These Crispy Pork Carnitas are absolutely delicious! They’re made with a few simple ingredients and can easily be made in a dutch oven or your slow cooker. The perfect recipe to make when you need to hit the easy button on dinner.
Juicy Crispy Carnitas That are Perfect for Taco Tuesday!
I’ve made this recipe so many times and every time I’m like why don’t I make this more?!
These carnitas are just so good and honestly I think we all need to add them to our menu this week. They’re made with tender, slowly cooked pork, that has been seasoned with just the right spices, and then crisped up in the oven right before serving.
The best part about this recipe is that it can easily be made in a dutch oven or in your slow cooker. Both ways are simple, easy, and will give you flavorful carnitas every single time.
This is the recipe I like to make for a crowd or deliver to a friend who just had a baby or needs a comforting meal. You can easily use the carnitas in tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or whatever you’re feeling at the time so they’re such a great gifting option.
This is a reader favorite All the Healthy Things recipe that I know you’re going to love and I cannot wait for you to make them. I’ve included tons of helpful information and tips in this post to ensure that your carnitas turn out perfectly flavorful and juicy every time. There’s also a video, below, if you’re a visual person.
If you want to take your chances and just jump to the recipe you can do that, too! But be sure to look through the post at least once before attempting to make the recipe. I promise it’s worth the quick scroll.
I think I’ve answered everything, but if any questions I may have missed come up be sure to leave a comment and let me know. I’m always happy to help!
— Ashlea
A Quick Overview of Ingredients
The key to flavorful carnitas is a flavorful braising liquid and the key to a flavorful braising liquid is simple yet flavorful ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:
- Orange juice: adds a little sweetness that pairs really well with the pork
- Lime juice: adds a bright, fresh flavor
- Chicken broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth for this recipe
- Spices: cumin, dried oregano, and paprika give the carnitas some great flavor!
- Dried bay leaves: another flavor booster!
- Garlic: plenty of smashed whole cloves to braise with the pork
- Onion: thinly sliced and cooks down with the pork for the best flavor
What Kind of Meat Do You Use For Carnitas?
The base of any carnitas recipe is pork. For this particular recipe, you’ll use a boneless pork shoulder which is often called a “boston butt”. You’ll need two and a half pounds of pork shoulder for this recipe.
You can ask your butcher to cut your pork shoulder to the desired weight or you can easily make a double batch of this recipe if you have more pork.
To make things easier, and to get a good sear on the pork, I like to cut the pork into large chunks before searing.
How to Make Pork Carnitas
Step One: The trick to getting the most flavorful carnitas, is to sear the pork before allowing it to braise for hours. First, season the pork with a liberal sprinkle of salt and then sear the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown in avocado oil. Browning the meat helps to develop a rich deep flavor.
Step Two: Next add the orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, and spices to the pot, stir until well combined and then cook for three hours at 300 degrees. If you are using a slow cooker, once the pork has been seared, remove it from the pan and add it to the slow cooker. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook the carnitas on high for 4-6 hours or until it is fork tender.
Step Three: Once the pork is tender and shreddable, remove it from your dutch oven or slow cooker and transfer the meat to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred the meat and then pour the braising liquid back over the meat. Then, broil the carnitas in the oven until browned and crispy before serving!
What to Do with Leftover Carnitas
- crisp them in a skillet for breakfast and serve with scrambled eggs and roasted sweet potatoes
- use them instead of ground pork for an easy breakfast hash
- make a batch of nachos with all your favorite toppings!
My Favorite Meal Prep Tips for This Recipe
This slow cooker crispy carnitas recipe is a perfect recipe to add to your weekly meal prep. To make things even more simple for you here are a few of my favorite meal prep tips:
- Prep the pork over the weekend or a day in advance of when you plan on eating it
- Chop your taco toppings like tomatoes, radishes, or red onion in advance so you can easily assemble your tacos at a moment’s notice
- Turn your tacos into a salad! Place your carnitas over a bed of mixed greens and veggies for a delicious salad. You can add cilantro lime white rice or cauliflower rice to make a delicious burrito bowl!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these carnitas in a variety of ways! Here are a few of my favorite options:
- as tacos with all your favorite toppings
- in a burrito bowl with with rice, beans, pickled onions, guacamole, and more!
- try making a homemade quesadilla with the carnitas and your favorite melty cheese
How to Store The Carnitas
- Store any leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze the carnitas for up to 6 months! When you’re ready to eat, thaw the them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat any the carnitas in a hot skillet until crispy and warmed through. I find the skillet is the best way to reheat the carnitas but the microwave will also work!
More Mexican Inspired Recipes to Love
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
- Slow Cook Chipotle Beef Burrito Bowls
- Shrimp Tacos Recipe
- Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Stuffed Sweet
- Sheet Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Chipotle Steak Tacos
- The Best Salmon Tacos
I hope you give these Pork Carnitas a try! They are so easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
Print
Easy Carnitas Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top / Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Easy Carnitas are absolutely delicious! They’re made with a few simple ingredients and can easily be made in a dutch oven or your slow cooker. The perfect recipe to make when you need to hit the easy button on dinner. This healthy recipe is also Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 compliant!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2.5 pounds pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 6 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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Heat a dutch oven or large skillet over medium-high heat. While the dutch oven is heating, sprinkle the pork pieces liberally with salt. Once the dutch oven is hot, add in a tablespoon of avocado oil and then add the pork. Sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned.
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Add the garlic, onion, orange juice, lime juice, chicken broth, salt, bay leaves, and spices to the pot. Stir until well combined, cover with a lid, and the braise for 3 hours at 300 degrees.
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If you are using a slow cooker, once the pork has been seared, remove it from the pan and add it to the slow cooker. Next, add the remaining ingredients and cook the carnitas on high for 4-6 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
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Once the pork is tender and shreddable, remove it from your dutch oven or slow cooker and transfer the meat to a sheet pan. Use two forks to shred the meat and then pour the remaining braising liquid back over the meat. Broil the carnitas in the oven on high until browned and crispy. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat
Do I have to use avocado oil? Is there an alternative oil that you recommend to achieve the same results?
Hi, Elizabeth! You could use coconut oil or ghee. Hope that helps!
Can I use kosher salt instead one pink Himalayan salt?
Hi, Elizabeth! I think that would work.
This. Is. Delicious. Made it today and it will be in regular rotation! The kids devoured!
So glad you love it, Erin!
These carnitas are so good! Before this recipe I had never made carnitas. Now, this is one of my go-to recipes either for dinner or to meal prep for a week of lunches. So yummy!
I’m so glad you love this recipe, Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
Y’all, these carnitas are SO good!! I’ve made them at least once a month since I found this recipe. So simple, delicious, and makes amazing leftovers too! After living in San Diego, I’m kind of a carnitas snob and these are IT! Juicy and crispy, what’s not to love?!
Thank you for sharing, Anjali! I’m so happy you love the recipe!
Oh my gosh this recipe is just delicious! We have made it so many times now and also used short ribs in place of pork a couple times. It works both ways and is just so tasty. We usually throw in a small can of green chiles as well just because we love them. Ashlea’s recipes have been a total game changer at our house! Thank you for everything you post and the hard work you put into your brand and business! Can’t wait to see what the New Year brings!
Thank you so much for your sweet words Amanda and for sharing that tip on the short ribs. I’m so glad you love the recipe. Grateful for your support and looking forward to all that this year brings!
These are incredible! We’ve made them a few times now and the only tweaks I made were (1) dry brining the pork the day before cooking, (2) adding jalapeños in with the onions and (3) using my immersion blender to purée the onions and jalapeños into the juice & cooking it down a liiiitle bit before adding to the meat to broil. Honestly it’s just personal preference—this recipe is GREAT as is. DONT SKIP THE BROILING!! It’s a game changer!
Thank you so much for sharing your favorite tips, Sarah! They sound delicious! So happy you love the recipe!
OBSESSED!! I’ve made these 3 times each time they turned out perfect. So tender and easy and so. Much. Flavor. Highly recommend this recipe!
I’m so happy you love the recipe, Quinn!!
These sound amazing! I’d like to make them this weekend! Any chance you have instructions for making with an instant pot?
Hi, Andrea! I don’t have IP instructions at this time. If you do give it a try, please feel free to share what works best for you!
This recipe was delicious and makes a huge batch so it’s perfect for lunches the rest of the week (or even with eggs for breakfast :)) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe Ashlea!!
We love this for breakfast too, Ava! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Wanting to make this tonight but just had a question first. In the instructions it mentions bay leaves but in thr ingredients there is no mention of this, how many should I use? Also, is the oj freshly squeezed or can I just use oj from a jug?
Hi, Jennifer! 2 bay leaves should be fine and I would use freshly squeezed orange juice or an oj with no added sugar for best results. Hope you love the recipe!
It was love at first sight when I saw these on Instagram. Wow, they’re incredible. I can’t believe I waited this long to make them. So flavorful it’s hard not to just eat them off the pan. I made mine into a burrito bowl. Definitely filing this one!
I’m so happy you loved the recipe, Lauren!
These are so good, and easy! I doubled the recipe since my roast was 6lbs, but also had a bone in. I also used the crockpot since I only have a small duty oven. It was perfect!
My husband is a carnitas connoisseur and I’ve made this 4 times now. He says it’s hands down the best carnitas he has ever had. We love this recipe!
Yum! The flavor is delicious and broiling it was such a great tip I’d never thought to do before! Will definitely make this again!!
This recipe is delicious!! Our family loves it. My husband is from Chiapas, Mexico and he sat down to dinner the other night, took a bite, and instantly asked me how I knew how to prepare it so well. Ha! He loved it! So do I!
Another P E R F E C T recipe! Family absolutely loved it. Paired it with an avocado, tomato, cilantro, cucumber & corn salad. SO good!!! One question, the ingredients do not include bay leaf, but #3 in the directions does. I added one just to keep with the directions. This is the 3rd recipe this week that I’ve made from Ashlea and every single one was delicious!! Thank you!!!