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 :P
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 :D 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!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
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!
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
- Serving Size: 1/4
- Calories: 407
- Sugar: 5
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 29
- Fiber: 12
- Protein: 32
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