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This Instant Pot Carnitas recipe is a family favorite! It’s so easy to make, and the leftovers make delicious meals like tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.
The pork comes out tender, flavorful, and ready to be made into tasty carnitas tacos, burrito bowls or taco salads. If you love this easy Instant Pot recipe, you’ll also love the flavors in these Healthy Veggie Quesadillas or this Chipotle Chicken Seasoning.
Why I Love Instant Pot Carnitas
Ready to eat: In about an hour
Ingredients: Pork tenderloin, spices, onions, diced green chiles, and diced tomatoes
Servings: About 6
Skill Level: Super easy!
Meal Prep Friendly? Absolutely – We like to freeze individual portions to go on salads, tacos, etc. for lunches.
Ingredients for Pork Carnitas
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Pork Tenderloin: I always look for the leanest one I can find. You can use another cut of meat (boneless pork shoulder roast is popular), but tenderloin is the leanest.
- Green Chile Salsa: Find one with the fewest ingredients you can.
- Diced tomatoes and Green chilies: Also called Rotel in some areas. Rotel is just tomatoes and green chilies.
How to make Instant Pot Carnitas
Step 1: Spray the bottom of your Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice one onion into thick slices and use them to cover the bottom of the pressure cooker. It’s ok if they overlap. Dice the other onion and set it aside.
Step 2: Add the pork on top of the onions. If you need to cut the pork into chunks so it fits better, you can do that.
Step 3: Sprinkle cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder, and place bay leaves on the pork.
Step 4: Add 1/2 of the green chili salsa and the entire can of Rotel on and around the pork. Do not stir the ingredients before cooking.
This recipe does not need any extra liquid added. The salsa and tomatoes are enough.
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Step 5: Set your pressure valve to Sealing and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes per pound of pork.
Allow a 15 minute natural release after the cook time is finished. This means that for 15 minutes after the cook time is done, don’t touch the sealing valve–the pressure will begin to release all by itself. After 15 minutes, flip the valve to Venting as shown in the picture above and allow the rest of the pressure to release.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Step 6: Remove the pork from the pot with a slotted spoon and shred meat with a mixer or two forks.
Step 7: Add the pork back to the pot. I like to let it sit for a few minutes and soak in the seasoned liquid.
Step 8: Serve with the rest of the bottle of green chile salsa, warm flour or corn tortillas, diced onions, and sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Recipe Tips
- If you’re looking to reduce the spicy heat in this recipe, leave the cayenne pepper out and reduce the chili powder to 1/4 tsp.
- Onion, garlic, pico de Gallo and a spritz of lime juice are great toppings and flavors that blend well with the meat.
- Store leftover Carnitas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to two months. I swear this recipe tastes even better the next day.
Instant Pot Carnitas FAQs
A spray of olive oil, a bed of chopped onions, pork tenderloin, spices, then diced tomatoes and green chiles on top. Don’t stir the ingredients before cooking so the tomatoes don’t give the burn warning.
Cooking your pork for too short or too long of a time can result in tough meat that is difficult to shred. To avoid this, follow a trusted recipe and make sure not to quick release your Instant Pot – naturally release the pressure so it finishes cooking and shreds easily.
Healthy Eating Plans
21 Day Fix Containers
I count these as follows: 3/4 cup of Pork Carnitas = 1 Red Container
2B Mindset
This is a great lunch or dinner recipe.
If you tried this recipe for Instant Pot Carnitas or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Easy Instant Pot Carnitas
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Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Sealing Rings
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork tenderloin
- 2 onion sliced thick
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 oz green chile salsa or diced green chiles
- 1 can Rotel: diced tomatoes and green chiles or tomatoes with diced green chilies
Instructions
- Spray the bottom of your Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice one onion into thick slices and use them to cover the bottom of the pot. It’s ok if they overlap. 2 onion
- Add the pork on top of the onions. If you need to cut the pork into chunks so it fits better, you can do that. 3 lbs pork tenderloin
- Sprinkle cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder, and place bay leaves on the pork. 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 bay leaves
- Add 1/2 of the green chile salsa and the entire can of Rotel on and around the pork. This recipe does not need any extra liquid added. The salsa and tomatoes are enough. 8 oz green chile salsa, 1 can Rotel: diced tomatoes and green chiles
- Flip your valve to Sealing and Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes per pound.
- Allow a 15 minute natural release after the cook time is finished. This means that for 15 minutes after the cook time is done, don’t touch the sealing valve–the pressure will begin to release all by itself. After 15 minutes, flip the valve to Venting and allow the rest of the pressure to release.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Remove the pork from the pot and shred with a mixer or two forks.
- Add the pork back to the pot. I like to let it sit for a few minutes and soak in the seasoned liquid.
- Serve with the rest of the bottle of green chile salsa, warm flour or corn tortillas, diced onions, and sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you soooooooooooooooo much for this recipe. Looks so good!!
Can u do this in a dutch oven thats made of cast iron
I’ve never done that, but I bet it would be SO good!!
What size tenderloin did you use? I’m trying the recipe with about two pounds, and I would like to know if the ingredients are sufficient as listed or if I need to double them. Thank you!
I’m also wondering about the size of the tenderloin you used (for ex. how many pounds?)
About 2 pounds, Sarah. Sorry, I think I accidentally answered Jenn in an email and not on the blog!
And how long did you cook your two lbs for?
I usually cook it for about 7 hours!
Hi I was wondering how spicy you think it will be? I got mild salsa. But with the Cayenne pepper? my husband is a wimp with spicy but i want a little kick. :) maybe i’ll cut back on the cayenne pepper Thanks!
I’m going to try this over the 4th weekend. We love Mexican with pork.
By the way – were you aware that when you click on this recipe on the main screen of Pinterest you get a recipe for orange roughy?
I can’t find the 21 day fix servings this equates to. Am I missing it? Thanks!
Hey Laurie: https://mycrazygoodlife.com/21-day-fix-pork-carnitas-recipe/
:)
I’m cooking this now and can’t wait! I see it shows how many 21 day fix servings. But how many servings of the entire recipe does it make so that I can dish out accordingly. Thanks
Hi Margie, It totally depends on how much meat you purchased :)
Could I cook it on high instead of low
I’m sure you could, just follow your slow cooker directions! Maybe a little less time if you’re cooking on high.
I just want to confirm 2 teaspoons of chili powder and 2 teaspoons of cayenne go on the pork. It doesn’t look like that much in the picture!
Yes! 2 teaspoons of each :)
WHAT, IF ANYTHING, CAN BE DONE WITH THE REMAINING SAUCE IN THE COOKER?
Hey Betty, I don’t use the extra sauce in the cooker. We use the meat out of the cooker and then discard the rest.
I take the chunks of pork and put under broiler until crispy. Then stir the liquid until reduced. Serve the reduced sauce along side with separate green salsa. Yum crispy pork tacos with 2 sauces!
Love the flavor of this recipe! Thx for this crock pot pork Carnitas !
I dumped everything remaining into a blender, added extra tomatoes and spices to make a sort of enchilada sauce. Thin it out with some stock or water if you want. Delicious addition to the tacos!
BRILLIANT!!!