This recipe for Asian Ground 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 Delicious Little Bites are quick and easy. But, that doesn’t mean that they skimp on quality, healthy ingredients.
You can have it all and this recipe for Asian Ground Pork Tacos is proof of that. This tasty recipe is perfect for busy weeknights, Taco Tuesday, and entertaining.
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.
The flavor combination in this recipe includes the ground pork that is seasoned with popular sweet and savory Asian ingredients. The pork is topped with a crunchy, zesty cabbage slaw and a creamy, spicy mayonnaise.
This recipe can 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
What You Need to Make This Recipe
The ingredients you will need for this recipe are mostly pantry staples. So, while it may look like quite a bit, you might already have most of the ingredients on hand.
Fresh ingredients that you will need are ground pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, a lime, and cilantro.
Pantry staples that you need for this recipe include soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, mayonnaise, sambal oelek (or sriracha), olive oil, salt, and pepper.
You will also need tortillas, taco shells, or lettuce for serving.
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, it’s time to cook 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.
Crumble 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 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.
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. Use with 3-4 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
Pork is often overlooked as a very versatile protein, but the fact of the matter is – you can create so many amazing recipes and flavors with pork as the star.
This Cuban Pork Tenderloin is flavored with citrus and spices for the most delicious dish! It pairs amazing with Creamy Coconut Rice and Fried Sweet Plantains.
Maple Apple Pork Chops are the way to go come apple season and this Pork Carnitas Slow Cooker Recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights.
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Asian Ground 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.
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.
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.
- Add the ground pork 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 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.
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. Use with 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 tortillasor 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 an improved recipe, more thorough instructions, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in March 2020.
