Crispy Ground Pork Tacos, Ready in 20 Minutes
Most ground pork taco recipes simmer the meat in broth, tomato sauce, or salsa. This one goes the other way. Once the pork is browned, you leave it alone in the hot pan for a few minutes at a time so the bottom turns golden and crispy, then stir and repeat. Those crispy bits are where all the flavor is.
Next, a little honey goes in with the homemade taco seasoning. It caramelizes on those crispy edges and balances the smoky chili powder and cumin. A squeeze of lime at the very end cuts through the richness of the pork, so the tacos taste bright instead of heavy.
Pile it all into charred tortillas with quick pickled onions (they pickle while the pork cooks!) and dinner’s done in 20 minutes. That’s even faster than my pork tenderloin tacos.
Looking for more tacos? Try Korean shredded beef tacos, Birria tacos, or chorizo tacos next.
Ingredients for Ground Pork Tacos
- Ground pork: Use plain ground pork, not breakfast or Italian sausage, which is already seasoned. Check the label for added sugar or fillers, and grab organic or heritage pork when you can. Ground beef, turkey, or chicken all work with the same seasoning. Leaner meats won’t crisp quite as much, so add an extra drizzle of oil.
- Onion and Garlic: Sautéed first so they soften and add sweetness to the pork.
- Honey: it caramelizes to give you crispy pork. Agave works the same way.
- Lime juice: the acid balances out the savoriness from the fat and sweetness from the honey.
- Tortillas: Corn or flour, your call. Charring corn tortillas right over a gas flame gives them a toasty, slightly smoky flavor (instructions in the recipe card).
- Quick Pickled Onions: Red onion, lime juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar.
Pork Taco Seasoning
You don’t need a packet for these! This homemade pork taco seasoning is a simple mix of chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and oregano (exact amounts are in the recipe card).
It makes about 2 1/4 Tablespoons, the right amount for 1 pound of pork, and it’s mild enough for kids. Add a pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder if you like heat. In a pinch, one store-bought taco seasoning packet works too. Just skip the extra salt. Want to save time next taco night? Mix a triple batch and keep it in a jar with your spices.
How to Make Ground Pork Tacos
- Make the quick pickled onions (optional): Toss thinly sliced red onion with lime juice, red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Let them sit while you cook the pork.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Brown the pork: Push the onion and garlic to the side and place the ground pork in the pan. Break the pork up into small bits and brown fully. Cook until no pink remains (160°F). There’s no need to drain the pan. That rendered fat is what helps the pork crisp up in the next step. If a lot of liquid pools in the pan, spoon a little off before you start crisping.
- Let it get crispy: Let it sit in the hot pan, without stirring, for 2-3 minutes so the pork crisps, then stir and repeat 1-2 more times until it’s as crispy as you’d like it. This is the step that makes these tacos, so don’t rush it. Stop once you’ve got golden, crispy edges. Go too far and the pork turns tough and chewy.
- Season and finish: Turn the heat to medium-low, then stir in the pork taco seasoning and honey until the meat is coated and glossy. The lower heat keeps the honey and spices from burning. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and serve with warm corn or flour tortillas and your favorite toppings.
Love ground pork? Make ground pork stir fry or pork lettuce wraps next!
Topping Ideas
Set out a few of these and let everyone build their own. Keep it simple with cheese and avocado for picky eaters, or load yours up with pickled onions, cotija, and jalapeños.
- Salsa: Fresh, store-bought, or my our pineapple salsa with pork tacos.
- Avocado: healthy guacamole, avocado crema or sliced avocado.
- Cheese: Try grated cheese, such as cheddar or Monterey Jack, or crumbled Mexican cheese like Cotija or queso fresco.
- Lettuce or cabbage: Shredded lettuce or cabbage adds a crunchy texture and fresh flavor to tacos.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro leaves add a bright, herbaceous flavor to tacos, especially on carne asada tacos.
- Pickled red onion: the acid in these offsets the pork really well. Skip down to the recipe card for a quick recipe.
Wash them down with a Moscow mule with tequila or mango margaritas.
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Store the taco meat separately from the tortillas and toppings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat it in a skillet over medium heat to bring back the crispy edges (the microwave works too, but you’ll lose some crunch). Leftover meat is great in taco bowls, quesadillas, or nachos.
More Easy Pork Recipes
Watch How to Make Them
Ground Pork Tacos
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
Quick Mexican Pickled Onions
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion (1/2 large onion)
- 2 Tablespons lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, honey, or agave
Pork Taco Meat
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow or red onion diced
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 lb ground pork (Note 1)
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon EACH: cumin and kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon honey or agavee
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 8 6-inch flour or corn tortillas (Note 2) for serving
- Toppings: queso fresco, cotija cheese, avocado crema, sliced avocado, cilantro, pickled red onion
Instructions
- Make the pickled red onions, if using. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl or glass jar and let them sit at room temperature, stirring once or twice, while you make the ground pork.1 cup thinly sliced red onion, 2 Tablespons lime juice, 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, honey, or agave
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 small yellow or red onion, 2 cloves minced garlic
- Push the onion and garlic to the side and place the ground pork in the pan. Use a meat smasher or spatula to break the pork up into small bits. Continue to cook, mixing the pork with the onions and garlic, until no pink remains (160°F). Spoon off excess liquid if needed, but don't drain all the fat.1 lb ground pork (Note 1)
- When the pork is almost done, let it sit in the hot pan, without stirring, for 2-3 minutes so the pork crisps, then stir and repeat 1-2 more times until it's as crispy as you'd like it. Be careful not to crisp it too much or it will end up tough and chewy.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, stir in the seasoning and honey, and cook for 1 minutes, until the pork is evenly coated and glossy.3 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon EACH: cumin and kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon honey or agavee
- Remove the tacos from the heat and stir in the lime juice.2 tablespoons lime juice
- Serve the ground pork with flour or corn tortillas (Note 2). Top with crumbled Queso fresco, Cotija cheese, cilantro, or pickled red onion.8 6-inch flour or corn tortillas (Note 2), Toppings: queso fresco, cotija cheese, avocado crema, sliced avocado, cilantro, pickled red onion
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Skillet or saute pan
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Great flavor for the pickled onions and ground pork
Thanks so much Corey!
These were SO delicious! We lived in South Texas and recently moved back to OH. We have missed a great street taco since then and THIS recipe hit the spot! We topped with the pickled onion, cilantro, queso fresco and a little Serrano hot sauce. We will be keeping this for our weekly rotation!
OMG what a compliment!! Thank you so much! Love when I make it into the rotation:)
Delicious! We’re can’t eat a lot of beef so I was searching for a pork taco recipe. This is definitely going in the rotation.
I did used already picked red onions but otherwise, followed the recipe.
Thanks, Heather!
I made this for my boyfriend and I because it was a quick easy recipe and we’re both busy college students. It has quickly become one of our favorite recipes, and he even loves the pickled red onions despite not being huge on onions or pickled foods! The tacos are great, and they’re even better with the cotija cheese, cilantro, and the pickled red onion on them. It is super easy to make and extremely delicious too!
Thank you, Mahala! We love the red onion on them too. Thanks for sharing.
Delish! I made this for my husband and myself and man was it a favorite. Will be making again. The pickled onions were the highlight. So delicious. We used goat cheese and it was so yummy with the sweetness of the pork.
Really good! Added a small minced red jalapeno to the onions and garlic. We just happened to have habanero pickled onions leftover from Cochinita Pibil, so we used those, which were spicy and a little citrusy. With lime, cabbage, avocado, cilantro, radishes and queso fresco, these tacos were sweet-savory and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Yum, Heidi!!! Those pickled onions sound incredible. Thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
These were really tasty! I definitely used the pickled red onions as I love pickled onions and also used the avocado crema. I think I will try with salsa next time but the pork mince makes a good base for using any toppings of choice. Great recipe!
The pickled red onions are my favorite!! Thanks, Debbie!
Wow was this ever good! With the pickled onions and some cotija cheese it was delicious. We’ll definitely be making this again.
The meat was pretty bland. I had to add a lot of seasoning.