Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito Copycat Recipe

5 from 26 votes
51 Comments

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Create your own restaurant-style burrito with our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito Copycat Recipe. Smothered in enchilada sauce, it tastes just like the original.

A homemade cafe rio sweet pork burrito with lettuce and pico de gallo
Featured with this Recipe
  1. Sweet Pork Burrito
  2. Ingredients in Sweet Pork Burritos
  3. What Kind of Sweet Pork Do I Use?
  4. Tips for Making This Recipe
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. More Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
  7. How to Make a Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito
  8. Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Sweet Pork Burrito Recipe

Sweet Pork Burrito

This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito recipe tastes just like the favorite restaurant style burrito and is really easy to make at home! I often make Cafe Rio salads at home using the sweet pork but hadn’t attempted a copycat burrito yet. When my husband asked for the green, medium, enchilada sauce I tried my hand at it, and after a couple of tries, it turned out perfectly! He said this sauce tastes just like the sauce at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida, only a tiny bit spicier, which he liked. If you’re wanting all that yummy Cafe Rio flavor but don’t want to spend the money or time running to the restaurant, try this recipe!

Ingredients in Sweet Pork Burritos

For the Sauce:

  • diced green chilies
  • salsa verde
  • chicken broth
  • sugar
  • salt

For the Burrito:

Optional Ingredients

  • fresh lime juice
  • hot sauce
  • chili powder
  • bell pepper
  • cumin
A tortilla filled with rice, beans, pork, and cheese


What Kind of Sweet Pork Do I Use?

If you want the full Cafe Rio/Costa Vida Sweet Pork Burrito experience, you’re in luck! We have perfected the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork recipe. It marinates over night and cooks in the crock pot. If you’re running short on time, you can use any pulled pork recipe with Mexican-inspired flavors. This sweet pork is also amazing in salads, enchiladas, and tacos!

Tips for Making This Recipe

  • You can find the 9″ round disposable foil pans for your burritos for the full restaurant effect: Disposable Foil Pans (just like what Cafe Rio uses)
  • Our rice and beans recipes are SUPER simple too. You definitely want the beans and rice to get the whole experience!
  • We make our sweet pork burritos “enchilada style” by adding more enchilada sauce, topping it with more cheese, and heating in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add shredded lettuce and pico de gallo to the side and you are ready to go!
  • This recipe is for one burrito but can easily be multiplied by however many you need. The sauce recipe can stretch a little to 2 or 3 burritos depending on how much you like to use.
A homemade cafe rio sweet pork burrito with lettuce and pico de gallo

Frequently Asked Questions

How much pork should I use per burrito?

I like to add about six ounces of pork for each burrito, and this recipe makes 8-10 burritos, depending on how many you can fit into your pan.

What should I do with leftovers?

We prefer to store the leftovers in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Leftover sweet pork can also be stored in the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use.

How do I thicken my green sauce if it’s too liquidy?

I usually add a little cornstarch and water slurry to thicken the green sauce. It works great every time!

Read Next: Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

More Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes

If you would like to check out ALL of our Cafe Rio copycat recipes, click HERE! Or try a few of our all time favorites:

How to Make a Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito

A homemade cafe rio sweet pork burrito with lettuce and pico de gallo

Our Version of Cafe Rio’s Sweet Pork Burrito

5 from 26 votes
Create your own restaurant style burrito with our Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito Copycat Recipe. Smothered in enchilada sauce, it tastes just like the original.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican/Spanish
Servings 1

Ingredients

For the sauce:

For the burrito:

Instructions

  • Combine all the sauce ingredients in small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.
    A pot full of green enchilada sauce
  • Layer rice, beans, pork, and half of the cheese on top of the tortilla. Roll it up into a burrito.
    A tortilla filled with rice, beans, pork, and cheese
  • Pour about ½ cup of the green enchilada sauce over the burrito and top with additional Monterey Jack cheese. Place in the oven at 450-degrees until cheese is melted.
    A burrito topped with enchilada sauce and cheese
  • Serve with lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
    A homemade cafe rio sweet pork burrito with lettuce and pico de gallo

Notes

Recipe Tips:

  • You can find the 9″ round disposable foil pans for your burritos for the full restaurant effect: Disposable Foil Pans (just like what Cafe Rio uses)
  • Our rice and beans recipes are SUPER simple too. You definitely want the beans and rice to get the whole experience!
  • We make our sweet pork burritos “enchilada style” by adding more enchilada sauce, topping it with more cheese, and heating in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add shredded lettuce and pico de gallo to the side and you are ready to go!
  • This recipe is for one burrito but can easily be multiplied by however many you need. The sauce recipe can stretch a little to 2 or 3 burritos depending on how much you like to use.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 1054kcalCarbohydrates: 133gProtein: 55gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 6378mgPotassium: 1259mgFiber: 15gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 1804IUVitamin C: 54mgCalcium: 714mgIron: 9mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. The burrito calls for a volume of pork and the linked sweet pork recipe is done by weight. I’m going to make sweet pork with an 8lb butt, guessing I’ll end up with 6lb of sweet pork. I don’t know what that’s going to translate to in burritos so I can’t get the correct amount of other ingredients. Approximately how much pork by weight goes into a burrito?

  2. 5 stars
    Tastes even better!! Their sweet pork is our absolute favorite, so being able to make it at home makes my family so happy! I will be adding it in everything!

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

  4. I really want to make this for dinner this week. Then I realized that there are actually no instructions on how to make the pork. Could you pleas share how you do that?

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve never been to a Cafe Rio, but I love how easy and tasty this recipe is. It’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner.

  6. 5 stars
    Another one of your recipes on my list for this week – thank you, ladies! May I suggest a delicious and beautiful change-up? Up here, in the Detroit area, a lot of our Mexican places actually use thickly sliced Muenster cheese to top their wet or baked burritos.. I know, who’da thought? It melts beautifully and is chewy/creamy/mild. One manager I was talking to told me they cut off the orange rind – and not because its bad, but for looks.. I’ve done it at home w/o cutting off the orange because I don’t care to lose that money, lol.. Thanks again.. I’m spending my entire weeks dinner budget on this site. It rocks! Are yall on facebook? Would be nice to get updates there instead of hunting back/forth. 🙂

    1. Hi Steve– Yes, we are on Facebook and Pinterest… and Instagram.. and Twitter.. and YouTube.. and you can get weekly e-mails from us as well! There are definitely ways to find us if you are looking 🙂 I love the idea of Muenster. I am a HUGE fan of Muenster and I totally want to try it on the smothered burritos now! Thanks for the tip!

  7. 5 stars
    Hello! The links aren’t clickable in your recipe, so I’m unsure which bean and rice recipes you’re suggesting for this meal. Could you post the links or names here? Thanks so much! This recipe has me drooling! 🙂 YUM.

    1. We will get on this right away. Thank you for letting us know! If you need to find them you can do a search in the search bar at the top of the page. If you search “Cafe Rio” they will all come up

  8. My green sauce is very liquidy. Im afraid that i would make the tortilla too wet and soggy? What can I do to thicken it?

  9. 5 stars
    My husband LOVED this green sauce! The only other green sauce he likes is Betos but he was all over this! He said we should have it in our fridge at all times ha. He was even eating it with Fritos while I was making everything else ha. Do you know how long it will last in the fridge?

    1. I would keep it for about a week in the fridge… probably not too much longer than that though. So glad he likes it! We love it too! We love dipping chips and quesadillas in it!

  10. 5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe. I made the burritos today and turned out fabulous. I do believe marinating the pork overnight made the difference. I have some picky eaters in my home and they ate their plates clean. Thanks again.

  11. how do i do the sweet pork? it says click here but it wont allow me to do so… any tips would be greatly appreciated thank you 🙂

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