Instant Pot Carnitas are quick, juicy, and full of flavor—made with pork shoulder, orange juice, and warm spices. Includes oven and slow cooker methods. My son says they’re better than takeout!
Why You Will Love These Instant Pot Pork Carnitas!
After years of cooking Mexican meals at home, I’ve learned that the right ingredients make all the difference. For these carnitas, I take the flavor a step further by using a good Mexican beer in the braising liquid—it adds a depth that really brings out the warm spices and citrus. But if beer’s not your thing, chicken broth works just fine too.
This recipe has become a favorite in our house—especially with our youngest son, who orders carnitas every time we go to Chipotle. I’ve tested this method in the Instant Pot, oven, and slow cooker, so no matter how you like to cook, you’ll get tender, flavorful pork every time. Make carnitas tacos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, bowls, burritos – go hog wild!
While the Instant Pot does its thing, whip up a Grilled Pineapple Mai Tai to pair with your carnitas—tropical, refreshing, and perfectly complementing that smoky pork. And don’t forget my Cilantro Lime Rice for a fresh, easy side that brings it all together.
Carnitas Instant Pot Recipe Ingredients
- Pork | The best cut for carnitas is boneless pork shoulder, also known as pork butt, Boston butt, or Boston shoulder, depending on where you live. This cut has just the right amount of fat, which melts into the meat and gives it that rich, tender texture carnitas are known for. Remove any excess fat and cut the meat into large chunks. You can also use boneless pork tenderloin in a pinch, but it won’t be quite as juicy or flavorful.
- Oil | I used avocado oil, make sure to use a high-heat vegetable oil.
- Spices | Ground cumin, oregano (regular or Mexican oregano), kosher salt, ground black pepper, and ground chipotle chile powder or regular chili powder will work too.
- Onion & Garlic | Flavor boosters right here!
- Cinnamon Stick | part of the traditional carnitas flavor
- Beer | Use a classic Mexican beer or a nice lager
- Citrus Juice: Like my Yucatan pork, we use fresh-squeezed orange juice and lime juice — you want to use fresh-squeezed citrus.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pork Carnitas (Instant Pot)
Step 1 | Make spice rub & marinate
Instant Pot carnitas cook in a fraction of the time, but to get the best flavor, a few extra steps go a long way.
Whisk the rub ingredients in a small bowl, then massage onto the pork pieces. For maximum flavor, marinate for at least 2 hours, and let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Short on time? You can skip the marinating and go straight to the next step.
Step 2 | Sear the meat in batches
Add oil to your Instant Pot and press the Saute button. When the pot reads “HOT”, add the meat, in small, uncrowded batches. When all pieces are crisp and browned, set aside on a plate. I also like to heat a skillet with a little oil, alongside the instant pot saute function. By working two batches at once, they will brown quicker and more crisp.
Brown the onions in the Instant Pot for a couple of minutes. Toss in the garlic and stir for the final minute, or until fragrant.
Step 3 | Deglaze Pan
Keep the Instant Pot on “HOT” and deglaze by pouring in the beer and scraping the leftover bits of meat, onion, and garlic off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the Instant Pot.
Place the meat back in the pot. Pour the cooking liquid over the meat (beer, orange juice, lime juice), onions, garlic, sprinkle oregano, and add the cinnamon stick.
Step 4 | Pressure Cook + High Altitude Pressure Times
Secure the lid to the pot with the vent in the pressure position. Set to Pressure Cook, Manual for 15 minutes cook time, (16-17 minutes for high altitude) it will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure. Follow with a quick release and remove the meat with a slotted spoon. Shred tender pork with two forks.
Fresh Tip
Only shred and crisp what you will be eating; freeze the rest with juices.
Step 5 | Crisp the shredded pork carnitas
While your oven preheats to broil, transfer the shredded pork to a sheet pan (lined with parchment paper for easy clean up). Pour some of the cooking liquid on top before placing the pan in the oven 8 inches from the broiler.
For perfectly crispy edges, broil for 7 minutes, then flip the meat and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Tada, you have tender, juicy and crispy pork carnitas from the Instant Pot! Serve immediately with lime wedges!
Fresh Tips
- To save time, brown some of the pork in a cast iron skillet while the rest sears in the Instant Pot. I recommend using the Instant Pot for at least one batch—the browned bits add tons of flavor.
- The spice rub strikes a nice balance of heat and earthiness. Make a big batch and store it in a mason jar for future meals.
- When broiling the shredded pork, go easy on the cooking liquid—too much and the meat won’t crisp up properly.
Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Pork Options: Use pork roast, pork tenderloin, or other cuts of pork, noting that these leaner meats will yield a less flavorful carnitas!
- Omit the beer altogether; it adds a lovely flavor, but it is not necessary if you prefer not to use beer. You may also replace it with chicken broth.
- The Copycat Chipotle Carnitas recipe includes juniper berries, but they can be challenging to find. Honestly, my family of picky eaters loved this Chipotle Copycat Carnitas recipe so much that I didn’t think it was necessary.
- Add More Veggies! The Mexican seasonings and tangy cooking liquid would taste delicious with additional veggies in the mix, such as any color bell pepper, red onions or even jalapeños for some more spice.
- Swap the pork out for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts and cook under pressure for 8-9 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then shred and crisp in the oven as instructed for the pork carnitas.
- Change your Spices: Add chipotle peppers, paprika or your favorite chili powder.
Cooking Variations
Oven Method
Preheat oven to 325°F. Sear pork in a Dutch oven with oil until browned; set aside. Sauté onions and garlic, then deglaze with beer or broth, scraping up browned bits. Stir in orange juice, lime juice, oregano, and a cinnamon stick. Return pork to the pot, cover, and bake for about 4 hours, or until tender. Shred and crisp under the broiler.
Slow Cooker Method
Sear pork in a hot skillet with oil, then set aside. Sauté onions and garlic, deglaze with beer or broth, and transfer everything to the slow cooker. Add orange juice, lime juice, oregano, and a cinnamon stick. Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 4–6 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender. Shred and broil to crisp.
How to serve carnitas?
- Serve shredded on a bowl of rice with your favorite veggies, and add some pickled red onion and serve with your favorite Mexican rice.
- Eat fajita style, with warmed flour tortillas, sour cream, guac, and sautéd veggies (throw them in while under pressure).
- Tacos of course! Loaded with all of your favorites, don’t forget a squeeze of lime and some chopped cilantro.
What to Serve with Carnitas?
- My favorite way to eat carnitas is either in soft taco form (flour or my favorite corn tortillas), loaded with Cilantro Lime Rice, chopped tomatoes, salsa, and topped with cheese, avocado, a little sour cream, and don’t forget the chopped fresh cilantro and fresh lime!
- Serve with refried beans or warmed canned black beans with a splash of lime and a dash of cumin. Or try my friend Julie’s black beans.
- You must of course have fresh salsa and guacamole and either baked or (air) fried tortilla chips.
- Mexican street corn would also be a winner with dinner!
- Don’t forget dessert! This popular key lime pie or healthier fried ice cream cake would be perfect for any Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo!
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas FAQs
The difference is very minor: pulled pork is slow cooked, shredded, and immediately served. Preparing carnitas, however, requires an additional step. The meat is then broiled in an oven to form a brown, crisp crust.
You can overcook anything! And if you do, the meat will become tough and dry. Follow the recipe’s timing and don’t overdo the crisping in the broiler for the final step.
Carnitas, literally meaning “little meats”, carne is meat. Carnitas is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the state of Michoacán. Chipotle carnitas recipe makes it recipe using thyme, juniper berries and bay leaves. Slow cooked or braised a for tender, pulled pork that is then crisped up in the broiler or in a cast iron skillet.
Carnitas is a pulled pork dish, that is slow cooked (or in this instance a pressure cooking carnitas recipe) or braised until is falls apart, fork tender. Carne asada on the other hand is made using beef and is typically marinated and then grilled to tender perfection.
After making this recipe more times than I can count, I’ve found that pork shoulder (also called pork butt) is hands-down the best cut for carnitas. It has the perfect balance of fat and meat, which gives you that tender, flavorful pork that crisps up beautifully. While pork butt delivers the richest texture and taste, I’ve also used pork roast and even pork tenderloin in a pinch—they’ll work, but the results won’t be quite as melt-in-your-mouth. If you want the most authentic, juicy carnitas, stick with pork shoulder when you can.
Storage & Reheating
Allow the carnitas to cool completely, then store them along with the juices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freezer for up to 3 months. I like to keep the chunks of pork whole when I freeze, so they will stay more tender when reheating.
Leftovers: Place desired number of hunks of tender pork carnitas in a small sauce pan with some added juices, over low heat, heat until cooked through, adding more liquid (water is fine) as needed. Shred pork with two forks directly in the pot and if desired, broil as described above for authentic pork carnitas.
Recommended Equipment
- Instant Pot | This is the Instant Pot I love and use. It is a 6-qt, which is perfect for our family of four.
- Rimmed Baking Sheet | I love this baking sheet, they are made in the USA.
Try these other Instant Pot Hits
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds pork shoulder or use shoulder, butt; boneless, trimmed and cut into large cubes (pork roast or tenderloins will work, but won't be as tender)
Carnitas Spice Rub
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil or other high-heat oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano regular or Mexican
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Carnitas
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 5 cloves garlic minced or diced
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 12 ounces Mexican beer or lager (may replace with chicken broth)
- 1 cup orange juice fresh squeezed, 2-2 ½ med oranges
- ⅓ cup lime juice fresh squeezed, 2-3 small limes
Instructions
- Mix together all rub ingredients in a small bowl, then rub onto pieces of pork tenderloin until covered. Allow to marinate for up to two hours, ideally. You may continue immediately, but the meat is much more flavorful if it marinates ahead of time.1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2-3 pounds pork shoulder
- Press saute on your Instant Pot and add a little drizzle of oil, once the display reads “HOT” place pieces of pork in and sear browning on all sides, do this in batches, do not crowd the pan. (See notes for how to speed this up)1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil
- Remove meat to plate until all is browned, set aside. Add onions to IP and brown for 1-2 minutes, adding garlic and stirring until fragrant for the last minute.1 medium onion, 5 cloves garlic
- With Instant Pot still on hot, slowly pour in beer/broth and scrape bottom of pan, releasing any browned bits, this is called deglazing the pot. Turn off the pressure cooker.12 ounces Mexican beer
- Return pork to the Instant Pot pouring the orange juice, lime juice, oregano and cinnamon stick into the pot. Cover and secure lid, with vent in pressure position. Press Pressure Cook, Manual at High Pressure for 15 minutes for regular and 16-17 minutes for high altitude. It will take about 5 minutes to come to pressure.1 teaspoon oregano, 1 stick cinnamon, 1 cup orange juice, ⅓ cup lime juice
- Once time has elapsed, perform a quick release, then remove the pork and shred with two forks. Or shred only what you will be eating, and keep the additional pork hunks in some of the cooking juices and freeze (cool completely first) for another time.
- Preheat the oven to broil. Place pork carnitas on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle a little cooking juice over the top. Broil for 7 minutes about 8 inches away from the broiler, flip the carnitas and broil again another 5 minutes if more crispy carnitas are desired.
- See notes for alternate cooking methods, variations, and what to serve with carnitas.
Notes
Let carnitas cool completely before storing. Refrigerate in their juices for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Reheating
Warm carnitas in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of juices or water. Heat gently until warmed through, shred if needed, and serve.
Nutrition
Nikki
These are so delicious! I made them for Taco Tuesday last night, and everyone loved them.
Yay! So glad you loved them!
80's gal
Pretty close to my recipe, but instead of beer, I use a bottle of Mexican coke.
Yum! Bet that gives it a slightly sweet flavor!
Julie
I’m always searching for the perfect Carnitas when we go out only to find that the best ones were in my own kitchen with your recipe! This carnitas was so delicious and simple to put together.
That is the nicest thing anyone has said to me this week! Thank you Julie!
Mindy
Made it using the Instant Pot and it was delicious! Had it with corn tortillas the first night for dinner, and then layer them onto top of tortilla chips to make nachos for lunch the second day! Both delicious – flavor is amazing! This will be going into our dinner rotation.
I need to add nacho’s to the list of ideas! YES! That is a great idea! Thanks Mindy!
Susannah
We made your carnitas this weekend and they were so good! I am really excited about having the leftovers for lunch today.
Leftovers are just as delicious, if not better!
Debi
My husband loved these carnitas. The instant pot is the way to go for big pieces of meat like this.
Yes, it sure is Debi!
Sandra Shaffer
Oh boy, carnitas are the best and making them in an Instant Pot is genius! So quick and I love the addition of beer. The hoppy flavor is perfect with the spices. You bet this will be on the menu often.
The flavor is amazing! So glad you loved it!
Sara Welch
Served this for dinner and it turned out perfectly juicy and tender; easily, a new favorite recipe! My whole family loved it!
Love hearing that Sara, thank you so much!
Anita
The addition of beer is something different from my usual carnitas recipe and one I am super eager to try. I bet it’s going to be awesome.
I think you will love it Anita!
Jamie
I love all the flavors in the spice rub! It’s so delicious and easy to make with the instant pot!
Thanks Jamie, it really is so very easy!
Sue
This sounds heavenly…love the beer and citrus in the sauce!
The flavor combo is amazing!
Jacqueline
Not heard of these before but love the addition of beer and citrus juice.
I hope you will try them, they are amazing!