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Juicy, tender, and oh-so-delicious, my Beef Tenderloin Recipe recipe makes a perfect holiday meal. Complete with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme, this is the best beef tenderloin with a beautiful crust and so much flavor in every bite.
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What is Beef Tenderloin?
It is a long, narrow, and lean muscle within the Loin. This is the most tender cut of beef available. It is also known as a tenderloin steak or filet mignon when cut. It is typically a more expensive cut that is a perfect splurge for the holidays. This cut of beef will melt in your mouth, it is amazingly delicious.
Beef Tenderloin Recipe Ingredients
- Whole Beef Tenderloin, trimmed
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Dried thyme leaves
- Granulated garlic
- Olive oil
This simple mix of seasonings complements a hearty beef tenderloin perfectly and gives it a beautiful crust. Serve it with Herb Garlic Butter for extra flavor.
How to Cook Beef Tenderloin
- At least 4 hours before cooking your roast, season it with sea salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and dried thyme, then store it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Pat down the spices so they stick well.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. While the oven preheats, take your seasoned roast out of the refrigerator and place it on a rack in a small roasting pan, or on a small baking sheet with sides. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the roast. Allow it to come to room temperature.
- Place your roast in the oven and sear for 15 minutes to sear it. When 15 minutes is up, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Continue to cook for 1 hour at 325°F, or more or less time depending on the size of your roast (see chart below).
- Remove from the oven and tent with foil for 15 minutes before carving. Serve, and enjoy!
Tenderloin Recipe Tips
- Trim your roast: Remove the silver skin and excess fat before roasting. This will give you a more tender, flavorful roast.
- Tie your roast: Tie the roast with kitchen string so it cooks more evenly in the oven. Tenderloin has a skinny end that should be tucked underneath the roast.
- Use a rack: Use a roasting rack and a shallow baking pan, or a roasting pan, to roast tenderloin. Using a rack allows hot air to circulate evenly around the beef.
- Sear at 450°F first: Searing your roast before lowering the oven temperature will give you the most beautiful crust.
How to Trim a Whole Beef Tenderloin
The whole beef tenderloin has a fibrous connective tissue called silver skin that should be trimmed. It's shiny and easy to spot and cut away. You will also want to trim any excess fat.
If you do not want to trim beef tenderloin yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you! And while you're at it, have them french, or tie, the roast. This will help it cook more evenly.
- With your tenderloin laying flat, carefully cut just under the silver skin with your knife. Keep the blade close to the meat, without removing too much of the meat itself. Cut away from yourself.
- Pull the tissue tightly against the blade using your free hand for a clean cut. Cut through the tissue until you trim it off completely. Do the same for any large white sections on the beef, which is excess fat.
How to Tie a Whole Beef Tenderloin
This is optional - To tie your own roast, follow these instructions. It's easy to do:
- Loop kitchen string around one end of the tenderloin and tie it into a tight knot.
- Loop the string around your hand, and then pull that loop over the tenderloin.
- Continue making loops 1 inch apart from each other, making sure each loop is snug against the beef.
- Tie the end with a knot to finish tying the roast.
For more info on tenderloin, check out our guide on the Best Cuts of Beef.
Beef Tenderloin Recipes FAQs
You can achieve a perfect crust for your whole beef tenderloin recipe by following two rules: use sea salt instead of regular salt, season the roast ahead of time, and sear it for 15 minutes at 450°F before lowering the temperature of your oven. These two simple steps will ensure a perfect crust every time!
Cooking on a roasting rack allows the hot air of your oven to circulate over the whole tenderloin, so it will cook more evenly throughout.
About ½ a pound of roast per person is usually a perfect serving. For a 6 lb. roast like we use in this recipe, you will be able to feed approximately 12-14 people. I always like to add a little more because I love leftovers!
Beef Tenderloin Recipe Temps
- 3 lb. roast: 30 minutes
- 4 lb. roast: 40 minutes
- 5 lb. roast: 50 minutes
- 6 lb. roast: 1 hour
These cooking times will give you a medium-rare roast. For a more well-done temperature, roast for an additional 10 minutes or so.
For best results, always use a meat thermometer to check for the desired doneness.
| Beef Doneness | Internal Temperature |
|---|---|
| Rare beef temp | 125°F - bright red in the middle |
| Medium-rare roast | 135°F - warm red in the middle with slight pink around the edges |
| Medium roast | 145°F - warm pink throughout |
| Medium-well roast | 150°F - slightly pink at the center |
| Well-done roast | 160°F -fall-apart shredded beef |
I make it easy to follow with my easy-to-follow Roast Beef Temperature Chart.
How to Reheat Beef Tenderloin
If frozen, thaw your whole beef tenderloin recipe first!
- Wrap tenderloin in foil with leftover cooking juices, sauce like au jus, or beef broth, so it retains moisture.
- Carefully reheat at a low temperature (225˚F) until the beef reads 150˚F on a meat thermometer. Serve, and enjoy!
Try this dish with any of my Sauces for Beef Tenderloin!
Beef Tenderloin Recipes
Roast Beef Recipes
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Eye of Round Roast
- Instant Pot Prime Rib
- Boneless Prime Rib Recipe
- Smoked Prime Rib
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📋 Recipe
Beef Tenderloin Recipe
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 6 lb. whole beef tenderloin roast trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- At least 4 hours before cooking your roast, season it with sea salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and dried thyme, then store in plastic wrap or a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Pat down the spices so they stick well.Preheat your oven to 450°F. While the oven preheats, take your seasoned roast out of the refrigerator and place it on a rack in a small roasting pan, or on a small baking sheet with sides. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the roast. Allow it to come to room temperature.
- Place your roast in the oven and sear for 15 minutes to sear it. When 15 minutes is up, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to cook for 1 hour at 325°F, or more or less time depending on the size of your roast (see chart below). Remove from the oven and tent with foil for 15 minutes before carving. Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Trim your roast: Remove the silver skin and excess fat before roasting. This will give you a more tender, flavorful roast.
- Tie your roast:
Tie the roast with kitchen string so it cooks more evenly in the oven.
Tenderloin has a skinny end that should be tucked underneath the roast. - Use a rack:
Use a roasting rack and a shallow baking pan, or a roasting pan, to
roast tenderloin. Using a rack allows hot air to circulate evenly around
the beef. - Sear at 450°F first: Searing your roast before lowering the oven temperature will give you the most beautiful crust.
Dana says
Thank you for sharing! What are you doing exactly when you say to “Sear” it? Are you just using a higher temperature with the same roasting pan or are you using a cast iron to
Sear it?
Em Beitel says
Hi Dana! We're using the same roasting pan. You just place it in the oven at that higher temperature first to give it a sear, then lower the oven temperature for the rest of the cooking time. Thank you for your question!
Michelle says
This is a helpful article, thank you! We are cooking (2) ~7lb beef tenderloin roasts (one more rare and one more medium) do we need to double the cook time since there are two roasts? Ie 2 hrs for medium rare and then leave the second one in for a bit longer? Or do we just do 1 hour even though there’s 2 roasts? Thanks!
Em Beitel says
Thank you so much, Michelle! Using a meat thermometer will be key. The last 20-30 minutes is when you have to babysit your roast; check on it every 10 minutes using a meat thermometer.
If I were cooking two 7 lbs. (each) roasts, I would sear them both for approximately 15 minutes then cook one for approximately 1:10 for rare and the other for approximately 1:30 for medium.
Of course, keep in mind, ovens can vary temperatures so I would definitely keep an eye on them towards the end to ensure you pull them at the right temperature. Thank you for your question!
Michelle says
Thank you so much!!
Connie Kesterson says
I made this for the first time last night! Was afraid, was afraid I'd ruin an expensive cut of meat and was afraid I couldn't eat since I don't have a mouth-full of teeth to chew meat any more, but I love beef. I enjoyed this more than I ever could have imagined! Followed your instructions to a t and it came out amazing! Well worth the effort and the price! Thank you!! Will save up and make again!!
Em Beitel says
Connie, we're so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment!
Vicky Schippers says
I have 12 guests coming and a 5 pound tenderloin. A few of the guests (maybe 5) like the roast rare, the rest medium rare. I want both to be pink inside, but for the "rare" people, more pink. I have a good oven thermometer. Can you tell me how long I should keep the "rare" and less rare in? Thanks
Em Beitel says
Hi Vicky! Are you serving two separate 5 pound roasts, or halving the 5 pound roast?
If I'm understanding correctly and you're halving the roast then roasting both halves at once, then check the temps for each at around 20 minutes and use your meat thermometer to accurately keep track of how done each half is. You still want to sear for 15 minutes at 450°F.
Assuming you're roasting two separate 5 pound roasts, the instructions are as follows...
Sear for 15 minutes at 450°F; then, for a 5 pound tenderloin at medium rare, take it out of the oven at 50 minutes. Check and the internal temp should be around 135°F. For the rare roast, you're aiming for 125°F, so I would check where it is at around 35-40 minutes and if it's not quite there, leave it for a few minutes longer.
Have a great holiday and let us know how it turns out!
annie says
Can I roast 2 (5 lb )roasts at the same time in the same pan, or should i use two separate pans?
Thank you!
Em Beitel says
Hi Annie! Yes, absolutely! Just make sure the pan is large enough that each of the roasts have room for the air to circulate properly around them.
Kristin says
I have a 9 lb roast.. how long would you cook that? Should I cut it in half?
Em Beitel says
Hi Kristin! Wow, that's a big tenderloin! For a 9 lb. roast I'd personally cook it for approximately 90 minutes, but I'd check in around the 80 minute mark. You could definitely cut it in half to reduce that time if you'd prefer and cook it according to the time for a 4 lb. roast. Just check in with your meat thermometer (we have a beef temperature chart that will help nail that perfect cook time). Thank you!
Dee says
I made this last year for Christmas Eve and my extended family said it was phenomenal! ( I didn’t get a chance to eat any of it because we all got sick at my house and I had to send it out to them 🙁 ). They said it was so juicy and tender. Making it again this year and can’t wait to finally try it. Amazing recipe!!
Em Beitel says
Oh no, Dee! I'm sorry you weren't feeling well last year, but I'm very happy to hear your family enjoyed it! I hope you got to enjoy some yourself, this year! Thanks so much for your lovely comment!
Silvana says
How long to cook 1.5 lbs for medium rare?
Em Beitel says
Hi Silvana! Sear it for 15 minutes at 450°F, then roast for another 15 minutes at 325°F. Check with a meat thermometer around that mark to be sure. Enjoy!
Mary Conway says
Oh … my … goodness !!! I , like someone else mentioned, was TERRIFIED of ruining an expensive piece of meat. I followed your instructions to a “T” and I can’t say enough how amazing it was !!! I didn’t even need a knife. It was like butter ; soft , tender , flavourful , and juicy !!! My husband and I couldn’t believe it. Since it’s just the 2 of us , we divided it into thirds so we can enjoy it 3 times!!!
Thank you sooooo much for sharing ! It’s now one of our favourite meals and we figure it’s WAY better than ANY steak you pay a boatload for at a restaurant !! ♥️👍
Em Beitel says
Mary, we're so glad you both enjoyed it! That is awesome to hear! Thank you so much for trusting us and our recipe, and for leaving us a comment!
Suzie says
This looks perfect and the reviews are great. I am a little nervous, as another person posted--can I cook ahead, but not slice, then reheat and serve later in the day?
Em Beitel says
Hi Suzie! That should be just fine! You'll want to be careful when reheating so it doesn't overcook. I would reheat it gently in the oven at 225˚F. Wrap it in foil with some beef broth or leftover juices from cooking it earlier in the day, then heat for about 10-15 minutes until heated throughout (use a meat thermometer to check).
Enjoy!
Suzie says
Excellent advice. The reheat was perfect. I had refrigerated it, brought it back to room then warmed for about 20 minutes. Delicious! Thank you!
Em Beitel says
That's so awesome to hear, Suzie! I am so glad it worked out so well for you! Take care!