Pork loin roast has a reputation for being dry, and that reputation is earned. Cook it traditionally and you have maybe a five-minute window between perfect and chalky. Sous vide eliminates that window entirely. The roast cooks edge-to-edge at the exact temperature you set, which means it cannot overcook no matter how long you leave it in the bath.
This is the sous vide pork loin roast I make for Sunday dinner and for every holiday where I want one fewer thing to worry about. The garlic herb rub goes on before the bath and again before the sear, which builds a layered crust that tastes like it took effort.
If you’ve never sous vide a pork loin before, this is a good starting point. The method is forgiving, the timing is generous, and the result is the kind of roast that has people asking what you did differently.
I’m so glad you found this recipe!
I can’t wait to be a part of your sous vide cooking today, and hopefully more to come!
I’ve been passionate about sous vide for almost a decade now. I take a different approach from other sous vide experts. While I love the science of sous vide, I want it to be an approachable cooking technique for everyone, and I don’t want you to sweat the details.
If you’re new to sous vide, make sure to read through this blog post or consider joining Sous Vide School.
I also have two sous vide cookbooks I think you’ll love: Everyday Sous Vide and Sous Vide Meal Prep.
Got questions?
Leave a comment and I’ll get right back to you!
A 3-4 pound boneless roast (not the same cut as a tenderloin!) is the perfect size to feed about 6-8 people, or in our case, feed 2 with leftovers for the whole week!
Time and temperature
You have a few different options when selecting a temperature for sous vide pork loin roast. For a 3-4 pound roast, I recommend at least a 3 hour cook time, up to 5 hours.
My favorite time and temp are 140 degrees F for 4 hours.
There are a few options for you to choose from, however:
| Result | Temp | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Medium Rare | 130 degrees F | 3-5 hours |
| Medium | 140 degrees F | 3-5 hours |
| Medium-Well | 150 degrees F | 3-5 hours |
| Well Done | 160 degrees F | 3-5 hours |
You can always just do a simple salt and pepper rub, but I like to do an herby, garlicky rub with this roast.
What to serve with sous vide pork loin
I love a pork loin roast served classically with sous vide mashed potatoes and sous vide asparagus, but scalloped potatoes with gruyere and thyme are also delicious and worth the extra effort!
Looking for a quicker pork dinner? Sous vide pork chops are my go-to on weeknights.
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Pork Loin Roast with Garlic Herb Rub
Ingredients
Pork Loin Roast:
- 3-4 pound pork loin roast
- Leaves from 1 sprig rosemary
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, if necessary
Sauce (optional):
- Liquid from sous vide bag
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp flaked sea salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat a water bath to your desired temp with an immersion circulator. 130F for medium rare, 140F for medium (my favorite), 150F for medium-well, 160F for well done.
- Prepare the rub by adding garlic cloves, rosemary, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if desired) to a food processor to make a paste. If it needs to be thinned out a bit, add olive oil and continue to process.
- Rub this mixture all over the pork loin roast.
- Vacuum seal the pork loin roast, or use another air removal method if desired.
- Add to water bath and cook for 3-5 hours.
- When the roast is done, preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Remove the roast from the water bath and the bag, saving the liquid, and place roast on the foil lined baking sheet, fat cap up. Broil until deeply golden brown.
- In a bowl, whisk together the liquid from the bag, lemon juice, parsley, and flaked sea salt.
- Slice the pork roast into thick slices and serve with sauce.
Notes
- If you purchase a roast bigger than 4 pounds, I recommend cutting it in half to make it easier to work with. You can freeze the other half or vacuum seal them in different bags and cook them together.
- I typically like to err closer to the 4 hour side of that time range.
- Nutrition is based on 8 servings for a 3 pound roast.
Made this exactly per the recipe. Came out delicious! It’s very hard to keep a pork loin moist, and this is perfect. Will make again.
The sauce makes this recipe. My kids really liked this. I tried it at 136, but it felt weird being that pink and soft, next time I’ll bump it up to 140.
So glad you liked this recipe! 140 is my favorite temp.
What herb(s) would you recommend for those of us that don’t like rosemary? Thyme?
I think thyme is the best alternative!
This was tasty. I used a dash of Cayon Pepper instead. I chopped everything up and used a the garlic press.
140 was over done for us. But I think it was because I didn’t have the rack in the oven close to the element. I took about 10 more minutes to get it brown. I will try 138 next time and see if that is better.
At 140 there wasn’t any pink left at all and it was somewhat dry.
This was by far the best pork roast I’ve ever had….and I made it!!!!!! haha
I’m a novice with sous vide but wanted to try it today and came upon your recipe. The flavor of the herbed rub is outstanding. I didn’t make the extra sauce but the juices from the roast are wonderful.
I had the sous vide bath at 140.5 and browned the roast in the broiler for about 7 minutes. The roast came out soooooooo moist and no pink at all.
This wil be a frequent dinner for me. Thank you!
I tried this recipe today and it was fantastic!! I will never cook a pork roast any other way again. 140f 4 hrs. Thank you so much for the recipe. 5 Stars!!!
Aw, I’m so glad you liked it!!!
It’s as good as everyone says! I cooked it at 140.5 for 4 hours, and it weighed 4.9 lbs. I sauteed the herbs and garlic for a minute before. It turned out very moist, and I was a little worried when the juice was pink, but it was perfectly cooked and moist after cutting. My husband said, “I think this was one of the best meat dishes you’ve ever made!”
How fantastic!!! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review, Mandy! I’m so glad it was such a success.
Great recipe! So easy and perfect every time!
Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe. I cooked it at 140 for a 2.5 pound pork loin that I let sit out of the refrigerator for an hour. Browned for 3-4 minutes under the broiler. I simmered the sauce, and next time, I will omit the salt. Thanks for adding to my sous vide repertoire
I used my own BBQ rub ingredients, and varied the temperature a bit, so I guess it’s not precisely your recipe, but we loved it just the same. Since it was still frozen, I started it off at 155°F for about an hour, then dropped it to 137.5°F for another 4 hours. Then I seared it on all sides in a cast-iron pan. It sliced so easily and it was incredibly tender. The only problem I encountered was that I couldn’t keep it on my plate–it disappeared so quickly! Wonderful recipe! I’ll be watching for more from my home just a bit south of Portland, OR.
Very moist and tender. Will make this recipe again. Had my 99 year old mother for dinner, she cleaned her plate. First time I have seen this at supper.
This was fantastic. I too, like another commenter, thought the juice looked a bit unappetizing, but I know packed with flavor. So, I strained it into a sauce pan and added 3 pats of butter and then whisked in 1 tbsp of Dijon, 3/4 cup of cream, 1/4 cup of parm and a squeeze of lemon and then the parsley and herbs. Let it reduce slightly. Chef’s kiss!
I tried this tonight. It was very delicious, thank you for sharing.
Soft and juicy!
This is an excellent recipe. Comes out perfectly cooked.