Instant Pot Carnitas (Juicy, Crispy & Family-Friendly)

If you’re looking for the best Instant Pot carnitas recipe, this one is a total game changer. These pressure cooker pork carnitas are incredibly juicy, rich in flavor, and finished with perfectly crispy edges—just like authentic Mexican carnitas, but made faster and easier at home.

I’ve made these carnitas three times in a row (yes, they’re that good) to really dial in the technique. The key to perfect carnitas in the Instant Pot is getting the right balance of fatty and lean pork. Too much fat and the dish becomes heavy; too little and the meat turns dry and stringy. Using a mix—especially cuts that include connective tissue or even ribs adds collagen, which creates that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture carnitas are known for.

The flavor is deeply savory, slightly sweet, and irresistibly meaty, making this a huge hit with both adults and kids. It’s one of those recipes that disappears fast from the table.

How to Serve Instant Pot Carnitas

We love serving these carnitas in tacos (especially “boat tacos” or lettuce wraps for a lighter option), topped with fresh, vibrant sides. Our go-to combination includes:

• Creamy guacamole
• Fresh pico de gallo with onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and cucumber
• A squeeze of lime for brightness

The contrast of rich, tender pork with fresh, zesty toppings creates an amazing balance of flavors and textures.

 Ingredients

• 1.5kg pork ribs
• 1.5kg pork shoulder or similar cut
• Two oranges, washed
• Garlic cloves from a full head of garlic
• 2-3 large onions cut roughly
• 1 bottle full sugar coke (preferably mexican coke if you can get it) 
• Oregano
•  Cumin
• Bay leaves
• Paprika

Method

1.  Cut the pork into 2" pieces and the ribs into pairs or singles (depending on the size)
2.  Fry off the pork in batches in the instapot and get a bit of browning for flavour. 
3. Remove the pork and then briefly fry off the garlic and onions and then add in the pork, spices, coke and oranges. For the oranges, slice in half, squeeze out the juice and then toss in the peels as well.
4. Pressure cook on high for 1 hour then let the pressure release naturally
5. Leaving the liquid behind in the pork, move the meat into a baking tray. Remove the bones and, bay leaves and orange peels. Leave the orange fruit pulp in, its delicious in the end.
6. Turn the oven on at 230 C and bake the meat for about 20-30 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on the meat. Mix the meat around at least once during this time and add liquid as needed
7. Boil down the liquid, removing fat from the top if there is too much and then add some if not all the liquid to the meat. The objective is to have a nice moist texture with some crisp parts but not too much liquid.  
8. Serve in tacos with limes and cilantro on top at least and we add in guacamole, pico and other things if we have time to make them.