18 Leftover Pulled Pork Recipes
Do future you a favor and make extra pulled pork—the leftovers will make quick dinner a snap!
Pulled pork is DELICIOUS, no doubt about it. But no matter how you're making it, it can take a looooonnngg time. Even our absolute easiest way to make pulled pork takes 10-14 hours on a grill! So when we set our sights on turning pork shoulder into soft, shredded goodness, we’re making enough for leftovers. Pulled pork will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer, meaning when the craving for BBQ hits, we can be ready. Check out our list of 18 leftover pulled pork recipes—we know what you’ll be having for dinner this week!
First things first, you’re going to have to make the best pulled pork you can if you want it to stay juicy and flavorful for your leftovers meal. Our oven-roasted pulled pork is the easiest (no need for any additional equipment, anyway), and creates those delicious burnt ends where the fat and sauce ingredients have caramelized. The other two options are to make our Instant Pot pulled pork in your pressure cooker or our slow-cooker pulled pork (check out our best slow-cookers if you’re in the market for a new one). What we love about these is that you can set them and forget them, at least for a while—the slow cooker option cooks for 5-10 hours versus an hour in the Instant Pot.
Now that you’ve got your pulled pork, what should you make? There’s the classic answer, and ultimately the best reason to initially make pulled pork—a BBQ sandwich. Put your pulled pork on a potato roll with some coleslaw, and you’ve got a solid sandwich no one can argue with for dinner. Not a fan of potato buns? Try it on a biscuit, like in our pulled pork and kale biscuit sandwiches. Pulled pork sandwiches are also great for turning miniature, like in our BBQ pork sliders with cucumber dill slaw or our tropical whirlybird sliders. Want to break out of the sandwich mold? Try tacos, like our spiced pork tacos with avocado crema and peach salsa or our pulled pork tacos with pineapple slaw.
Looking for something heartier? When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than using leftovers so you don’t have to leave your home to get groceries. Try our green chile pork stew, our barbecue pulled pork shepherd’s pie, or our carnitas enchilada soup that are sure to warm your bones and leave you feeling satisfied.
Want more leftover inspiration? Check out our lists of leftover ham, leftover salmon, and and leftover lamb recipes too.
Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork
This on a potato roll plus pickles and coleslaw (and potato chips, if you're feeling crazy) = absolute perfection. It'll make enough for at least 8 HUGE sandwiches. Having a big game day party? Buy slider buns and you'll double the yield—at least!
Get the Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork recipe.
Green Chili Pork Stew
If your pulled pork hasn't been seasoned (or even if it has!), you can use it to make this pork stew—just skip skip straight to step 2 in the directions.
Get the Green Chili Pork Stew recipe.
Pulled Pork Nachos
This is one of those nacho recipes that's substantial enough to be dinner. THAT'S the kind of nachos we like. 😉 Serve with guacamole and sour cream, or any of your favorite nacho toppings (check out our ultimate nachos for inspo!)
Get the Pulled Pork Nachos recipe.
Pulled Pork Cornbread Cups
Our honey butter cornbread muffins are CRAZY good topped with pulled pork and coleslaw. Serve them like savory cupcakes at your next tailgate party!
Get the Pulled Pork Cornbread Cups recipe.
Pulled-Pork Ring
Use two tubes of crescent roll dough and some leftover pulled pork to make the simplest, most impressive dish that can easily feed a crowd for dinner or a party.
Get the Pulled-Pork Ring recipe.
Pulled Pork and Kale Biscuit Sandwiches
These pulled pork sandwiches are full of Southern-inspired charm. Using refrigerated biscuit dough means you can make these as big or as little as you want—we think they'd make great sliders.
Tamales
Tamales aren’t just fun to eat, they’re a great solo or group project for anyone who loves to cook. Make it a party by involving your friends, enlist your partner or spouse for a different kind of date night, or get the whole family involved. Tamale making is a joy, and tamales are a great canvas for different kinds of fillings, like leftover pulled pork.
Get the Tamales recipe.
Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Think of this like a shredded pork version of your favorite bahn mi sandwich: Rich, savory meat combined with bright and crunchy homemade pickles stuffed into a fluffy baguette, what could be better?
Barbecue Pulled Pork Shepherd's Pie
Classic shepherd's pie gets a Southern-inspired twist, with pulled pork and ranch-seasoned mashed potatoes. If you're strapped for time, you could use frozen mashed potatoes (stirring in ranch seasoning to taste)
Pulled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
You're familiar with pineapple salsa, but what about pineapple coleslaw? It's super simple, but brightens up these tacos immensely for summer!
Carnitas Enchilada Soup
Make dinner an instant fiesta with this killer dish that takes everything you love about carnitas and beef enchiladas, and turns it into a tortilla soup!
Get the Carnitas Enchilada Soup recipe.
Spiced Pork Tacos with Avocado Crema and Peach Salsa
We originally used grilled pork chops for this recipe, but the avocado, Greek yogurt, and lime crema and shallot and peach salsa will go super well with leftover pulled pork too.
Get the Spiced Pork Tacos with Avocado Crema and Peach Salsa recipe.
Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Egg rolls are most often filled with carrots, celery, cabbage and crispy ground pork, but we've never shied away from unique egg roll fillings (like our burrito egg rolls or cheesecake egg rolls), so why not try leftover pulled pork in these too?
Get the Air Fryer Egg Rolls recipe.
Pulled Pork Chili
Pulled pork is one of our absolute favorite game-day foods. This chili brings all our favorite barbecue flavors to the front for a comforting meal that will please even the most difficult crowd.
Get the Pulled Pork Chili recipe.
Ginger Pork Pot Stickers
Traditionally made with ground pork, a little pulled pork in your potstickers never hurt anyone. Add a little fish sauce to your leftover pulled pork to give it more Asian flavor before you assemble these, or don't, and lean into the Chinese-Southern fusion.
Get the Ginger Pork Pot Stickers recipe.
BBQ Pork Sliders with Cucumber Dill Slaw
Kirby cucumbers and dill give coleslaw a serious upgrade for these sliders. We highly recommend making your own BBQ sauce, but store-bought works too.
Whirlybird Sliders
We used pulled chicken for these originally, but they'd be rad with leftover pulled pork too. Try and find pillowy soft Hawaiian slider buns for these if you can, they make for the best bite.
Get the Whirlybird Sliders recipe.
Pulled Pork Tacos with Avocado Crema
Sour cream and avocado combine to make an incredible crema you're going to want to put on everything. That plus pineapple salsa makes these extra special.
