Make an impression with this Garlic Roast Beef Tenderloin Recipe. Super easy to prepare, yet tastes like a million bucks!
We love to make this special cut of meat for the holidays because it’s perfect for feeding a large amount of people and doesn’t require a ton of work. With just a little bit of prep, a good skillet and a probe meat thermometer, you’ll have a juicy cut of roast beef tenderloin that’ll make you close your eyes, do a little dance and smile with each bite.
What Is a Beef Tenderloin?
Beef tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef and it is located within the loin. This is where we get filet mignon, which is made from the very tip of the pointy end of the tenderloin. There is also very little fat within the tenderloin, making it a very lean cut. Because of all that, beef tenderloin is one of the most expensive cuts of beef.
When properly cooked, it will melt in your mouth. And let’s face it, when you’re paying a pretty penny for some meat, you’ll want to make sure you’re cooking it right.
How To Prepare Beef Tenderloin
- TRIM: Start by trimming your beef tenderloin if it is not already trimmed for you. I purchased mine from Costco and it came trimmed. To trim the beef tenderloin you’ll want to remove the “silverskin” that runs down the length of the tenderloin. Run your knife gently underneath while pulling it up with your other hand. Trim off any other excess fat around the outside and remove “the chain” which is just a fatty strip along the outside as well.
- TIE: A beef tenderloin is a long cut of beef that comes to a point at one end. In order to get the beef to cook evenly it’s important to tie it up and make it as uniform in shape as possible. Using butcher’s twine you can easily tie it up. Tuck the long pointed end up into the thicker part of the tenderloin creating a uniform cylinder shape.
- CHILL: To give your tenderloin a delicious crust on the outside, you can leave it in the fridge overnight unwrapped. This will dry out the surface, helping it to gain a gorgeous browned crust when seared. This step is optional, so if you don’t have time, don’t worry, you’ll still get great results.
How To Cook Roast Beef Tenderloin
- SEASON: Coat the outside with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. This will help to cook the insides evenly.
- SEAR: Heat some olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet and sear the beef tenderloin on all sides for about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Since the beef tenderloin is a long piece of beef, I’ve cut it in two manageable roasts that can easily fit into my 12″ skillet.
- SLATHER: Create a simple garlic and herb butter and slather it all over the seared beef. Insert your probe thermometer.
- ROAST: Cook the beef tenderloin at 425 degrees F. until the desired internal temperature is reached. This will only take about 20 to 25 minutes!
What Temperature To Cook Beef Tenderloin?
We’re roasting our beef tenderloin at a high temperature of 425 degrees F after we’ve seared it in a skillet. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet yet, you can sear the beef tenderloin and then transfer it to an oven safe dish to finish cooking.
How Long To Cook Beef Tenderloin?
Searing the outside of the beef tenderloin should take about 12 to 15 minutes (about 3 to 5 minutes per side), followed by 20 to 25 minutes in the oven for a total of about 40 to 45 minutes. After it’s finished cooking, you’ll want to let it rest for about 15 minutes, where it’ll still rise in temperature but allow the juices inside to settle and redistribute.
What Temperature Should Beef Tenderloin Be?
The worst thing you can do is overcook a pricey cut of beef. Ideally you should cook it to a nice medium-rare or medium. The higher the internal temperature, the more tough the meat will become. My biggest suggestion is to use a digital probe thermometer for accurate cooking.
Here is a good chart to go by.
- RARE – 115°F – 120°F
- MEDIUM RARE – 120°F – 125°F
- MEDIUM – 130°F – 135°F
PRO TIP: Keep in mind that the internal temperature will continue to rise about 5 to 7 degrees after being removed from the oven.
What To Serve with Beef Tenderloin
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Toss some fresh green beans and mushrooms in the same skillet that the beef tenderloin cooked in and sauté them over medium heat until tender – so good!
More Beef Recipes To Try
Helpful Products To Make Recipe:
Million Dollar Roast Beef Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 lb. Beef tenderloin, trimmed, cut in two pieces and tied.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter, salted, softened
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp horseradish, prepared or dijon mustard
- 1 tsp rosemary, minced or thyme
Instructions
The Day Before Cooking (*optional):
- Trim the beef tenderloin if it's not already, then cut in half to make two pieces. Tuck the long end under and use butcher's twine to tie the tenderloin. *Watch video in blog post for demonstration
- Season all over with salt and pepper and leave in fridge, uncovered overnight, or at least 10 hours. *not necessary, but helps to give the tenderloin a great crust.
Day Of Cooking:
- Tie up tenderloin and season with salt and pepper if you did not do this the day prior. Remove from fridge and set on counter for about 2 hours prior to cooking, to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place oil in a large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sear the beef tenderloin on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, creating a nice golden-brown crust.
- Meanwhile combine the softened butter, garlic, horseradish and herbs in a small dish and mix. Slather the seared tenderloin with the butter mixture and then insert a probe thermometer. If using the skillet, place in preheated oven, or transfer to a baking dish and place in preheated oven. Roast until desired internal temperature is reached, about 20 to 25 minutes. *see notes for temperatures.
- Remove tenderloin from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing into 1" slices.
Video
Notes
- RARE – 115°F - 120°F
- MEDIUM RARE – 120°F - 125°F
- MEDIUM – 130°F - 135°F
Nutrition
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Honey Glazed Chicken Skillet
Eva M.
This was so easy and delicious! No one spoke at the table everyone was focused on devouring this delicious tenderloin.
Shawn
Silence is the best sometimes… especially when there is good food to eat! 🙂 So glad you all enjoyed it!
Lisa Pipkin
I made this just as it says and bought the pan, twine, and thermometer, and it turned out perfectly!
Rave reviews!
Chad
Hi Shawn,
Thanks for posting this recipe. From all the 5 star reviews it must be awesome, but I’m curious if you ever tried it with a reverse sear? I’m always tinkering with recipes and such, but I’m not in a position to test run a 4lb Prime tenderloin before Xmas, . Thanks!
Teemun Store
Thanks for the recipe and tips. Been preparing this for longer than I care to admit and almost identical to our recipe. I highly recommend anyone new to this roast/technique to follow the recipe to the “T”. I know how easy it is to skip a step or two but for optimal results don’t do it. Worst mistake you can make is to overcook it in my opinion. Thanks
Teemun_Official
Easy and delicious! Follow the recipe and video how to tie the tenderloin and you can’t go wrong! Only recipe I use for Roast Beef Tenderloin,I love it!
Christine
Simple, so easy, and so impressive! Our French guests, who do not like sauces to mask well-prepared meat (yikes 😉 raved about this. I went the dijon route. And for my family, I deglazed with red wine and made a delicious sauce with the pan juices. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is excellent! (By the way, like some other reviewers stated, my tenderloins must have been small and got to Medium Rare within 10-15 minutes, so check early!)
Marci Echeverria
Would you mind telling us exactly how you made the sauce with the Dijon? Thanks!
Tina Saile
Easy and delicious! Follow the recipe and video how to tie the tenderloin and you can’t go wrong! Only recipe I use for Roast Beef Tenderloin, yum yum!!
Shauna Jo
I made this recipe for a man I am dating and it might have just “sealed the deal”. Thanks for giving me the confidence to pull it off. Your recipes are so thorough I appear to be a MUCH beetter cook than I really am.
Tammy
Have you ever used a piece of Australian beef tenderloin with this recipe?
Gail
The tenderloin was perfect!! Thank you
Shawn
So happy to hear!
liza
I went to Costco looking for prime rib roast ( i’ve never cooked one) and they were out of it but had plenty of this tenderloin roast. ( never cooked this either) I asked the butcher who was overwhelmed as he was the only person in the meat dept during Easter week! Yikes!!. So then I randomly asked a gentleman who was also buying the same roast. He said that this was hands down the best roast. He told me to just season it and cook it as is. I bought 4 which was very expensive, but we had 35 coming to dinner. I could not believe I found your exact recipe when I googled how to cook a tenderloin roast. I prepared it exactly as you said and then my son in law cooked it in the oven for me and kept checking the temp with my regular meat thermometer and it came out perfectly! It would be even better to cook it again when I don’t have so many other things to do in the middle of 13 grandkids running around while doing it so we can eat it hot ; ) ! Also, as usual, I bought way too much so everyone split it up and were thrilled to take away the leftovers. I will use this every time now and I have it bookmarked on my computer! Thank you so much ! (and I forgot to mention we had two guests who own a restaurant and they loved it too. ) You saved my bacon… : )..i mean beef.
Shawn
That’s fantastic Liza! I’m so happy you found my recipe and it was a successful Easter. Sounds wonderful!
Mal
Hi I’m making this tonight for my husband. Was going to make filet mignon but they were out so I ended up with two small pieces of the tenderloin. Probably only about a pound of meat total. How should I go about cooking it time wise and should I still twine it???? Thanks
Shawn
If the tenderloin is evenly cylindrical in shape you shouldn’t need to tie it up. I would make sure you use a meat thermometer to check for the right temperature when cooking since it’ll cook faster. That will be your best bet! Enjoy!
Mickster
I have no problem with the recipe. It looks delish and am prepping it now. Thanks for putting it out there. Which brings me to your video on how to tie a roast. I have tried repeatedly to run it, but it freezes as you are beginning to make the 1st loop around. I get the idea from other pics, but it would be nice if the video ran all the way through. Can’t discount that it might be my browser, etc. that’s the problem. Just saying…
Di
I do not like to take the time for reviews but I do in a case like this recipe. My guest went back for seconds and thirds. This is a five star plus!!! We are picky eaters and this tenderloin recipe is top notch.
Shawn
This was unbelievable. I can cook a mean steak but have always done out on the grill. I’ve been leery about trying on on/in the stove. But searing the meat and baking it was perfect. The butter+garlic spread was the true kicker. I used a SUBSTANTIAL amount and it was soooooo good.
Only thing I noticed is that my baking time in the oven was a little less than half of what is recommended here.
This will definitely be a go-to recipe from now on! Thank you.
Robin
OMG… I rarely leave comments, but had to for this. I made this for Christmas dinner and it was so easy and unbelievably delicious! I did exactly as written (except for salt and pepper day before because I was storing it at a neighbors house and was too lazy to go over). Really, great recipe, will make this again. Thank you!
Shawn
That’s so great to hear Robin! I’m glad your Christmas dinner was a success! 🙂
rich
do you use fresh rosemary or dried?
Tricia Nielsen-Zoromski
Great recipe and I assume my issues were user error. When I checked the temp of the meat after 15 minutes, and my digital thermometer read over 150 degrees. I was prepared for a well done tenderloin. While it was overdone to my medium rare liking, thankfully there was still pink. Next time I would try checking at 10 minutes.
Shawn
It’s definitely best to check the temperature to verify. Some beef tenderloin are bigger, smaller, more cold when starting, etc. There are so many variables, that the only way to know for sure is to keep a close eye on the internal temperature.
Karen
You saved our Christmas! We always have prime rib for Christmas dinner, but when we opened the package on Christmas to get it going, it was bad! I was sick over it. We had company coming for dinner expecting a lovely meal and I had nothing to serve! My husband went to the only open store and he could only get tenderloin as a replacement. I had never made tenderloin before so I rushed to find a recipe. I came upon this one and it absolutely saved the day! My husband followed your video to tie it up and I made my signature compound butter for the slather step. We followed your recipe and it came out perfectly! Everyone was wowed by the meat and we unanimously voted to replace the annual prime rib with tenderloin. I have printed and laminated this recipe for easy use in the future and my dad also insisted that I send it to him. Thank you so much!!
Shawn
You’re so welcome Karen! I’m glad you guys were able to make it and have a Merry Christmas!
linda k boyle
Followed to a tee.
1 day to ‘dry out’ made crust amazing! Seared on cast iron griddle; but big skillet would also work!
Amazing. Yum.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Linda!
linda k boyle
It was amazing! I served with a chimichurri & and horseradish sauce on the side. In a pinch used two skewers to “tie up” the small end of the tenderloin. $104 from Costco for 6.25 lbs so I didn’t wanna err. Air dry is now my go-to trick; thx for sharing! Happy New Year.
Molly
I followed the instructions almost to the letter and it was perfect.
I was hesitant to leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight but it was the best sear I’ve ever achieved.
The garlic butter schmear smelled great while it cooked.
This recipe gave me the courage to cut the tenderloin into manageable pieces which made the temperature of the roast consistent throughout. Thank you, it’s a keeper.
Shawn
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Molly!
Jasmine
Tried this recipe for Christmas and it was AMAZING! Huge hit! My only problem – when it was roasting in the oven, it started smoking like crazy. I followed the recipe exactly – any idea why it would’ve started smoking so much? Still tasted delicious!
Shawn
I could be that you had a high smoke point on your oil that was used to sear the beef. Next time, try using a lighter olive oil.
Lesley
We used your tips and recipe for our Christmas filet tenderloin dinner and it was amazing! I was so nervous to ruin such an expensive cut of meat and it came out a perfect Medium-rare and was super tasty!
Shawn
That’s great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lesley!
Thad Dickson
Hi Jasmine – This recipe is great and yes this can def smoke. The reason is butter has a “smoke point” of 302 and our recipe calls for a 425 oven. Totally normal and will in fact just contribute to the “crust” although depending on how your oven is vented could cause the smoke alarm to go off. Don’t worry – you didn’t do anything wrong!!
Kathy Weber
Sounds like a great recipe. I make a similar recipe without the horseradish (I am not a fan of horseradish). I usually don’t sear it, but am going to try that to add flavor to the juices. Always a hit like your comments stated.
Just wondering, if you have ever tried adding Worcestershire sauce for richer flavor? Also, do you make gravy to pour over the slices and if so, how?
Thanks for sharing your great recipes.
Kathy
Shawn
You can definitely make a gravy with the drippings after the beef has been cooked. I would strain off any fat (shouldn’t be too much), and then add in some butter over medium heat. Then whisk in flour to create a roux, and gradually add in some beef broth. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
As far as searing ahead of time, I wouldn’t. The searing and then inserting into the oven all takes into account the cook time. It doesn’t take that much time to sear, so I would just do it right before finishing in the oven.
Julie
Can this be seared the day before and then roasted the day of serving?
Scott Manser
I want to be your dog!!! Excellent recipe, clear and easy to follow. I plan to make this for my wife as a special thank you for cooking great dishes for me all these years. Wish me luck!
Dude
OMG The ads and popups everywhere. Can’t deal.
Cathy
Change your setting to block popups
Shawn
Still good without the horseradish? And maybe the mustard?
Ed McLaughlin
Time tested recipe here. Sliced for dinner and then sandwiches afterwards, the ingredients and temperatures work out great. Even served one at one of my friendly poker games. The guys loved it with some horseradish!!! Thanks! The searing is the key to a tasty meal. (turn off your smoke detectors or get an outside griddle, for best results)
Corrine A Leon
This was so easy and very delicious, I would definitely make it again 🙂
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Corrine!
Shauna Jo
I am a complete novice at beef. I made this for our Easter dinner with confidence because the instructions were so clear. It was easily one of the best beef dinners my family has ever had. And the leftovers were equally amazing. You are a magician Shawn!
Shawn
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe Shauna Jo!! Thank you for your comment!
Tracy Sims
Have you ever made it ahead of time and wormed it up? Will it hold well?
Shawn
If you plan on making it ahead of time and warming it up later, I would just make sure you cook it a little less than your desired doneness the first time. This will ensure it’s not overcooked when reheating.
Mick Williamson
Excellent! BTW I can’t eat garlic (boohoo!) so i just subbed out other aromatics. I LOVE that you don’t over cook it, …. PERFECT!!
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Mick!
RedhairMac
I followed the temperature recommendation given for a medium 3 lb filet mignon roast cooked at 425 degrees and used a very reliable probe gauge and let it rest for 15 minutes. When I cut into it, it was absolutely raw. Not sure what went wrong. Any ideas??
Shawn
The best thing you can do is cook based on the temperature your probe is reporting. I’ve given the right temperatures to follow, so if your probe read anything below 120 degrees F. then you’ll have a raw tenderloin. If your probe was above this temperature and you still feel like it’s raw, I would check your probe thermometer for accuracy.
Natasha r Gardner
Do you have to tie it up?
Lucy
This looks so amazing~ Thank you for the recipe! Definitely add this tenderloin recipes in must-try list!
http://hotmaillogin.email/
Amazing!
Amazing creation thank you so much everyone loved it it was easy for me I didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen I got to visit my company. And everybody said how tasty it is and where did I get that recipe! Thank you so much
Shawn
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for sharing!
Shawn
That’s so great to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
John
Thanks for the recipe and tips. Been preparing this for longer than I care to admit and almost identical to our recipe. I highly recommend anyone new to this roast/technique to follow the recipe to the “T”. I know how easy it is to skip a step or two but for optimal results don’t do it. Worst mistake you can make is to overcook it in my opinion. Thanks
Shawn
Thanks for the comment John!
Anita
Amazing!! Had it for Xmas dinner and Will be making this again tonight!
Michelle
Perfect recipe! Thank goodness for the trussing video too! I will make this again and again. Every other time it has been hit or miss on big cuts like this, but this is simple and delicious. I just cannot say enough good about it! I highly recommend it.
Shawn
I’m so so glad you enjoyed it Michelle! Thank you for your sweet comment!
Deborah
I wanted to make this recipe twice in case the first time was beginners luck. Second time turned out even better, if that’s even possible. Beef Tenderloin is my new favorite for every special dinner. Thank you for showing me how to make a very impressive dinner. I added some broth to the pan drippings and reduced it by half to make a pan sauce. I poured half of that into a gravy boat and then cooked green beans right in the skillet. With some mashed potatoes and salad- a wonderful meal.
Vicki
The flavor was great but after resting it w as cold. How do I rest and keep warm?
Kate
Cover with tin foil while it rests.
Marina Tash
Wow! Awesome recipe. The only problem was no leftovers.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Marina!
susana agrusti
This was amazing! The best beef tenderloin I have ever made!!!
Shawn
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it Susana!
Gina
This was amazing! I had never made a tenderloin before because I was too scared of ruining a really expensive piece of meat! But this recipe was absolutely bombproof. Everyone loved this, it will be my holiday meal go-to for years to come! Thank you!
Shawn
I’m so happy to hear that Gina! Glad you enjoyed it!