Slow Cooker Cajun Apple Pork Tenderloin

Slow Cooker Cajun Apple Pork Tenderloin - delicious tender pork tenderloin in a spicy sweet cajun apple sauce.

Cajun Pork Tenderloin

This week my local grocery store had pork tenderloin on sale, so of course I just had to grab some up for an easy recipe to add into the slow cooker. 

Also in my fridge was a jar of unsweetened apple sauce, I buy this frequently as the kids love it on yoghurt or oatmeal and it's a great ingredient for using in baking too. 

But this week I just knew I wanted to use it for a slow cooker recipe for some pork and so with the pork tenderloin all purchased, all that was left was some inspiration for seasoning and Cajun just seemed like the perfect choice.

Homemade Cajun Seasoning

I rarely buy ready mixed spices, it's far cheaper to buy singular spices and make your own blends and you easily adjust things to you own taste.

For the Cajun seasoning mix for this Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin I mix:

• 4 teaspoons of paprika (not smoked)
• ¾ teaspoon of sea salt
• ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ¾ teaspoon of onion granules
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne 
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• ½ teaspoon of thyme

The ½ teaspoon of cayenne does add quite a kick of spice, so adjust this if you don't like your food too spicy. 

Homemade Unsweetened Apple Sauce

I use store bought unsweetened apple sauce, because it is readily available in Canada and just an easy ingredient to have on hand. But if you are in the UK you might struggle to find this, usually only easy to source online or sometimes in the baby food section believe it or not.

But don't let that put you off, because homemade unsweetened apple sauce is just super easy to make. 

Just peel approx 5 medium apples (use a sweet tart variety) and slice up, add to a saucepan and just cover with some water (should be around 180ml but depends on size of your apples), then bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the apples are soft, then you can mash or blend in a blender. That's it, so simple!!

Pork Tenderloin 

Make sure you use pork tenderloin for this recipe or pork fillet as it's usually called in the UK. Don't use pork loin which is a chunkier piece of pork as it will take much longer to cook and won't work as well in this recipe. Some diced pork or even chicken are other great substitutes to try.

Can this be cook in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)? 

I haven't got round to testing this in an pressure cooker yet, but generally whenever I cook a pork tenderloin I do it for a very short time, otherwise it's overcooked and dry.

I would not cook it for any longer than 5 minutes, (I sometimes even set my pressure cooker to zero (as just the coming to pressure is long enough), and then allow a natural release for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure. 

Do let me know how it turns out if you try this in your pressure cooker. 

Substitutes for Maple Syrup

Whenever I am adding sweetness to a sauce, more often than not I use maple syrup. Why? Well I do live in Canada after all, it's our staple. I always have it on hand so it's the easiest ingredient to pick and not as processed as white sugar. 

But don't go buying some especially for this recipe, if you have honey on hand that will work perfectly too. 

Sides Dishes to Pair with Cajun Pork Tenderloin

I served this alongside some cooked long grain rice and then for my vegetable sides I sauteed a finely diced red pepper and some zucchini in spray oil and seasoned with just a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Stirring in some cooked sweetcorn towards the end. 

Then when plated up we also had some sour cream and fresh cilantro (coriander). Such a yummy plate of food.

Other great sides:

• Crispy Golden Potatoes
• Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes
• Cheddar and Spring Onion Mashed Potatoes
• Red Pepper and Coriander Rice
• Lime and Coriander Rice
• Roasted Butternut Squash

Vegetable Suggestions:

• Sauteed Peppers and Onions
• Steamed Broccoli
• Roasted Broccoli
• Sauteed or Roasted Asparagus
• Sauteed Garlic Shredded Brussel Sprouts
• Stir Fried Veg Mix
• Roasted Green Beans

More Pork Recipes

Looking for some other pork recipes to try? Check out these:

• CHEESY TOPPED MEDITERRANEAN PORK LOIN CHOPS
• CREAMY PORK CASSEROLE
• SLOW COOKER PINEAPPLE PORK
• STOVE TOP BBQ PORK
• CREAMY GARLIC PORK WITH CABBAGE
• SLOW COOKED TERIYAKI PORK TENDERLOIN
• PINEAPPLE MEXICAN PORK CARNITAS (SLOW COOKER AND PRESSURE COOKER)
• SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK SANDWICH

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming Eats and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients etc

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