These Easy Ground Pork Tacos are a 20-minute recipe made with pantry staples. This easy meal is made with juicy and flavorful ground pork, fried corn tortillas, and fresh and colorful toppings.
Tacos are always a hit, especially on busy weeknights… This recipe is one of those insanely quick and easy ones that comes together in under 30 minutes and uses up pantry staples and is one of our go to ground pork recipes!
Just thaw a pound of ground pork, pull out the tortillas, and raid the veggie drawer for a colorful, flavorful, incredible, but oh-so-simple meal. These are one of the best ways to get tacos on the table quickly and to satisfy everyone’s cravings. If you want to amp up the heat, try this with spicy chorizo tacos too.
What are Mexican Pork Tacos
Otherwise known as carnitas tacos, these are a restaurant specialty filled with tender pork and finished with crisp shells. Pork carnitas are made in a variety of different ways, but ground meat is the key ingredient to this recipe. Pork tacos are a Mexican staple of crispy tortillas filled with ground pork (or any ground beef) and topped with cheese, vegetables, and your favorite sauces.
Ingredients for Tacos with Ground Pork
For the Ground Pork Recipe
- Oil – used to sauté the onion and brown the pork.
- Onion – creates a sweet flavor base for the meat before browning.
- Ground Pork – you’ll need 1 pound of pork for these tacos. Try leftover minced or ground pork tenderloin.
- Taco Seasoning and Salt – you can use homemade taco seasoning or a premade seasoning.
- Garlic – use freshly minced garlic.
- Orange Juice – pineapple juice works great too.
For the Taco Shells
- Oil – to fry the corn tortillas before serving.
- Corn Tortillas – corn tortillas work best for frying into taco shells.
- Salt – gives the tortillas a little extra flavor.
For the Tacos
- Cabbage and Olive Oil – toss red or green shredded cabbage with a little oil before serving to give it a little moisture.
- Taco Toppings – top your tacos off with scallions, radishes, avocado, and diced tomato.
- Cheese – a sprinkle of cotija or queso fresco for a salty, cheesy finish.
- Limes – a squeeze of lime juice is a great way to add a little extra tanginess.
How to Make this Pork Tacos Recipe
We’ll start with the ground pork recipe. It’s incredibly quick and easy for the whole family!
- First, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add in oil and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, then add in the ground pork. Cook, breaking up as needed until browned.
- Add in the salt, taco seasoning, and garlic and stir to coat. Reduce the heat, then add the orange juice. Simmer the meat for 5 minutes or until thickened and cooked through.
- Next, heat plenty of oil in a skillet or Dutch oven. One at a time, fry the flour tortillas in the oil until a light golden brown. As the tortilla fries, fold it in half to create that taco shell shape. Transfer the tortillas to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt.
Toss the cabbage with oil, then assemble your tacos with the pork taco filling and toppings! Enjoy!
Leftovers and Reheating
Leftover taco meat will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm on the stove with a splash of water, juice, or broth to moisten. You can also reheat it in the microwave before adding your topping to the tortillas.
What to Serve with Pork Tacos
We recommend serving these with rice and beans…because tacos are lonely without them. And no one wants lonely tacos.
We also recommend topping them off with red or green cabbage, scallions, radishes, cotija or queso fresco, avocado, and tomato.
Alternatively, use literally any of your favorite taco toppings. Try sour cream, lettuce, mango salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, you name it. We love homemade chimichurri or rajas con crema as great option for side dish recipes too.
