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
Delicious!
Made this last week and the whole family loved it. Super delicious as tacos and the leftovers were good on a salad and in fried rice. (Sounds crazy but it was super yummy.) thanks for a great recipe!
Absolutely flawless recipe, cannot believe how delicious my first attempt turned out! So versatile (eggs, bowls, quesadillas, etc.) and we are 100% including in our “usual” rotation from here on out! Thank you so much Ashlea!
These carnitas are soooo amazing! This is a go-to recipe in our house. I have loved every recipe I’ve ever tried of yours, but I’d say this one is at the top of the list!
Can I use pork butt instead of shoulder
Sure, Sarah! hope you love the recipe!
Made these for dinner last night and I think my husband wanted to marry me all over again. Haha! Seriously delicious and made enough for the two of us to be set for dinner tonight too. We did spanish rice with a salad last night, and tonight we are going to use it in a carnita bowl!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I love how the flavors all mingle after slow cooking for 5 hours!
This carnitas recipe is amazing! I’ve made it twice now, once in the slow cooker and once in the oven. Both times were equally great. Thank you for the recipe, Ashlea!
These Pork Carnitas have been made multiple times at my house. I cook them in the slow cooker and then broil them as recommended. We LOVE them in tacos, burrito bowls and simple nachos with fresh pico de gallo.
So happy to hear this has become a favorite for y’all, Jessica! Thanks for sharing!
Question, my family does not eat pork, what other kind of meat/ chicken should I use ?
Hi, Jenny – you could try using chicken thighs but the recipe will take much less time. I’d recommend trying the chipotle slow cooker beef recipe instead.
One time I thought I had pork in my freezer but it ended up being ribs, and I had promised Carnitas to my parents coming over for dinner! I had chicken thighs thawed, so used those instead. As Ashlea mentioned, it took way less time to cook but it was super flavorful and delicious with chicken thighs!
LOVE this recipe!!! It has become a staple in our household. It is just so easy and delicious, we literally make it almost every other week! Makes plenty for several meals so is a wonderful meal prep option
Yay! Happy to hear that, Annie! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe was SO easy and delicious. DO NOT skip the broiling step – it truly makes this a 5+ star dish. Thank you Ashlea!
You’re so welcome, Claudia! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely delicious & bursting with flavor. The pork done in the Dutch oven is so unbelievably tender, it just melts in your mouth. New favorite!
I’m so glad you liked it, Kelsey! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing recipe!!! Meat was so tender in less than four hours and full of amazing flavor. I am obsessed with this recipe and have been telling all of my friends about it! So so SO good.
I’m so glad you liked it, Ann! Thanks for sharing!
Now I understand why everyone LOVES this recipe! So good, and so so easy to prepare! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing staple recipe, Ashley!!
You’re so welcome, Lindsay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe last night and it was HANDS DOWN the best/ most successful carnitas recipe I have ever made. The carnitas turned out perfectly cooked and super tasty. I have tried many pork recipes where the meat turns out gummy/ flavorless- not this one! It is 100% going to be the recipe I use every time, forever. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Materya! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
So easy and delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Nicole!