Plan on 8 ounces of cooked pork tenderloin per person. Since meat shrinks when it cooks (it loses water), you should buy around 10 ounces of raw meat per guest.
Pork tenderloin may be something that you don’t cook up very often. I learned all about portion sizes working in restaurants, and I’m here to let you in on the secrets. Pork tenderloin is also one of my favorite dishes to cook at home – it’s ultra-tender and super versatile.
Today, I’m dropping all my knowledge on how much cooked pork tenderloin you will need. I’ll also show you how to make portion calculations and guide you through making necessary adjustments. Let’s begin!
You should aim to serve about 8 ounces (1/2 pound) of cooked pork tenderloin per person.
This is just an estimate of how much pork tenderloin you should set aside for each person. Various factors can alter how much pork tenderloin you need for a meal. If you’re feeding a football team, they’ll likely eat more than 8 ounces each. If you’re feeding 6-year-olds, they won’t eat 8 ounces each. Use your best judgment and common sense.
No, I’m not talking about the Seinfeld episode type of shrinkage.
Again, your goal is to serve each guest around 8 ounces of cooked pork tenderloin. When you cook pork tenderloin (or any meat), it shrinks due to moisture loss. This means that you end up with less than you first started with.
Typically, cooking or grilling pork tenderloin will result in a 25% reduction in weight. If you cook the pork past “done” temperature (145°F), it will shrink even more.
Because of this shrinkage, you should buy 25% more raw pork tenderloin for each person. Around 10 ounces (.625 pounds), maybe a smidge more, per person should do the trick.
This depends on how much the pork tenderloin weighs, but usually 2 people. The weight of a pork tenderloin can vary from ¾ pound to 1 ½ pounds.
Based on the above calculations, a 1 lb pork tenderloin will yield 12 ounces of cooked meat. Almost enough to feed 2 people. Again, most butchers (and me) recommend serving around 8 ounces of meat per person.
Of course, if you plan on serving smaller portions, then a single pound of tenderloin may yield more than 2 servings.
How you cook and serve the tenderloin will ultimately determine how much meat you need. Adding it to a stir fry? You won’t need nearly 8 ounces per person. If you’re cooking it as a roast and serving it with sides, you’ll probably want around 8 ounces per guest.
If you cook 2 pounds of tenderloin, you can get about 3 servings. Again, how the roast is cooked and served will have a huge impact on how much meat you need.
Want to get a more accurate idea of how much meat you should serve? Here are some factors to think about beforehand:
No two guests have the same appetite. Your first order of business is to consider how much each person eats. If your guest list is pretty small, this should be easy enough to do.
If you know someone who is a big eater, consider giving them a ½ pound serving or a little more. Does one guest eat like a bird? Buy a little less for them.
You should also consider if you’ve got any vegetarians, vegans, or pescatarians on the guest list. Skip the tenderloin for these people altogether. Some people also don’t eat pork for religious reasons. Be a good host and prepare some alternative dishes for people with restrictive diets.
In some places, lunch is the biggest meal of the day. In other cases, people go all in for dinner. What rules do you and your friends follow?
If you plan on having a satisfying but smaller meal, then you don’t have to buy as much tenderloin. On the other hand, if the meal takes place when everyone eats like a linebacker, you should buy more meat.
Are you planning on making tenderloin the star of the show? If so, you can’t really run out of it before each person has had their fill. This would make your meal a bit awkward. You don’t want your dinner party to get awkward, trust me!
Best to plan for 8 ounces of cooked pork per person, or even a bit more, just to be on the safe side.
On the other hand, if you’re serving the tenderloin not as a roast – say in a stir fry, on sliders, or in fajitas, you won’t need as much.
Last, but not least, consider how many side dishes you are serving with the meal. If it is only going to be a few, like salad and potatoes, then you’ll need plenty of pork.
If you’re really going to load up on the side dishes (more on the perfect sides in a bit!), then people will be able to fill themselves with these as well. You can get by with a bit less tenderloin.
Do you want there to be some tenderloin left over after the meal? Better buy a bit extra. If you only want to buy meat for that particular meal, this will not be necessary.
Related Reading
Tenderloin can be expensive. It’s typically more than loin, chops, ham, and many other cuts of pork. (Although it does go on sale – keep your eyes peeled for buy one get one free AKA BOGO tenderloins.)
Tenderloin is expensive in part because it is such a tender cut of meat. It has that beautiful melt-in-your-mouth texture that is hard to beat.
So, you may be looking at my calculations and shaking your head. Is it worth it for you to spend so much on meat, particularly if you invite a bunch of people? I don’t know your financial situation. How you spend your money is up to you.
If buying enough pork tenderloin to feed your guests is burning a hole in your pocket, there is a solution. I would suggest a single serving size of 4 to 6 ounces per person. If you choose this route, play it up with tons of appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. You don’t want guests going home hungry!
Want to save as much money as possible by buying less tenderloin? Here’s how!
The best thing to do is to include other cheaper meats. Then you can get away with buying a smaller quantity of tenderloin.
If you want to stick with pork, then pork loin or chops are a good option. Loin is very similar to tenderloin (it’s not quite as tender), and it’s usually cheaper.
You can also include chicken, beef, turkey, or whatever you like! You may want to go with whatever is on sale at your grocery store that particular week.
Wondering how much pork loin or other meat to buy? I’ve got you! Follow the same rule as with tenderloins. About 8 ounces of cooked pork loin or other meat per person.
The more that you dry out the tenderloin, the smaller it will get. The more meat is cooked, the more moisture it will lose.
The best way way to keep the meat nice and moist is to use and rely on a thermometer while it cooks. Track the meat’s temp and take it out when it’s done. Pork is “done” at 145°F.
Another trick for moist meat is to cook the meat in a liquid – braising is a great way to prepare tenderloin. Since you are cooking in liquid, not as much shrinkage takes place.
If you think that you can only have light side dishes like salad with tenderloin, think again! It is perfectly alright to pair it with heavier dishes.
This can include mashed potatoes, potato salad, mac and cheese, garlic bread, and similar options. The sky is the limit, gang. Go nuts.
These are popular side dishes and are almost universally liked. These heavy foods are also quite filling. Your guests will not need to take as much tenderloin when they have other options to pile onto their plates.
You should aim to serve about 8 ounces of cooked pork per person. This means that you should buy about 10 ounces of raw meat per individual. So 3.75 lbs of raw meat will get the job done.
This will feed about 9 and 1/2 people. Pork loin is not the same cut as tenderloin. And a 6-pounder would be massive. Typically pork loins are 2 to 5 lbs.
Ready to host the most epic dinner party of all time? You now know how to calculate just how much tenderloin you will need to serve for each person (again, 8 ounces of cooked meat), so your party can go off without a hitch. No one will leave hungry anyway!
I have also filled you in on my top tips for how to calculate how much pork to buy. Plus, if you want to save money and buy less meat (no judgment here – I’m a cheapskate, too!), I have shown you how to do this as well!
