Sometimes you’re simply craving some GOOD pork carnitas tacos.

Thankfully, I’ve got the BEST pork carnitas slow cooker taco recipe to satisfy that craving. While yes, you could go out and buy some tacos at a local taco stand, you can also make your own in your slow cooker and save yourself the time and money that it takes to go out and do all that.

These tacos are the DEFINITION of tasty and can leave just about any taste buds satisfied.

They’re pretty easy to put together, don’t require too much prep time, and you’ll look like a total pro if you’re making this for family or friends.

The cool thing about these tacos is that they’re pretty hands off, since you’re making them in your slow cooker. If you don’t have one yet, you’re missing out on making SUPER EASY dinner recipes.

Crock pots are great if you’re constantly on the go but still want to have some home cooked meals for when you’re back home.

This is especially useful during the weekdays, when everyone’s usually too tired to make anything.

And don’t even get me started on how much dishes it saves you from washing!

Lets take a closer look at my modern twist on the quintessential pork tacos carnitas recipe.

This recipe has a few ingredients included that might seem out of the norm at first, but once you put them all together, it’ll be like an explosion of flavor in your mouth.

Some of the ingredients in the slaw are vinegar, mayo, soy sauce, and honey.

It sounds like an eclectic combination but once you put it together, it’ll be like heaven on your tongue. I liked going out of the norm and creating a taco topper that strayed away from the usual cilantro and onion combo and tried something a little different with some sliced colorful peppers.

Of course, you can always eat the tacos without the pepper slaw, but it won’t taste the same without it.

Table of Contents

What kind of meat is carnitas?

Carnitas translates to ‘little meat’ in spanish and originated in Mexico. At it’s essence, its cooking pork in oils and spices and then preparing it into one DELICIOUS taco.

I love adding the lime to the tacos because it adds that extra kick of zest.

What kind of cheese do you put on carnitas?

There’s no hard and fast rule for the type of cheese you should add to your carnitas tacos. But one that goes well with them and that you’ll often find at taco stands, especially in California, is cotija, quesadilla cheese, or even queso fresco.

What goes good with carnitas?

Anything really. Usually a well cooked rice to add to the side with some refried beans will bring this dish full circle. It’s all about experimenting with flavors and seeing what works best for you.

Toasting the tortillas is something you can’t skip when you make these tacos. There’s something that blackening them a little does to the flavors.

It gives it a nice roasted smoke tinge to the tortillas and when you mix it with your slow cooker carnitas pork combo, you’ve got yourself quite the homemade taco.

SIDE NOTE: When you’re cooking you’ll often run into conversion questions that you might not know off the top of your head. Especially when converting liquids. Here’s how to remember your kitchen conversions!

Thankfully you don’t have to make these tortillas from scratch (though lots of people do!) You can buy a super cheap pack at your local grocery store that’ll last you a few cheap dinner rounds. It’s a great cheap dinner idea and I’m pretty sure there are a couple of tortilla brands out there that are gluten free.

For the yogurt dressing, if you don’t like greek yogurt you can always try sour cream as a perfect substitute to create the sauce. Sometimes using sour cream as the base works best for a lot of people, depending on how authentic or eclectic they want to get with the recipe.

I find that I like either, one doesn’t stand out to me more than the other. Most of the time, if I’m out of yogurt, I’ll just go for the sour cream as the base, no problem.

There are lots of different interpretations to pork tacos. Everyone loves to add their own twist to it, which is awesome, because then you get a ton of different mixes of flavors! Here are my top three favorite carnitas recipes that are just as awesome as this one:

Mexican Carnitas Recipe by Isabel Eats.

Crispy Pork Carnitas by Cafe Delites.

Carnitas by Fifteen Spatulas.

Pork Carnitas Tacos are Slow Cooker Pork Tacos that are easy to make

Pork Carnitas Tacos (Slow Cooker Pork Tacos)

These pork carnitas tacos are perfect as an easy dinner idea or for a summer meal!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 20

Ingredients

3-4 lbs Pork shoulder roast
15 oz Can of pineapple chunks
1 tbsp Hoisin or soy sauce
4 Cloves of minced garlic
2 Jalapenos, sliced thin
2 tsp Pepper
1 tbsp Salt
3 tbsp Honey

Instructions

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until falling apart.
Shred the meat with a fork, add salt & pepper as needed.
Brown 6 inch flour tortillas.
Top with pulled pork, pepper slaw, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, yogurt dressing, and fresh cilantro.

Notes

Pepper Slaw Ingredients:

4 peppers (red, yellow, and green) sliced thinly

3 tablespoons white vinegar

⅓ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (plus an additional 1 tablespoon for the top)

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Optional: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Mix the vinegar, mayo, soy sauce, honey, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Add the peppers and 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds. Chill for 1 hour. Before serving, stir in the fresh cilantro and top with remaining sesame seeds.

Quick Yogurt Dressing Ingredients:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Whisk until smooth. Serve immediately or chill.

Have a favorite taco recipe?

If you do, feel free to share it below. Did you try my recipe? Let me know how it went for you!

Make sure you share the recipe with family and friends.

Happy cooking. ?