Instant Pot Mexican Pork {Slow Cooker Directions Included}
This Instant Pot Mexican Pork is so incredibly delicious and crazy easy! Tender, super flavorful pork perfect in burritos, enchiladas, on a salad or over rice!
Oh man, I am SO excited about today’s recipe.
I’ve posted many Instant Pot/pressure cooker recipes and of course I love them all, but there are a handful that are just really, really special.
For instance, this Instant Pot Cheesy Potato Soup. It quickly became one of the most popular soup recipes on my site. It is insanely delicious.
And don’t even get me started on this Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken. Over 50+ five star reviews tell me I’m not alone in my love for this exceptional easy and crazy delicious Instant Pot meal. Have you made it?
Well, let me tell you…today’s Instant Pot Mexican Pork is equally as wonderful as both of those recipes I mentioned above (if not more so). Special, special, special.
And if you don’t have an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, don’t worry! I’ve got your back…slow cooker directions are also included in the recipe.
This is another great no-prep Instant Pot meal that is so quick and easy to throw together.
But that’s not even the best part. The reason I love this recipe (and have been making it on repeat the last few weeks) is because it is versatile in a way I wish every recipe was versatile.
It’s not meant to be ONE thing. Burritos? Go for it. Enchiladas? YUM! Served over rice loaded with five pounds of cheese? I will not get in your way.
Seriously, you guys. This flavorful, tender pork will make all your dreams come true. Salad, quesadillas, nachos.
The easy weeknight dinner sky is the limit.
I modeled this recipe after the wildly popular slow cooker Mexican shredded beef recipe I posted years ago.
And similar to that recipe, flavor magic happens when the sauce gets a quick thickening action at the end (so don’t skip that part if you can manage it).
Without sounding like a complete traitor, this adapted Instant Pot Mexican pork recipe I’m sharing today is better. I mean it.
How did we ever survive life before the Instant Pot? Seriously.
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: Mexican Haystacks {Easy 30-Minute or Less Meal}
Two Years Ago: Magnolia Lemon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Three Years Ago: Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Four Years Ago: Rollup Blender Pancakes
Five Years Ago: Luscious Lemon Cream Pie
Instant Pot Mexican Pork {Slow Cooker Directions}
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 8 to 10 ounces green enchilada sauce or salsa verde (see note)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarse ground black pepper
- 2 to 3 pounds pork roast, see note, cut into large chunks (3-4 inches)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional
Instructions
- Instant Pot Directions: to the stainless steel pot, add the broth, vinegar, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir. Nestle the pork into the sauce mixture. Secure the lid, make sure the valve is set to sealing, and select "manual" or "high pressure" and dial up or down to 60 minutes. The Instant Pot will start on it's own.
- When it is finished cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 15-20 minutes (or all the way) before quick releasing the rest of the pressure. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the Instant Pot. Shred with a couple of forks and set aside.
- There will be quite a bit of liquid left in the Instant Pot. I discard about half and thicken the rest (as follows). You don't have to discard any liquid OR you can discard more than half OR you can leave it as is without thickening.
- After discarding about half of the liquid, bring the remaining liquid to a simmer using the Saute function. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid and stir constantly until bubbly and slightly thickened. Turn the Instant Pot to "keep warm" and add the pork back into the sauce, tossing to coat the pork completely in the sauce. Serve over rice with desired toppings, in burritos, on a salad, or any way your heart desires!
- Slow Cooker Directions: to the insert of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, add the broth, vinegar, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir. Nestle the pork into the sauce mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 6-7 hours.
- Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the slow cooker. Shred with a couple of forks and set aside.
- There will be quite a bit of liquid left. I discard about half and thicken the rest (as follows). You don't have to discard any liquid OR you can discard more than half OR you can leave it as is without thickening.
- After discarding about half of the liquid, pour the remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to a simmer on the stovetop. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid and stir constantly until bubbly and slightly thickened. Add the pork back into the sauce (either in the saucepan or put everything back in the slow cooker), tossing to coat the pork completely in the sauce. Serve over rice with desired toppings, in burritos, on a salad, or any way your heart desires!
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Followed this recipe very closely. Yes, the pork was excellent..moist and tender. But this sauce is simply amazing! It seems to be a cross between typical American pot roast and echilada sauce. Incredible richnes of flavor with a great Mexican edge. We’ve used it on street tacos and enchiladas and, well, WOW! Thanks for sharing this!
Awesome awesome recipe. I did sprinkle all those spices on my cuts of pork as well then seared them before the slow cooker part. After shredding and saucing seared again with my cast iron to get that carnitas texture but did not change the fundamentals of the recipe at all. Easy and everyone loved it. I am guessing the left overs will be even better for lunch today.
Mel: I made this again tonight but with boneless skinless chicken breasts. There were just 2 of us for dinner tonight so making a whole roast would have been too much. 1.5 lbs chicken in the instant pot with all the other ingredients then 12 mins on high. Thickened the sauce as directed, Shredded the chicken put it back in the pot and placed it on warm until time for dinner. It was fabulous.
Do you think it could be done with only the correct amount of liquid left? Perhaps chicken broth base instead of broth? I’d say tomatoe paste but that is the dregs of tomato. So maybe account for 10% loss of fat (depending cut of pork) and be a hard 6oz of enchilada?
I know you need so much liquid in instapot, but minimal liquid seasoning with a meat dish means 100% flavor end game. Just my thoughts
Definitely worth a try!
This was a winner! Mel never fails me 🙂
I have made this several times and my family loves it. I love how simple it is…the knock off recipe Cafe Rio recipe is yummy but not as quick and simple as this one which is why I keep returning to it. Last night I used a portion of a boneless pork shoulder and it worked great. Thank you!!
Made this in the slow cooker and my family loved it!
This came out so great in the instant pot. My pickiest eater had 3 servings! The kids had it with your black beans and rice and the Aggies had it as a salad. I’ll have to keep this in our regular rotation!
I made this tonight in my Instant Pot, with two pork shoulder chops and just 8 minutes pressure with full natural release. I used one 28-oz. can of RED enchilada sauce for the tomatoes + green sauce listed in the recipe. The rest was exactly as listed (plus maybe 1/2TB ground pasilla I had in the cabinet) and I have to say the sauce is THE BEST, it came out so good! I mixed it with rice and beans to make a fantastic quick weeknight wraps filling. 45 secs in the micro on a tortilla with cheese, fresh cilantro, and you have an addicting flavor you’ll refill again and again.
I was kind of stunned that Mel would recommend discarding the sauce, since it is so good and freezes well.
This is the first meal I made for my fiance that he truly loved. Legit his most favorite meal. I make this bi weekly just so it doesn’t lose its appeal.
I’m in the process of making this but have no green enchilada sauce so plan to use red. Would you eliminate the tomato sauce or keep everything there same? Have you tried it with red before?
I’d probably just keep everything else the same – how did it turn out?
I made this as my first-ever Instant Pot recipe last year and we loved this (now I’m scratching my head wondering why I haven’t made it more….)
Anyway, yesterday, I made this substituting chicken for the pork. I wanted to jump on here and write a review in case anyone else was wanting to do the same thing. After reading a below comment and looking at Mel’s INSTANT POT SMOKY HONEY CILANTRO CHICKEN recipe, I decided I better cook my 85% thawed, huge chicken breasts (about three pounds worth–each breast was about a pound) for 18 minutes and let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. All in all, it turned out great. Once the shredded chicken was added back to the thickened sauce, it was incredibly tasty. However, while shredding the chicken I tasted it and it noticed the chicken was a bit dry–so my guess is I could have gotten away with 15 minutes cook time, or, had the chicken been fully thawed, 12 minutes. I should clarify that I’m fairly new to Instant Pot and my time estimations could be completely off, but that’s what I’d try next time.
Thanks for the recipe, Mel. Life is good 🙂
Thanks for the details, Ellen! Sounds wonderful!
Made this tonight and it got two thumbs up from even my picky toddlers! Hooray for another recipe I can add to the “make again” list! Thanks, Mel!
This recipe is so so so yummy!!! i crave it…. used to make the sweet pork all the time for the family but now this…Is the Lamborghini of all pork recipes! Thanks so much Mel. You always please my palate.
Loves.
This was fabulous! Great flavors. We used it to fill burritos with all sorts of toppings. For time sake we poured some of the juices over the shredded pork without thickening it, and it was great.
Made this and it was incredible with black beans and all the usual fixins. Our dinner guests loved it, too! I did thicken all the remaining sauce and I thought it was perfect.
So quick question, if I have a 4.5lb roast, should I double the sauce for the instant pot?
Thanks!!!
This is plenty saucy so I don’t think I’d double…I’d just keep the sauce amounts the same.
Mel, you are such a great cook! Thank you so much for taking the time to post all these recipes. I have made quite a few on your site, and everything is really good. Very grateful for you!❤️ I have this pork recipe in the crockpot right now, and it smells delicious!
Thank you so much, Annie!
I have already made this once and absolutely loved it! I need to make it this weekend for about 40 people. Would you reccommend that I quadruple the whole recipe, sauce ingredients included?
You probably don’t need to 4X the sauce – maybe quadruple the meat but just triple the sauce amounts.
When you use this pork for enchiladas, how do you do it? Do you add any other filling with the meat to tortillas to back other than cheese? Thanks!
No, I just use the meat and cheese for the filling and then roll up the tortillas with the filling inside.
I made the pork per the recipe on Sunday, but we had a sick baby and didn’t end up trying it that night. Monday my husband used the shredded meat that we had tossed with a little bit of the non-thickened sauce for basic burritos. That night, I was on a cooking kick because of the cooler temperatures and made the meat into enchiladas and used the reserved sauce like you directed on the IP Mexican beef recipe. It turned out great. It was slightly short on liquid, but I liked the texture overall. So good.
Such a great recipe – my 5 year old was thrilled to dump everything in the IP and “help cook”. I wish I hadn’t split my 5 lb roast in half because it would’ve all fit and I could’ve had leftovers
I have a question…how do you think a pork butt would work in this recipe? I have one in my freezer and am wondering what would happen if I used it. Thanks for any advice!
I think it would work great!
I used a pork butt from the freezer and it turned out great!
Really delicious Mel, and tasted even better the next day!
Thanks, Connie!
This recipe is the best! I made it again today. When the pork was done, I put it into a big glass pan, then put carrots and onions in the liquid and pressured that for 11 minutes. Winner! Now I can serve the vegetables over mashed potatoes along with the pork for an elegant Sunday dinner. Thank you, Mel!
I totally agree with you Mel, this recipe is delicious. I actually made it about 2 weeks ago (in my crock pot), but then things came up and I couldn’t eat it. I froze it and took it out today to eat. It froze beautifully and reheated perfectly. I ate it with roasted cauliflower and a baked sweet potato and it was a delicious dinner. Already thinking of how to eat it throughout the week. Thanks for another great recipe that was super easy and will be made multiple times!!
Love the combo of cauliflower and sweet potatoes with this pork. Yum!
I make the Smokey honey cilantro chicken about once a week, but I’ve been wanting to try this pork recipe. Just curious from anyone who has tried this recipe, do you prefer it with the enchilada sauce or the green salsa, or can you taste a difference? I would love feedback from any experts out there. 🙂
Thanks a million- my family thanks you in advance as they will be eagerly awaiting their dinner later. Ha
Hi Meghan! It totally depends on your taste preferences, but I have done it with both and love the enchilada sauce :).
This recipe is definitely a keeper for our family! We served it with your Classic and Simple Black Beans and Rice. It was a perfect combination. Can’t wait to make it again soon. Thanks!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
If my pork roast is just under 2 lbs should I decrease the cook time in the IP?
Maybe just by 5 minutes or so.
This was delicious and so easy! I used a frozen pork roast in the instant pot and it still turned out great. I will definitely be making this again!
Awesome, Megan!
Megan – I’m curious – did you have to increase the cooking time in order to cook the roast in frozen form, and if so, how long? Also, what size roast did you use? Thanks!
Delicious! Similar flavors to the honey cilantro chicken. The Costco pork is perfect for this too. Thank you for the recommendation
This was simply AMAZING! I made it in my instant pot for dinner last night. It not only smelled divine, it tasted even better! Both the kids and husband dove back in for seconds! I used your suggestion of the Costco pork sirloin roast- perfect cut for this! Everyone in the house is asking when it will be on the menu again! Thanks, Mel for another go to recipe!
Thank you so much, Kris!
This pork is delicious! I used a slow cooker and it was perfect as pork tacos. Will definitely make again, was a big hit with my family. Your recipes are awesome, always a go-to. Thank you!
Thanks, Lynn!
Loved the flavor of this Mexican pork. We used it as a build your own taco salad with cilantro lime rice and black beans and it was delicious!
Sounds delicious!
This was excellent (made in slow cooker). I didn’t make any changes and it will be going into the meal rotation. I think we even liked it better as leftovers – it was our filling for quesadillas. So good with black beans, mushrooms, onions and cheese!
Thanks for the review, Rae!
How much time would you add to the instant pot of the roast is frozen
I’m not totally sure, Amber – I know people cook roasts from frozen in the pressure cooker, but I’ve only ever tried it once and it was a disaster (burned on the bottom and a rubbery texture).
This worked fine for me! You don’t need to change the cooking time, but it does take longer to come to pressure. I think it would be better to partially thaw, so you can cut it into pieces.
This was dinner last night, served as pictured with rice, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and we added avocado. It was OUTSTANDING! Thank you for yet another winner!!!!
Thanks, Sheriece!
I am loving my instant pot this hot hot HOT summer. My family is a die-hard Cafe Rio bunch, but I took a chance on this recipe for my sister and brother-in-law’s fiftieth wedding anniversary dinner. Oh my, I KNEW I could count on your recipe to be successful. Wildly so!! It was perfect – and instantly became my number one favorite way to prepare shredded pork. It sparked a lot interest as its fragrance filled my home. And numerous complimentary comments during and after dinner. In fact, the sample(s) I tasted as I shredded the first potful prompted me to put another chunked up pork roast in the juices and cook more for future meals. The second pot was just as delicious as the first. Another winner, thanks Mel!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Rebecca! So, so happy this was a hit!
With all your great recipes using an instant pot I’ve decided to get one. When I got to the store yesterday I found there were three different sizes! I came home empty-handed because I wasn’t sure which size your recipes are intended for. Which size would you recommend is best for the recipes you post?
Hi Leesa, all my recipes are written for the 6 quart! I think that’s the best all-purpose size.
Thanks Mel – this was delicious! We made it last night and served it as taco salads using the baked tortilla bowls from your site. Doubled everything and it worked great in my 8qt IP. Fall off the bone tender and really flavorful. Looking forward to the leftovers today. Thanks Mel!
Ooooh, LOVE the idea of using those baked tortilla bowls. Brilliant, Angela! So happy you loved this one!
Looks delicious! I’m not too savvy with my pressure cooker yet and altering recipes…if I increase the meat (say 4-5 lbs) do I need to increase the cook time? I figure I’m probably safe not increasing the other ingredients but maybe I’m wrong?? I look forward to making this, thank you!
No…when I double, I usually keep the cooking time the same. Maybe an extra minute or two, but that’s it. As long as the quantity doesn’t overfill the Instant Pot safe levels, you should be fine increasing all the quantities, but technically you only need 1 cup of liquid for the pressure cooker to reach pressure.
While standing in the baking aisle of my 4th grocery store, looking for miniature marshmallow “bits” a woman approached me and told me she had checked the ice cream aisle for these elusive “bits” as well. We laughed at each other for our obsession to make your recipes the second we receive them. Somehow we must inform the grocery stores that they need to stock the recipe items. I was so anxious to make the cookies that I had all the ingredients measured and waiting at home so I took my miniature marshmallows and cut them in 4ths only to discover you were right once again—-you can’t substitute them for the “bits”. Thank you Mel for your time in perfecting these recipes—my family thanks you as well
I’m sorry you had to go to four stores, Pam! Ugh!
I did not find them by the ice cream toppings or the marshmallows….but I DID find them by the hot chocolate!! Maybe check there!
I was all set to make your sweet pork recipe tonight, now it’s a toss up. Oh! The decisions!
What did you decide, Ellen?? 🙂
Would this work with Chicken breasts instead of pork?
I haven’t tried it, but you could experiment. The cooking time would be far less – probably 15 minutes or so.
Why do you start with 3 cups of liquid, when you only need half that? I don’t have an insta pot, but use an old fashioned pressure cooker often, and I wouldn’t think of using so much liquid. What am I missing? Thanks, Mel.
When I tried it with half the liquid, the flavor wasn’t as strong or as tasty. Even though I discard half the liquid at the end, allowing the roast to cook in the full amount of liquid makes for better flavor, in my opinion (and a super tasty sauce at the end), but you could definitely play around with the amounts!
I’ve been making the Mexican slow cooker beef recipe using pork roasts for some time now and sometimes I use the extra liquid to make rice, adding extra water or chicken broth if needed to get the liquid ratio correct. It is really yummy! Sometimes I remove the fat and sometimes leave it in, depends on the day:) I’m thinking about trying it in the Mexican haystack recipe also.
Great ideas, Stephanie!
Dang it. Now I have a decision to make. I was going to make your insanely delicious pork carnitas in my IP again this weekend… but am now wondering if I should try this instead?! I make the carnitas with the sirloin pork roast as well to cut calories and it is seriously amazing. I’m curious, if you HAD to choose, based on taste alone, which would be your favorite… the pork carnitas or this Mexican Pork? (Such mouth-watering first world problems, I know! 😉
Gosh, both of those are so delicious! Because this is my current favorite, I’d probably go with it.
Do you think Ivan freeze it after it’s cooked?
Yes!
Mel, Your instructions for the instant pot say to set the valve to “venting” when I think you meant “sealing.” Just didn’t want any instant pot newbies to be confused. Looks delicious – we can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the catch, Jessica. Just fixed that.
This looks amazing! I have two questions:
1. If I make it in the slow cooker, do I still have to cut the roast into chunks?
2. If you used the pork for enchiladas, was there a certain recipe you used? I’ve made your red sauce enchiladas and we loved them. Thanks!
Hi Shari, you probably don’t have to still cut the roast into large pieces but I find it cooks more evenly when I do (for either slow cooker or instant pot). I don’t have a specific enchilada recipe when I use recipes like this…I thicken the sauce per the recipe but instead of putting the meat back in the IP or slow cooker, I roll the meat (sprinkled with Monterey Jack cheese) in tortillas, place in a baking dish, spread liberally with the thickened sauce and more cheese and bake for maybe 30-ish minutes at 350 degrees. Does that help?
Yes, thanks!
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!