Updated on May 26th, 2024
Get ready to spice up taco night with irresistible Pork Verde Tacos. They’re made of slow-cooked pork loin, topped with a creamy yogurt sauce that adds the right amounts of spice and creaminess.
Most of the ingredients for this recipe are for the sauce. It’s a yogurt- and mayo-based mix of garlic, cilantro, lime, and a chile of your choice. If you’re not sure what to use for the spice, a seeded jalapeno works great. You can swap in something spicier or milder to suit your tastes. I use roasted Socorro chiles because I keep them stocked in my freezer.
Let’s dive into a recipe overview, plus some substitution and drink pairing ideas for these tacos. The full prep instructions follow.
Recipe overview
The steps to prep these tacos are:
- Slow cook the pork in prepared salsa verde.
- Mix the creamy jalapeno sauce in a blender.
- Shred the pork and place it back in the slow cooker to heat through.
- Serve the pork and sauce atop soft, warm flour tortillas.
These tacos don’t have to be pork
Note: The original version of the recipe used a homemade salsa verde for seasoning and braising the pork. You can find those instructions in the recipe notes. I remade the recipe recently and realized the results are as good if you slow cook the pork in canned salsa verde. This approach is also way easier and cheaper.
I have been cooking a lot with pork lately, because it’s mostly healthier than red meat and always less expensive. But if you don’t like pork or have access to it, you can make these tacos with beef, chicken, portobello mushroom or eggplant instead.
For vegetarians
If you opt for mushroom or eggplant, don’t use the slow cooker. Instead, coat the veggies with olive oil and then grill them. You can use the barbecue or an indoor grill. Mushrooms will take about 5 minutes per side. Eggplant slices need 4 or 5 minutes per side. Pour the salsa verde over the grilled veggies and let them absorb the flavors for a few minutes before serving in tortillas, topped with the jalapeno sauce.
What to serve with pork verde tacos
Every meal is better with a complementary beverage. For these tacos, try:
- Margarita: An obvious choice. Lime and tequila will go nicely with the green salsa.
- Michelada: On a hot day, a cold beer with lime and salt is a refreshing match for the tacos.
- Cucumber mint cooler: A non-alcoholic option that’s cool and bright.
- White sangria: Punchy and fruity, white sangria brings sweetness to the savory tacos.
As for side dishes, the usual suspects perform well here. Chips, salsa, and guacamole, black beans, cilantro lime rice, or a refreshing salad are good choices.
More tacos to try
We have every variety of tacos on BlogChef, but these are the most popular:
- Baked tacos: The extra step of baking makes for a super crunchy taco bite.
- Taco Bell tacos: A copycat recipe that really does taste like the real thing.
- Shredded chicken tacos: Browned chicken that’s simmered in a tomato-based sauce makes a delicious filling in a soft flour tortilla.
- Ground chicken tacos: A healthier alternative to the traditional crunchy shell taco, featuring ground chicken seasoned with paprika and chili powder.
Pork Verde Tacos Recipe
Slow-cook pork in prepared green salsa, shred it, and serve on flour tortillas with a tangy, creamy sauce. This is a great weekday meal idea.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde
- 5 lb boneless pork loin roast
- 18 small flour tortillas
Jalapeño sauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 3/4 tablespoon vinegar
- 3/4 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper (seeded)
- Juice of 1/4 lime
Instructions
- Place the pork roast into the slow cooker with the salsa verde. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks. Place the shredded pork back in the crock pot. Let heat through.
- While the pork is cooking, make the jalapeño sauce by blending together yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, jalapeño pepper, and lime juice.
- Place shredded pork on tacos shells and drizzle with jalapeño sauce.
Notes
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make a more complex sauce for slow-cooking the pork. Here are the ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 jalapeno peppers (seeded)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- 2 (4 ounces) cans diced green chilies
In a blender, add the onion, garlic, celery, water, chili powder, coriander, cayenne, cumin, 2 jalapeño peppers, 2 cans of green chilies, salt, and pepper. Blend until the mixture resembles salsa. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks. Drain about ½ of the liquid from the crock pot. Place the shredded pork back in the crock pot and stir in both cans of salsa verde. Let it heat through and then serve on tortillas with the yogurt-jalapeno sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 974
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 1846.1 mg
- Fat: 24.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 81.1 g
- Protein: 100.8 g
- Cholesterol: 282.1 mg
