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These protein-packed and tender carnitas burritos boast juicy, slow-cooked pork, paired with vibrant vegetables, zesty salsa, and creamy guacamole. This easy meal is filled with Mexican spices and textures.
The juxtaposition of crispy pork and creamy toppings as well as the combination of warm, tender, meat and cooling sour cream or cheese make every bite just as delicious as the last.
Whether you’re a seasoned burrito enthusiast or new to the culinary world of Mexican cuisine, this recipe is guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Craving a mouthwatering Mexican delight that combines tender, flavorful meat with an array of delicious ingredients? Look no further than the irresistible Carnitas Burrito!
When I think of burritos, I think of Chipotle. They made them famous with their tender meat, cilantro lime rice, fresh toppings, and giant tortilla. I wanted to make them at home with our favorite Instant Pot carnitas. They’re crispy bits of pork slow cooked until juicy and tender.
I’m sharing the best way to make crispy pork carnitas whether you want them in the slow cooker, pressure cooker, or Dutch oven.
Cover the pork shoulder in the best carnitas seasoning to bring out the natural flavors of the pork. Slow cook them and broil them until crispy. Then take those crispy bits of pork shoulder and fill a burrito with your favorite toppings. You could also skip the tortilla and make a filling carnitas burrito bowl.
Why You’ll Love These Carnitas Burritos
- Flavor Explosion: The slow-cooked pork in this recipe absorbs a delightful blend of spices, resulting in tender and succulent meat that bursts with flavor.
- Versatility: customize these Carnitas Burritos with your favorite toppings. From mild to spicy, you can adjust the heat level and choose from a variety of fillings and toppings to create your perfect burrito.
- Convenient and Filling: They’re packed with proteins, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Meal prep them for an easy lunch or dinner on the go.
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this pork carnitas burrito recipe. They’re easy and affordable to find in the grocery store. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Pork Shoulder (Boneless): Pork shoulder, also known as pork butt, is the star ingredient. It is a flavorful and well-marbled cut of meat that becomes tender and juicy when slow-cooked.
- Onion and Garlic: Onions and garlic provide aromatic and savory notes. They add depth of flavor to the pork during the cooking process.
- Orange and Lime Juice: classic carnitas recipes call for citrus juices, such as orange and lime, is a traditional way to marinate and tenderize the pork in Carnitas Burritos. The acidity of the juices helps break down the meat fibers, resulting in tender and succulent pork.
- Spices: A blend of spices makes up the delicious carnitas seasoning. Ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder add so much flavor.
- Tortillas: similar to why you warm a tortilla for enchiladas, a warm tortilla is more pliable and easy to roll. We tested this recipe with flour tortillas and Siete grain-free tortillas and they were delicious.
- Rice: Adding cooked rice to the burrito provides texture and substance. It also absorbs some of the flavors from the other ingredients, making each bite more satisfying. You can use brown rice, cilantro rice, or Mexican rice.
- Black Beans: this is a really common filling in Mexican cuisine and provides a good source of fiber. They add a creamy and slightly earthy taste to the burrito. You could also use refried beans (we like Siete) or pinto beans.
- Toppings: the options are endless when it comes to toppings. We’re sharing oour favorite toppings below!
Favorite Toppings
Here are some of the most delicious toppings to create the best carnitas burrito. Just a few or use them all!
- Salsa: try salsa verde, pico de gallo, red salsa, or something more spicy. You could also use a homemade pineapple salsa because pork and pineapple are a great combination.
- Avocado or avocado-based topping: the most classic is guacamole, but avocado crema and creamy avocado dip are great options.
- Creamy element: a dollop of sour cream adds a cooling element to offset the warm, crisp pork. You could use dairy-free sour cream or try our favorite jalapeno ranch.
- Cheese: Add a sprinkle of your favorite cheese, like shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or queso fresco, for a melty and savory touch. Want to make them dairy-free? Make this cashew queso in 10 minutes.
- Fresh toppings: finish the burrito with fresh cilantro, Mexican pickled onion, diced red onion, or chopped jalapeno. Don’t forget the chopped romaine lettuce for an extra crunch.
How to Make Carnitas Burritos
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These delicious burritos are really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
We’re sharing how to make them in the pressure cooker, but the recipe card below includes slow cooker and stovetop instructions.
Video: Watch How to Make Them
Make the Carnitas
Combine the spices in a small bowl and rub all sides of the pork generously. Sear each piece of pork shoulder on saute mode with olive oil until crispy and brown.
Pro tip: Work in batches because overcrowding the pot results in the meat steaming rather than searing.
Add more olive oil and saute the onion and garlic. Pour in the chicken broth, lime juice, and orange juice to deglaze the pan then add the pork back with the cooking liquid.
Cancel the saute setting and pressure cook on high for 55 minutes. Natural release (do nothing) then release the remaining steam by turning the sealing valve to the venting position.
Shred the juicy pork with two forks on a large baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes, toss once, then broil for another 2-3 minutes until the top browns and you see crispy edges.
Assemble the Burritos
When you’re ready to serve. Warm the burrito shells in the oven, microwave, comal, or over an open gas flame. We explain all of these options in this post about how to soften tortillas for enchiladas. The process is the same!
Place about 1/4 cup of rice in the middle of the tortilla then top with black beans and crispy carnitas. Finish with your favorite toppings like sliced avocado, guacamole, jalapeno ranch, pico de gallo, cilantro, or cashew queso.
To roll the burrito, fold half of the burrito over the toppings and tuck it under, securing the toppings against the shell. Fold in both sides then finish rolling into a burrito. Serve whole or slice in half.
Do you love pulled pork? We have the best recipe for Instant Pot pulled pork too!
Recipe FAQs
A carnitas burrito is a combination of crispy pork carnitas, rice, black beans, and your favorite toppings inside a warm tortilla.
Carnitas is like a Mexican version of pulled pork where pork shoulder is simmered in Mexican spices and slow-cooked until it’s tender and falls apart. Chipotle simmers their carnitas in a special blend of spices and shreds it to put in tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads.
Carnitas is a Mexican pork dish made with pork shoulder, also known as pork butt.
Store and Meal Prep
Store leftover carnitas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven on a baking sheet until heated through then add them to your burritos or bowls.
This is a great way to meal prep for thee week! Make a big batch on the weekend and have carnitas burritos or burrito bowls all week.
You can also meal prep burritos by assembling them, rolling them, and wrapping them in aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven with the foil then serve or remove from the foil and microwave. Just note that the chilled toppings like lettuce, tomato, guacamole aren’t as good when warm.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Looking for more pork? Try pork tenderloin tacos, Instant Pot pulled pork, or crispy ground pork tacos (20 minute recipe!).
Enjoy authentic carne asada tacos or learn how to marinate chicken for the best cilantro lime chicken thighs.
Mexican shredded beef is the tomato-based, chuck version of these carnitas. Make a double batch and freeze shredded beef enchiladas for a quick weeknight meal.
Carnitas Burrito
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Ingredients
For the Carnitas
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon EACH: smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 lb boneless pork shoulder (aka pork butt) cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 medium white onion cut into large chunks
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice about 1 large orange
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice about 2 limes
- 1 cup chicken broth
For the Burritos
- 6 Burrito shells we used Siete grain-free burritos
- 1 1/2 cups cooked Cilantro lime rice Note
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- Shredded cheese or cashew queso
- Jalapeno ranch and/or sour cream
- Guacamole, sliced avocado, or avocado crema
Instructions
- Mix all of the spices in a small bowl. Rub the mixture into all sides of each piece of pork, using your fingertips to rub it in until the outside turns a red hue from the paprika and chili powder.2 teaspoons kosher salt divided, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon EACH: smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 3 teaspoons cumin
- Drizzle the olive oil into the bottom of the Instant Pot and turn it to the saute function until it’s hot and shimmering. Working in batches, sear 4-5 pieces of pork shoulder for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crispy and brown. Transfer the seared pork to a cutting board.2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil, 3 lb boneless pork shoulder (aka pork butt)
- Pour in a bit more oil in the bottom of the pot and add the onion and cook to soften for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.1 medium white onion cut into large chunks, 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- Pour in the lime juice, orange juice, broth, and bay leaves. Stir it togetheere, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cancel the saute setting and close the lid and turn the pressure valve to the sealing position.2 bay leaves, ⅓ cup fresh orange juice, ⅓ cup fresh lime juice, 1 cup chicken broth
- Cook on high pressure for 55 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for Instant Pot to come to pressure before it counts down. When the timer goes off, naturally release the Instant Pot (do nothing) for 10 minutes then turn the pressure release valve to quick release (release the remaining pressure).
- Preheat the oven to broil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked pork pieces from the Instant Pot onto a sheet pan. Shred the pork with two forks. It should fall apart easily.
- Spread it out evenly onto the sheet pan and broil it in the oven for 3-5 minutes, turning the pan once or twice to crisp it evenly. Serve warm in tortillas, a burrito, or in a burrito bowl.
- When you’re ready to serve, warm the burrito shells by heating over an open gas stove flame for 30 seconds on each side. You can also put them in the microwave for 30 seconds or use a large cast-iron skillet to heat on both sides for 20-30 seconds each.
- Place about 1/4 cup of rice in the middle of the tortilla then top with black beans and crispy carnitas. Finish with your favorite toppings.
- To roll the burrito, fold half of the burrito over the toppings and tuck it under, securing the toppings against the shell. Fold in both sides then finish rolling into a burrito. Serve whole or slice in half.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Instant Pot (Note 1 Slow Cooker, Note 2 Dutch Oven)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
