Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas

These Instant Pot Carnitas are both crispy and mouthwateringly tender and juicy, cooked only in the pressure cooker. These carnitas are amazing served with rice and beans or as a favorite taco filling.

Instant Pot Carnitas

This Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas recipe is about as close as you can get to authentic carnitas in an Instant Pot. Pork is seared to crispy perfection and then simmered in seasonings until it's so tender that shredding is almost unnecessary, all done in a pressure cooker!

This is a straightforward, simple, and inexpensive recipe that results in the most tender and juicy bites of pork you can imagine.

It's lightly seasoned and has just hints of sweetness and fresh orange.

What Are Carnitas?

Carnitas literally means "little meats" in Spanish. It is a Mexican version of pulled pork, where pork is crisped up over high heat then simmered for hours with seasonings and lard until it's so tender that it falls apart to shred.

It is often served a main course or as a filling for tacos.

What Cut of Meat Should I Use for Instant Pot Carnitas?

I recommend pork butt or Boston butt. The marbling in this cut of meat is great for cooking in the Instant Pot and keeping a juicy, tender bite of pork.

Alternately, you can use pork shoulder, which has a little less marbling but will still stand up fairly well to the pressure cooker. Pork butt and pork shoulder both come from the shoulder area of the pork, but a butt will generally have a fat cap and more marbling, whereas shoulder will have slightly less marbling and hold its shape better.

Do I have to Use Lard?

Lard is used in traditional recipes. It's easy to find at most supermarkets or butchers, and also inexpensive.

If you're in a pinch, you can use olive oil or vegetable oil for this recipe as well.

How to Make Instant Pot Carnitas Crispy

In this recipe, we cook the pork on high heat with fat to sear all the edges, which adds the crispness.

If you wish to add more crispy texture, after cooking and shredded the carnitas, add the meat to a hot skillet on the stove and give it a quick sear.

Ways to Serve Instant Pot Carnitas

Carnitas is often served as a main course with rice and refried beans. This instant pot carnitas can also be served as the filling for tacos, burritos, flautas, enchiladas, or on top of nachos or tostadas.

Different salsas and toppings can also be added. Try a traditional tomato salsa or a fun pineapple salsa!

We typically serve these Instant Pot carnitas with refried black beans, rice, corn tortillas, pico de gallo or chopped onions, lime wedges, and sometimes a sprinkle of cotija cheese.

Can I Make Carnitas in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can! Here is my slow cooker carnitas recipe.

OR Simply cook this recipe in the slow cooker on low for about 8 hours. You can sear the pork in a skillet on the stove before adding it to the slow cooker or skip it.

More Mexican Recipes You'll Love

• Refried Black Beans - creamy slow simmered black with soft, comforting flavors.
• Authentic Guacamole - ultra creamy guacamole packed with flavor from tomato, jalapeno, onion, and lime.
• Instant Pot Barbacoa - tender beef in an earthy, spicy sauce. Goes great on tacos!
• Homemade Corn Tortillas - make the best tacos with easy and fresh tortillas!
• Cilantro Lime Rice - round out your meal with this zesty, fresh rice.

Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas Video