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I love that my Instant Pot can make the most delicious and crispy pork in a fraction of the time it takes in a conventional oven. I like to serve these instant pot carnitas stuffed into tortillas for a tasty Taco Tuesday!
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“Tried this last week, worked great, my carnitas are delicious and most of all quick, thanks Becky!” -Pete
Easy Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe
I love carnitas, but I hate that I don’t always have the time to make them! Enter these Instant Pot carnitas. They are everything I want from carnitas—flavorful and perfectly crispy. But they require very little effort and are much quicker to prepare than traditional carnitas.
I like to pile the juicy, crispy, and perfectly seasoned pork into tacos, burritos, or quesadillas for the ultimate Mexican-inspired meal. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, try these sangria pork carnitas or Crockpot beef carnitas.
Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. pork shoulder pork butt, washed and cut into large chunks
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 onion cut into large slices (like apple slices)
- 1 head of garlic outer husk removed and top sliced off to expose the garlic
- 3 serrano peppers or 2 jalapenos, cut in half and seeds removed
- 2 oranges juiced
- 2 limes juiced
- 1½ cups Coca Cola
Video
Instructions
- In a large flat container or bowl, mix the oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Sprinkle all sides of the meat with the mixture and place in the instant pot.5 lbs. pork shoulder, 2 tsp Mexican oregano, 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
- Place the onion and chilis in the instant pot. Then place the garlic, cut side down, on the meat.1 onion, 1 head of garlic, 3 serrano peppers
- Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and coke over the meat.2 oranges, 2 limes, 1½ cups Coca Cola
- Seal the instant pot and set the meat cycle for 90 minutes.
- When the time has finished, let it slow release.
- Open and place the meat on a cutting board or plate. Remove any pieces of fat and using two forks pull the meat apart.
- Set the broiler for 500°F and cover a cookie sheet in tin foil.
- Place meat on the cookie sheet. Spoon some of the broth over the meat. Place under the broiler till crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir the meat and crisp again.
- Remove meat from the oven and serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Instant Pot Carnitas Step by Step
Season the pork: In a large flat container or bowl, mix 2 tsp Mexican oregano, 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over meat and then place the meat in the instant pot.
Add onion and chilis: Place 1 onion and 3 serrano chilis in the instant pot. Then place one bulb of garlic, cut side down, on the meat.
Add the liquid ingredients: Pour the juice of 2 oranges and 2 limes, as well as 1 ½ cups of Coke, over the meat.
Cook: Seal the instant pot and set the meat cycle for 90 minutes. When the time has finished, let it slow release.
Shred the pork: Take the meat out of the instant pot and place it on a cutting board or plate. Remove any fat, and using two forks, pull the meat apart.
Broil: Set the broiler for 500°F and cover a cookie sheet in tin foil. Place the meat on the cookie sheet, spoon some of the broth over it, and place it under the broiler till crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir the meat and crisp again.
Serve: Remove meat from the oven and serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.
How to Store
If, by some miracle, you have some leftovers, they will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them on a cookie sheet at 400°F for around 10 to 15 minutes until heated through to serve.
These Instant Pot carnitas are freezer-friendly and are great for easy meal prep. Let them cool before placing them in freezer bags or an airtight container, and they will keep well for up to 6 months.
Thaw the pork in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
These pulled pork carnitas can be used in so many ways. I love to pile them on tortillas to make street tacos, and they are awesome in burritos and quesadillas.They are perfect for Taco Tuesday. I find it’s all about the toppings, so I always add a dollop of guacamole along with either pico de gallo or blender salsa.
Tried this last week , worked great , my carnitas are delicious and most of all quick , thanks Becky !
This are not carnitas at all, this pull pork. Carnitas are cooked in lard in a big cooper pot for at least 4 hours. You won’t find this carnitas in any carnitas place in México, and if you do, they won’t call it carnitas. So please, stop calling carnitas what are not carnitas.
I am sorry you are not a fan of the recipe name!
David Nila, you live in the U.S. and yes this recipe is correct. Mexico makes their recipes different and I truest love this recipe!🌮🌮🌮🌮 I ❤️ My Pork Carnitas!!!!
You really mean cook 90 min. under pressure in Instant Pot? A third of that would leave pork ready to shred.
You can definitely modify it to your liking!
90 min on low or high?
We used the Meat/Stew function :)
I made this and we all loved it. One night we had the pork carnitas on tacos with a roasted sweet corn rice and cilantro slaw and we had the leftovers on nachos. So good! Can’t wait to make it again
Thanks for sharing, Jen!!
Do you remove the onions and peppers before shredding the pork?
Do you remove
This is amazing!!! I only wish I made a bigger batch. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Teresa!