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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 c. 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.
Looks delicious. What timing would you suggest for an Instant Pot? Thanks!
Hi Ruth, thank you! I would suggest 30 minutes on high pressure followed by a natural release (about 15 minutes). But, I don’t know for sure since I haven’t tested it, but this is what I think based on other recipes I reviewed. Thanks! -Meggan
Where can I buy juniper berries?
Hi Vada, I always order mine on amazon! I have updated the recipe card for others to be able to find them easily in the future. These are the ones that I like: https://amzn.to/2Vj1ExH
Juniper berries are the game changer! I just made these today with homemade corn tortillas. Fabulous! FYI to the Pittsburgh peeps, juniper berries are available in the Strip at Penzey’s.
I am making this in the next day or two, and I’m excited that I won’t even need to modify the recipe to be low FODMAP because it already is.
Also, our local health food store sold the juniper berries in the bulk section. I spent about $2 on a small package and probably have enough that I could make this recipe 7 or 8 times.
I made this today. WAS SOOOOOO GOOD! Whole family enjoyed it! Tasted like something that had been slaved over, yet all I did was put the roast in the slow cooker before I went to bed, and spent maybe 5 minutes measuring out the seasonings. Added the seasonings in the morning, and everything was ready in time for lunch. I made this with your fajita veggies recipe, although I substituted zucchini for the onion, to make it low FODMAP. Turned out great.
Do you think that you could use a pork tenderloin but half the recipe?
Hi Annie, I think it’s worth a try, and yes you can definitely cut the recipe in half. My first thought it, carnitas shreds so easily because the fat melts and so the meat just falls apart. Obviously pork tenderloin is super lean, but so is chicken breast and that shreds just fine. Right? So I think you’ll be fine. I think it will be delicious!
Do you think this would freeze well?
Hi Kristen, yes I think so. I would probably hang on to any liquid from the slow cooker and freeze (and reheat) the pork in that. I will put this on my list to test! Thanks for the question.
Wow, definitely identical to Chipotle carnitas. I let the pork cook for around 10 1/2 hours at low (195 F). Came out great, very tender. An anecdote about Juniper berries: I was on the fence with this recipe because the only Juniper berries I could find were one of these boutique brands and it was like over 7 dollars for a little bottle. So, I’m undecided with a new recipe about spending all that. Seems like I can just go to Chipotle for what its going to cost in the end and not take any chances! But then in August I’m in Hungary, and they sell packs of Juniper berries for like what would come out to around 65 cents. So, I bring a few packs back (along with some paprika) and prepare the recipe. Awesome. Served it with the copycat rice (used less lemon and lime than called for), pico, shredded cheese and borracho beans. The only thing I might suggest, that I wish I had (but I don’t) is a fat separator. I served the pork in a rustic ceramic dish and transferred some of the ‘broth’, but was unable to separate the delicious (juniper-infused) juices from the oil that the pork rendered. Next time, will get it right. Thank you for the great recipe!
I also think about getting the fat separator. Although fat from pastured animals, especially pigs is super high in vitamin D! However, my family still doesn’t digest fat very well. So this doesn’t really help for eating right after the food has cooked, but if you have time, or for leftovers, after you have taken out the meat and strained the juice, save the juices separately. After they have completed cooled in the fridge, you can just take right off.
Nancy, that is true. But we dug right in. I don’t mind some of the fat being in there, but it renders quite a bit !
Al if you make it the day ahead put your juice in a container on the fridge. Wallace! Next day you can take that chunk of fat off the top and it was separated quite easily.
Did the other day, wow, is just wow,
Question, does anybody hear knows where can I purchase the Tortilla fast warmer?
Thank you
Made this recipe as directed. Did it twice so I had enough to make in a pressure canner. This way no need to refrigerate or freeze it. It will last years, but it will be hard not to eat it all up soon. We ended up making 8 pint-sized mason jars. Used the first jar tonight (two weeks later) & warmed it up & had it with the chipotle lime rice. It was perfect! Amazing recipe! Thanks so much for posting!!!
really good recipe , i smoked my pork in the big green egg no smoke only lump charcoal for heat at 4 hours
then
in a dutch oven i added water bay leaves juniper berries didnt have fresh thyme so used powered and i pu that in dutch oven w water turn on low heat for 30 mins to bring the flavors after the meat was in smoker for 4 hours or so i put the pork in dutch oven back in smoker for about 5 hours or so shredded nicely i added a lot more juniper berries then recipe says but still tasted awesome great recipe thanks