BBQ Pork Tenderloin Rice Bowls
This BBQ Pork Tenderloin Rice Bowl started as a simple dinner experiment, and it worked perfectly. Instead of cooking the rice with plain water, I used prepared Thai soup directly in the rice cooker, letting the rice absorb all that savoury flavour as it cooked.
The Thai soup paired beautifully with the sweet and smoky BBQ pork, green beans, onion, garlic, and sesame seeds, but this idea is very flexible. You do not have to limit yourself to one soup mixture. Try different broths, soups, or seasoned cooking liquids to match the flavours in your meal.
This easy pork tenderloin rice bowl is quick, comforting, and full of flavour — definitely one I will repeat.
Short Description of the Recipe
This BBQ Pork Tenderloin Rice Bowl is an easy dinner recipe made with tender strips of pork, green beans, onion, garlic, and a sweet smoky BBQ sauce served over flavourful rice. The rice is cooked with prepared Thai soup instead of plain water, which gives the whole bowl a savoury, seasoned base without adding extra work.
Why It’s Good
This recipe works because every part of the bowl has flavour. The rice is not plain or boring because it cooks right in the soup mixture and absorbs all that seasoning. The pork tenderloin cooks quickly, the green beans add a fresh bite, and the BBQ sauce simmers down until it coats the meat and vegetables nicely. It is simple, but it tastes like more effort went into it. That is always a good thing on a busy night.
When to Serve It
Serve this BBQ pork rice bowl for an easy weeknight dinner, a quick family meal, or anytime you want something warm, filling, and a little different. It is also a good recipe when you have half a pork tenderloin to use up and want to turn it into a full meal. The soup-seasoned rice makes it feel cozy, while the BBQ pork and vegetables keep it hearty and satisfying.
I started this BBQ Pork Tenderloin Rice Bowl by making the rice first, because our rice maker usually takes about 40 minutes for white rice. It includes a soaking time before the rice actually cooks, so I like to get that going in advance. For this recipe, I used a mix of basmati rice and Chinese rice, then replaced the water with prepared Thai coconut curry chicken soup.
This was the part that made the recipe more interesting. The rice cooked right in the Thai soup mixture and absorbed all that creamy, savoury flavour as it softened. It worked perfectly with the BBQ pork tenderloin, green beans, onion, garlic, and sesame seeds. A simple step, but it gave the rice so much more flavour than plain water.
For the rice, I poured the prepared Thai coconut curry soup directly over the uncooked rice in the rice cooker instead of using plain water. At first it looked like a very loose soup mixture, but the rice absorbed the liquid as it cooked and came out soft, fluffy, and full of flavour.
You can really see the difference once it is cooked. The rice turned a warm golden colour from the Thai soup, with little bits of chicken, vegetables, and seasoning mixed through. It made a simple rice cooker recipe taste much more interesting and worked perfectly as the base for this BBQ pork tenderloin rice bowl.
I cooked the pork tenderloin strips first in a hot frying pan until they started to brown and were almost cooked through. Then I added the green beans, onion, and garlic so the vegetables could cook without becoming too soft.
Adding the green beans after the pork helped them stay a little firm and fresh, instead of overcooking in the pan. Once everything was cooked, I stirred in the BBQ sauce and let it simmer down into a simple reduction sauce. The sauce thickened slightly, coated the pork and vegetables, and gave this easy pork tenderloin rice bowl a sweet, smoky flavour that worked really well with the Thai-seasoned rice.
Tips and Tricks
Start the rice first if you are using a rice cooker.
My white rice setting takes about 40 minutes because it includes soaking time.
Cooking the rice first makes the timing much easier.
Cook the pork tenderloin strips first before adding the green beans.
The pork needs time to brown and cook through.
Add the green beans later so they stay a little firm and do not overcook.
Let the BBQ sauce simmer for a few minutes after adding it to the pan.
This creates a simple BBQ reduction sauce that coats the pork, onion, garlic, and green beans.
The sauce should thicken slightly instead of staying thin in the bottom of the pan.
Ingredient Notes
Pork tenderloin works well because it cooks quickly and stays tender when sliced into strips.
Cut the pork into fairly even pieces so everything cooks at the same speed.
The rice was cooked with prepared Thai coconut curry chicken soup instead of plain water.
The soup gave the rice a warm golden colour and savoury flavour.
The Thai-seasoned rice worked really well with the sweet and smoky BBQ pork.
Use any BBQ sauce you like.
I used a mix of Bull’s-Eye BBQ sauce and Kinder’s BBQ sauce for a deeper sweet and smoky flavour.
Garlic, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds add simple finishing flavour without making the recipe complicated.
Variations
Try a different soup or broth for the rice.
Thai soup worked really well, but chicken broth, coconut curry soup, vegetable broth, or another prepared soup could also work.
Swap the green beans for broccoli, snap peas, peppers, carrots, or bok choy.
Add quicker-cooking vegetables later so they do not get too soft.
This rice bowl would also work with chicken strips, leftover pork, shrimp, or tofu.
The main idea is simple: flavour the rice while it cooks, then top it with saucy protein and vegetables.
Storage Tips
Store leftover BBQ pork, vegetables, and rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Keep the rice and pork mixture separate if you want the rice to stay fluffier.
Reheat gently in the microwave or in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
Add a small splash of water, broth, or soup if the rice seems dry.
This pork tenderloin rice bowl is best fresh because the green beans have the nicest texture right after cooking.
Leftovers still make a good quick lunch the next day.
BBQ Pork Tenderloin Rice Bowls
Equipment
- Rice cooker
- Measuring cup
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large frying pan or skillet
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Serving bowls
Ingredients
Rice
- ⅓ cup basmati rice
- ⅓ cup Chinese rice or jasmine rice
- 2~ cups Prepared Thai soup enough to replace the water required by your rice cooker
Pork and Vegetables
- ½ pork tenderloin cut into strips
- 1 cup green beans chopped
- 1 white onion coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon oil for frying
- ½ cup BBQ sauce Bull’s-Eye
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce Kinder’s
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Rice
- Add the basmati rice and Chinese rice to a rice cooker.
- Add prepared Thai soup instead of water, using the amount required by your rice cooker directions.
- Cook according to the rice cooker instructions.
Cook the Pork and Vegetables
- Slice the pork tenderloin in half, then cut it into thin strips.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the pork strips and cook until browned and mostly cooked through.
- Add the chopped green beans, onion, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are tender, the garlic is fragrant, and the pork is fully cooked.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the Bull’s-Eye BBQ sauce and Kinder’s BBQ sauce.
- Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the pork and vegetables.
Assemble the Bowls
- Spoon the cooked rice into serving bowls.
- Top with the BBQ pork and vegetables.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
- Cooking the rice with prepared Thai coconut curry soup instead of water gives this rice bowl extra flavour right from the start.
- Start the rice first if using a rice cooker. White rice can take about 40 minutes because the machine may include soaking time before cooking.
- Pork tenderloin cooks quickly, so slice it into even strips to help the pieces brown and cook at the same rate.
- Cook the pork tenderloin first, then add the green beans so they stay a little firm and do not overcook.
- Let the BBQ sauce simmer down for a few minutes after adding it to the pan. This creates a simple BBQ reduction sauce that coats the pork and vegetables.
- Thai-seasoned rice works especially well with the sweet and smoky BBQ pork, but other soups or broths can be used for a different flavour.
- Use your favourite BBQ sauce, or mix two sauces together for a deeper flavour.
- This easy pork tenderloin rice bowl is best served fresh, while the green beans still have some bite and the sauce is glossy.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Ellen Britt
Hi, I’m Ellen — a passionate home cook dedicated to creating easy, flavorful recipes inspired by real-life cooking and shared family traditions. Every recipe on this site is a true collaboration, developed and tested together in our kitchen to ensure it’s reliable, simple to follow, and absolutely delicious.