Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork is a delicious idea for an easy family-friendly dinner or game-day food! And family members who don’t care about carbs can eat the pork on a bun and they’ll never guess it’s low in carbs.

PIN the Instant Pot Pulled Pork to try it later!

This Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork is perfect for a party or for game-day food. Of course, Pulled Pork is also a tasty dish to make for a family dinner.  And today I’m reminding you about this recipe for Friday Favorites because there’s a big game coming soon. Have you started working on your Super Bowl menu?

I use sugar-free ketchup for the barbecue sauce, so my Instant Pot Pulled Pork (and the slow cooker version) are both extra low in carbs. And I’m not a fan of super-sweet barbecue sauce, but this low-carb version really suits my tastebuds!

My Instant Pot Pulled Pork has lots of savory undertones and just a touch of sweetness. And I promise you that no one in the family will guess this is low in carbs. I usually eat the pork served on a plate with some kind of cabbage salad. But people who aren’t watching carbs can enjoy it piled on a bun! I hope you’ll try my low-carb pulled pork and see what you think.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• pork sirloin tip roast or pork shoulder roast
• Penzey’s Pork Chop Seasoning (or any seasoning blend that’s good on pork; use that link to see what ingredients are in the pork chop seasoning)
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link), I used my homemade chicken stock
• sugar-free ketchup (affiliate link)
• tomato sauce
• Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
• apple cider vinegar (affiliate link)
• yellow mustard (not Dijon)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
• Worcestershire Sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link)
• Liquid Smoke (affiliate link), optional but recommended)

How did I make Instant Pot Pulled Pork that’s low in carbs?

I used G. Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup (affiliate link) as the base of my barbecue sauce. And I sweetened it with Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link).

What size Instant Pot did I use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes! 

How low in carbs is this Instant Pot Pulled Pork?

This pulled pork with my homemade low-sugar BBQ sauce has only 4 net carbs per serving with 41 grams of protein.

How to make this low-carb pulled pork in the slow cooker:

This recipe is an Instant Pot version of my popular low-carb pulled pork made in the Slow Cooker. If you prefer using the slow cooker just make that one instead.

How to Make Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I made my slow cooker version of pulled pork with a lean pork loin roast. For this recipe I was planning to try the boneless pork shoulder that’s usually recommended for pulled pork. But when I looked for pork shoulder roast, I only found enormous packages. So I decided to test out this recipe using two small Pork Sirloin Roasts. The pulled pork was delicious using the leaner pork, take your choice on what type of pork to use.
2. Whichever type of pork you use, cut pork against the grain into pieces. Then brown well in the Instant Pot (or in a pan.) Browning adds flavor; please don’t skip this step.
3. Then whisk together sugar-free ketchup, tomato paste, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, Green Tabasco Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce (gluten-free if needed), and Liquid Smoke to make the sauce.
4. Once the pork is browned well (in two batches if needed) arrange it in the Instant Pot. Pour over 3/4 of the sauce mixture and 3/4 cup chicken stock.
5. Lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 60 minutes.
6. When the pressure cooking time is up, let it NATURAL RELEASE for about 25 minutes. Then release remaining pressure if there is still pressure.
7. Remove the meat to a cutting board and strain the sauce if you think it needs it.
8. Add the remaining sauce you reserved to the liquid/sauce in the Instant Pot. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT, and let the sauce reduce until it’s as thick as you prefer. This will probably only take a few minutes, but watch to make sure the sauce doesn’t burn.
9. While sauce reduces, shred the meat apart with two forks.
10. When the sauce has thickened, add meat back to the Instant Pot and stir until it’s coated with sauce.
11. Serve the Instant Pot Pulled Pork hot, and enjoy.

Make it a low-carb Meal:

The Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork in this photo is served with Spicy Mexican Slaw, which was a great combination! It would also be a hit served with any of these low-carb salads:

• Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Goat Cheese
• Marinated Cauliflower Antipasto Salad
• Kale Caesar Salad (with Romaine and Shaved Parmesan) 
• Ottolenghi’s Perfect Lettuce Salad
• American Greek Salad

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Instant Pot Pulled Pork has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep. That’s where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 10 servings

Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

I'm not a big barbecue sauce fan, but I love this Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork that features my low-sugar sauce with just a touch of sweetness. And see the link to make low-carb pulled pork in the slow cooker if you prefer that method.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. pork sirloin tip roast or pork shoulder roast, fat trimmed as much as you prefer (see notes)
• 1 T Penzey's Pork Chop Seasoning (or any seasoning blend that's good on pork)
• 2 T olive oil (more or less, depending on how much fat is in the pork.)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar-free ketchup (see notes)
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 C Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, or more to taste (see notes)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard (not Dijon)
• 4 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce
• 2 T Worcestershire Sauce (Be sure to use Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce if needed.)
• 3/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke (probably optional, but recommended)

Instructions

1. Trim the pork sirloin roast or pork shoulder roast if there is a lot of visible fat on the outside. The cut the pork roast into thick slices around 2 inches thick.
2. Rub the pork on both sides with the Penzey's Pork Chop Seasoning (affiliate link) or use another seasoning blend that's good on pork.
3. Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT, add one tablespoon of the olive oil, and brown the slices of pork on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. (You will probably need to do this in two batches, adding the other tablespoon of olive oil as needed when you brown the second batch, or just brown all the pork in a large pan on the stove if you prefer.)
4. Whisk together sugar-free ketchup, tomato paste, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, Green Tabasco Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link), and Liquid Smoke to make the sauce.
5. Put all the browned pork slices into the Instant Pot and pour over 3/4 of the sauce mixture and 3/4 cup chicken stock.
6. Lock lid and set the Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 60 minutes.
7. When the pressure cooking time is up, let it NATURAL RELEASE for about 25 minutes, then release the pressure if there is still pressure.
8. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it cool, until it's just cool enough to handle.
9. Strain the sauce if you think it needs it.
10. Add the other 1/4 of the sauce you reserved to the liquid/sauce in the Instant Pot. Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT, and let the sauce reduce until it's as thick as you prefer. This will probably only take a few minutes, but watch to make sure the sauce doesn't burn.
11. While sauce reduces, shred the meat apart with two forks.
12. When the sauce has thickened, add meat back to the Instant Pot and stir until it's coated with sauce.
13. Serve Instant Pot Pulled Pork hot. This will keep well in the refrigerator for quite a few days and can also be frozen.

Notes

I made this recipe Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link). Start with the amount I recommend, then taste the uncooked sauce to see if you want it a bit sweeter.

I use G. Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup (affiliate link) for this recipe, but there are many good brands.

I used a 6-Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for this recipe.

This recipe created by Kalyn, as an Instant Pot version of her Low-Carb Pulled Pork made in the Slow Cooker.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 373Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 166mgSodium 566mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 61g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
My Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork uses sugar-free ketchup and Golden Monkfruit Sweetener to make it low in carbs! This is suitable for any type of low-carb or Keto diet, as well as any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Of course, South Beach would recommend using lean pork, and low-carb diets won’t care about that.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot to find more Instant Pot Recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
My low-carb version of Instant Pot Pulled Pork was first posted in 2018. The recipe was updated to be even lower in carbs when I discovered a good brand of sugar-free ketchup. It was last updated with more information in 2026.