, be patient and stay with it.
You sure can! We have been highlighting low sugar recipes and this is an easy and delicious way to cut out that unnecessary extra sugar. If you need the traditional recipe, and sometimes we do, simply substitute with your favorite options.
Yes, if you smoked the tenderloin it would take hours. This comes in considerably less time wise and is perfect to get that pulled pork you love on a weeknight.
If you make this recipe, be sure and post it to Facebook or Instagram and tag us. We love pictures of food. Also, if you pin this recipe, we would appreciate that when you make it, you use the Made It function in Pinterest too.
And as always, we would love it if you shared this recipe with your family and friends. Over to the side on this post and all of the others are handy dandy share buttons. We would sure be grateful if you shared the love!
Look at our Top 60 BBQ Recipes!
We have compiled a list of 60 of the BEST recipes for a fun and easy BBQ. Here is a sampling of what you will find.
Want to see all 60? Head over by clicking the link for 60 EASY BBQ PARTY RECIPES
Instant Pot BBQ Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork tenderloins
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- Sugar Free BBQ Rub
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar free BBQ Sauce
Want to save this recipe?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Dry tenderloins and cut into chunks. apply BBQ rub on all sides.
Place liner in Instant Pot, Set to saute.3 pounds pork tenderloins, Sugar Free BBQ Rub - Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, brown tenderloin on all sides. Remove and drain.1 tablespoon Olive oil
- Add broth, apple cider vinegar and bbq sauce allow to simmer for 5 minutes, Scrape the pan to deglaze. Turn saute off, add tenderloin back in.1 cup chicken broth, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar free BBQ Sauce
- Secure the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook for 45 minutes. allow pressure to
naturally release 15-20 min. Carefully open vent to remove any remaining pressure. Remove lid. - Remove tenderloin and shred.
- Place back in cooking liquid until time to serve.
If my tenderloin is only 2 pounds do I need to decrease my pressure cook time?
This is a great question Becki, I am surprised there is no answer…
Well, I did a theme change over a year ago and some of my replies have disappeared. Thanks for calling my attention to this, I have now added a reply.
Sorry! I guess my original reply got deleted during my theme change. Yes, you can decrease by 10 minutes. Pork tenderloin gets more tender the longer it cooks so even at 45 minutes it should be fine.
Thanks to your recipe, my pork tenderloin came out just perfect! I recently got an instant pot, so I had never made my tenderloin that way. Now it’s the only way I will be making it!
Thank you!
Love making a big batch of this pork for sandwiches all week!
Yes! thanks!
This was so easy that my teenage daughters can make it themselves for our busy activity nights. It was moist, flavorful, and made the house smell great. I didn’t have the sugar-free BBQ rub so just used my regular Mrs. Dash combo, and it worked out well!
Yes! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious!!! I am throwing out my old recipe.
Goodness! Thank you so very much!
This recipe turned out great, we used it for tacos, big hit with everyone! You need to edit the first step, though. Your write-up talks about doing the rub and letting it sit for an hour (up to overnight – we did overnight). But the recipe says to do the rib, then immediately start to sear the pork. It would be good to have that added info (I manually made the change in my recipe app).
Thanks again for a great recipe. I’m assuming that if someone does t have an instant pot, this would work in a crock pot, 6+ hours or so on low. Thanks!
Allowing the rub to sit is optional, you can sear right away or allow to sit. Allowing it to sit is always preferred but not necessary. Thanks!
My family loved this!A much healthier way of eating red meat!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first ever time making pork in my instant pot and the results were fantastic. I even re-heated some for the next day or two and that was stunning too. Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
I often make pulled pork with a pork loin, but this was my first time with tenderloins. I don’t even own an Instant Pot. lol But my husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes and your healthier rub and BBQ sauce tips caught my eye. This recipe a front-of-the-recipe-box winner for us! I used my slow cooker on low for 4 hours and he’s still asking when I will make this tender, juicy pork again. Thanks so much for the recipe inspiration!
Thank you!
What I love about this recipe is that it’s quick cheap and delicious! my go-to recipe on gatherings or special occasions.
Thanks so much!
My tenderloins came out so juicy and delicious! I have my meal-prep sorted out, thanks to this recipe!
Great! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
I’m all about eating healthier and appreciate this recipe. For some added flavor and smokiness, after shredding the pork from this recipe, I add in about half a package of Costco’s smoked pulled pork. It definitely adds a bit of fat to help with the dryness and adds some great smoke flavor. Plus, it allows for leftovers for lunches and dinners.
What a great idea! That sounds like a wonderful addition!
I’m trying to eat with our so much sugar and this recipe is so good for me. Excellent 👍
Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this tasty recipe. Quick and full of flavor, it’s great for busy days.
Made this today and it was delicious!
Thank you so much, I am so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the fine review!
Yum! Thank you