Instant Pot Carnitas
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 2, 2025 
Crispy shredded Instant Pot Carnitas, a slow-cooked dish your can pressure cook in minutes for tacos, burritos, Mexican salads, and more!
Instant Pot Carnitas
There’s nothing quite like walking into a kitchen filled with the aroma of rich, spicy pork carnitas. The air feels warm and heavy around you, as the tantalizing blend of herbs and spices captures your thoughts and senses.
I’ve watched it happen dozens of times as friends and family walk into my kitchen. Their expressive reactions are pure magic. (I should set up a video camera to capture them!)
Yet it’s not only the smell of carnitas that does us in, it’s the decadent fatty essence contrasted by the vibrant blend of chiles, citrus, and herbs that dance on our palates. It’s the silky shredded pork texture, with little crispy charred bits around the edges.
It’s even the versatility of a recipe that can be served in so many ways, from simple street tacos with cilantro and onions to salads, nachos, burritos, rice bowls, and even soups and chilis.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I shared my best Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe several years ago, a recipe we make regularly. However, I recently decided I like carnitas even better when made in the pressure cooker!
Pressure cooking the pork intensifies the flavor so quickly that there’s no need to slow cook it, unless you like setting-and-forgetting dinner first thing in the morning.
So if you have an Instant Pot, or another type of electric pressure cooker, this recipe is for you!
Today’s Instant Pot Carnitas is the best way to get that luxurious carnitas taste and texture in a hurry. This pressure cooker carnitas recipe combines pork roast, onions and garlic, orange juice, spices, liquid smoke, and green chiles to create a tangy yet smoky flavor.
Our Instant Pot Carnitas are paleo, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and low carb so you can serve them to those with special dietary needs.
What Ingredients You Will Need
- Boneless pork butt roast
- Onion, peeled and chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Orange juice
- Green chiles
- Ancho chile powder
- Liquid smoke
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Carnitas in the Instant Pot
Tips for Success: If you like crispy restaurant-style carnitas, spread the pressure cooked meat on a baking sheet and place it under the broiler for about 5 minutes. The contrast of soft pork shreds with charred edges is utterly irresistible.
Find the full Instant Pot Carnitas recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Carnitas (or Chicken Carnitas)
The beauty of this easy pressure cooker carnitas recipe is that you can use the exact same proportions to make carnitas from beef and chicken.
- For Instant Pot Beef Carnitas substitute a 3 – 3.5 pound beef chuck roast for the pork, and follow the instructions as-is.
- For Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas substitute an equal amount of boneless skinless chicken breast. Make sure to add 1 tablespoon of oil when browning the chicken so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Try it with puffy fried tortillas for that little extra something!
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a great dish to prepare for meal prep, as it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This pork dish is great in tacos with corn tortillas, burrito bowls, or even nachos. Top these dishes with some salsa, lime juice, and wedges of limes, and a sprig of cilantro.
If you are not a fan of tender carnitas, you can broil them in the oven for a few minutes to create an extra-crispy texture around the edges.
No problem! You can make this recipe in your crockpot. Check out our Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe.
Instant Pot Carnitas
Video
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt roast
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4.5 ounces chopped green chiles (1 can)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Trim the extra fat off the pork roast and cut it into large 2-inch chunks. Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté. Sprinkle the pork chunks with the ancho chile powder, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. Add half the pork to the Instant Pot and brown on all sides. (The pork will pull away from the bottom of the pot when it's caramelized. No need to add oil.) Then transfer the pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork.
- Lift the pork chunks out of the pot. Sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes to soften. Then add the pork, orange juice, chopped green chiles, and liquid smoke to the pot. Stir well.
- Lock the lid into place. Set the Instant Pot on the Meat setting. Pressure cook for 30 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, turn off the Instant Pot and perform a Quick Release. When the steam valve button drops, it is safe to open the pot. Use tongs to shred the meat.
- You can serve the carnitas as-is or on corn or flour tortillas. For crispy restaurant-style carnitas, scoop the shredded pork out of the pot with a slotted spoon, and spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Broil the carnitas for approximately 5 minutes to form crispy edges. Then serve on tortillas or as a topping for salads and nachos.
Made this for dinner this week. It was so easy and delicious! Everyone in the family loved it.
This was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing.
I just made the chicken version tonight and my picky hubby scarfed three tortillas full. Super easy, super tasty, super recipe! Thank you for sharing!!
Delicious !!!! Delicious !!!!!! Easy to do and New to the instant pot this is the perfect recipe for it !!!!! Also love that you can use the slow cooker too !!!! thank you !!!!