Take an hour out of your day to prep these amazing slow cooker carnitas burrito bowls! We’ll show you how to make Crockpot carnitas and even throw in directions for Instant Pot carnitas so that you can make the most epic meal prep burrito bowls around town!
It’s time to get your slow cooker on with our famous slow cooker carnitas recipe! I love this meal prep recipe because of all of the different aspects, flavors, and textures of this meal. The slow cooker is such a great kitchen appliance to have on hand during all times of the year because it’s a set it and forget it kind of tool. Plus, it slow cooks meat like woah and leaves your carnitas super tender and delicious!
While we’re on the slow cooker topic…what do you say…slow cooker carnitas or crockpot carnitas? I say both, it just depends on what kind of mood I’m in 😛
Slow Cooker Carnitas
In order to make perfectly cooked, juicy carnitas…I highly suggest using the slow cooker method…specifically on low! The slower you cook your slow cooker carnitas, the more tender and fall off the bone they will be! Trust me 😀 Here’s what you need:
- Pork loin or pork butt (either will work!)
- olive oil
- garlic
- orange juice
- green chiles
- spices
So what makes this recipe a burrito bowl? Well, all of the additional aspects of this recipe!
Carnitas Burrito Bowl
- Pork Carnitas: Slow cook your pork or use your Instant Pot…either way you will be left with the most flavorful, easy carnitas on the planet!
- Street Corn Salad: homemade street corn salad is the best! The basis of our recipe is corn, cilantro, lime, and cotija cheese! If it’s summertime, I highly suggest grilling your own corn and cutting the kernels off the cob!
- Cilantro Lime Brown Rice: Of course we had to include our famous Copycat Cilantro Lime Brown Rice for good measure. You always have the option to use normal brown rice or any other grain like quinoa or cauliflower rice!
Slow Cooker Meat Recipes
- How to Make Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken
- Crockpot Sesame Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Salsa Tacos
How to Make Carnitas in the Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Carnitas Burrito Bowls
Take an hour out of your day to prep these amazing slow cooker carnitas burrito bowls! We’ll show you how to make Crockpot carnitas and even throw in directions for Instant Pot carnitas so that you can make the most epic meal prep burrito bowls around town!
Ingredients
Pork Carnitas
- 1 pound pork loin or pork butt (option to use chicken breast instead)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 oz. can green chiles
Street Corn Salad
- 1 15-oz. can yellow sweet corn, drained
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, fresh
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
Other Ingredients
- 1 15-oz. can black beans
- 4–8 cups romaine lettuce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Pork Carnitas
- Place about 2 tablespoons of olive on the bottom of a large pan. Heat to medium/high heat. Sear pork on all sides for 1 minute per side.
- Transfer seared pork into your slow cooker and add a little more olive oil and garlic. Turn heat to low and cook for 6-8 hours*.
- Once pork is tender, remove pork and shred with 2 forks. Place shredded pork and about 1/4 cup – 1/3 cup of the juice from the slow cooker into a large bowl and add the rest of the carnitas ingredients and mix.
Street Corn Salad
- Place all ingredients into a medium-size bowl and mix.
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
Bowl Assembly
- Place about 2 cups of romaine lettuce on the bottom of your bowl. Then add 1/4 of the meat (4 oz.), about 3/4 cup cilantro lime brown rice, 1/2 cup street corn, and 1/4 cup black beans.
- Serve with fresh lime and more cotija!
Tips & Notes
- Slow Cooker: We recommend cooking for 6-8 hours on low for tender pork, however, if you are in a rush you can cook the pork on high for 2-4 hours.
- Instant Pot: If you’d like to make Instant Pot Carnitas, turn your Instant Pot to the saute function. Add olive oil to the bottom and sear all sides of your pork for 1 minute. Then, turn your Instant Pot off and add garlic and a little more olive oil to your Instant Pot. Close lid, turn the valve to seal, and cook on manual high for 60 to 90 minutes. Once the timer has gone off, quick release your Instant Pot to let out the steam. Shred and add the rest of the carnitas ingredients. Option to follow THIS recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/4 Calories: 407 Sugar: 5 Fat: 18 Carbohydrates: 29 Fiber: 12 Protein: 32Keywords: Slow Cooker Carnitas
This looks sooo yummy!!! I just got all the ingredients to make it. Can I use my insta pot instead of a slow cooker though? Do you know how long I should cook it for in the insta pot and if I need to add liquid? Thanks so much!
We have a similar IP Pulled pork recipe — https://fitfoodiefinds.com/instant-pot-pulled-pork/ Check it out!
This recipe is so amazing! My partner and I both work shift work at the hospital and this was such a huge treat to eat when working a night shift (Way better than a lame ol’ ham n cheese sandwich! Hahaha). I did choose to pack the lettuce, the street corn salad and some fresh tomatoes in one container. Then I put the pork, black beans and cilantro rice mixture into a container that I heat to pour over top. (And I made double the portion of the pork because honestly who doesn’t love extra shredded pork!) Thank you for your website. I was running out of meal ideas until I found this gem!
★★★★★
So glad you guys love this recipe!!
I thought I would leave a comment about my experience cooking this recipe since so many people were perplexed by the slow cooker aspects. I made the recipe with chicken instead of pork and I was also confused by the slow cooker instructions seeming contrary to everything I know about slow cooking. The only thing that might make sense is if you put all of the carnitas ingredients in the slower cooker, including the juices. But instead of trying that, because I wasn’t sure how that would turn out, I decided to just skip the slow cooker entirely and cook the chicken in a skillet with the oil and the dry spices. I added some of the dry spices to the oil while the chicken was first cooking, then once the chicken was safely cooked all the way through, I broke it up a bit with my spatula. Then I added some more of the dry spices and continued to cook it until it was a bit more browned. Then I turned off the heat and added the wet carnitas ingredients (the canned green chilis, the juices). And I finished by breaking up the chicken a bit more until it was more pulled chicken like. I can’t speak to trying this with pork, since I don’t eat pork, but it worked great with chicken. Other than the odd instructions for how to cook the meat, I really like this recipe overall. The corn salad and the cilantro rice are particularly tasty and different from my usual routine lunches. I used frozen corn and cooked dry black beans in the Instant Pot instead of canned. I would also agree with some other reviewers that the calorie count seems off. I think it’s still a very healthy meal for the average person, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone on a very calorie restricted diet, unless you used chicken and left out a lot of the cheese. I really liked how little chopping was involved in making a fairly healthy, fun, and delicious meal. It went much faster than a lot of my meal-prep lunch recipes. Highly recommend for meal prepping for the week if you are ok with cooking your meat on a skillet and skipping the slow cooker!
★★★★
The flavoring of the meat is great, but the recipe instructions for cooking it are WAY off. Just a little olive oil for a very small pork loin all day in the crock pot? I put it on my crock pots lowest setting, and by the time I got home 8 hours later, there was nothing left of my pork loin but a burnt log! I am lucky that my house didn’t burn down before I got back. I recommend altering this recipe to include some kind of liquid ingredients in the first step. I don’t see how anyone turned out perfectly cooked carnitas by following the crock pot instructions.
★★★
This is very good, however the nutrition information is misleading and therefore disappointing. MyFitnessPal calculated this recipe to be 690 calories before adding on the rice! Now I have a lovely lunch to eat this week that will blow my calorie count.
★★★
I haven’t quite finished crafting the recipe yet, but four or five hours into the cooking of the meat the edges of the pot started to burn. So far the meat is fine, but I realized (thanks to a handy reddit post) that there needed to be more liquid in the pot whereas the recipe only recommends one tablespoon of olive oil and some garlic.
★★★
These were amazing. My family loved them. This was delicious and hubby approved! Thanks for sharing it.
★★★★★
I made this recipe this weekend and it tastes great! My only issue is that the calorie count is way off. I am on a calorie restricted diet and made this specifically because it was around 400 calories. Not sure if that calorie count was made using chicken. A 4 oz serving of pork butt has about 350 calories alone! My calculations come out to approximately 600 calories per serving (4 oz meat, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 corn, and 1/4 cup black beans). So beware – this is NOT a low calorie meal!
★★★★★
My 600 calorie count also included reducing the pork butt to a 3 oz portion. If you left it at 4 oz, it would come out to just under 700 calories.
I made this Sunday night and my husband had THREE tacos with it and has been saying all week that it’s “restaurant quality” and is already asking to make it again. I did it with a 1 pound pork loin in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes and just a little extra orange and lime juice 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!!
YESSSSS!! Glad you guys loved it!
Do you eat it cold?
We like eating it warm, but feel free to eat it cold!
The corn salad takes this dish to another level. So good! I topped it with a little mayo mixed with sauce from chipotles in adobo. Great recipe!
I’ve made this twice and love it, but both times with chicken. Do you have any idea how the nutritional information changes if you use chicken instead? I would think less fat.
Hey Tina! I don’t know exactly, but yes less fat for sure!
This recipe is awful. I’ve tried it twice now and both times the pork came out like leather. I’m now going to have to go out to the grocery store and try to figure out something else for dinner. Do yourself a favor and do not attempt this!
★
He Jessica! Did you cook your meat on high or low? Trying to troubleshoot for you!
you should have added that to the instructions/directions, directions/instructions should not be implied
It may have come out dry because nowhere in the directions does it state what to do with these ingredients from the carnitas. It may be implied you have to add the juices to the slowcooker with the meat, but…
1 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup lime juice
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. can green chiles
you should have added that to the instructions/directions, directions/instructions should not be implied
One of my favorites recipes that my husband and I have made to date. So much incredible flavor! Easy to make overnight so that you can take it to work the next day. Easily re-heatable, just pack some limes and you’re good to go!
★★★★★
YAY!!! Enjoy!
I absolutely adore this recipe, and have never had trouble with the pork being dry. I cook mine for more around the 9hr mark though, and try to ensure most meat is under liquid as soon as it starts to gall apart. Love the spices and addition of orange juice.
★★★★★
Other commenters were right to question the cooking techniques given in the recipe here. The pork was entirely too dry. It’s not common to slow-cook pork in the method given, because all of the liquid/fat will drain out of it and leave the bulk of the pork not sitting in it’s own juices, dry. Against my better instincts, I tried it anyway. I was not able to salvage such dryness by adding in extra amounts of the drippings, orange juice and lime juice, either. The corn mix was good though, and combined with guacamole and sour cream managed to salvage the dish.
This is so amazing. The first of its kind and only recipe I tried with my new cooker and got it right. Oh BTW my wife loved it too. Thanks for sharing.
The recipe calls for spices and orange juice and lime juice, but doesn’t say when to add them. Into the pot? A marinade? A spice rub?
Ummmmmm….. this. looks. ridiculously. good. I’m doing my meal planning for the week & plan on making these. But I have a question: can I use feta cheese instead of cojito cheese? Would it make a huge difference in taste?
Feta should be fine! Conjito doesn’t have a TON of flavor, so any kind of cheese will work!
Looks amazing! Do you use a pork loin roast or pork tenderloin?
Prep bowls look delish! Only thing is that the calories dont really add up to 407 calories. Adds up to around 500 something. Just wanted to point it out to those who are counting calories !
I’m learning how to meal prep…it’s hella cheaper and easier to grab for lunch. I forgot the rice for tonight’s dinner but will have it ready to go for lunch!
I added some onion to the black beans and corn, as well as lime juice and cayenne. Love it!!!
<3
Hi, Awesome recipe, the wifey just made it for my lunches thanks for that.
Just wondering how you come up with your calorie details, they seem way off, i’m losing weight so a keen calorie calculator and got the following(roughly) and this isn’t accounting for cheese, juice etc
Calories in 100G Pork Loin – 250
calories in brown rice 3/4 cup -165
calories in beans – 165
calories in corn 68
total 650 calories
I made this recipe for meal prep this week and LOVED it. LOVED. All my friends were so impressed as well! It was easy and looked beautiful. Plus I love that it’s a balanced meal. I had to cook my chicken on a skillet since i don’t have a slow cooker or crock pot but as long as it gets to soak it the sauce, it still turns out amazing. Thank you for the delicious simple recipe 🙂 Right on time for Cinqo de Mayo 🙂
<3 Glad you loved it Anastasia!
BEST lunch I’ve had in awhile. I felt like I was eating food from a restaurant. DELICIOUS!!!!
YAS!!!!
After you’ve prepped them. Do you put them in the microwave to heat them up a bit??
Hi Sydney! Yes, each day I reheat!
If I were to prep a week in advanced, should I put in the fridge or freezer.
I wondering how can I warm up the food if I were to bring it to work.
Do I microwave everything or only the rice and meat?
I just made all the components of the recipe and just waiting for the crock pot to finish. Then I realized I read it wrong and put the chillis in with the corn!!! This is my first meal prep, and I totally read the recipe wrong. Any ideas? Will the pork still be as moist w out the chilis?
Hey Jessica! Sorry for the late response! Your pork is going to be just fine. Hopefully you didn’t throw it out!
Do you have any ideas for what to sub for the meat? (I’m a vegetarian) or maybe it would be good just minus the pork?
I’m thinking roasted chickpeas would be good. I’d use the paprika and cumin to season them.
Very nice! The more you are prepared, the more you will be successful with your fitness goals
Do you add water to the crockpot along with pork and garlic or do all carnitas ingredients get added at once to crockpot?
Just wondering if the nutrition info is goofy looking on everyone’s screen? It just shows a bunch of symbols where it should have the units of measurement. I tried to pull it up both on my iphone and on my laptop and its the same. Not just on this recipe but all on this website.
Hi! Should I put any sort of liquid in with the chicken? And about how long? I have a smaller crock pot and can fit about 2 large chicken breasts in it. Thank you!!
Hey Cortney! I usually cook my chicken with no liquid, but you are more than welcome to add a splash of water or broth!
Thanks for sharing this! It gave that extra excitement to a healthier lunch.
I’m looking to cook the pork in the instant pot..any additional liquids I should add? I recently got one and haven’t used it yet!
Thanks,
Metra
Hey Metra! We just got an Insta Pot and this will be the first recipe we test in it! I’ll report back 😀
Sorry if this is a repeat comment, but I posted a comment on my phone, and went to print the recipe on my computer and noticed my comment isn’t showing up! Im so excited to try this recipe! Im going to start meal prepping it tomorrow, but I am going to sub chicken for the pork loin. I was wondering, can i put the chicken breasts in frozen? Or do i need to thaw them before i put them in? Also, how much time would I leave it in for both options and which settings on the crock pot?
HIyah! I have actually never put chicken in the crock pot frozen. I would recommend thawing it first!
Hi! So I’m really excited to try this recipe! I’m going to start meal prepping it tomorrow, but I am going to sub chicken for the pork loin. I was wondering, can I put the chicken breasts in frozen? Or do I need to thaw them before I put them in? Also, how much time would I leave it in for both options and which settings on the crock pot? Look forward to hearing from you! Thanks!
How long does this stay good for? I want to make these for lunch for all week…should i put the items separate (surely at least the lettuce) or can i bowl it up and take it to work as is once?
Hey Robin! This will stay good for 4-5 days. I like to seperate everything out into meals just like the photos!
What size container do you use for these? I’m looking for a good container for meal prepping lunches but don’t know what is the best size to go with.
Looks so good, thanks!!
Hi Lee. Is the Nutritional Info you listed just for the Carnitas bowl (including the corn and beans), or does that include the Cilantro Brown Rice as well? Thanks!
★★★★★
So the pork & garlic won’t burn in the crockpot alone right? Feels weird not adding liquid. Am I reading this correctly?
Hey Brooke! The pork creates a ton of moisture on it’s own, so you will find that when you open up the crock pot there will be liquid. TRUST ME.
I just made this pork tonight because it looked really good. The only issue I have is it’s really tough, so next time I make it I’ll add the seasonings and maybe some water in with it. I did take the temp to make sure it was cooked and not overcooked. Overall good flavor tho! My phone won’t let me leave a star rating less than 5, but I’d give it 4 stars since it was tough.
★★★★★
Hey! I want to try this! When you say green chilies, where can I find them? Canned or fresh? Thanks
Canned! You can find them in the Mexican section!
This recipe is great, but the nutrition info listed here is totally different than the math I did on my own. I substituted chicken breast, which has less calories than pork loin and after calculating all of the calories of the ingredients I used, with all of correct amounts to use listed in the recipe, the calories come out to 594 per serving when divided into 4. I would totally make this again, just make sure to do your own math on the ingredients you use so you know how much your eating.
★★★★
Hey Jenna! Thanks for sharing your concern. I think the issue with nutrition information is that everyone uses different brands, so inevitably there will be different numbers at the end!
I tried to make these tonight but after the two hours, the meat was really tough. I couldn’t even shread it. I decided to put it back in the crockpot for a little longer but any thoughts on why it would be so tough?
you have to cook the the pork for a total of 8-10 hours, cook the on high for 2 hours then turn the cooker to low.
First recipe I tried with my new slow cooker! Loved it!
This is amazing!!!! Love every part about it!
This recipe looks so good but I don’t have a slow cooker! 🙁 How can the meat be cooked instead?
NOOOOOOOO! You could try slow roasting your meat or even boiling. YOU NEED A SLOW COOKER.
Sorry, maybe it is here in the comments, but the serving size, is that 1/4c or a 1/4 of the recipe is a serving?
1/4 of the recipe! Basically just stating that you make 4 servings out of this recipe.
This was delicious and super easy to make, and I’m looking forward to actually having a lunch to bring to work for a few days this week. I could also see myself making the street corn as a side to other dishes I make. So tasty! We don’t have cotija cheese at my grocery store though, so I substituted with Feta cheese (I have no idea how similar they are, but it still tasted well).
★★★★★
Seriously the best meal prep recipe EVER! So flavorful and easy to make. Glad you loved it!
I know the recipe says just loin and garlic into the crock pot but, do you out water in it or anything or does it really go in dry? And the other ingredients , like the chilies, don’t get cooked at all just mixed in after? Thanks!
That is all correct! The meat will create moisture, so no need to add water! Mix everything else in after!
My meat didn’t create enough moisture :/ The outside was totally burnt and the inside of the pot was super charred. I still have some useable meat, but it definitely needed something else for moisture.
Does anyone know the nutrition info on this? Making them tonight.. yum!
Any chance you know the nutritional info like callories and carbs?
see my comment below, pretty sure the nutrional info is wrong
Sooooo, I gotta tell you, I don’t know what in the world took me so long to make these, because they’re like the best lunch ever! I made these last week and my hubby and I had them all week. He even requested I make them again next week!
Legit one of the best recipes for lunches, these carnita bowls are amazing!
YAS!!!!! I am so glad you guys loved them <3 Meal prep is such a life saver especially for busy people like us!!!!!! Will be in MKE first weekend in Nov. LET'S GET TOGETHER YAYAYA?!
Meal prep is definitely a life saver. I’ve found that if I don’t like the recipe though, I dread lunch lol. But this recipe = AMAZING!
YES YES YES, lets get together, it would be a true travesty to not hang out!!! I love MKE and am always thinking ‘gah we need to meet up!’!! We shall chat, but we’re free that weekend 🙂
Do you just throw all the seasonings, green chiles, lime juice, and garlic in with the pork loin and cook on low 6-8hrs?
Hi! These meal prep bowls looks absolutely delicious. I’m in recovery from an eating disorder as well, and it helps so much to find healthy, delicious recipes and to hear from others like me. Thanks for doing what you do!
One question: would you pack the lettuce separately so it doesn’t wilt when you heat the bowl up for lunch? I hate soggy lettuce, but I’m also a lazy girl. (I’m asking because this recipe is for meal prep.)
★★★★★
Hiyah! I prefer to heat everything but the lettuce. I’m with you….soggy lettuce is gross. So yes, pack it seperate!!
This was so delicious! I rarely stray from chicken and don’t have much experience cooking pork so this was a great trial recipe for me. It came out SOOO delicious!
And bonus: it was so easy to make. we are in the midst of a kitchen renovation and i managed to make this in my living room 🙂
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Woohoo! I’m so glad everyone loved it 🙂
Do you know how many calories are in this?
This looks like a great easy and delicious recipe! Going to try this with some avocado or guacamole on top.
★★★★★
If you meal prep these for the week, how do you hear up just the meat? Do you just eat it cold?
I’ve eaten it cold and I’ve also stuck the entire thing in the microwave. Just depends on how you like it!
Would this recipe work with chicken instead of pork? Would I need to alter the recipe at all?
It absolutely would! I’ve actually made it that way before. Just monitor your chicken in your slow cooker. When I cook chicken on high in mine, it usually only needs about an hour and a half!
I was wondering if you could freeze these? Would they be after defrosting them?
Hi Amanda! I’ve never tried freezing these, but I don’t see why not! Throw them in individual glass/tupperware and top it with a piece of plastic wrap and press it down onto the food to prevent freezer burn before putting the top on. If you do it- please comment back and let us know how it went!
Hi, for the slow cooker part, what do you use for the liquid? Because it says just add the pork loin and minced garlic in there and there’s no liquid to add in there. Wouldn’t it be dry?
Hiyah! You can add a little olive oil, but the pork will give off a lot of liquid itself!
When using chicken dip you use any liquids in the crock pot?
I’d use a little olive oil!
I did freeze them and they tasted just as good as the fresh ones. I didn’t do anything special, just froze them in Tupperware. I did eat them within a week of freezing them.
So delicious! And very easy too!
★★★★★
Seriously this is a very healthy recipe and we should try it. I am sure the taste will be also good and refreshing. Thanks
★★★★★
So, I saw this over the weekend and said, “Wow, this BOWL looks delicious!” and subsequently made my first meal prep evah on Sunday.
I made 5 days worth along with the cilantro brown rice and let me tell you this is fantastic! I’m not organized so it took more than an hour, but next time will be easier. Great spices and filled me up.
Now I can’t wait to try your BALLS!
WOOHOO!!! I am so glad you loved this meal. Believe me in 5 days you will be so happy that you don’t have to prep any dinner 🙂
This carnita bowl is crazzzzzzzy good — I agree with Lindsey, made these last week and I had to come back and comment on how delish they were. Ate them for lunch like a week straight, I swear lol.
★★★★★
Made them again last night!!! So glad you loved them 🙂
This looks so delicious! I am in eating disorder recovery right now and I love how your bowls always have all of the components of my meal plan in them! They make me feel a little bit more like I am eating like a healthy person instead of following a rigid plan! Thanks for the recipe!
<3 this makes me so happy! Gotta get dat protein, whole grain, healthy fats, and veggies!
Yum! These looks delicious. I love that there’s beans and meat in this to up the protein factor. I’m trying to add more to my diet.
LOOK so yummy! Mexican food all the time all summer long!
I testify, this bowl is bomb.com, especially with a side of Way Better Snacks chips! Thanks so much for sharing this deliciousness with me yesterday! Safe travels!
★★★★★