Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Tender and juicy shredded pork made in the Instant Pot, served Mexican style with Pico de Gallo, fresh avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime!
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This recipe starts off with a pork shoulder, cut into large chunks and pressure cooked in an Instant Pot until it’s falling apart and tender!
Flavored with citrus zest and juice, Mexican inspired spices, garlic, onion and jalapeño pepper, this pork tastes amazing!
After it finished cooking in the Instant Pot, it’s shredded and lighted crisped under the broiler for a few minutes to finish it off.
Fresh, crispy romaine lettuce leaves cradle a helping of the pork, then topped with Pico de Gallo, diced avocado, sour cream and a squeeze of lime. This recipe takes a few easy steps to make, but it’s so worth it!
What’s in Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Boneless pork shoulder
- Chicken stock
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Jalapeño pepper
- Orange
- Limes
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Dried oregano
- Bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to Make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting.
Add the olive oil to the pot and sear each side of the pork, remove and set aside.
Add in the onions, salt and pepper, then sauté for about 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and continue sautéing for another 20 seconds.
Next, add in the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and allow to toast while stirring for about 10 seconds.
Stir in the chicken stock to deglaze the pot and scrape up the brown bits of flavor.
Then stir in the lime and orange juice and zest and jalapeño pepper.
Add the pork back in and place the bay leaf on top. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to sealing.
Turn the pressure cook/manual setting to high pressure for 90 minutes, then allow it to release the pressure naturally.
If you’re pressed for time, you can quick release after 5-10 minutes.
Remove the pork and pull apart.
You will not need a knife, it will fall apart easily!
Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet in one single layer, pour some of the juices over the top and broil for 5-7 minutes or until the meat crisps up to your liking.
You don’t want to crowd the pan, otherwise it will steam instead of crisping up. Keep a close eye on it, because it can go from crispy to burnt very quickly!
Serve with a generous squeeze of lime in a Keto friendly tortilla, or lettuce cup. Garnish with Pico de Gallo, avocado, sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro.
What is Pork Carnitas?
Carnitas means “little meats” in Spanish. It’s type of braised or roasted pork in Mexican cuisine. Pork carnitas are traditionally made using the heavily marbled pork shoulder or Boston butt.
Can I Make Pork Carnitas in a Slow Cooker?
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, there’s no reason for you to miss out on these fantastic Keto Carnitas.
All you have to do to adapt this to a slow cooker recipe is, just sear the chucks of pork in a large cast iron or nonstick skillet. Be sure to get good color on all sides. Transfer the pork to your slow cooker and proceed with the same instructions give for the Instant Pot.
Set your slow cooker on low and cook for about six hours or until the pork is tender.
Are There Carbs in Pork
Pork, like most meat, contain zero carbs. Because these Pork Carnitas are seasoned and cooked in citrus juice, it does add about 1 gram of carb.
In addition to the seasonings and juice,you’ll want to make sure your macros are calculated correctly, so be sure to adjust for any toppings you add.
Are Pork Carnitas Keto?
Pork, of course is Keto. Where you have to be careful with carbs is what you cook it in. For instance, a lot of seasoning blends have maltodextrin or other preservatives that are not Keto friendly, may cause inflammation or have hidden carbs.
What Do I Serve with Pork Carnitas?
- If you serve them as a lettuce wrap, you can add toppings to make it a complete meal.
- Serve a helping of Keto carnitas over Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice for a wonderful full course meal.
- Leftover low carb carnitas are perfect for meal prep. Serve over a green salad for a quick and easy lunch.
- You can serve pork carnitas along side any Keto side dish- try it with Cheesy Roasted Asparagus, Mexican Cauliflower Rice or Easy Keto Coleslaw
If you’d like more tips for meal prep, check out this article,” 25 Keto Meal Prepping Ideas,” for great inspiration.
Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.
Not a fan of lettuce wraps? You can serve in these homemade Keto Tortillas instead!
More Keto Pork Recipes
- Keto Fried Cabbage with Bacon
- Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice
- Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- Thai Red Curry Coconut Pork
- Roasted Cauliflower Ham and Cheese Casserole
- Pork Chops with Bacon Mushroom Gravy
- Easy Stir Fry Pork
- Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy
The Instant Pot model that I have is the Instant Pot DUO80 8 Quart 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer
More Keto and Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot No-Bean Chili
- Easy Instant Pot “Roasted” Chicken
- Instant Pot One Hour Chicken Stock
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Instant Pot Ropa Vieja
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
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Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 4 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into large chunks
- 1/2 cup chicken stock, see my recipe
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and rib removed, finely diced
- zest and juice of 1 large orange
- juice and zest of 3 limes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil to the pot and sear each side of the pork, remove and set aside.
- Add in the onions, salt and pepper, then sauté for about 2 minutes, then add in the garlic and continue sautéing for another 20 seconds.
- Next, add in the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and allow to toast while stirring for about 10 seconds. Stir in the chicken stock to deglaze the pot and scrape up the brown bits of flavor. Then stir in the lime and orange juice and zest and jalapeño pepper.
- Add the pork back in and place the bay leaf on top. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to sealing.
- Turn the pressure cook/manual setting to high pressure for 90 minutes, then allow it to release the pressure naturally. If you’re pressed for time, you can quick release after 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the pork and pull apart. You will not need a knife, it will fall apart easily! Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet in one single layer, pour some of the juices over the top and broil for 5-7 minutes or until the meat crisps up to your liking. You don’t want to crowd the pan, otherwise it will steam instead of crisping up. Keep a close eye on it, because it can go from crispy to burnt very quickly!
- Serve with a generous squeeze of lime in a Keto friendly tortilla, or lettuce cup. Garnish with Pico de Gallo, avocado, sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro. Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.
Rate this Recipe
Thanks for another great recipe. I plan on making this the next time I go shopping for my meal prep recipes. I love Mexican flavors.
You are so welcome! I hope you’ll enjoy it! The flavors are so good.
Did you give the carb count on this – I couldn’t find it. Also could you estimate how much of the meat is in one serving. We have been getting Chipotle keto bowl and I know it will be much better if I make it.
I did actually, but my recipe cards plugin went through an update yesterday and lost the data. I have restored it now, sorry about that! On the serving size, I would say around 1/2-2/3 cup would be my best estimate.
I have a 6 QT instant Pot – do I need to alter the recipe?
Hi Jane,
I think you should still be able to follow it without any problems.