Pulled Pork Tacos

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Juicy pulled pork tacos piled with pickled red onions, avocado chunks, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro leaves. Now tell me that doesn’t sound like a crowd favorite for taco night!  

Slow cooker pulled pork tacos on plates

Growing up in Southern California, my love for tacos runs deep. From carne asada tacos to shrimp tacos and even breakfast tacos – there’s never a day where I’ll deny taco night. Especially after I make a batch of my insanely juicy and tender, slow cooker pulled pork.  

Pulled pork is one of my favorite meal prep ingredients to make, given how many different types of meals I get out of it (which you can get a glimpse of in my winter meal prep). But when I have a big batch of meat like this – tacos are the quintessential choice, of course. 

Ingredients for pulled pork tacos on a table

What’s In These Pulled Pork Tacos

Like any taco recipe, you just need your main source of protein, tortillas, and your favorite set of toppings. 

  • Pulled Pork: It’s time to put that slow cooker to good use and make a batch of my pulled pork recipe, which I’ve linked above and down below. There’s plenty for a full blown party, or save leftovers to enjoy the following days. 
  • Tortillas: If you’re gluten-free like me, I’m a big advocate of my cassava flour tortillas. But of course, you can use whichever tortilla your heart desires. 
  • Pickled Red Onion: These homemade pickled red onions make these tacos taste 1000x better. Plus, they’re super easy to make and ready in just one hour!
  • Toppings: For the final touches, I always love to add avocado, goat cheese, and cilantro. For more ideas – I’ve listed out a few favorites below.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below

How To Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

  • Prep the pork. Trim off any excess fat, then rub the spice mixture around the entire pork. 
  • Prep the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, garlic, and orange juice into the slow cooker. Then place the pork on top.
  • Cook low and slow. Let this cook for 8 hours on low. But if you’re short on time, you can cook this 4 to 5 hours on high. By then, your pulled pork should be extremely tender and juicy!
  • Time to shred. Carefully pull the pork out of the slow cooker and onto a cutting board. Then shred it up with two forks by pulling pieces apart. Now, you’re ready for taco assembly!
Layering pulled pork on tacos

It’s Pulled Pork Taco Assembly Time! Here’s Your Options…

By instinct, it’s easy to go to your default taco toppings. But if you’re looking to give your pulled pork tacos some oomph, give any of these toppings a try! 

  • Sauces: Since we’ve already got pickled red onions, a drizzle of sour cream or this lime crema will be extra refreshing!
  • Cheeses: I love to use cotija cheese for these tacos, but any crumbled cheese will work.
  • Fresh Herbs & Veggies: Add refreshing flavors and crunch with chopped cilantro, coleslaw, or radishes.

Tips For Meal Prepping Ahead Of Time

Given that there’s multiple recipes within this recipe, I have a few recommendations to be most efficient (and to not completely destroy your kitchen in one fell swoop, like I did).

  • Feel free to make the pulled pork the day ahead and refrigerate. You can then heat it up as needed for individual portions or the entire batch for a party. When reheating, you can microwave the pork or saute it. For the saute method, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and place enough of the pulled pork to cover the bottom of the pan. Let it crisp up on one side for crispy, carnitas goodness.
  • Make the cassava flour tortillas in the morning, cool fully, and place in a storage bag. Just make sure to add a small piece of parchment paper between each tortilla to prevent sticking. These can then be microwaved for a few seconds to heat up.
  • Make the pickled red onion the day (or days) beforehand. It will keep for a month in the refrigerator, so there’s no need to scurry around at the last minute trying to whip it up.
Pulled pork tacos on a plate next to limes

There’s Never Enough Taco Recipes, Right?

Come outdoor party season (or any time really), you’ll definitely want to make these pulled pork tacos for a hungry crowd. If you do, let me know how they turned out in a comment below!

A plate of pulled pork tacos

Pulled Pork Tacos

5 from 10 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 hours
Total: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 (with leftover pork)
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Juicy pulled pork tacos piled with pickled red onions, avocado chunks, cheese, and fresh cilantro. Now that's what I call taco night!

Ingredients 
 

Pulled Pork

  • pounds pork shoulder
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 orange, juiced

Taco Ingredients

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, mix the paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper together.
    Spices in a bowl for slow cooker pulled pork
  • Place the diced onion, garlic and orange juice in your slow cooker.
    A slow cooker with onions for pulled pork
  • Trim all excess fat from the pork shoulder, then rub the spice mixture generously around the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker. Turn your slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.
    A slow cooker with pork in it.
  • Once your pork is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker to a plate or cutting board and use two forks to shred the pork.
    A plate of pulled pork
  • Assemble your tacos by placing a portion of warmed pulled pork, a few slices of onion, cheese, and cilantro on top of each tortilla.
    A plate with two pulled pork tacos

Nutrition

Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 1053mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1290IU | Vitamin C: 88.8mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3.9mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Pulled Pork Street Tacos, pulled pork tacos
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted May 2015, but updated to include new photos.

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

5 from 10 votes

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40 Comments

  1. The recipe calls for 8 hours of cooking on low in the slow cooker although the recipe says 6 hours at the top. Any corrections?

  2. I made these for my family which includes a husband and 4 teenagers. It was a hit. They all loved it! I will definitely be making this again.5 stars

  3. EXCELLENT!!! I was so excited to make these & they did not disappoint!! I served them with guac, I made a little dairy free street corn type slaw, picked cabbage, your pickled red onions, & cilantro – they were so delicious!5 stars

    1. Unfortunately I haven’t tried this without a slow cooker, so will need to do additional testing!

  4. This was so yummy! I was a bit nervous about the pickled onion but it added just the right amount of flavor to balance everything out. Thank you for sharing!5 stars

    1. Hi Laura- The pickled onion is the perfect amount of extra flavoring in this recipe. Glad you enjoyed it :)

  5. We loved this! Great for a crowd and super easy to make! The pickled onions really add an extra layer of deliciousness to it! We have also made this using a homemade sweet potato tostada instead of the cassava flour tortillas and it turned out great! And we made the pickled onions whole30 compliant but taking out the honey and that was really good too :)5 stars

    1. Hi Badmire – That sounds amazing with a sweet potato tostada! I will definitely have to try this sometime :)

      1. I currently have this cooking in my slow cooker but I didn’t see pineapple in the recipe so I didn’t pick any up. I did juice of an orange. Is there a reason why pineapple isn’t on the recipe?

  6. By far the favorite recipe in our home!! We serve at parties, family game night and community events we host in our home!  So flavorful and tender, love the sweetness of a touch of pineapple and the tang of the pickled red onions. Great combo of flavors and knowing they’re healthy is an added bonus! Thanks for your creative genius and sharing your recipes with us! Tacos are big in Texas too, we can’t live without Taco Tuesday!!5 stars

    1. Yay, I’m so happy you love these pulled pork tacos Sonya! They’re one of my favorites as well. Enjoy your Taco Tuesday and have an extra one for me! ;) x

  7. These pulled pork tacos sound fantastic. I love pulled pork and pickled red onion. Such a tasty combo!5 stars

    1. Yes, once you make pickled onions, no taco is complete with out them! Thanks, Jacqueline!

  8. Great recipe. I made the tortillas and ate them with some chicken and salsa that I had in my fridge. So good.5 stars