Juicy and crispy instant pot carnitas are made easy with just 5 ingredients! Tender pork is cooked in a tangy tomatillo salsa and citrusy marinade, shredded and then pan-fried until crispy. Serve these garlicky pork carnitas wrapped up in warm tortillas or over a bed of rice and beans.
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Why I Love This Instant Pot Carnitas Recipe
I think the Instant Pot might just be my favorite kitchen gadget… but don’t tell the Crockpot I said that. There’s just nothing better than making tender, flavorful, crispy pork carnitas in just 1 hour! With this easy recipe, I really just have to sear the meat. Then, the pressure cooker does all the rest of the work for me. I love making this carnitas recipe on game day so I can actually hang out and enjoy myself without hovering over a stovetop! Check out even more reasons I’m so obsessed with this quick recipe:
- Easy: Sear the pork and then toss everything into the Instant Pot to let the carnitas practically cook themselves!
- Crispy & Flavorful: Cooked with salsa verde, citrusy mojo marinade and fresh garlic, these carnitas are exploding with flavor. Pan fry them to crisp the edges to take them to the next level!
- Budget Friendly: With just 5 ingredients, these carnitas won’t break the bank and are way cheaper than takeout.
- Versatile: Served in tortillas, a burrito bowl, lettuce wraps, sandwiches or in an omelette, the options are endless.
Love hearty and flavorful pork roast dinners? Try this Cuban lechon asado, easy crockpot pulled pork or Puerto Rican roasted pernil.
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for pressure cooker carnitas. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Boneless Pork Roast: Feel free to use a pork butt or boneless pork shoulder.
- Vegetable Oil: Corn and canola oil are great as well.
- Salsa Verde: Any store-bought salsa verde is okay as long as it’s not avocado-based!
- Mojo Marinade: Use my homemade version or if using store-bought, I find the Badia mojo to have the best flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic really is best for flavor, but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
How to Make Carnitas in Instant Pot
Just 3 simple steps are needed to make pork carnitas in instant pot: sear, cook and shred! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Sear: Use the pressure cooker to sear the pork on all sides. Pour the salsa and mojo marinade on top. Stir well.
- Pressure Cook: Seal the Instant Pot. Set it to manual pressure and set it for one hour.
- Shred: Do a “Quick Release” for the steam. Use two forks to shred the pork. Set it aside and reserve the cooking juices. You can serve the carnitas as is, or go the extra steps below to add more flavor with crispy edges.
- Season the Pork: Cook garlic with oil in a large skillet (or back in the instant pot set to sauté) until fragrant. Mix in the shredded pork. Pour in some of the reserved cooking juices and let the pork absorb them.
- Make Crispy: Spread out the pork and cook it until sizzling and crispy on the edges. Remove it from the heat, serve, and enjoy!
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Add Onion: Cut a large yellow onion into quarters and add the pieces to the Instant Pot. It’ll release lots of fragrance and flavor. You can also add thinly sliced onion when you sauté the pork with the garlic!
- Crisp in Oven: Skip the pan-frying and spread out the carnitas on a baking sheet. Broil them for few minutes, watching closely, until crispy.
- Chop Them: Chopping the carnitas will give you a meatier bite. Use a large knife to chop the carnitas into small chunks if you don’t want to shred them.
- Make it Spicy: The best way to boost the heat is to use a spicy salsa. You can also add a diced jalapeño or Serrano peppers.
- Crockpot: I have a slow cooker carnitas recipe if you prefer!
- Save the Cooking Juices: Use as a base for my arroz con pollo or Mexican soups like this pork pozole verde!
What to Serve with Pork Carnitas
Instant Pot carnitas are the perfect dinner with homemade corn tortillas or flour tortillas for tacos and burritos. Serving them over mexican rice for a bowl-style meal is great too. For bean sides, try my refried beans, charro beans or Cuban black beans.
Serving these carnitas as tacos? Try these topping options:
- Salsa: Traditional salsas, corn salsa or homemade Pico de Gallo.
- Green: Diced avocado or guacamole, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
- Dairy: Mexican Crema, sour cream or crumbled Mexican cheese.
Instant Pot Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless pork roast
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 16 oz salsa verde
- 20 oz mojo marinade, I prefer the Badia mojo for store bought
- 8 large cloves garlic, minced
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Instructions
- Turn instant pot on to sauté. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sear pork on all sides. Add salsa verde and mojo marinade on top of pork. Stir to combine.
- For a 3 lb pork roast, cook at pressure for 65 minutes (I used the meat/stew setting). For a 2 lb pork roast, cook at pressure for 50 minutes.
- Do a quick release of steam. Shred pork in a large bowl and reserve the liquid pork was cooked in.
Crispy Carnitas
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. (You can also do this in the instant pot on the sear setting.)
- Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add shredded pork and toss to coat in olive oil and garlic.
- Add 1.5 cups of liquid you saved that the pork cooked in. Cook, tossing often until liquid has cooked out. Repeat this step. (You can continue doing this as many times as you want until the meat has tons of flavor. I usually do this twice and taste to see.)
- Once your meat is flavored to your tastes, spread pork out into an even layer. (You may need to work in batches!) Cook over high heat, turning once or twice, until sizzling and crispy in spots.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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