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Make this Chipotle Carnitas Copycat recipe at home to fill tacos, burritos, or a homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl. All you need is one secret ingredient and a slow cooker or Instant Pot for delicious, authentic carnitas.
Making copycat Chipotle carnitas is as easy as checking their website. There, you can learn that their not-so-secret ingredient is juniper berries, a piney-tasting spice for the juniper tree.
Beyond the berries, you need just a bay leaf, thyme, water, and a piece of pork. Pork becomes meltingly tender in a slow cooker or instant pot, and I have both methods listed below. Once you know how to make Chipotle Carnitas, build out your bowl with the rest of the Chipotle Copycat menu.
Chipotle Carnitas are great in burritos and burrito bowls, tacos, salads, and your next batch of meal prep. Or, add an American twist with your favorite barbecue sauce and enjoy on grilled garlic bread. Tex-Mex, anyone?
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Pork: Look for a boneless or bone-in pork shoulder roast or pork butt. These heavy-duty cuts of pork have a high fat content which translates to more flavor.
- Juniper berries: While most Carnitas recipes use citrus juice, readers agree that piney juniper berries really make all the difference. Hunt these down to replicate the flavors you get at Chipotle. You can find them at many grocery stores or buy juniper berries on Amazon.
Step-by-step instructions
- Season all sides of pork liberally with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. To the bottom of the slow cooker, add water, bay leaves, thyme, and juniper berries.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, or LOW for 8 to 10 hours. The meat should be tender and fall apart easily. Transfer pork to a large bowl and shred with two forks.
- Skim fat off liquid in slow cooker if desired. Discard juniper berries and any thyme sprig stems. Serve shredded pork in tacos, burritos, salads, and burrito bowls.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Chipotle Carnitas recipe makes about 6 cups, enough for 12 servings, ½ cup each. Your exact yield depends on the piece of pork you buy (its weight and fat content).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Feel free to get a head start; this recipe can be made entirely up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. Reheat the meat (more tips below) until an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- Freezer: Pop leftover Chipotle Pork into an airtight, freezer-safe container and put it on ice for up to 6 to 8 months.
- Reheating: When reheating frozen or cold carnitas, the easiest way is to use your slow cooker. Reheat pork on LOW until it reaches 165 degrees, using a little broth or water to thin out the sauce, if necessary. To reheat carnitas in the oven, place it in an oven-safe baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at a low temperature of 250 degrees, until the meat registers 165 degrees. Or, microwave individual portions in 1-minute increments.
- Spices: Chipotle uses juniper berries, thyme, and a bay leaf for their pork. However, you can easily switch up the spices to use your favorites. Cumin and Mexican oregano are great on pork, or try my all-purpose pork spice blend made with garlic powder, coriander, paprika, and fennel.
- Instant pot carnitas: Add the ingredients to the pot and cook on high pressure for 45-55 minutes with a 15 minute natural release. Remove the juniper berries, bay leaves, and thyme with a slotted spoon. Follow the instructions for browning, using the SAUTÉ function in the pressure cooker, the broiler, or on the stove.
- Oven-baked carnitas: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a Dutch oven (or other large heavy-bottomed pot) over medium high heat, add a bit of olive oil and sear the seasoned meat on all sides. Add thyme, water, bay leaves, and juniper berries. Put the lid on the pot, place it in the oven, and cook for 4 hours – or until the meat comes apart easily. Remove the juniper berries, bay leaves, and thyme with a slotted spoon. Follow the instructions for browning, using the broiler, or a skillet on the stove.
- For carnitas with crispy edges:
- In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering. Add pork in batches (3 to 4 batches), along with about 2 tablespoons juice from slow cooker (or chicken broth), and cook without moving until browned on one side.
- Toss the pork to flip and brown the other side briefly (you want both crispy and soft pieces), until all the juice has evaporated. Return to slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the Chipotle ingredient statement, their carnitas are made with pork, sunflower oil, bay leaves, thyme, juniper berries, salt, and black pepper.
Both corn tortillas and flour tortillas are perfect for enjoying carnitas. Soft corn tortillas are the more traditional choice for tacos in Mexico, but large burrito-sized flour tortillas are more appropriate for burritos.
The closest substitute for juniper berries is allspice berries. Add them whole to your slow cooker for different (yet delicious) flavor.
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Chipotle Carnitas Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 (3 ½ to 4 pound) pork butt roast fat cap trimmed to 1/8-inch (see note 1)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large sprig fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons whole juniper berries (see note 2)
Instructions
- Season all sides of pork liberally with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. To the bottom of the slow cooker, add water, bay leaves, thyme, and juniper berries.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, or LOW for 8 to 10 hours. The meat should fall apart easily.
- Transfer pork to a large bowl and shred with two forks. Skim fat off liquid in slow cooker if desired. Discard juniper berries and any thyme sprig stems. Serve shredded pork in tacos, burritos, salads, and burrito bowls.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Pork: Look for a boneless or bone-in pork shoulder roast or pork butt. These heavy-duty cuts of pork have a high fat content which translates to more flavor.
- Juniper berries: While most Carnitas recipes use citrus juice, readers agree that piney juniper berries really make all the difference. Hunt these down to replicate the flavors you get at Chipotle.
- Yield: This Chipotle Carnitas recipe makes about 6 cups, enough for 12 servings, ½ cup each. Your exact yield depends on the piece of pork you buy (its weight and fat content).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
My family usually has chicken fajitas to stuff our flour tortillas, but I was looking for a change when I came across this recipe for pork carnitas. It was so easy once I found whole juniper berries locally. I’ve made this recipe twice already since it was such a hit with the family the first time.
So glad it’s a hit, Han! Thank you! – Meggan
Hi, neither my instant pot nor my slow cooker are big enough to fit the 7.2 lb pork shoulder that I bought. Can you please tell me instructions for cooking this all day in the oven, instead?
Hi Stephanie, yes! Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a Dutch oven (or other large heavy-bottomed pot) over medium high heat, add a bit of olive oil and sear the seasoned meat on all sides. Add thyme, water, bay leaves, and juniper berries. Put the lid on the pot, place it in the oven, and cook for 4 hours – or until the meat comes apart easily. Remove the juniper berries, bay leaves, and thyme with a slotted spoon. Follow the instructions for browning, using the broiler, or a skillet on the stove. Please write if you have anymore questions! – Meggan
I have been using this recipe for years and we love it! My daughter is leaving for college next week and when I asked her which homemade meals she would like before she leaves, this was at the top of her list. Thank you for sharing your recipe with our family!
Aww! ๐ You’re so welcome! That’s so wonderful! – Meggan