These Instant Pot Carnitas are easy, pretty darn healthy, and absolutely delicious. Full of amazing spices and fresh citrus juices. Perfect for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, and more!
Phew.
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You guyyyyyyys. I FINALLY feel like we’re pretty much completely settled into our new apartment in Raleigh!
And it feels soooooo goooood.
We’ve had a ton of fun decorating and making it home-y.
But.
I’m not gonna lie.
I’m kiiiiiinda glad we’re all done.
But.
It also makes me really excited for when we buy a house.
But.
For now.
We’re ENJOYING our newly decorated apartment.
I plan on taking some photos, because it’s reeeeeeally the first space we’ve ever decorated together, so keep an eye out! I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out. 🙂
Because we’ve been decorating the past month, I’ve definitely been thinking more about furniture and less about food (wait, what?!).
Because of that, I really needed dinners that came together in an INSTANT.
Instant Pot tooooo the rescue, yet again!
This time, in the form of Instant Pot Carnitas.
Easy AND they taste like heaven.
Don’t have an Instant Pot yet? Have no fear and check out my Slow Cooker Carnitas! They’re delish too. 🙂
It’s no secret that Trevor and I love Mexican food.
We literally try and get Mexican food every Friday.
Because. I mean.
What better way to celebrate the beginning of a weekend than with chips, salsa, and margaritas?!
Going out for Mexican food is great, but it’s also great making it at home.
Lately, I’ve been l.o.v.i.n.g. these instant pot carnitas.
They’re super quick and easy to make, and hellllooooo delicious and tender pork.
You’ll start by mixing together a spice rub: smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon (trust me), salt, and pepper.
Take that mixture and rub it all over boneless pork shoulder.
Set that aside while you heat up the instant pot. All you have to do is press the sauté button and wait until the front says “HOT”.
Add in some coconut oil to the instant pot, then add in the pork!
Brown each side for about 30 seconds, then you’ll remove the pork from the instant pot and set it aside.
Turn OFF the instant pot, then place some vinegar, fresh orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and soy sauce into the instant pot and give it a quick whisk to remove any of the brown bites from the bottom.
Add the pork back in, cover and lock the lid, then cook on HIGH pressure for 90 minutes.
Once the 90 minutes is up, all that’s left to do is shred the pork!
The result is insanely flavorful and tender pork carnitas that are P.E.R.F.E.C.T. for tacos, salads, nachos, quesadillas, and more!
Quick, easy, pretty darn healthy, tasty, AND it makes a ton . . .
Who’s ready for some instant pot carnitas?!
– Jennifer
Instant Pot Carnitas
4.67 from 3 votes
These Instant Pot Carnitas are easy, pretty darn healthy, and absolutely delicious. Full of amazing spices and fresh citrus juices. Perfect for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, and more!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 people
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Equipment for this recipe
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Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to less to taste (I use about 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder fat trimmed as best as possible
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil add more as needed to prevent burning
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice about 1/2 orange
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or gluten free alternative
Instructions
Mix together spices in a small bowl until well combined.
Rub evenly over pork. Set aside.
Press the saute button on your instant pot.
Once it reads HOT, add in coconut oil and melt.
Saute pork for 30-60 seconds on each of the six sides to brown.
Remove pork and hit CANCEL on instant pot.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and soy sauce.
Pour liquids into instant pot, scraping up the bottom to remove any spices.
Add in pork.
Cover and lock the lid (make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to sealing).
Cook using the manual button (set to high pressure) and adjust timer on the Instant Pot to 90 minutes.*
The Instant Pot will beep when it's finished. Flip the valve to "venting" for a quick release.
Shred pork with two forks and serve!
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STORING
Room Temp:N/A
Refrigerator:3-4 Days
Freezer:2-3 Months
Reheat:If frozen, thaw in fridge then microwave or reheat on stove
*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions
Notes
*It takes time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, THEN the timer will start counting down from 90 minutes.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Carnitas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 240 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 90mg30%
Sodium 808mg35%
Potassium 691mg20%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 35g70%
Vitamin A 670IU13%
Vitamin C 9.4mg11%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Keywords: easy, instant pot, pork shoulder
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Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
