• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Paleo Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Instant Pot® Recipe Roundup
    • Paleo Packed Lunch Roundup
    • Whole30® Recipe Roundup
  • About
    • What’s Paleo?
    • About Michelle Tam
    • Nom Nom Paleo in the News
  • My Cookbooks
    • Ready or Not!
    • Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans
  • Paleo Meal Plans
  • Instant Pot Amazon Deals
  • Shop
  • Events
  • Podcast

Nom Nom Paleo®

Paleo recipes and more from New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Home » Blog » Recipes » Instant Pot Magic Pork (Whole30, Keto)

Instant Pot Magic Pork (Whole30, Keto)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This simple and Whole30-friendly weeknight Instant Pot Magic Pork has a high flavor to effort ratio! You can make it ahead and freeze the leftovers for future taco nights, stir-fries, omelets, or hearty soups!

An overhead shot of Instant Pot Magic Pork in a large bowl being served with two forks.

It’s no secret that I love simple, umami-packed, fork-tender pork recipes that are ready in a jiffy when pressure cooked in an Instant Pot. Some of my favorites include my Instant Pot Kalua Pig, Instant Pot Carnitas, and Instant Pot Spicy Pineapple Pork—but one can never have enough, right? So if you’re hankering for another porktastic dish that’s perfect for weeknight suppers, I’ve got just the thing: my easy peasy Whole30-friendly Instant Pot Magic Pork!

A collage of the cooking steps for Instant Pot Magic Pork

This dish will amaze you with its high flavor to effort ratio. Why? Because it utilizes my Magic Mushroom Powder, which you can make yourself or purchase at your neighborhood Whole Foods Market store. Magic Mushroom Powder is my go-to seasoning blend when I need to turn a basic protein or vegetable into a company-worthy dish—with zero heavy lifting required. In addition to Magic Mushroom Powder, this Instant Pot Magic Pork uses stuff I already have in my fridge and pantry. Best of all, it’s dang delicious.

Bonus: This pork is fantastic for leftover makeovers! It’ll keep in the fridge for up to four days and in your freezer for several months. I like to fry it crispy before adding it to tacos, salads, stir-fries, cauliflower fried rice, egg muffins, and frittatas. You can even use the leftover cooking liquid as a soup base—simply take off the fat cap after you chill it, dilute with more broth or water, and add your favorite veggies and leftover Instant Pot Magic Pork!

Time to make Instant Pot Magic Pork!

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1½-inch cubes
  • 2½ teaspoons Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt + one of the optional umami boosters listed below
  • 1 tablespoon ghee, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or cooking fat of choice
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • ½ cup orange juice (you can also use pineapple juice, apple juice, applesauce, chicken broth, or water)
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms and/or Red Boat fish sauce (optional umami boosters)

Equipment:

  • Instant Pot
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Large bowl
  • Measuring spoons
  • Measuring cup
  • Silicone spatula

Method:

Cut up the pork shoulder…

Cutting pork shoulder roast into cubes on a gray cutting board

…and toss the cubed pork shoulder with Magic Mushroom Powder. No MMP? Just use the same amount of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or half the amount of Morton’s kosher salt or a fine grain salt).

Seasoning Instant Pot Magic Pork with Magic Mushroom Powder.

Grab your Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function. When the metal insert is hot, add ghee or your preferred cooking fat. Toss in the sliced onions.

Adding ghee and sliced onions to an open Instant Pot.

Stir fry until the onions are no longer crunchy (about 2-3 minutes). Dump in the smashed garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Sautéing onions and garlic cloves in ghee in an Instant Pot.

Pour in the orange juice and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Pouring orange juice into an Instant Pot and stirring it around with a pink silicone spatula

Add the seasoned pork to the Instant Pot and stir to mix well. (If you aren’t using MMP and want to amp up the umami, you can toss in a couple of dried mushrooms or add a few shakes of Red Boat Fish Sauce. Even if you are using MMP, these additions will make your stew AMAZING!)

Adding the seasoned pork into the Instant Pot

Lock the lid and cancel the sauté function.

Shutting the lid on the Instant Pot Magic Pork

Program your Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 35 minutes. When the pork is finished cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally. Check that the pork is fork tender and adjust seasoning if necessary with extra Magic Mushroom Powder or salt. Ladle it up…

Spooning Instant Pot Magic Pork out of the Instant Pot

…and shred it up with a couple forks.

Shredding Instant Pot Magic Pork in a large bowl with two forks.

Dig in and thank yourself for tasty leftovers!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Instant Pot Magic Pork by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
4.8 from 5 votes

Instant Pot Magic Pork (Whole30, Keto, Paleo)

This simple and Whole30-friendly weeknight Instant Pot Magic Pork has a high flavor to effort ratio! You can make it ahead and freeze the leftover, too!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free, Instant Pot, keto, low carb, Magic Mushroom Powder, paleo, pork, pork stew, Pressure Cooker, Whole30
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 641kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1½-inch cubes
  • 2 ½ teaspoons Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal kosher salt + one of the optional umami boosters listed below
  • 1 tablespoon ghee extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or cooking fat of choice
  • 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
  • ½ cup orange juice you can also use pineapple juice or chicken broth
  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms and/or Red Boat fish sauce optional umami boosters

Instructions

  • Cut up the pork shoulder and toss the cubed pork shoulder with Magic Mushroom Powder. No MMP? Just use the same amount of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or half the amount of Morton’s kosher salt or a fine grain salt).
  • Grab your Instant Pot and turn on the sauté function. When the metal insert is hot, add ghee or your preferred cooking fat. Toss in the sliced onions.
  • Stir fry until the onions are no longer crunchy (about 2-3 minutes). Dump in the smashed garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the orange juice and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the seasoned pork to the Instant Pot and stir to mix well. (If you aren’t using MMP and want to amp up the umami, you can toss in a couple of dried mushrooms or add a few shakes of Red Boat Fish Sauce. Even if you areusing MMP, these additions will make your stew AMAZING!)
  • Lock the lid and cancel the sauté function. Program your Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 35 minutes. When the pork is finished cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally.
  • Check that the pork is fork tender and adjust seasoning if necessary with extra Magic Mushroom Powder or salt. Ladle it up and shred it up with a couple forks. Dig in and thank yourself for tasty leftovers!

Video

Notes

  • You can cook this dish in the slow cooker! Cook the onions and garlic in a pan and deglaze with the orange juice before transferring the alliums to a slow cooker. Add the seasoned pork to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
  • This pork is fantastic for leftover makeovers! It’ll keep in the fridge for up to four days and in your freezer for several months. I like to fry it crispy before adding it to tacos, salads, stir-fries, cauliflower fried rice, egg muffins, and frittatas. You can even use the leftover cooking liquid as a soup base—simply take off the fat cap after you chill it, dilute with more broth or water, and add your favorite veggies and leftover Instant Pot Magic Pork!
  • Not a fan of pork? You can make this recipe with chuck roast and keep everything else the same! If you opt to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, only cook the stew for 15 minutes under high pressure.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 45g | Fiber: 1g

64

Thrive Market   LunchBots   Real Plans
Previous Post: « Asian Meatballs
Next Post: Mexican Cauliflower Rice (Whole30, Low Carb) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Olivia Randolph says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    I’m obsessed with Chipotle burrito bowls with carnitas. I made my own at home using this pork, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, frozen onions & peppers, a little sour cream and cheese (I’m not totally paleo), and it was AMAZING! Like seriously just as good Chipotle. This will be my new freezer staple!

    Reply
  2. Meredith says

    August 11, 2020 at 2:30 pm

    what do you serve this with? thanks! looks great!!

    Reply
  3. Jill says

    August 16, 2020 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    Easy, delicious and freezes beautifully.

    Reply
  4. Melissa says

    August 21, 2020 at 4:35 am

    This was sooooo good! I had some leftover chipotle chilies in adobo (about 2-3ish tablespoons) that I added to the orange juice before tossing it in. It added a subtle heat and great flavor! Thanks for such a quick, easy and delicious recipe!

    Reply
  5. Becky Kelly says

    December 23, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    I have 3# of pork, instead of 4# as listed in the recipe. would you adjust the time under pressure? Do you have a rule of thumb on timing different weights of meat?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      December 23, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      You don’t need to change the cooking time if the pieces of pork are the same size (1.5-2-inch cubes).

      Reply
  6. Steve says

    February 5, 2021 at 1:22 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve tried this recipe both ways: searing the pork first, and not searing the pork. Well, Michelle is right – you don’t have to sear the pork. It doesn’t improve the flavor and only adds time to the recipe. I love meal prepping with this (over cauliflower rice or add the tandoori cauliflower as a side and freeze for lunches), and I even had this as a side with scrambled eggs this morning – delicious! Sometimes I add liquid smoke to the recipe.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Logged in as . Log out?

Primary Sidebar

Archives

About Nom Nom Paleo Nom Nom Paleo Cookbooks Nom Nom Paleo App Nom Nom Paleo Podcast Nom Nom Paleo Shirts
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • A collage of the cooking steps to make Whole Roasted Cauliflower. Whole Roasted Cauliflower (Whole30, Keto, Vegan)
  • Mango Sago (Coconut Tapioca Pudding)
  • An overhead shot of a bowl of Instant Pot spaghetti squash topped with stir-fried ground pork and cilantro leaves. Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Spaghetti Squash
  • An overhead shot of a platter of Asian Chicken Thighs topped with sliced scallions. Asian Chicken Thighs

Footer

COPYRIGHT© NOM NOM PALEO LLC. All rights reserved. The content on this website may not be copied or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission.

HOME  •  PRIVACY POLICY  •  CONTACT

Copyright © 2021