Tacos Carnitas
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If you’re planning on making some juicy, flavor-packed, loaded carnitas tacos, you’re in for a treat. This is the one taco recipe I always come back to because it delivers maximum flavor with minimum effort. I’ll show you how to make the most crave-worthy tacos with hardly any hands-on cooking – your friends will be begging for the recipe!
We have tacos on constant rotation at my house (which probably isn’t a surprise if you’ve seen how many taco recipes live here). These carnitas tacos came to life after I made it my mission to perfect Mexican pork carnitas. Once I nailed it, those tender, juicy strands of pork were basically begging to be tucked into warm tortillas and topped with guacamole and all the fixings.
They’ve been a staple ever since. I love how effortless they are for a weeknight dinner — just turn the slow cooker on in the morning, and dinner is practically done. But they’re just as perfect for a laid-back taco night with friends, bringing big flavor and a festive vibe without any stress.
Why you’ll want to make carnitas tacos tonight
- You’ll be smiling the whole way through dinner with a stack of these in front of you.
- They’re incredibly easy: shred the pork, crisp it under the broiler, toss it in the reduced cooking liquid, and pile it into tortillas.
- Every Taco Tuesday suddenly feels like Cinco de Mayo.
- This is the carnitas tacos recipe. I’ve tested countless versions, and this one is hands-down my favorite. Promise me you’ll make it.
If you like all things tacos, try my shrimp tacos!
Serving ideas
This recipe is so good that I think keeping it simple is best. Make a batch of my Easy Guacamole Recipe and a Fizzy Lime Margarita, and you’ll be set.
But if you want to create a Mexican feast with these carnitas tacos as the centerpiece, here are my favorite Mexican sides:
- Spicy Mexican Rice
- Mexican Nacho Fries
- Mexican Corn Dip with Avocado and Jalapeño
- Creamy Avocado Sauce
Storing leftover pork carnitas tacos
For tacos, it’s best to store all the elements separately and assemble them when you are ready to enjoy them. For the carnitas, you can transfer them to an airtight container and stash them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop.
Seal up any leftover tortillas – often, the bag they come in has a reseal, or you can transfer them to a ziplock bag. The guacamole will be best eaten fresh, but other toppings can go in the fridge for 1-3 days.
Carnitas Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- Mexican Pork Carnitas
- 2 large ripe avocados
- Juice from ½ lime
- 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
- A pinch of salt
- 12 small tortillas (corn, flour, or paleo)
- Minced red onions (to serve)
- Other optional toppings: sour cream, minced cilantro, tomato salsa, a squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Start by making the Mexican Pork Carnitas. This will take you about 8 hours to make in your slow cooker or in a pot.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mash the avocados with the lime juice, garlic, and salt.2 large ripe avocados, Juice from ½ lime, 1 clove garlic, A pinch of salt
- Put a scoop of carnitas in a tortilla, add a spoonful of the mashed avocados (guacamole), top with a sprinkle of minced red onions and any or all of the optional toppings.12 small tortillas, Other optional toppings: sour cream, minced cilantro, tomato salsa, a squeeze of lime juice, Minced red onions
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Its good to cook carnitas with a whole orange or tangerine, and thinly sliced onion. It all gets cooked down before the carnitas are ready. I season the pork with black pepper cumin & adobo. Oh and cant forget the coca cola in the braising liquid. Or brown sugar, I do both.
I made this tonight and it was a winner! So delicious! My 27 yr old son is a mexican food connoisseur and he has traveled all around the USA and these were great.
Putting the meat under the broiler is key-thank you so much for the recipe-the marinade is amazing-I will definitely make these again!
Wow that’s amazing! So happy the recipe won over the connoisseur!
I’m thinking about buying a food truck next year, (I’m retired) Carnitas will be on offer. I live on Cape Cod, so our season is short.