Make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas for taco night! Shredded pork, orange juice, onions and spices flavor this easy, delicious dish (8 servings)!
“Wow… these are SO GOOD” were the first words out of my mouth after taking my first couple of bites of Instant Pot Pork Carnitas! The flavor of the shredded pork was fantastic, and the meat was so tender and juicy! I found this recipe in one of the first Instant Pot cookbooks I ever bought and LOVE it!
Instant Pots are known for quickly pressure cooking many foods, and MEAT always seems to turn out well when cooked in one. This simple recipe produces flavorful, juicy shredded pork for tacos, but the meat can also be used in burritos or enchiladas!
Carnitas is the name given to this Mexican dish (translated it means “little meats”). For this version, a pork shoulder roast (3 pound) is cooked with citrus juice, onions, garlic, and a variety of spices until it is tender.
The well-seasoned pork shoulder is cooked, shredded, and then used to fill taco shells. Carnitas tacos are garnished with cilantro, chopped onions, and hot sauce (optional), and served. They are so good, and I’m confident you’ll love them! Here’s how to make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Make The Sauce
Place chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt into the Instant Pot. Add fresh orange juice and stir until the ingredients are combined.
Add The Remaining Ingredients
Add 1 yellow onion that has been cut into wedges, minced garlic and 1 bay leaf (found in the Spice section at the grocery store).
Cut a 3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast into 2″ chunks, and add the pieces to the other ingredients in the Instant Pot.
Stir well, until all the pieces of pork have been coated with the orange juice and spice mixture. Now let’s cook the carnitas!
Cooking The Pork Carnitas
Lock the lid of the Instant Pot in place, and flip the Pressure Release knob to SEALING. Press the MANUAL button and program it for 35 minutes of cooking at High pressure. NOTE: If your machine has a Meat/Stew setting, you can use that (same cooking time/pressure).
Most Instant Pot appliances take between 13-15 minutes to reach full pressure, then the programmed cooking time begins. The pressure button will pop up when the Instant Pot has reached full pressure.
Once done, let the pressure release NATURALLY for 20 minutes. The Instant Pot will keep track of the time as the pressure is naturally released.
After 20 minutes, flip the Pressure Release knob over to VENTING. This will allow any remaining steam to quickly release. The Instant Pot can be safely opened once the pressure button has dropped back down.
Shred The Pork
Transfer the pork to a cutting board or large plate. Use two forks to shred the pork into smaller pieces, then set the pork aside.
Remove as much pork fat (or grease) as possible from the liquid in the Instant Pot. Lift the inner pot out to do this. The pot is very hot, so protect your hands by wearing oven mitts. You can use a fat separator or spoon the grease off the top. Reserve 1 Tablespoon of the fat/grease and set it aside to be used later (discard the rest of the grease)!*
Pour the remaining orange juice/spice liquid back into the inner pot. Add the shredded pork, then stir to fully combine. Place the inner pot back inside the Instant Pot.
TIP: If making this ahead of time, lock the lid in place, flip the Pressure Release knob to VENTING and push the KEEP WARM button. This will keep the pork carnitas mixture warm for as long as 10 hours.
Ten Minutes Before Serving
About 10 minutes before serving, put the reserved Tablespoon of pork grease/fat in a large skillet (use cast iron if you have it). Heat the fat on Medium-High.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shredded pork from Instant Pot into the skillet, spreading it evenly. Heat the pork for 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has browned and become slightly crisp. If the pork starts to dry out too much, add a small amount of the remaining liquid in the Instant Pot, and stir it in.
Prepare the corn tortillas for the tacos. If you’re using store bought taco shells, heat them per the package instructions. When you’re cooking/shaping them yourself, cook them in hot oil, and drain on paper towels.
Time To Enjoy Instant Pot Pork Carnitas!
Fill the taco shells with the carnitas mixture, then top each taco with chopped onions, cilantro (and hot sauce), and serve!
The recipe yields a fair amount of shredded pork, enough for approx. 8 servings (two tacos each). We use small tortillas (5″), but if you use large tortillas (8″), you may only have enough for 6 servings.
We LOVE Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos, because there’s so much flavor in the pork from the onions, garlic, orange juice and spices! I’m sure you’ll love them, too!
I hope you have the chance to make these absolutely delicious pork carnitas! They taste fantastic, and it’s so convenient to make them early in the day. You can keep the meat WARM in the Instant Pot until you’re ready for dinner. YUM!
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you… and have a wonderful day!
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Original recipe source (highly recommend): “The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook”, by Coco Morante, page 185, published in 2018 by Ten Speed Press
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas for taco night! Shredded pork, orange juice, onions and spices flavor this easy, delicious dish (8 servings)!
Category: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: instant pot, pork carnitas
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 184 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled, cut in wedges
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 pound boneless pork shoulder roast cut into 2" chunks
For serving: corn tortillas, chopped onion and cilantro, hot sauce (as desired)
Place chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt in the Instant Pot. Add orange juice; stir until ingredients are combined, then add onion wedges, garlic, bay leaf and pork. Stir until all pork chunks are fully coated with sauce.
Lock the lid in place, and set the Pressure Release knob to SEALING. Press the MANUAL button; program it for 35 minutes of cooking at High pressure. NOTE: If your machine has a Meat/Stew setting, you can use that also (same cooking time/pressure). It should take 13-15 minutes to reach full pressure, then the programmed cooking time will begin. *The pressure button will pop up when it's reached full pressure.
Once done, let the pressure release NATURALLY for 20 minutes. The Instant Pot will keep track of the time as the pressure is released. After 20 minutes, flip the Pressure Release knob over to VENTING. This allows any remaining steam inside to quickly release. The Instant Pot can be safely opened once the pressure button has dropped back down.
Transfer the pork pieces (using tongs) to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, then set the pork aside.
Lift the inner pot out (it's hot, so wear oven mitts!). Remove as much pork fat/grease as possible from the liquid by using a fat separator or by spooning it off the top. **Reserve 1 Tablespoon of the fat/grease; set it aside to be used later (discard remaining fat/grease).** Pour remaining juice/spice liquid back into the inner pot. Stir in the shredded pork until combined. Place inner pot back in the Instant Pot. Lock the lid back in place, flip the Pressure Release knob to VENTING and push the KEEP WARM button. **This keeps the pork carnitas mixture warm for as long as 10 hours (in case you prepare it early in the day).
Ten minutes before serving, put the reserved Tablespoon of pork grease/fat in a large skillet (use cast iron if you have it). Heat the fat on Medium-High. Use a slotted spoon to transfer shredded pork from Instant Pot into the skillet, spreading it out evenly. Cook the pork for 8-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's browned and slightly crisp. If the pork dries out too much, add a small amount of the remaining liquid in the pot, and stir it in.
Prepare taco shells (your preferred method). Fill taco shells with carnitas mixture, top with chopped onions, cilantro and taco sauce, as desired. Serve and enjoy!
NOTE: The caloric calculation is for the pork carnitas only. It does not include tortillas and toppings (chopped cilantro/onion/taco sauce), as these amounts will vary per user.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/8 of total))
Calories 184 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 554mg24%
Potassium 477mg14%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 729IU15%
Vitamin C 14mg17%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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