Sharing is caring!

This air fryer beef tenderloin is coated in delicious butter, garlic, and fresh herb rub, and cooked to perfection in the air fryer!

I know we all think of air fryers being used for making some seriously tasty snacks, but have you ever considered using them for your holiday main course?

It makes perfect sense! You don’t have to turn on the oven, you don’t have to dirty up extra roasting pans (causing you more dishes at the end of the night,) and the air fryer cooks up meat to perfection! It’s a triple win!

This air fryer beef tenderloin is cooked with yummy butter, garlic, and fresh herb rub, so it stays juicy and is packed full of flavor.

Trust me, once you serve this up to your guests at your next holiday party, they’ll all want an air fryer for themselves!

Ingredients for air fryer beef tenderloin

• Beef tenderloin – The star of the dish! Savory, juicy, and delicious, beef tenderloin is an absolute crowd-pleaser.
• Butter – This will keep the beef tenderloin juicy and help our other seasonings adhere to the tenderloin.
• Herbs – Fresh is best! The combination of fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary is classic and compliment each other and the beef tenderloin.
• Garlic – Garlic is a classic ingredient that will add earthiness to the dish.
• Kosher salt and black pepper – It’s super important to make sure to properly season your beef tenderloin so it brings out all of the delicious flavors.

How to prepare your beef tenderloin

It’s important to properly trim and tie up your beef tenderloin before cooking. 

Trimming and tying help keep the shape of the tenderloin even throughout so that it cooks evenly in your air fryer and stays juicy throughout.

To trim your beef tenderloin:

Locate the shiny, whitish-gray connective tissue. 

Using a sharp knife, carefully slide it under the skin in between the connective tissue and the meat. 

Make slow, long strokes with your knife, cutting away the connective tissue, while pulling it back. (Be sure to stay as close to the connective tissue as possible and don’t cut down into the meat!) 

Repeat until you reach the end and discard the connective tissue. 

To tie your tenderloin:

Your ultimate goal here is to make sure it’s an even cylinder shape. We will be cinching it together in one to two-inch intervals with twine.

Take about 12-15 inches of twine, and begin on the left side of the tenderloin, loop it around and tie a knot using the end of the twine.

This is your anchor knot.

Now take the rest of the twine, create a loop, and loop it under the tenderloin about 1-2 inches down from your anchor knot, pull it taught.

Keep creating loops and putting them every 1-2 inches down until you reach the end of the tenderloin.

Bonus:

You could skip these two steps and ask your local butcher to do this for you! They will trim and tie your beef tenderloin for you, free of charge.

What is an air fryer?

An air fryer is basically a tabletop convection oven.

It mimics the outcome of a deep fat fryer but without the use of oil. Hot hair is moved around via a fan that quickly and crisply cooks up the food.

The 2 most common air fryers you’ll see are basket style (that is what I have) or convection/toaster oven style.

There are pluses to both but I personally prefer my basket style.

What is the best air fryer to buy?

I prefer the basket-style air fryer as it’s a bit smaller and takes up less room than the toaster oven-style air fryer.

My biggest tip when it comes to air fryers is to make sure you pick a style that will work the most for your family and the amount of food you will be cooking.

My large basket-style air fryer can cook up to 12 wings, 2-4 servings of french fries, etc. which works well for my household.

Storage and leftovers

Any leftover air fryer beef tenderloin can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat, simply place in a microwave-safe dish covered loosely with a damp paper towel and heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

More air fryer recipes

• Looking for a fun snack with a twist? Try my Air Fryer Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
• Need a super simple dinner? Try my Air Fryer Turkey Breast
• Love all things seafood? Try my Air Fryer Crab Cakes
• Craving something Italian? Try my Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan