Instant Pot Carnitas – juicy, flavourful, and tender, it is an easy and versatile recipe! Great for meal prepping, a quick dinner, or to freeze for later. (Slow cooker instructions included)
Pressure Cooker Carnitas
So what are carnitas? Carnitas are a braised or roasted pork served shredded in small pieces. They are often used as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc. You may even recognize it on the Chipotle menu!
Carnitas are quite easy to make – even easier if you have an Instant Pot! As recommended by the official Instant Pot website, pork is cooked for 15 minutes per pound so these recipe only takes 45 minutes to “braise” in the Instant Pot. If you have a smaller piece of pork, it would take even less time!
What I love about these Instant Pot Carnitas is that when a batch is made, they can be used in many ways. Having a batch in the fridge can make meal time much easier. Down below, I’ve listed some ideas on what to use carnitas for.
What You Need To Make This Instant Pot Carnitas
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- dried basil
- dried oregano
- salt & pepper
- pork leg/shoulder/butt
- onions
- garlic
- orange juice
- lime
What Cut Of Meat Do You Use For Pulled Pork / Carnitas
The best cut of meat to use for making carnitas would be pork shoulder. It might be called pork butt roast or Boston butt in the grocery store. It is best cut to use for carnitas due to its marbling/fat (that cooks aways and) leaves your pulled pork juicy and tender.
How To Make This Easy Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe
- Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.
- Place the pork into the Instant pot then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.
- Press the “manual” button and set Instant Pot for high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Quick release, remove the pork and shred. Place the meat back into the IP and put it on sauté mode and let the juices thicken and coat the meat more.
- Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.
Is This Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe Whole30?
Yes! The carnitas themselves are Whole30 friendly – you can also use lettuce wraps as a sub for tortilla shells if you want them taco style!
Make These Carnitas in a Slow Cooker
I know not everyone has an Instant Pot so here’s an alternative cooking method! The trusty slow cooker!
- Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.
- Place the pork into the slow cooker then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.
- Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Once done, remove the pork and shred before placing it back in the slow cooker for 30 more minutes.
- Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.
Ideas for What To Use The Carnitas for
- tacos
- burritos
- salad
- quesadilla
- bbq sandwiches
- breakfast omelette
- pizza topping
- shawarma
- chilaquiles
- tamales
Tips for Freezing Carnitas / How To Freeze Pulled Pork
- You can prep these carnitas as a freezer meal by freezing the seasoned pork, onion, garlic, orange juice, and lime in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag then dumping it into your Instant Pot or slow cooker after thawing.
- Alternatively you can cook your carnitas in a large batch and then freeze the cooked carnitas. Make sure you use an airtight container or press all the air out of the ziploc to avoid freezer burn. To reheat and crisp the carnitas back up, place thawed meat in the oven for around 20 minutes.
Instant Pot Carnitas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt & pepper, or a pinch
- 3 lbs pork leg/shoulder/butt
- 1 large onions
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 lime juice
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.
- Place the pork into the Instant pot then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.
- Press the “manual” button and set Instant Pot for high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Quick release, remove the pork and shred. Place the meat back into the IP and put it on sauté mode and let the juices thicken and coat the meat more.
- Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Mix together all your spices and rub onto the pork. If you have time, I’d recommend letting it sit for an hour but if not, that’s fine as well.
- Place the pork into the slow cooker then onions, garlic, 1 cup of orange juice, and the juice of one lime.
- Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Once done, remove the pork and shred before placing it back in the slow cooker for 30 more minutes.
- Optional: Using a slotted spoon, place the shredded pork onto a sheet pan and put some of the liquids on before placing it under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp it up.
Meat
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WANT MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES?
- Healthier Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Healthy Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Spicy Chicken and Rice, Inspired by Chipotle
- Healthy Greek Chicken and Rice Instant Pot Meal Prep + Video
- Vietnamese Bun Cha Inspired Meatballs
- Instant Pot Meatballs and Couscous
- Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
- Instant Pot Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Parmesan Sauce
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
Vlogs/Recipe Videos: Youtube
Gina
This recipe is easy and fabulous. Love it!
Carmy
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Gloria
I don’t have an Instant Pot, but do have a stovetop pressure cooker and a slow cooker. I will easily adapt this for either of those. We LOVE Mexican food….so I know my family would love this in the rotation for sure.
Lisa Lotts
Boston butt is probably my favorite cut of pork for its flavor, tenderness (when braised or smoked) and versatility. You’re so right, just having a batch of these carnitas in the house will open up so many lunch and dinner options all week long. I think I’d even stuff a breakfast omelet with a little of this porky goodness with cheese, avocado and salsa! Muy bueno!
Sean
Great recipe, with lots of helpful tips on how to use it. I like that you’ve got a lot of onion and garlic in the Instant Pot with the pork – really helps build the flavour (especially along with the spices) while keeping things neutral enough to use in a wide variety of dishes.
Debra
Is there anything that instant pot doesn’t do well? Seriously, we don’t need an excuse for taco night…but quick, easy and tasty pushes us over the top.
Dana
My stomach is growling right now. I’ve been wanting to dig out the IP for a while now, I just haven’t really felt inspired. BUT NOW I AM. Totally making these this weekend. My husband will be thrilled since we don’t do pork often, haha.
Trish Bozeman
OK, my husband would FLIP over this. I’m always testing vegetarian dishes in our Instant Pot, and he would adore it I made a flavorful meat dish for him. Hello Valentine’s Day, LOL! Love how you kept it light with the lettuce cups and avocado and corn. Great recipe, Carmy!