Pressure cooker carnitas with bold flavors of salsa verde and plenty of seasonings will become your new favorite Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi pork dinner.

These pressure cooker carnitas came about quite by accident. Using what I had in the house I made some of the most amazingly tender pork in my Instant Pot. You’ve gotta’ try these.
It was one of those days where I had defrosted a pork roast and realized it needed to be cooked.
Thought about what we had in the fridge that would bring all the flavors to the next level and threw it all together.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.

Ninja Foodi Carnitas
When my family came home everyone said it was better than any shredded pork they’d had at any restaurant which meant it was a success!
- It was such a hit I thought I’d share it with all of you.
You can really call this whatever you like. It did have a Mexican flavor to it with the salsa verde I used so the closest thing I could compare them too would be Instant Pot carnitas.

What cut of meat is carnitas?
- Carnitas are the Mexican version of pulled pork really. It’s traditionally made with a pork shoulder, sometimes called a pork butt.
- This is usually used because of the higher fat content which helps the meat stay super tender and juicy when it’s cooked.
I used a pork roast because that’s what I had on hand and it came out just as amazing.
Are carnitas healthy?
Well that depends. The fat content is a bit higher than other meats but it is a high protein meal that’s packed with TONS of flavor. All in moderation I say.

Pressure cooker carnitas
This is what we use. Of course you can adjust the heat with the amount of chili powder or red pepper flakes. If you don’t want it spicy at all then just omit. What is listed makes it mild.
- 2.5 lb. pork roast or shoulder
- I prefer if the bone is already removed
- My preference is to slice off large areas of fat and discarded
Now, cut into cubes that are about 1.5″ x 1.5″ in size. The smaller they are the faster they will fall apart and become pork tender.

This is the salsa verde I use all of the time. I buy a few and keep them on hand so I can make this quickly.
- Onion diced
- Minced garlic
- 3 tbsp or 5 fresh garlic cloves diced
- Chili powder
- Salt and pepper
- Oregano
If you notice there is no cooking liquid per say added. That is okay!
There is moisture in the salsa and when cooked the meat emits liquid as well so there’s plenty when done.

Ninja Foodi Carnitas Recipe
I used my Ninja Foodi pot to make this batch which worked fantastic.
The only prep work is just cubing the meat, the rest is just thrown in and stirred together before setting it to pressure cook.
- Mine had one bone in it which I removed.
- Once I added everything in as you see below I put that bone back in and when it was dinner time gave it to our puppy (she was in heaven).
- Feel free to leave all of the fat on and cube it into 1×1″ pieces, or remove some which is what I did.
Can you use pork chops for carnitas?
Not really. You need a fattier piece of meat like the pork shoulder or roast to make pressure cooker carnitas.
Reason being, it has fat that will render down well and make it really tender with tons of flavor. Pork loin and pork chops are pretty lean.

Instant Pot pork carnitas
- Cut the pork into 1×1″ pieces and put into your electric pressure cooker
- I would recommend this non stick pot if you don’t already have one
- Throw all your other ingredients inside and stir everything together so the meat is nice and coated.
Close your pressure cooker lid and seal your steam valve. Set to 25 minutes on high pressure for cooking time.
- Allow steam to naturally release for 5 minutes before doing a quick release.
- Remove lid and use forks or your tongs to shred the meat into the sauce.
- If you want some of the liquid to evaporate set your pot to saute for about 5 minutes, then turn off.
Serve inside tortillas with toppings or on top of a bed of pressure cooker rice like you see here.

What can I make with pork carnitas meat?
They are so versatile! You can fill any taco or burrito with this, make pork quesadillas, OR use them as a topping for nachos!
Include them in a salad like this Chipotle Carnitas Salad! Serve them with the typical onion/cilantro topping typically seen served on Mexican food trucks OR a good Guacamole or Pico De Gallo!
Put inside warm corn tortillas with chili verde. Serve along side air fryer empanadas. Or you can pile up on a plate with a side of vegetables for a low carb keto dinner.
If you ask us, cheese goes on everything! It is not typically served with it though. Put on top of a bed of refried beans with grated cheddar cheese. Place coriander, lime, onion, tomato and avocado onto a plate.
Or serve inside baked potatoes topped with red tomato salsa

What do you eat with tacos?
First off you can make Instant Pot tacos a variety of ways, oh let me count the ways!
- Black beans on the side is a given
- Coleslaw gives them a fresh cool ingredient amongst the heat
- Brown or white rice is a cheap option
- Throw a pot of Instant Pot corn in for just 2 minutes and enjoy
- Chips and salsa always works
Of course if you really feel like you need to sear the pork beforehand to get those crispy bits you can set to saute after you dice it up.
Add a bit of olive oil and have at it, or rub with a bit of oil, set on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes to crisp them up too.
You can also cook these all day on low in your slow cooker but I’m all about fast!
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉

- After this try our roast in a pressure cooker too. If you’d rather make a batch of slow cooker pork carnitas, we have a recipe for that too!

Time needed: 30 minutes.
Instant Pot Carnitas
- Prepare
Remove bone and cube pork into 1×1″ pieces, put them into your pot. Add all other ingredients and stir together so meat is coated.
- Cook
Close pressure cooker lid and seal steam valve and set to high pressure for 25 minutes.
Allow for a natural release of steam for 5 minutes, then release the rest quickly. - Serve
Lift lid and use forks or tongs to shred meat (will fall apart). If you want some of the liquid to evaporate you can set pot to saute for about 5 minutes and then serve inside tortillas or on top of rice.
Pressure Cooker Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb pork steak or pork shoulder, cubed
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 c salsa verde
Instructions
- Remove bone and cube pork into 1×1" pieces, put them into your pot.
- Add all other ingredients and stir together so meat is coated.
- Close pressure cooker lid and seal steam valve and set to high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow for a natural release of steam for 5 minutes, then release the rest quickly.
- Lift lid and use forks or tongs to shred meat (will fall apart). If you want some of the liquid to evaporate you can set pot to saute for about 5 minutes and then serve inside tortillas or on top of rice.
Beth
Wednesday 1st of April 2020
Aside from my family, this is my favorite thing I've seen today! So easy, so tasty and so getting in my belly tonight!
Sophie Heath
Wednesday 1st of April 2020
These pork carnitas are so easy to make and they're so good!!!
JUAN MENDEZ
Sunday 15th of March 2020
GOOD RECIPE PLEASE Send Me MORE
The Typical Mom
Tuesday 17th of March 2020
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Debra
Sunday 8th of March 2020
‘Per se’