These crock pot pork tacos are the kind of easy, comforting dinner that makes taco night feel a little more exciting. Tender, slow-cooked pork is piled into crispy corn tortillas and topped with sharp cheddar cheese, a fresh lettuce mixture, and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
The pork is cooked low and slow with onion, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and onion soup mix. It comes out tender enough to shred with a fork and packed with savory flavor.
And the toppings are super simple. Crunchy lettuce, juicy grape tomatoes, finely diced radishes, and ranch dressing add a fresh contrast to the warm pork and melted cheese. These pork tacos are easy enough for a weeknight but tasty enough that everyone will be reaching for seconds.
If you think this sounds good, you’ll love our pulled pork sliders and pulled pork grilled cheese.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy crock pot dinner. Let the slow cooker do most of the work while the pork becomes tender and flavorful.
- Tender, flavorful pork. The pork tenderloin cooks until it shreds easily with a fork.
- Simple ingredients. You only need a handful of everyday ingredients to put these tacos together.
- Fresh and crunchy toppings. The lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes add plenty of texture.
- A little kick. Red pepper flakes and Slap Ya Mama seasoning give the pork some extra flavor.
- Ranch makes it extra good. Adding ranch to the lettuce mixture gives the tacos a creamy, tangy finish.
- Great for taco night. Everyone can assemble their own tacos with as much pork and toppings as they like.
- Easy to customize. Add your favorite taco toppings or serve them with your favorite sides.
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
- Pork tenderloin: The star of the tacos! Slow cooking makes it tender and easy to shred while soaking up all the savory seasoning.
- Onion soup mix: Adds a ton of savory, oniony flavor to the pork and makes the filling extra flavorful.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Brings rich, cheesy flavor that melts beautifully over the warm shredded pork.
- Slap Ya Mama seasoning, garlic powder & red pepper flakes: Add savory flavor and a little kick that gives the pork plenty of personality.
- Ranch dressing: Adds a cool, creamy flavor that ties the fresh lettuce mixture together.
Variations
- Make them spicier. Add extra red pepper flakes to the pork or serve the tacos with your favorite hot sauce.
- Use flour tortillas. If you prefer flour tortillas, they can be used in place of the corn tortillas.
- Add avocado. Diced or sliced avocado adds a creamy touch to the fresh toppings.
- Try a different cheese. Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend can be used instead of sharp cheddar.
- Add salsa. A spoonful of your favorite salsa adds extra flavor and freshness.
- Add cilantro. Fresh chopped cilantro makes an easy finishing touch.
- Switch up the dressing. Try a spicy ranch or another creamy dressing if you want to change up the flavor.
- Add more crunch. Finely diced cabbage or extra radishes would fit right in with the lettuce mixture.
How to Make Pork Tacos
1: Cook the pork, seasonings, and soup mix in enough water to cover the pork until it’s super-tender. Transfer the hot roast to a large bowl and shred with two forks.
2: Combine the topping ingredients, reserving the ranch until just before serving.
3: Fry the corn tortillas on both sides until they reach your desired level of doneness, or use premade crispy taco shells and add shredded pork and cheese to each taco shell.
4: Add the lettuce topping mixture on top of the pork and cheese. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t rush the pork. Cook it until it shreds easily with a fork. That’s the best sign that it’s ready.
- Use a large enough crock pot. A 6-8 quart crock pot gives the pork plenty of room to cook.
- Put the onion underneath the pork. This helps layer the onion flavor throughout the cooking process.
- Don’t skip the seasoning. The Slap Ya Mama, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and onion soup mix give the pork its savory flavor.
- Wait to add the ranch. Mix the ranch into the lettuce mixture right before serving so the vegetables stay crisp.
- Adjust the spice. If you don’t love spicy food, use less red pepper flakes. If you like some heat, add more.
- Shred the pork while it’s warm. Warm, tender pork is much easier to shred with a fork.
- Don’t overload the tortillas. A little bit of each topping goes a long way, and keeping the tacos manageable makes them much easier to eat.
- Fry the tortillas to your preference. You can keep them softer or fry them longer for more crunch. Or you can use premade crunchy taco shells.
- Serve right away. These tacos are especially good when the pork is warm, and the toppings are fresh.
Pork Tacos FAQs
Pork loin works well for a tender roast without excess fat. However, pork butt works exceptionally well, creating an ultra-tender, luxurious version with its higher fat content.
For this recipe, cook the pork on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours, until it shreds easily with a fork. Cooking time can vary depending on the size of the tenderloin and the slow cooker, so tenderness is the most useful cue.
Pork that is still difficult to shred usually needs more cooking time. Keep cooking until the meat becomes fork-tender rather than stopping strictly at a particular time.
You don’t need to remove all of the liquid. Some of the cooking juices help keep the shredded pork moist and flavorful. If there is substantially more liquid than you want, you can remove some before serving.
Absolutely. Flour tortillas make a great soft taco version.
The recipe uses shredded lettuce, grape tomatoes, finely diced radishes, ranch dressing, and sharp cheddar. Avocado, salsa, cilantro, cabbage, lime, or additional hot sauce are also good additions for a customizable taco bar. You can also use cabbage, avocado, radishes, tomatoes, cilantro, and creamy toppings.
You can store the pork separately from the toppings and shells for up to 4 days.
Don’t freeze assembled tacos. Instead, freeze the pork for up to 3 months.
Add a bit of liquid and microwave individual portions or reheat the entire batch in a pot over medium-low heat with a lid.
Great Sides for Your Pork Tacos
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Pork Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon slap ya mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounce shredded lettuce
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup radishes, diced
- Ranch dressing
- Corn tortillas
Instructions
- Spray a 6-8 quart crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
Pork
- Add onions to the bottom of the crock pot followed by pork tenderloin.
- Sprinkle seasonings and onion soup mix over the top.
- Add enough water, or vegetable broth, to cover the pork and cook on high for 6-7 hours, or low 8-10 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
Lettuce Mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes.
- Add desired amount of ranch dressing to the lettuce mixture right before serving. Stir to combine.
Assemble the Tacos
- Fry the corn tortillas until desired doneness is obtained or use crunchy premade taco shells.
- Add shredded pork, shredded cheese, and lettuce mixture. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t rush the pork. Cook it until it shreds easily with a fork. That’s the best sign that it’s ready.
- Use a large enough crock pot. A 6-8 quart crock pot gives the pork plenty of room to cook.
- Put the onion underneath the pork. This helps layer the onion flavor throughout the cooking process.
- Don’t skip the seasoning. The Slap Ya Mama, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and onion soup mix give the pork its savory flavor.
- Wait to add the ranch. Mix the ranch into the lettuce mixture right before serving so the vegetables stay crisp.
- Adjust the spice. If you don’t love spicy food, use less red pepper flakes. If you like some heat, add more.
- Shred the pork while it’s warm. Warm, tender pork is much easier to shred with a fork.
- Don’t overload the tortillas. A little bit of each topping goes a long way, and keeping the tacos manageable makes them much easier to eat.
- Fry the tortillas to your preference. You can keep them softer or fry them longer for more crunch. Or you can use premade crunchy taco shells.
- Serve right away. These tacos are especially good when the pork is warm, and the toppings are fresh.
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