Instant Pot Pork Tacos

These Instant Pot Pork Tacos are perfect for a quick, easy, and healthy weeknight dinner. They are packed with flavorful Mexican spices, tender pork, and topped with all of your favorite taco toppings. Load them up with avocado, red onion, tomatoes, lime, and avocado crema for a delicious gluten-free, keto, and paleo meal (minus the tortilla shells).

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These tacos are healthy and delicious. Depending on the toppings used, these tacos are gluten-free, keto, paleo, and Whole30 compatible. Regardless of how you serve them, rest assured they'll be full of delicious flavor.

This is a great recipe for meal prep. The instant pot pork makes tasty leftovers that can be used in a variety of ways - not just for tacos. I love making extra to have these pork carnitas in the fridge for quick and easy weeknight meals.

The entire family will love these pork tacos. Because the topping options are endless, there is sure to be something here for everyone. These pork tacos make a great family-friendly meal that everyone will love.

The instant pot makes this recipe effortless. This recipe requires only minimal prep work before the instant pot does all the work. I love using the instant pot for meals throughout the week for dinners like this Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and this Instant Pot Lentil Soup.

Ingredient Notes

• pork tenderloin - see the notes below for the differences between pork tenderloin and pork butt.
• apple cider vinegar - this can be substituted for orange juice or lime juice as well.
• cumin
• chili powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• garlic - you can add more or less garlic based on your taste preference.

How to Make Instant Pot Pork Tacos

1. Use a paper towel to pat the pork dry.
2. Mix all of the spices in a small bowl and rub all over both pieces of pork being sure to press the spices into the meat.
3. Heat the Instant Pot to high heat and add the apple cider vinegar or other cooking liquid. 
4. Carefully place the pork into the pot. Cut them in half if necessary.
5. Set the cook time on the Instant Pot to 30 minutes on high pressure in the sealed position. When the timer goes off let the pressure naturally release then carefully remove the lid.
6. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the pork from the vinegar or citrus juices and shred it with two forks.  
7. Serve the shredded pork on corn or flour tortillas with lime juice, cojita cheese, avocado, cilantro, red onion and jalapenos.  
8. To make an avocado crema, mix all ingredients in a blender. Serve it on top of the tacos.

Tips For Instant Pot Tacos

• For a little added flavor, sear the pork on the saute function with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil before pressure cooking. You'll want to make sure each side is browned and seared in a single layer.
• To make crispy carnitas, spread the shredded pork on a baking sheet and broil under the oven broiler for 5 minutes, watching it closely to ensure it doesn't burn.
• When the pork has finished cooking make sure you allow for a natural release as opposed to a quick release. This will result in juicy pork carnitas rather than a tough cut of meat.
• If you are gluten-free be sure to use gluten-free corn tortillas. I have answered all of your questions on "are corn tortillas gluten-free?" in this post.
• To keep this instant pot pork keto and Whole30 compatible, I like to make burrito bowls and fill them with lettuce, veggies, and all of the compliant toppings.
• If you're looking for an alternative to traditional yellow corn tortillas, give these Blue Corn Tortillas a try.
• Top these with delicious Pickled Red Onions for some extra zing, and serve Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa alongside.  

Leftovers and Storage

This pulled pork will store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

What's the best way to serve leftover shredded pork?

This instant pot pork can be served in a variety of ways. Here are some of our favorite ways:

• on tostadas
• on a sweet potato
• in a salad
• in a grain bowl
• with scrambled eggs and avocado
• on a flatbread
• on pizza
• added to pasta
• on nachos
• on a grilled cheese 

What To Serve With Pork Tacos

One of my favorite things about tacos is how versatile the toppings can be. These pork carnitas go great with everything from salsas to grains and even salads. Here are a couple great toppings and sides to serve with these carnitas tacos:

• The mango salsa from these pork tostadas with mango salsa.
• Rice or Quinoa - Here's a guide on how to cook quinoa.
• Sunny Pico De Gallo with Yellow Tomatoes
• Chickpea Salad

 

Recipe FAQ's

Is pork tenderloin and pork butt the same?

No, pork tenderloin and pork butt are not the same cuts of meat. Pork tenderloin is a much more lean cut of meat that is tender and more mild-flavored.

Pork butt, also known as Boston butt, is a larger cut of meat that contains more marbling, or fat throughout the cut. It is flavorful, but it is a bit tougher than tenderloin making it a good choice for slow cooking.

While you can use pork butt in place of tenderloin in this recipe, it will increase the fat content and calories of the meal.

What are the best toppings for pork tacos?

Toppings might just be the best part of tacos and the sky's the limit when it comes to toppings for these pork tacos. But here are some of our favorites:

• cheese
• sour cream
• greek yogurt
• cilantro
• salsa
• tomatoes
• shredded lettuce
• guacamole
• hot peppers
• onions
• rice
• quinoa
• corn
• beans
• fresh squeezed lime juice

Can I make these pork carnitas in the crock pot or slow cooker?

You can make this shredded pork in the slow cooker, however, you will need to add more liquid to prevent it from burning during the look cook.

Add enough apple cider vinegar mixed with equal parts water (or orange juice) to cover the bottom of the crock pot. Then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours until the pork is cooked thoroughly and shred.

If you're looking for more slow cooker pork recipes, try this slow cooker balsamic pork or this three ingredient barbeque pork.

More Healthy Instant Pot Dinners You'll Love

• Instant Pot Orange Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot Short Ribs