This recipe for Asian Pork Tacos is an incredibly flavorful, fusion-style meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Seasoned ground pork is topped with a zesty cabbage slaw and spicy mayo for a pop of delicious flavor in every bite.
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Most dinner recipes on this website are quick and easy. But, that doesn’t mean that they skimp on quality, fresh ingredients.
You can have it all and this recipe for Asian Pork Tacos is proof of that. Each taco is loaded with savory ground pork seasoned with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and aromatics, then topped with a crunchy cabbage slaw and spicy mayo.
This tasty recipe is the best for busy weeknights, Taco Tuesday, and entertaining. Try it with some chips and queso for a fun dinner the whole family will love.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is quick, easy, and so delicious.
It’s ready in right around 30 minutes and requires only minimal prep work. The only portion of this recipe that needs to be cooked is the ground pork, which cooks very quickly.
This recipe can easily be adapted to make it gluten free or low carb. See the recipe notes section in the recipe card at the bottom of this post for instructions.
How to Make Asian Pork Tacos
Ingredients
Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup savoy cabbage (sliced thin)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (minced)
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Spicy Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste)
Asian Ground Pork
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 pound ground pork
- salt
- peper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
You will also need tortillas, taco shells, or lettuce for serving.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
There is a small amount of prep work.
Thinly slice the cabbage, roughly chop the cilantro, and mince the garlic and ginger.
Create!
To make the cabbage slaw, combine the cabbage, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: the slaw is a bit sour from the lime, so it’s not recommended to eat it without the other components of the dish. If you still don’t enjoy the sourness of it when combined with the other parts of the recipe, you can add a touch of honey or sugar to it and mix well.
Toss to combine, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve dinner.
Next, make the spicy mayonnaise by mixing the mayonnaise and sambal oelek together until well blended. Place in the refrigerator, as well.
Tip: if you don’t have sambal oelek, also known as chili paste, you can substitute sriracha.
Finally, prepare the ground pork.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Mix in the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the ground pork into the pan and season with the salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up, until browned through, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until or everything is heated through and the flavors are well combined.
Present!
Place the ground pork into taco shells, flour tortillas, or lettuce wraps. Top with the cabbage slaw and spicy mayo.
Chef’s Tip: crumbled queso fresco is also a delicious addition to these tacos.
How to Make This Recipe Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, you will need to use gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. Gluten free hoisin sauce can be harder to find, so you can also substitute an equal amount of brown sugar instead.
Serve the tacos on gluten free tortillas or as lettuce wraps.
How to Make This Recipe Low Carb
Making this recipe low carb is a little bit trickier, but can be done.
Swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos and the hoisin sauce for a zero-carb brown sugar substitute.
Serve the tacos on low carb tortillas or lettuce wraps.
Tips and Techniques
- You can substitute sriracha for the sambal oelek.
- If preferred, you can add a touch of honey or sugar to the cabbage slaw. It is recommended to try the complete dish before making this adjustment.
- Crumbled queso fresco and additional cilantro are excellent additional topping ideas for these Asian tacos.
- Store leftovers separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 to 4 days.
FAQ’s
Can I Use Ground Beef Instead of Ground Pork?
You can absolutely substitute ground beef, or any other ground meat, for the ground pork in this recipe. It will change the flavor profile slightly, but should still be equally as delicious.
How Much Ground Pork Do You Need Per Person?
You can typically assume that you will need 4 ounces of meat per person. However, this can vary greatly depending on whether you are servings adults or children and the appetite of each person.
How Long Do You Cook Ground Pork For?
Ground pork cooks relatively quickly. You want to cook it until it’s no longer pink. This can take up to 5 minutes.
More Pork Recipes to Try
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If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!
Asian Pork Tacos
Ingredients
Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup savoy cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Spicy Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chili paste)
Asian Pork Taco Filling
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- taco shells, flour tortillas, or lettuce for serving
Instructions
Cabbage Slaw
- Combine the cabbage, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.1 cup savoy cabbage, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1/2 lime, salt and pepper
Spicy Mayo
- Combine the mayonnaise and sambal oelek in a small bowl and stir until evenly blended. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
Asian Pork Taco Filling
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger
- Add the ground pork and season with the salt and pepper.1 pound ground pork, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Cook, breaking up, until browned through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil.2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until everything is heated through and the flavors are well combined.
- Place the ground pork into taco shells, flour tortillas, or lettuce wraps and top with the cabbage slaw and spicy mayo.taco shells, flour tortillas, or lettuce for serving
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- You can substitute sriracha for the sambal oelek.
- If preferred, you can add a touch of honey or sugar to the cabbage slaw. It is recommended to try the complete dish before making this adjustment.
- Crumbled queso fresco and additional cilantro are excellent additional topping ideas for these Asian tacos.
- Store leftovers separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.
How to Make This Recipe Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, you will need to use gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. Gluten free hoisin sauce can be harder to find, so you can also substitute an equal amount of brown sugar instead. Serve on gluten free tortillas or as lettuce wraps.How to Make This Recipe Low Carb
Swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos and the hoisin sauce for a zero-carb brown sugar substitute. Serve the tacos on low carb tortillas or as lettuce wraps. ** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary. It does not include taco shells, tortillas, or lettuce for serving.Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on January 9, 2018. It was updated with new images, step-by-step instructions, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in January 2024.
Veronika says
These were so good! I’ve never thought to make asian style tacos but I these were really well seasoned and all the flavors went really well together. Thanks for the recipe!
Moop Brown says
I love the way this recipe fuses different cuisines in such a tasty and flavorful way. The cabbage slaw is a nice touch as well.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
This was perfect for weeknight dinner! Loved every component of the taco and I am especially in love with the spicy Mayo.
Carrie Robinson says
I had ground pork in the freezer but I wasn’t sure what I was going to make with it. I had everything to make these tacos and they were amazing!
Molly Kumar says
Such an easy to follow recipe and tasted awesome. Saving to make in future too.
Megane says
Those Asian Pork Tacos were on another level, my friend! Tasty AF—no leftovers, if you know what I mean. 🌮🥢👌
Leslie says
I LOVE the spicy mayo for this taco recipe! It’s so perfect and makes such a difference with flavor! YUM!
Giangi Townsend says
Such a simple recipe and it tastes incredible. I love all the flavor combinations, and the pork is just out of this world with this recipe. Thank you.
Making it again this upcoming weekend.
Gwynn Galvin says
I’m always looking for new and delicious taco recipes for our Taco Tuesday dinners and this recipe is a keeper! We especially enjoyed the slaw and spicy mayo!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
This is my second time making these flavorful tacos. I love fusion recipes and these tacos have everything I like. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration.
Gloria says
We love tacos. Chicken, shrimp, beef and now pork too. Perfect for family dinner fun.
Gwen says
This recipe was absolutely amazing! Easy and tasty. Will definitely make again.
Lauren Vavala says
Thank you so much – glad you enjoyed it!
– Lauren
Amanda says
We had these last night and they were delicious. Great flavor! And super easy. Thank you.
Lauren Vavala says
Thanks so much for the feedback Amanda, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
– Lauren
Joyce says
This recipe is perfect as written!! I will be adding this to my rotation for taco Tuesday!
Lauren Vavala says
Thanks so much! Happy to hear you enjoy it!!
Charity says
What can be used instead of mayo? Yoghurt?
Lauren Vavala says
Yes! You can use plain yogurt (Greek is probably best because it’s thicker) or sour cream.
Swathi says
I love this pop-cook ginger and garlic which makes cooking easy. This taco is delicious and colorful. Love pineapple slaw also. Perfect meal
Catherine says
I love how easy and convenient this recipe was to make. These tacos were absolutely delish!
Veena Azmanov says
I love this twist on tacos. I’m a big fan of tacos and this would be definitely a fun meal in our home. Saving this for later.
Marisa Franca says
We love our tacos and we can’t get enough of Asian flavors. This would be a great dish on game day or when our kids come over for a visit. Very informal but very tasty!!
Mirlene says
I too have never had tacos with pork, but I definitely would love to make it for my husband as he is a taco lover. Looks delicious.
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
Do you know, I’ve never had a taco with pork? That clearly must change! I love a little fusion!!
Noel Lizotte says
So pretty and full of flavor! i’m sure this is a family favorite … can’t wait to try it with my crowd.
Dan Zehr says
Wow and Wow the recipe of your tacos looks very tasty. I like that you added pork, this is really a great job! I like all the ingredients in this recipe. Of course I want to try. Thank you for sharing.
Claudia Lamascolo says
I just love tacos, I actually ordered them out often. Never had them with pork what a greeat idea I usually order seafood I am going to try and make them now thanks!