Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos

These easy to make leftover pulled pork tacos are stuffed with delicious pulled pork, avocado pico de gallo, shredded cabbage and topped with a spicy crema. Perfect in soft flour or corn tortillas, even crispy taco shells. Find leftover pulled pork recipes here.

One family friendly dinner that my family can rally together and enjoy is pulled pork. We make it a number of different ways, from smoked to slow cooker to oven roasted. But there’s just so many barbecue pork sandwiches one can eat!

My kids aren’t too big on sauces, so when I make pulled pork, I typically keep the sauce on the side. And when we are cooking up a 5-pound pork shoulder roast, you can bet we have lots of leftovers. And these pulled pork tacos are one of my family’s favorite ways of enjoying those leftovers. 

Pulled pork vs carnitas

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!  Read my full disclosure policy

Shredded pork isn’t just a favorite in American cuisine. Carnitas is basically the Mexican version of this dish. Many times it is cooked with spices like cumin and, chiles. Like pulled pork, it is made from the pork should shoulder or pork butt, which is nice and fatty.

This fat gives tremendous flavor and moisture to the meat as it cooks. Carnitas tends to be more on the crispy side compared its American counterpart – a favorite is my beer braised pork carnitas. But my family truly loves our smoked pulled pork, especially the crispy parts.  So our preference is to have the pork shoulder cooked low and slow on the grill than in the slow cooker.

Another favorite way to enjoy pulled pork, or carnitas, is to make oven pulled pork. When we don’t feel like watching the Big Steel Keg for 6 hours, this is the recipe I turn to for shredded pork goodness. It’s super easy and full of flavor. Any of these versions will make the perfect stuffing for these tacos.

Best toppings for pulled pork tacos

My favorite part about tacos are all the good stuff you can stuff into that tortilla! The ideas are endless, but in the recipe below I share my favorite topping: avocado pico de gallo. I like things a little spicy, too, and that spicy crema is both cool and spicy. Deeelish!

Remember, you can use any type of tortilla you want for these tacos, flour or corn. Crispy corn taco shells make for extra delicious tacos! You can also use a flat crispy corn tortilla and make pulled pork tostadas. And if you eat low carb, there are low carb tortillas out there or you can use lettuce wraps.

Here are some taco topping ideas, so you can customize your tacos with your own favorites:

• guacamole
• avocado slices
• pico de gallo
• salsa
• hot sauce
• shredded cabbage
• shredded lettuce
• shredded cheese
• chopped cilantro
• chopped green onions
• chopped onions
• jalapeño slices
• sour cream
• lime juice

Can I freeze pulled pork?

My kids have learned how versatile the meat is and enjoy it a number of different ways, including ramen and nachos. But sometimes, we can have too much of a good thing.

Once the pork is cooked and shredded, it can easily be frozen. Once cooled, I place the meat in freezer bags, remove the air and seal them. You can also use a vacuum food saver. Pork can stay in the freezer this way for up to 6 months. Even longer if you have one these food savers.

To reheat pulled pork, you can heat them up in the microwave or sauté in the pan. It’s super handy to have available for some last minute meals!

Laura's Pick

Colorful Taco Holders

$7.99 ($1.33 / Count)

Tacos are such a fun family meal, but they can get messy and hard to assemble, especially with little hands. These taco holders help keep your tacos upright and keep the fillings in the taco. They work great for soft and hard shell tacos!

Buy Now

This is an affiliate link which means I earn from qualifying purchases. Your price is unaffected.

02/18/2024 06:49 pm GMT

Want another great taco recipe? Try these incredible pork adobada tacos, made with a chile paste mix, pineapple and bacon.

If you are enjoying my recipes, please sign up for my newsletter and get my free 28-day meal plan! You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 small tacos

Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos

Print

These easy to make leftover pulled pork tacos are stuffed with delicious pulled pork, avocado pico de gallo, shredded cabbage and topped with a spicy crema. Perfect in soft flour or corn tortillas, even crispy taco shells.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup chopped red onions
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 TBS lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce like Tapatío or Cholula
• 2 cups leftover pulled pork
• 8 small corn or flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cabbage

Instructions

1. To make the avocado pico de gallo, combine the diced tomato, avocado, jalapeño, red onions and cilantro in a bowl.
2. Stir in lime juice and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and hot sauce. Use as much heat as you can handle!
4. Heat up leftover pulled pork in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
5. Heat tortillas on a skillet or directly over gas burners until warm and lightly browned on both sides.
6. To assemble tacos, add some shredded cabbage down the center of a tortilla.
7. Over the cabbage spread about ¼ cup pulled pork, then top with avocado pico de gallo and drizzle with a little spicy crema!

Notes

For a party, create a taco bar by placing everything in individual bowls and let everyone customize their own tacos!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 563mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 6gSugar: 16gProtein: 13g

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!