Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

This Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork is an incredibly easy and crowd pleasing meal. With only 4 ingredients and a few simple steps you'll have a delicious and versatile shredded pork that can be used in so many delicious ways!

close up of a dr pepper pulled pork sandwich topped with onions and pickles
SAVE THIS RECIPE

This incredibly delicious Instant Pot pulled pork literally falls apart. It doesn’t get any easier or tastier than this!

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From pulled pork bbq sandwiches to pork tacos to pork nachos, the possibilities are awesome! I had never made pulled pork before, so I was worried about being successful. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make pulled pork in the Instant Pot.

It’s so much faster than making it in a slow cooker, and it was so easy to shred once the pork was cooked.

a dr pepper pulled pork topped with pickle and onion slices served with a bottle of dr pepper

It was a HUGE amount of pork, 8 lbs. to be exact. I thought we would have to freeze some of it, but it turns out in a few days it was all gone! That’s what 5 kids will do to any dreams of saving food in the freezer.

The first thing I made was pulled pork sandwiches, this was the family favorite!

instant pot dr pepper pulled pork sandwich

With the leftovers, I also made shredded pork tacos and a couple of days later, I made shredded pork nachos!

All 3 meals were delicious and they were enjoyed by all 5 kiddos alike.

Essential Items

Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.

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Featured Items

Here is a list of the products featured in this post or products similar to those featured in this post:

12 Must-Have Instant Pot Cookbooks

If you’re looking for a cookbook with easy and reliable Instant Pot recipes, then check out my list of approved Instant Pot Cookbooks.

How To Make Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

As I said I had never made pulled pork before so I was a little intimidated. I looked through so many recipes. Some called for brine while many called for a rub. It all sounded like too much effort and complication. I mean, I have 5 kids and don’t have time for concocting some super-duper rub that requires a laundry list of spices. I needed something simple that everyone would love. So, I came up with this recipe.

Gather The Ingredients

4 ingredients. That’s it!

No brine. No rub. Just pork, Dr. Pepper, barbecue sauce and one onion.

BBQ Pulled Pork Ingredients
Ingredients for Pulled Pork

Delicious fall apart pork in about 2 hours!

Brown the Pork Shoulder

First, you’ll want to use the Sauté feature on the Instant Pot to brown the pork.

Instant Pot Saute Feature

I cut the 8 lbs pork shoulder into 4 pieces to make it easier to handle and made sure to get each piece nice and brown on all sides.

Browning Pork Shoulder In The Instant Pot

You can set the pork aside after browning it.

Sauté the Onion and Then Mix in the Dr. Pepper & Barbecue Sauce

Place the chopped onion in the Instant Pot and sauté for about 3 minutes.

Saute Onions In The Instant Pot

Then mix in the Dr. Pepper and the barbecue sauce. This is our favorite barbecue sauce.

Dr. Pepper, Bar-B-Que Sauce And Onions Are The Base For This Pulled Pork

Cook The Pork Shoulder

Arrange the pork in the Instant Pot. The 8 lbs. of pork fit perfectly into my 8-quart pot.

Browned Pork Shoulders In The Instant Pot

Close your Instant Pot and set to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 100 minutes. Do an NPR (natural pressure release) for 25 min, and then release any remaining pressure before opening the pot.

Instant Pot Pulled Pork Settings

Shred The Cooked Pork

Remove the pork from the Instant Pot, place on a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Note: when you remove the pork from the Instant Pot, be careful because it will try to fall apart on you.

Pulled Pork In The Instant Pot
Pork Shoulder Is So Easy To Shred
Fall-Apart Pulled Pork

What I Made With My Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For pulled pork sandwiches, I added more barbecue sauce to the shredded pork and mixed it in well. Since my family loves Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, that’s what I used. I then served it with pickles on a potato bun! Yum!

Mixing Bar-B-Que Sauce Into Shredded Pork
Making A Pulled Pork Sandwich

Pulled Pork Tacos

For the pork tacos, I heated up some leftover pork on the stove and served it on warm tortillas. I didn’t season the pork with anything additional. I topped with pico and sour cream.

Pulled Pork Nachos

For the nachos, I heated the remaining leftover pork on the stove and then seasoned it with Longhorn Steakhouse Grill Seasoning. Next, I placed tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and sprinkled the pork on top of the chips. I then topped the chips with shredded cheese, jalapeños, black beans, corn, pico de gallo and put them in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese melted. After removing the nachos from the oven, I added sour cream.

Pulled pork 3 different ways!

IT’S YOUR TURN TO MAKE THESE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES!

Did you make this Pulled Pork recipe yet? I know you will love this recipe for Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot! You’ll be able to get a lot of sandwiches out of this recipe and that makes it the perfect dish for any celebration, party, or get-together.

Please let me know in the comments below when you make these pulled pork sandwiches and share how much you enjoyed them. Also, if you can come up with another way to eat the pulled pork, let me know that as well!

5-Star Rating: If you loved these sandwiches, I’d appreciate it if you could give them a 5-star rating to show how much you loved them.

MORE QUICK, EASY, AND DELICIOUS RECIPES

Looking for another sandwich recipe? Here are a couple more easy recipes that I know you’ll love:

Need a soup to go with your pulled pork sandwiches? If you’re looking for a perfect soup to serve with this recipe, then try my Instant Pot Vanilla Jalapeño Corn Chowder or Instant Pot Chili recipes.

For a full list of all my Instant Pot soup recipes, check out my Instant Pot Soup Recipes post.

Looking for the perfect side dish for these sandwiches? A salad is an excellent choice. You could also serve these sandwiches with oven fries or potato chips. For an extra tasty side dish, serve these pulled pork sandwiches with a side of my Instant Pot Potato Salad, this potato salad is fantastic.

More ways to cook pork shoulder: Have a pork shoulder but don’t know what to make with it? For ideas, try my other Instant Pot Pork Shoulder Recipes!

Still need an Instant Pot? If you still don’t have an Instant Pot, make sure you check out my Instant Pot Unboxing post to learn why I’m loving mine so much!

Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

TENDER PORK SHOULDER COOKED IN DR. PEPPER AND BARBECUE SAUCE

4.59 from 60 votes
Servings
24 sandwiches
DifficultyEasy
Cooking Method(s)
  • Pressure Cooking
Pressure LevelHigh
Program SettingManual / Pressure Cook
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1hour:40minutes
NPR
25 minutes
Total Time
2hours:25minutes
Recipe by: Valerie Cooper
Feed a crowd with this incredibly easy and delicious Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork recipe. The succulent shredded pork can be used in so many ways!
close up of a dr pepper pulled pork sandwich topped with onions and pickles

Essential Equipment

  • instant pot

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and let warm.
  • Brown the pork shoulder in the Instant Pot. Remove once it has browned on all sides.
  • Add the chopped onion and Sauté in the pork fat for 3 minutes. Now is a good time to deglaze the bottom of the pot if there are any pieces of meat stuck to the bottom.
  • Add the Dr. Pepper to the onion and stir. Then add your favorite barbecue sauce to the pot and stir.
  • Place the pork shoulder into the Instant Pot, turn the Sauté mode off and then close the lid.
  • Ensure that the pressure release handle is set to sealing.
  • Cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’, High Pressure for 100 minutes.
  • Once the Instant Pot has completed cooking, use the natural pressure release NPR method. I usually let it NPR for 25 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
  • Ensure that all the pressure has been released before opening the pot.
  • Carefully remove the whole pork from the Instant Pot. It’s going to want to fall apart on you as you are taking it out 🙂 You can discard the liquid in the Instant Pot (it’s mostly fat from the pork).
  • Place the pork on a cutting board and shred. You now have a delicious pulled pork that can be used to make so many different meals.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 385mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Notes

Reheat on the stove. If you’re making any of my serving suggestions with the leftover pork and are pulling it out of the refrigerator, make sure you heat the pork on the stove beforehand.

Yes, it does say 100 minutes. I know 100 minutes seems like a lot of time but this is how you’ll get a pork shoulder that will be fall-apart good! I’ve tried cooking the pork for a shorter time but it didn’t turn out nearly as tender and juicy.

Serving Suggestions

Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Mix the desired amount of your favorite barbecue sauce into the shredded pork and serve on a bun! This makes for some amazing pulled pork sandwiches.

Tacos. Feel free to try mixing your favorite taco or meat seasoning into the shredded pork. Serve on a warm corn or flour tortilla and add your favorite taco toppings. Some topping suggestions: pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro and sour cream.

Nachos. Mix your favorite taco or meat seasoning into the shredded pork. Place tortilla chips on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the pork on top of the chips. Top with all your favorite nacho toppings. Some suggestions: shredded cheese, jalapeños, black beans, corn, pico de gallo, black olives and sour cream.  Place the nachos in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese is melted.

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69 thoughts on “Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork”

  1. I made this last night and it was amazing! So tender, just pulled so easily. I also made a Dr Pepper bbq sauce to top it off. I made fresh coleslaw and macaroni salad with pickles on the side. Great BBQ meal made indoors!
    THANK YOU for your time sharing your recipes, plan on making many more!
    !!!Definitely recommend!!!

    1. Hi Roberta! So happy to hear you loved it! It’s definitely one of my family’s favorites. Your sides sound perfect and delicious! I really appreciate your kind comment. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Hi Katy! I apologize for the delay in responding, your comment was filtered to spam. No, you would not decrease the cooking time. The cooking time is based on cooking 2-pound pieces, so you should be fine as it is written. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Very good. I had 8 lb, bone in shoulder and made in my 6 qt IP. It made ALOT of liquid and was near top. It started to spurt out liquid, but I managed that with intermittent release. I did cut into chunks. I would make again. Time was good! Ty.

    1. Hi Kelly! You won’t be able to brown it if it’s frozen. I would recommend thawing it out. If you can’t wait, then you’ll have to do it without browning it. Since it’s frozen you also won’t be able to cut it into smaller pieces so it may very well require more time but I’ve never done it so I couldn’t tell you how much. Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Hi Valerie
    What do you do with the juice you cooked the pork in? Can you cook it down and use is as the bbq sauce?

  4. Hi, I’m just trying this out now and I keep getting a food burn warning?!? Is there something I may have done wrong?

    1. Hi Lindsey! Some of the newer pots seem to be having problems with excessive burn messages. You’ll need to deglaze the bottom of your pot. Make sure to scrape it really well so there’s nothing stuck to the bottom. Then you can close it and try again. Keep me posted!

    1. Hi Renate! I’ve never used a Ninja Foodi but being that it’s an electric pressure cooker similar to the Instant Pot, I’d think you could definitely make it in there. Thanks for stopping by!

  5. I used a 5.5 lb pork loin because that’s what I had (it was on sale and I’ve made pulled pork several times with it before). Cut it in half and followed the recipe except for cooking it for 75 minutes. When I shredded it, the meat in the middle wasn’t very seasoned. 😕 I added extra bbq sauce after shredding and it turned out great, but I think I’ll cut it into smaller pieces next time!

    1. Hi Erika! When you cook it longer as stated in the recipe, the pork is fall-apart tender all the way through. I also do recommend adding the extra bbq sauce after shredding. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by!

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