Instant Pot Pulled Pork is seasoned to perfection, and mouthwateringly tender!  Make this easy and super flavorful pulled pork using a pork loin roast and have your family’s new favorite instant pot pork recipe on the table in an hour!

instant pot pulled pork

How Do You Make Pulled Pork?

Pulled pork is a very simple dish to make at home, and there are a few ways to make it even more quick and easy.

Pulled pork recipes start with basic seasonings that you probably already have at home.  I like to use a mixture of brown sugar, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika, pepper, and cumin.

Once you have seasoned your meat, you will mix up your wet ingredients.  I prefer to use broth over water for added flavor.  Use your favorite type of barbecue sauce, and then a bit of apple cider vinegar.  The vinegar not only adds great flavor, but, the acid helps to tenderize the meat as it cooks!

After you have seasoned your meat, and mixed up your wet ingredients it’s time to get cooking!

 

This recipe, in particular, is for the Instant Pot.  If you don’t have an instant pot, I highly recommend that you try out my Crockpot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork and you can find the recipe for that right HERE.

instant pot pulled pork recipe is easy to make using pork roast

Instant Pot Pulled Pork Recipe:

As far as meat, I typically use a pork loin roast.  You can also use a pork shoulder if that is your preference.  A lot of people worry about a pork roast becoming tender enough.  As long as you use the right method and ingredients, it turns out absolutely perfect every time!

My general method has always been to slow cook pulled pork, like in the recipe I linked to above.  But, since I’ve become a huge fan of my instant pot, I wanted to try cooking it that way.  Happy to say it turned out great!

If you have time you will add your rub to your cubed pork roast, seal it in a bag, and let it marinate for a good 30-60 minutes before cooking for maximum flavor.  When I make pulled pork in my crockpot, I find that marinating isn’t necessary because all of those flavors slow cook together for hours.  However, for instant pot pulled pork, marinating really is the way to go.

Next, you will heat up your oil right in your pot, sear the meat in batches until browned on all sides.  It won’t need to be cooked through at that point.

Then, you will want to use a small amount of beef broth to deglaze the bottom of your pot.  If you don’t you may end up with that dreaded “burn” warning during cooking.

To deglaze, you’ll simply pour the broth right into the bottom of the instant pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all of those brown bits off.  This also adds great flavor to continue seasoning your meat as it cooks.

After you deglaze simply add everything into your instant pot, close the lid and valve to sealing.  Then, you will cook as directed below for 40 minutes.  After your cooking time is up, allow the instant pot to natural release for 10 minutes, then you can quick release.

easy pulled pork recipe made with pork loin in the instant pot

After your quick release, you are ready to shred your meat, and serve on soft hamburger buns, with your favorite toppings!

Remember if you are looking for the slow cooker method of making pulled pork you can find it HERE.  I also happen to adore this Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili!

Enjoy!

~Nichole

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4.99 from 984 votes

Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Instant Pot Pulled Pork is seasoned to perfection, and mouthwateringly tender!  Make this easy and super flavorful pulled pork using a pork loin roast and have your family's new favorite instant pot pork recipe on the table in an hour!
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne.
  • Season the cubed pork with the spice mixture and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, one cup of the barbecue sauce, the hot pepper sauce if using, and one cup of the broth.
  • Turn your instant pot to the saute setting. Add the olive oil and allow it to get hot.
  • Add half of the cubed pork to the hot oil and saute for 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining half of the cubed pork.
  • Turn the instant pot off.  Use the remaining 1/4 cup of beef broth and a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape the brown bits) from the bottom of the pot.
  • Add all of the meat along with the barbecue sauce mixture to the instant pot.
  • Close the lid and set to sealing.
  • Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
  • Remove the meat from the instant pot and shred.  Stir in the remaining cup of bbq sauce and serve on buns as desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 52g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 142mg, Sodium: 1677mg, Potassium: 1151mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 575IU, Vitamin C: 4.6mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 2.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!

Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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767 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Pulled pork turned out perfect. I decided not to cut it up in cubes. I just sliced the pork in three large chunks. Still worked out great. So tender and easy to shred. Will definitely make again.

  2. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I skipped the brown sugar and marinated all the ingredients in the Instant Pot for about an hour before turning it on. My family loved it and it was just a little easier on me.

  3. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe! Just launched it. I left out the brown sugar, mostly because I think American BBQ is just too sweet, but, I realize that I am an outlier…
    Your web site looks great and I hope it is doing well for you!
    Rj y Meli in Uberfliegenburg, IL, USA (downstate about 36 mi. SE of St. Louis, MO)

  4. 5 stars
    This was really delicious, and I made it Keto friendly! Used brown sugar substitute, cut a bit of the apple cider vinegar, and used sugar-free BBQ sauce. Definitely will make it again!

      1. I just threw mine in, and realized I don’t know how to adjust cook times. It’s approx double (6.1 ish pounds). Does anyone know how long I should cook it for? It’s seared and cubed.

  5. 5 stars
    This was my first time making pulled pork in my Instant Pot and I’ll never go back to making it in a crock pot again! So fast, easy and delicious! I used another reviewers suggestion and shredded the cooked meat using my Kitchenaid stand mixer on low for about 30 seconds and added some of the juice from the pot to make it moist. Worked perfectly!! I left off the extra BBQ sauce at the end because my kids don’t like it. Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely make again!

  6. 5 stars
    this recipe is excellent! I used smoked paprika and it gave the spicy kick you need without the cayenne! Will be making this again!

  7. This recipe turned out Amazing!! I definitely agree to not get rid of the leftover juice. I used it to serve and store the leftovers in. I will definitely make this again. Love my Instapot!!!