Chinese Pulled Pork in the pressure cooker! This is a sweet and spicy twist on pulled pork, perfect for piling on buns, adding to tacos, or making traditional Chinese steamed buns.

Photography Credit: Coco Morante

Five fragrant spices and a honey hoisin sauce give this pulled pork a ton of flavor in every bite. And oh hey, it takes just a little over an hour in the pressure cooker, too!

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The distinct flavor of this dish comes from Chinese five-spice powder, a classic blend that usually includes star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, and cassia (a culinary relative of cinnamon).The exact mix and ratio of spices can vary from mix to mix—the one I like is from Oaktown Spice Shop.

This recipe converts Elise’s fantastic recipe for Slow Cooker Chinese Pulled Pork to the pressure cooker. I only had to make a few changes to make sure it would come out with the same great flavor in my Instant Pot, but in a lot less time.

New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.

First, sauté the ginger and garlic to help fully infuse their flavors in the finished dish. Cooking also helps mellow these pungent spices.

I also added a little extra water to the total cooking liquid, which is needed in order for the pot to build up enough steam to pressurize. Don’t worry that the sauce might be too thin—we’ll simmer the sauce after cooking the pork to help thicken it up.

This Chinese pulled pork serves a crowd and makes a great entrée for a party buffet table. It’s also a versatile staple for all sorts of weeknight meals. Pile it onto hamburger buns (mini buns for sliders, or regular-sized for sandwiches), spoon it over rice or greens, stuff it into tacos and burritos, or even use it to make traditional Chinese pork steamed buns.