These Pulled Pork Tacos with Crunchy Asian Slaw combine tender shredded pork, bold savory-sweet flavor, and fresh crunchy slaw for an easy taco night dinner that disappears fast.
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These Pulled Pork Tacos with Crunchy Asian Slaw bring big savory flavor and fresh, crunchy texture to taco night. The pork cooks until fall-apart tender, then gets tucked into warm tortillas with crisp slaw, herbs, jalapeños, and all your favorite toppings.
Make the pork in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or Dutch oven for an easy, comforting dinner that's a little unexpected and perfect for feeding a crowd without a ton of work.
Why You'll Love This Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe
- Tender, flavorful pulled pork: Soy, ginger, green onions, and a touch of sweetness give the pork big savory flavor.
- Crunchy slaw balances everything: Fresh slaw adds the perfect crisp texture against the rich shredded pork.
- Three easy cooking methods: Make the pork in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or Dutch oven depending on your schedule.
- Great for meal prep: The pulled pork reheats beautifully for easy lunches and leftovers.
- Easy to feed a crowd: This recipe makes plenty for family dinners, parties, and gatherings.
What You'll Need & Why
Here’s everything you need to make these savory-sweet Asian Pulled Pork Tacos.
Pulled Pork
- Pork butt: Gets fall-apart tender and juicy.
- Green onions + ginger: Add fresh, aromatic flavor.
- Tamari + fish sauce: Bring the salty, savory depth.
- Rice vinegar + sesame oil: Add tang and nuttiness.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes keep it simple.
Crunchy Slaw
- Cabbage + veggies: Purple cabbage, carrot, and bell pepper bring the crunch.
- Rice vinegar + lime: Keep it bright and tangy.
- Sesame seeds + honey: Add nuttiness and a touch of sweetness.
For Serving
- Corn or flour tortillas: Warm them up and pile everything in.
The Recipe Rundown
- Braise the pork — Add the pork, aromatics, and sauce ingredients to a Dutch oven and cook low and slow until fall-apart tender.
- Make the crunchy slaw — Toss together the cabbage, peppers, carrot, green onion, lime, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and honey.
- Shred the pork — Pull the pork apart with forks and spoon some of the braising liquid back over the meat for extra flavor.
- Build the tacos — Pile the pulled pork and crunchy slaw into warm tortillas, then top with jalapeños, cilantro, sriracha, or whatever sounds good.
Swaps & Variations
These pulled pork tacos are easy to customize with what you have on hand.
- Turn up the heat: Add jalapeños, serranos, chili crisp, or sriracha.
- Swap the protein: Chicken thighs or beef chuck roast work well with the savory braising sauce.
- Make it gluten-free: Use tamari and corn tortillas, and double-check your fish sauce.
- Make rice bowls: Serve the pulled pork and crunchy slaw over rice with fresh herbs and lime.
Tips For The Best Asian Pulled Pork Tacos
A few simple tricks help these Asian pulled pork tacos turn out tender, flavorful, and perfect for taco night.
- Trim excess fat if needed — This keeps the shredded pork rich and flavorful without becoming greasy.
- Taste the braising liquid before serving — Add extra lime, vinegar, soy sauce, or sweetness until the flavor feels balanced to you.
- Warm the tortillas — Soft, warm tortillas hold the juicy pulled pork and crunchy slaw much better.
- Use fresh toppings for contrast — Crunchy slaw, herbs, pickled onions or jalapeños, and lime keep the rich pork bright and balanced.
- Save leftovers for meal prep — The pulled pork tastes even better the next day after the flavors settle together.
Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Instructions
Here’s how to make these Asian pulled pork tacos using the method that works best for your schedule.
Slow Cooker
- Cook low and slow — Add the pork and braising ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 4–6 hours until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Shred and finish — Shred the pork and toss it back in the sauce before serving.
Instant Pot
- Pressure cook the pork — Add the pork and braising ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural release.
- Shred and serve — Shred the pork and simmer briefly on Sauté mode if you want the sauce a little richer.
Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe
Equipment
- dutch oven
Ingredients
Pulled Pork
- 1 (4-5 lb) pork butt
- 6-7 green onions roughly chopped
- 3 inch knob of ginger cut into chunks
- ½ cup tamari or soy sauce
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1-2 cups water enough to bring water up the sides of the pork about 2-3 inches
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste see note below
Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- ½ med yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ cup carrot, shredded
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1-2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, more or less per your sweetness preference
Tortillas
- corn or flour tortillas, warmed
Instructions
Pulled Pork
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 250°F.
- Braise: Place the pork butt in a Dutch oven and add the remaining pulled pork ingredients. Cover and cook for 4–6 hours, or until the pork is fall-apart tender and easily shreds with a fork.
- Shred: Transfer the pork to a cutting board or large bowl and shred with two forks. Return the shredded pork to the cooking liquid and toss to coat.
Crunchy Slaw
- Combine: Add the cabbage, bell pepper, carrot, and green onions to a large bowl.
- Dress: Add the rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, and sesame seeds. Toss well to combine. Taste and adjust as needed.
Assemble the Tacos
- Fill: Add the pulled pork and crunchy slaw to warm tortillas.
- Top: Finish with radishes, jalapeños, cilantro, chili crisp, sriracha, or your favorite taco toppings.
- Serve: Serve immediately with fresh lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage
Here’s how to store and reheat the leftover pulled pork so it stays tender, saucy, and delicious.
- Store the pork and slaw separately — This keeps the slaw crisp and the pulled pork juicy.
- Refrigerate leftovers — The pulled pork keeps well for 4–5 days and tastes even better after the flavors settle together.
- Freeze extra pulled pork — Store in airtight containers for up to 3 months and thaw overnight before reheating.
Recipe Testing Notes
- Make the pork ahead: The flavor gets even better overnight. Reheat gently with a splash of the cooking liquid or broth to keep it juicy.
- Watch the salt: Use low-sodium soy sauce or tamari since the braising liquid becomes more concentrated as it cooks.
- Don't skip the crunch: The fresh slaw, jalapeños, herbs, and other crisp toppings balance the rich pulled pork.
More Taco Night Favorites
If taco night is your thing, here are a few more flavor-packed favorites to try.
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas — Fast, sizzling shrimp and peppers roasted on one pan for the easiest fajita night.
- 25-Minute Steak Tacos — Juicy steak tucked into warm tortillas with bold toppings.
- Shrimp Tacos — Bright, fresh, and perfect with crunchy slaw and a squeeze of lime.
- Roasted Salmon Tacos — Tender roasted salmon with fresh toppings and plenty of flavor.
- Taco Chicken - Quick, flavorful, and perfect for tacos, nachos, burritos and more for the busy week ahead!
Who’s Stirring the Pot?
Hi, I’m Ruth—recipe developer, comfort-food creator, and the voice behind Rufus For Real. I specialize in cozy, doable, flavor-packed meals for real-life kitchens, and I’m a firm believer that breakfast, dinner, and everything in between should be simple, satisfying, and impossible to mess up.
You’ll find me sharing even more comfort-food goodness, kitchen tips, and behind-the-scenes chaos over on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube (@rufusforreal everywhere).
If you love approachable recipes with a whole lot of personality, pull up a chair—there’s always room at this table.
Happy Cooking!
-Ruth aka Rufus