Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos
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These tender pork carnitas tacos are everything right in the world. Juicy, tender pork stuffed into a crispy cheesy taco shell and topped with whatever your heart desires. What’s more is there to want in life?
Pressure cooking is my favorite way to get flavorful carnitas. Not only does it take a fraction of the time as other methods but the juices from the fat and spices soak into the meat as it cooks, making these insanely delicious and wildly easy.
This recipe comes with a homemade chipotle sauce but you can top with sour cream, your favorite salsa or avocado crema. This makes a ton of carnitas, so add the leftovers to breakfast burrito bowls or swap out the turkey in these taco bowls.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 21 grams of protein per serving.
- Simple ingredients.
- Perfectly flavorful and crispy tacos at home!
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for pressure cooker carnitas.
- Boneless Pork Shoulder: pork shoulder is an inexpensive cut of pork with lots of fat marbling, making it flavorful and perfect for carnitas. Available in both boneless and bone-in options, you want boneless because it’s easier to cut. If you can only find bone in you can cut around the bone. You can substitute the shoulder for pork butt. Be sure to trim excess fat before cooking.
- White Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Orange Juice
- Fresh Limes and Fresh Lime Juice: for both the carnitas and the chipotle sauce.
- Chicken Broth
- Non Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- White Corn Tortillas: or flour tortillas.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Fresh Cilantro
- Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: or full-fat for a richer sauce.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- White Corn Tortilla: I love corn tortillas with my tacos because they get super crispy and delicious, but you can use flour tortillas or your favorite wrap.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Fresh Cilantro: for garnish.
Variations
- Serve with your favorite toppings. I add hot sauce, salsa verde or pico de gallo.
- Serve with a drizzle of homemade avocado crema in place of the chipotle sauce.
Dietary Modifications
- To make dairy-free, use non-dairy yogurt alternative for the chipotle sauce and omit the cheddar cheese.
- The meat is gluten-free. Use a gluten-free tortilla to keep your tacos gluten-free.
How to make instant pot carnitas tacos (step-by-step instructions):
Step 1: add spices & meat
In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper (image 1). Mix well and set aside. Place the chopped onion and minced garlic in the bottom of your Instant Pot (image 2). Next, add the pork shoulder pieces on top of the onion mixture and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the pork. Then, pour the orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth over the pork (image 3). Secure the lid on your Instant Pot, and set the pressure release valve to the “sealing” position. Set the Instant Pot to “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode, and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. After the cooking time is up on the carnitas, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to the “venting” position to release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pork to a baking sheet (image 4).
Step 2: make the sauce
While the meat cooks, make your chipotle sauce, mince the peppers finely and combine all the ingredients in a bowl (image 5) and mix well. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. You can add more salt, pepper, or adobo sauce to suit your taste preferences. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together (image 6). This will also help thicken the sauce a bit.
Step 3: shred and crisp the pork
Shred the pork using two forks (image 7). Turn the oven on broil and place the shredded instant pot carnitas on a large baking sheet in the oven for 5-7 minutes until crispy (image 8). Be careful not to burn. Alternatively, you can do this in batches in a hot pan with some cooking spray but I find the sheet pan to be easier.
Step 4: Assemble tacos
Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Using tongs dip the corn tortillas in the sauce in the instant pot (image 9). Be sure not to leave them in the sauce for too long as this will soften the tortillas making them hard to handle, they will be too soft and break apart. Place the soaked tortillas on the hot pan (image 10) and top with 2 oz. cooked crispy carnitas, 14 grams of cheddar cheese (image 11) and fold in half. Cook like a quesadilla and browned on both sides until crispy (image 12). Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with the sauce.
Expert Tip!
To ensure tender carnitas the next day, leave some of the juice from the pressure cooker in the leftovers. This prevents the meat from drying out.
Recipe FAQs
Make burrito bowls, tacos, salads or just snack on the meat throughout the day. The tacos are superb but wrapped in a large tortilla with the chipotle sauce and pan seared is pretty darn delicious as well.
When storing your leftover instant pot carnitas I suggest adding some of the liquid from the instant pot. You can add it all or just a couple cups of the broth. This will keep the meat from drying out in the fridge. You can also use the liquid for making the soaked tortillas throughout the week or add the meat to a sandwich and use the liquid as a au jus sauce like a French dip sandwich.
1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Place the chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped jalapeño in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Add the pork shoulder pieces on top of the onion mixture, and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the pork.
3. Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and chicken or vegetable broth over the pork.
4. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours, until the pork is fork-tender and easy to shred.
5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pork to a large bowl or plate. Shred the pork using two forks.
6. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the shredded pork to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the edges are crispy and golden brown.
7. If desired, you can mix some of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker with the crispy pork to keep it moist and flavorful. Be careful not to add too much liquid, as it can make the pork soggy.
Serve the carnitas in tacos, burritos, or nachos, and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
Check out some of our other easy meals!
- Lemon and Chicken Orzo Pasta
- Corn and Potato Chowder
- Mississippi Slow Cooker Chicken
- Harissa Sheet Pan Chicken
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Instant Pot Carnitas
- 3-4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces*
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup fresh orange juice 2-3 oranges
- 2 limes juiced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth any broth works or water
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. ground oregano
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional, for garnish)
Chipotle Sauce
- 3/4 cup 0% non fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1-2 whole chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, finely chopped (start with 1 and adjust to level of heat desired)
- 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from one lime)
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
For Tacos
- 12 white corn tortilla
- 1/5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro
- chipotle sauce
Instructions
For the Carnitas
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Place the chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped jalapeño in the bottom of your Instant Pot.
- Add the pork shoulder pieces on top of the onion mixture, and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the pork.
- Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and chicken or vegetable broth over the pork.
- Secure the lid on your Instant Pot, and set the pressure release valve to the “sealing” position. Set the Instant Pot to “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode, and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Make chipotle sauce. Instructions below.
- After the cooking time is up on the carnitas, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to the "venting" position to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pork to a baking sheet. Shred the pork using two forks.
- Turn the oven on broil and place the shredded pork on the sheet pan in the oven for 5-7 minutes until crispy. Be careful not to burn. Alternatively, you can do this in batches in a hot pan with some cooking spray but I find the sheet pan and oven broiler to be easier. This meat is amazing in tacos, burritos, salads and burrito bowls.
Chipotle Sauce
- While the meat cooks make your chipotle sauce by combining all the ingredients and mincing well to combine. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. You can add more salt, pepper, or adobo sauce to suit your taste preferences. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together. This will also help thicken the sauce a bit.
For the Tacos
- Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
- Using tongs dip the corn tortillas in the sauce in the instant pot. Be sure not to leave them in the sauce for too long as this will soften the tortillas making them hard to handle, they will be too soft and break apart.
- Place the soaked tortillas on the hot pan and top with 2 oz. cooked crispy carnitas, 14 grams of cheddar cheese and fold in half. Cook like a quesadilla and browned on both sides until crispy. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with chipotle sauce and fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
- All nutrition facts are an estimate and will change with any substitutions.
- When storing your leftover instant pot carnitas I suggest adding some of the liquid from the instant pot. You can add it all or just a couple cups of the broth. This will keep the meat from drying out in the fridge.
