I’m sure everyone has a way that they love to cook their beef tenderloin, but did you know you can cook a beef tenderloin roast in an Air Fryer!? This 5 ingredient air fryer beef tenderloin roast recipe is my favorite way to cook beef because it’s super easy and you can open the air fryer basket to check the temperature.
I am a big proponent of using a digital meat thermometer to make sure your meat is done to the correct temperature. I’ve tried cooking a beef tenderloin in the Instant Pot, which is another option, but you can’t open the pressure cooker to check temperature, so I always felt like that was a challenge. And it’s not a super cheap cut of meat you want to take a risk with. You can also cook it in an oven, but then you’re putting on oven mitts, making the house hot, etc. With the air fryer, you’re just opening it and doing a quick temperature check!
What ingredients do I need to make this recipe?
- Beef Tenderloin – I used 1.5 lbs. beef tenderloin roast for this recipe, but you can use whatever size fits best in your Air Fryer basket. Or you can buy a bigger roast and cut it in half or whatever size will fit into your air fryer basket.
- Extra virgin olive oil – spread EVOO on both sides of the meat to allow the garlic, salt and pepper to adhere to the meat.
- Garlic – I use three cloves of garlic, pressed and placed all over the meat. For me I like a super flavorful garlicy beef roast!
- Sea salt and pepper – every good piece of meat needs a good dose of salt and pepper. I like using flakey Maldon sea salt.
When I brought this idea of air fryer beef tenderloin roast up to Nick, he was super skeptical. And, honestly, so was I! But now that I’ve tried it, I can honestly say that there is no reason not to always cook your beef this way! So flavorful and juicy and delicious!
How do I make this Air Fryer beef tenderloin?
- Cut your piece of meat to a proper size that will fit in your Air Fryer basket.
- Rub one tablespoon of olive oil on each side of the meat (2 total tablespoons).
- Press garlic and press on/all around meat. Cover in salt and pepper.
- Cook in Air Fryer at 325 for 30-45 minutes, until internal temperature is 145 for medium
- Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
As you can tell by the pictures, cooking your meat in an Air Fryer really results in a flavorful, juicy piece of meat! The juices on the cutting board are what you will see after the meat rests and while you are slicing it.
I like to serve my 5 ingredient air fryer beef tenderloin roast recipe with a side of roasted balsamic vegetables and potatoes.
And if you have any leftovers, you can easily slice them thin and serve on a sandwich (think like a french dip sandwich) or you can use them on a steak salad, like this one (pictured above is steak nectarine salad which is super good with this beef tenderloin).

5 Ingredient Air Fryer Beef Tenderloin Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. Beef tenderloin
- 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Cut your tenderloin down to size to ensure it will fit in your Air Fryer basket. I started with a 3lb. tenderloin and cut it in half, so it's 1.5 lbs.
- Rub 1 Tbs. EVOO on each side of the tenderloin. Sprinkle salt, pepper and add garlic.
- Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes, until internal temperature is 145 for medium.
- Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and enjoy.
[…] cooks me dinner (usually delicious steak and mushrooms like these, or I’m thinking air fryer beef tenderloin this year) and I make a side dish (in years past I’ve made these mashed potatoes, or these […]