Menu Planning Central

Making Life Easier Since 2007!

  • Home
  • About
    • Lifetime Member Update
  • Menus
    • Current Family Favorites Recipes
    • Family Favorites – Free Week
    • Family Favorites Menu Plan
    • Healthy 30 Minute Meals – Free Week
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Login
    • Affiliates
  • Cart

Easy Instant Pot Carnitas

Spread the love
    101    

This Easy Instant Pot® Carnitas recipe turns out soooo tender and juicy and is loaded with so much flavor.  

This pressure cooker Mexican carnitas recipe is extremely versatile allowing the fall-apart-tender pork to be served in so many different ways. The beautifully seasoned, tender Mexican pork is delicious on its own, but a few of my favorite ways to serve it is in festive tacos, healthy lettuce wraps, in salads, or even served over rice.

The instructions for this recipe include a couple of optional steps that can be omitted if you are crunched for time. For example, the aromatic blend of onion, jalapeno, and garlic does not need to be sautéed before cooking the pork, but doing so deepens and releases the most flavor. Additionally, the pork can be shredded and served as soon as it is finished cooking. The extra step of tossing it with some of that gorgeous cooking liquid and broiling under high heat delivers the golden delicious, crispy edges found in traditional carnitas recipes.  You could, of course, skip this step, but I highly recommend taking the extra few minutes.  It really brings out the very best flavor!

This easy and delicious recipe is part of our Family Favorites Menu Plans.
(Save $10 on our signature annual menu plan with coupon code Save10!)

Pressure Cooker Mexican Carnitas

Print

Instant Pot® Carnitas

Easy Instant Pot® Carnitas recipe. Juicy, tender, and loaded with great Mexican flavor.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Easy Dinner Recipe, Easy Instant Pot® Carnitas, Instant Pot Recipes, Pressure Cooker Mexican Carnitas
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Approx. NPR Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author Menu Planning Central

Ingredients

  • 3/4 c. chicken broth preferably organic
  • 3/4 c. fresh orange juice approximately 2 large oranges
  • 3 T. lime juice
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1/2 t. smoked paprika
  • 1 t. dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 t. ground cumin
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2-3 T. extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 3-1/2 - 4 lbs. pork shoulder roast trimmed and cut into 6-8 chunks
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 1 medium jalapeno diced
  • 2-3 cloves fresh garlic peeled and chopped

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together chicken broth, fresh orange juice, and lime juice with the chili powder, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, and ground cumin. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and set aside.
  2. Push the “Sauté” button on Instant Pot®. Once the display reads “On,” add 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the pork shoulder pieces to the container. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and cook until pork is browned on all sides, approximately 1-2 minutes per side.  Note: DO NOT use lid while using the “Sauté” function on an Instant Pot®!

  3. Once browned, transfer seared pork to a plate and repeat this process with additional olive oil and the rest of pork. Remove browned pork from the Instant Pot and set aside.
  4. *Optional Step: Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the container, along with red onion, jalapeno, and fresh garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, approximately 3-4 minutes.
  5. Add browned pork back to the pot and pour chicken broth/orange juice mixture over top. Add lid and seal, making sure the steam release handle is positioned toward “Sealing.”
  6. Press the “Manual” button and set the time to 30 minutes at high pressure. Once the cooking time is up, allow 20-25 minutes for the “natural release” of the steam inside the Instant Pot®. After that time, perform a manual “quick release” to vent any remaining steam to release lid, if necessary.
  7. A few minutes before the steam is fully released, preheat oven broiler to high and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Transfer pork to the prepared baking sheet and gently shred with two forks. Drizzle with ¼ cup juices from the Instant Pot® and toss to combine before spreading into a thin, even layer.
  8. Place pork under broiler for 4-5 minutes, then remove from oven and add a little more juice before turning the meat to brown the other side. Place back under broiler for another 4-5 minutes or until the pork is nice and crispy on the edges.
  9. Once pork is under the broiler, press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot to reduce the cooking liquid by one half while the pork is broiling.
  10. When finished broiling, remove baking sheet from oven and serve immediately with the reduced cooking liquid, fresh lime wedges, and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Important - Different Instant Pot® models and other electric pressure cookers offer different features and buttons. (These instructions are for the IP-Duo series).

Know Someone Who Might Like This Recipe?
Check out Our Popular 
“Refer A Friend” Program Here! 

Pressure Cooker Mexican Carnitas

 

Search this site…

Try Family Favorites Menu Plans for 7 Days - Free

Our Favorite Recipes

Apple-Rosemary Pork Single-Pan Dinner

Spread the love
    191    

Spread the love    191     If you’re looking for a beautiful dinner full of color and flavor, that’s also super easy to make, you’ll love this!  Perfect for a quiet evening at home, and easy to double or triple if company’s coming. Apple-Rosemary Pork One-Pan Dinner Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 boneless pork chops 8 gold small potatoes; […]

Fried Chicken Sliders with Asiago Cheese & Ranch

Spread the love
    1    

Spread the love    1     Summer is here and it’s time for a delicious crowd-pleasin’ recipe!  These Fried Chicken Sliders with Asiago Cheese & Ranch will make your mouth water.  Let’s get cookin’! Fried Chicken Sliders with Asiago Cheese & Ranch Dressing Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Total: 40 minutes Servings: 4 You will need: 1 […]

Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins

Spread the love
    1    

Spread the love    1    [et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] It’s fresh blueberry season, so this is the perfect time so make these delicious muffins, and they are so easy to “healthify” without sacrificing one bit of everything you love! Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups (all-purpose or whole wheat) 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus […]

Affordable Thai Chicken Thighs

Instant Pot Savory Thai Chicken Thighs

Spread the love
    131    

Spread the love    131    These savory Thai chicken thighs are perfect when you are looking for a quick and delicious dinner recipe.  This affordable Thai chicken thigh recipe is made in your Instant Pot®, which means you can serve this dish on this busy weeknights. (Using chicken thighs in this recipe keeps it affordable, moist and juicy). […]

One Skillet Lemon Chicken Orzo

One-Skillet Lemon Chicken Orzo

Spread the love
    46    

Spread the love    46    This dish is perfect for those busy weeknights when you want something quick and satisfying that won’t dirty every dish in your kitchen.  This recipe pairs bone-in chicken thighs with lemony orzo for a hearty meal you can have on the table in just over half an hour.  If you enjoy this dish,  […]

10 Free Paleo, Low-Carb, and Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Recipe Books

Spread the love
         

Spread the love         Affiliate links are used in this post. Are you eating like a cave man? 🙂 Does a gluten-free or grain-free life make you feel healthier? So many people are loving the paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb life right now, so I’ve put together this list of 10 FREE Kindle books* to give you some […]

Quick & Easy Grilled Peach Salad

Quick & Easy Grilled Peach & Chicken Salad

Spread the love
    24    

Spread the love    24    This grilled peach salad featuring a classic homemade Champagne vinaigrette could be one of my all-time favorites.  It is bursting with flavor and is so easy to make.  It’s light and healthy ~ everyone at our house loves it! When I need something quick and delicious, this beautiful healthy salad comes to mind. […]

Chunky Homemade Guacamole

Spread the love
    26    

Spread the love    26     Chunky Homemade Guacamole Ingredients: 2 ripe Avocados 1 ripe fresh tomato, seeded and diced 1 large clove fresh garlic, finely minced 1 fresh lime, juiced 1 tablespoon (+ extra for garnish) fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed and finely chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Directions: Peel, core, and dice avocado. Place in […]

  • About
  • Contact
  • Member Login
  • Affiliates
  • Privacy & Disclosures
  • Terms

Copyright © 2025 · MenuPlanningCentral.com