Jicama Tortilla Tacos with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Keto, Low-Carb

These tacos, made with jicama tortilla shells and crispy pork carnitas are seriously good – and keto friendly! Taking Taco Tuesday to a whole new level.

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Peace family.

As my regular readers know, I live in San Antonio. What that means is that eating tacos is pretty much a way of life. As a long term follower of all things Keto, I feel that I’ve tried pretty much every tortilla substitute known to man. I’ve had everything from lettuce wrapped tacos and flax tortillas to cheese shells and even egg thins. And of course there’s always the ever popular big brand low-carb/high fiber flour tortillas. I must say- they’re all pretty good and can get the job done, depending on the dish you’re making.

It was during our seemingly daily trips to the supermarket that we noticed jicama tortillas. I won’t lie, this threw me for a loop initially. Jicama…tortillas? As a foodie, blogger, home cook, recipe developer, and genuinely curious soul I knew I needed to try them. There was just no way I couldn’t. So let me give you the rundown, that way you can make an informed decision on if you would purchase these for yourself.

Pack of Jicama tortillas, purchased at HEB.

What is Jicama?

Jicama is the name of the entire plant, but most often refers to the edible root of the tuberous vegetable. Jicama is native to and most commonly eaten in Mexico. It’s very mild in flavor and resembles a turnip. I’ve seen some cooks use it in recipes for jicama fries, slaw, jicama chips, and even a faux potato salad.

I have not purchased and broken down a whole jicama root myself, as of yet. The jicama tortillas I have were pre-made and purchased in my grocer’s produce section.

Are Jicama Tortillas Keto Friendly?

Absolutely. Each serving is less than one gram net carbs, making it perfect to consume while doing keto or low-carb. An added bonus is that they only contain 8 calories each.

How do Jicama Tortillas Taste?

Ok guys, this is where it gets a little tricky for me to describe. As stated above, jicama tortillas have a very mild taste and they’re slightly crispy in texture. The ones I purchased are about the shape and size of a traditional corn tortilla that you would use for street tacos.

They are refrigerated, cold, and slightly wet. Do not buy them expecting the texture and feel of a “regular” tortilla. You won’t get that. You also have to handle jicama tortillas with a semi-delicate hand. If things get super rough, they will tear.

I have two recommendations with regard to using these as taco shells.

1. Try to remove some of the moisture. I tested two methods for doing this:

First, I added a tiny bit of olive oil to a skillet, allowed it to heat, and then added the jicama tortillas to the hot oil for about 2 minutes or so. This did help dry them out a bit, but because of their extremely thin and delicate cut they ended up sticking to the skillet, and it was kind of difficult to remove them without tearing.

The next method I tried was spraying a cookie sheet with baking spray, adding the jicama shells, and allowing them to sit under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. This method worked way better.

2.      “Double up” the shells. What I mean by this is to layer them in twos, similar to the way you would do with a corn tortilla. They hold a lot more weight this way, and are less likely to tear.

Jicama Tortillas in pan

Do I Recommend Jicama Tortillas?

I recommend these, only if you go into it with an open mind. Again, traditional tortilla shells, they are not. But they are fun way to get into the taco Tuesday spirit, keep it keto/low-carb, and try a new vegetable at the same damn time.

Jicama Shell Tacos with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Keto, Low-Carb

Now that I’ve talked a bit about the jicama tortillas, let me tell you how I used them. I really wanted some crispy and flavorful pork carnitas, so this was the perfect test to see how the shells would hold up.

I used my slow cooker to get perfectly cooked carnitas, then later seared them to get the crispy texture I wanted.

I started with a two and a half pound boneless pork roast.

Uncooked boneless pork roast, 2.5 pounds

I placed it in my slow cooker, and covered with free range chicken broth. I then covered with the lid and set the timer for 5 hours on high.

Central Market Free Range Chicken Broth

About halfway through the cooking process I drained all of the moisture from the meat. I then began shredding it with a fork.

Shredded pork in slow cooker

I added seasonings and remaining broth, gave everything a good stir, then allowed it to continue cooking for the remainder of the time.

Seasonings for Jicama Shell Tacos with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Keto, Low-Carb

Seasoned shredded pork

The end result was tender and flavorful pork carnitas.

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

But, wait… there’s more!

To get the “crispy” element that I wanted, I simply took a portion of the carnitas that I was ready to eat, and seared it in teaspoon of hot oil in my cast iron skillet for 3-4 minutes. You don’t have to do this to the entire pot, just the bit that you are about to eat right now. This is also a perfect reheating method, since you will definitely have leftovers.

I then stuffed my jicama tortillas with the pork carnitas and went to town. SO good.

Jicama Shell Tacos with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Keto, Low-Carb

Some additional tips:

• I used the broiler to char some diced onion and lime for my tacos – highly recommended flavor boost.
• Don’t forget to double up the shells.
• Cilantro and sour cream will also be recommended around here.
• Be careful with the lime juice and make sure to measure – I don’t want you saying I caused you to get knocked out of ketosis. Ha.

As usual, try it out and let me know what you think!

Peace,

Adri.

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Jicama Shell Tacos with Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Keto, Low-Carb -These tacos, made with jicama tortilla shells and crispy pork carnitas are seriously good – and keto friendly! Taking Taco Tuesday to a whole new level.