Now that I have 2 kids it can be challenging to prepare meals every day but I still want to give my family healthy homemade meals. I discovered the Instant Pot and it changed my life. I use it almost daily and it has been a life saver on those days where I have little time to cook.
I love that I can put the food in it and walk away. I don’t have to worry about food burning and once I hear it beeping I know I have dinner ready! Plus there’s something about cooking in an Instant Pot that makes your food taste so much better.
If you have an Instant Pot already I bet you can relate to my love for this amazing appliance. I love it so much that a friend and I created a Facebook group so we can all share our favorite recipes. If you want to join just click here. It’s all about sharing Instant Pot recipes for busy parents.
Today I’m going to share with you my husband’s favorite recipe. To be honest, I don’t eat pork and I didn’t like to cook it nor knew how to make it tasty but I started experimenting with pork in the Instant Pot so I could surprise my husband with pork every now and then. That’s how this recipe was born and it soon became a staple in my home.
This is a very versatile recipe. Once you make the pork carnitas you can serve them many different ways so it’s great to make a big batch and just eat it during the week. You can serve these pork carnitas on tortillas for tacos, quesadillas, or burritos and they’re even great on top of a salad.
This recipe is really easy to make and I’m sure it’ll be a favorite in your home too!
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs. pork roast
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 diced jalapeno, deseeded
- 1 shredded carrot
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 orange cut in half
- 2 tsp. Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. oregano
- 2 tbsp. cumin
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
- Small corn or gluten free tortillas
Other Instant Pot recipes you might like:
- Instant Pot Buttery Lemon Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala with Spaghetti Squash
- Slow cooker whole chicken {in Instant Pot}
- 3 Minute Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Cottage Cheese Recipe
- Instant Pot Peaches and Cream Quinoa
Directions:
Preheat Instant Pot to sauté setting.
Combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and chili powder to make a rub. Cover the pork roast with the rub and be sure to use all the seasoning.
Heat the coconut oil or ghee in the Instant Pot. Place the pork in the Instant Pot to sear while still on the sauté setting. Sear on each side for a few minutes until the sides start getting crispy.
Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. Use a spoon to gentle mix and spread out ingredients. Squeeze the juice from orange over the roast, and toss the orange back in the Instant Pot to cook with the roast.
Place the lid on Instant Pot and lock into place. Make sure the valve is sealed.
Adjust the setting to cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. When it’s done cooking, let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize.
Shred the pork and place back in the Instant Pot with the juices. Let set for 10 minutes to soak in the flavor.
Serve these pork carnitas on tortillas for tacos, quesadillas, burritos or on top of a salad. Our favorite way to eat them is on a soft tortilla topped with avocado, cilantro and a dash of paprika.
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
This is a very versatile recipe. Once you make the pork carnitas you can serve them many different ways so it’s great to make a big batch and just eat it during the week. You can serve these pork carnitas on tortillas for tacos, quesadillas, or burritos and they’re even great on top of a salad.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork roast
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 diced jalapeno, deseeded
- 1 shredded carrot
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 orange cut in half
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
- Small corn or gluten free tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat Instant Pot to sauté setting.
- Combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and chili powder to make a rub. Cover the pork roast with the rub and be sure to use all the seasoning.
- Heat the coconut oil or ghee in the Instant Pot. Place the pork in the Instant Pot to sear while still on the sauté setting. Sear on each side for a few minutes until the sides start getting crispy.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. Use a spoon to gently mix and spread out ingredients. Squeeze the juice from orange over the roast, and toss the orange back in the Instant Pot to cook with the roast.
- Place the lid on Instant Pot and lock into place. Make sure the valve is sealed.
- Adjust the setting to cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. When it’s done cooking, let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize.
- Shred the pork and place back in the Instant Pot with the juices. Let set for 10 minutes to soak in the flavor.
- Serve these pork carnitas on tortillas for tacos, quesadillas, burritos or on top of a salad.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 1006Total Fat: 71gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 278mgSodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 73g
Please keep in mind that these nutritional values are estimates, based on the ingredients, and it might not be accurate.
You have a picture of a carrot, is it supposed to be in the recipe?
Sorry! I forgot to add it to the ingredients. I don’t use it every time but it helps with the flavor.
Don’t you have to add water to a pressure cooker in order to create the steam to cook?
No, it cooks with the juices from the pork. 🙂
I was a little concerned about not adding liquid, but I trusted and it turned out wonderfully! I also cut my pork into six smaller chunks, which, I think allowed it to cook my evenly and quickly. Delicious!!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for coming back to let me know. 🙂
My instant pot wouldn’t pressurize without adding a cup of water.
That’s odd. I’ve never added water to anything, except when I’m making mashed potatoes. Have you tried again?
I cooked my pork, same size as the recipe for 50 min. And it would not shred. Cook longer??
Hi Suzanne, sorry for the late response. Sometimes cooking times vary a little depending on the amount of fat on the pork. I would cook 10 more minutes if that happens to you again.
Do you have this without all the pictures? I want to print it out. Thanks!
Sorry April! I don’t have that option yet but I’m working on it.
I have a 2 lb roast. Should I change the time of leave it for 50 minutes?
You should be fine with 50 minutes. Just check to make sure it’s well done once you’re done cooking.
If you read the directions, you always have to add 1 cup of a thin liquid.
What kind of pork roast did you use?
I buy whatever is on sale. ?
These look so good. I really want to try them with soft tortillas. Do you have the recipe to make soft torlillas?
No, i don’t. I usually just buy the tortillas. ?
How many people does this recipe feed?
4-8 people, depending on how many tacos they eat.
The directions with my 6 quart instant pot say specifically to add at least 2 cups of liquid to any food cooked in the pot. Maybe I will try using the insert with a second bowl?
You don’t need 2 cups of water for every recipe since the food also contains some water.
I cook frozen chicken breasts with just a jar of salsa and they come out great.
Just follow the recipe and it’ll come out tasty! 🙂
I am allergic to oranges. Is there another citrus fruit that will work?
You can use a lime or grapefruit or just skip it all together.