These Slow Cooker Beef Tacos are incredibly savory, rich, and filling, and are perfect to make for a family taco Tuesday! Add in some other veggies and toppings of your choice to customize them to your liking- you just can’t go wrong with these.
Quite recently, I’ve been trying out a lot of Mexican recipes.
After the success of my crunchy Mexican chicken and cheesy Mexican corn casserole, I really wanted to make something special for taco night, but without putting in a whole lot of effort, and these Crock Pot shredded beef tacos turned out just perfect.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Tacos Recipe
- Savory and delicious: The tangy and savory deliciousness of these Crockpot beef tacos is truly the highlight of this recipe.
- Hearty and filling: The dish is super filling and wholesome, which makes it a great weeknight dinner that you can enjoy with your family.
- Meal-prep friendly: You can prep the pulled beef ahead of time and even freeze it for months until you’re ready to put it to use.
- Customizable: You can also add in other veggies and mix-ins of your choice and play around with the seasonings to try different variations of the recipe.
Ingredients
- Beef: Use boneless chuck, pot roast, top or bottom blade, cross rib, or sirloin tip. These cuts have more marbling and connective tissue which breaks down when cooked making the meat very tender.
- Canned tomatoes: They bring the moisture to cook the beef and also lend the pulled beef filling that saucy, tangy deliciousness.
- Onions: Add in lots of chopped onions to bring that rich, caramelized sweetness that helps deepen the flavor of the sauce.
- Tomato paste: This one’s just to bring in that extra depth of flavor.
- Garlic: You’ll also need lots of garlic, again, for the flavor and aroma.
- Tortillas: Use any tortillas that you like. Stick to the plain white flour tortillas or choose healthier and opt for homemade tortillas, high protein, or multigrain versions.
- Seasonings: Use taco seasoning for best results, but if you can’t find it, use a mix of Italian seasoning, some salt and pepper, chili powder, or any other seasoning mix of your choice.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make it healthier: Make the Crockpot shredded beef filling healthier by using low-sodium versions of the seasonings and adding healthier toppings like Greek yogurt, avocados, and fresh homemade salsa.
- Make it spicy: Love the kick of heat? Add some jalapenos or chopped green chilies into the slow cooker along with the beef and tomatoes. I also love adding my pickled habanero peppers to the tacos for that extra bit of spice.
- Extra flavor: Sear the beef in a skillet until it browns up on both sides and then add in the tomatoes and other ingredients. You can also add a beef bouillon into the mix if you want a deeper flavor.
- Use ground meat: You can also swap the meat chunks for ground meat instead, and make Crockpot ground beef tacos instead. Just remember that you won’t need to cook this for as long though.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Tacos
Ready to make these slow cooker shredded beef tacos? First, prep your Crockpot with some cooking spray.
Step 1: Start with the sauce base. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and seasonings in the slow cooker.
Step 2: Add and cook beef. Add in the beef chunks and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Step 3: Shred beef. Remove beef and shred using two forks. Add more salsa as desired.
Step 4: Add finishing touches. Spoon the shredded beef mixture into tortillas, top with toppings and enjoy.
⭐️ Hint: If the shredded beef seems too dry, you can add a bit more of the sauce into it and give it a mix.
If you love tacos you've got to try my Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos, Rotisserie Chicken Tacos or my Smash Burger Tacos next!
Storage
- Storing: Your leftover slow cooker shredded beef can be stored for up to 3-4 days, refrigerated in a clean airtight container.
- Freezing: You can also batch-make the filling and freeze it for 2-3 months. Make sure you allow it to cool down before you transfer it to freezer-safe bags or containers. When you want to use it, simply get it out, allow it to thaw, reheat it and you’re done.
- Reheating: You can reheat the beef in the microwave with a little splash of water, and use it right away. You can also use the slow cooker or a skillet to reheat it.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of these slow-cooker beef tacos is that they can be enjoyed in so many ways.
You can top them with sour cream, guacamole, or any fresh salsa or pico de gallo. I love making my condiments from scratch, and with these tacos, I almost always whip up my smoked guacamole, Instant Pot queso dip, and my cream cheese hot corn dip.
I also love adding some sliced avocados, shredded lettuce, and a nice squeeze of lime juice on the top. Serve them up with a side of beans and rice for a full meal.
These are pretty filling and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner or served at a small get-together you’re hosting.
Recipe Tips
- Add mix-ins: Olives, corn, green onions, bell peppers, and fresh cilantro are all great additions to these shredded beef tacos. Add them in towards the end of the cooking process.
- Top with salsa: Experiment with different salsas to add to the flavor of the pulled beef filling. Peach and mango salsas can be great for sweetness, but a good smoky salsa can really take the flavors up a notch.
- Meat matters: Choose the best quality meat for this recipe, because it’ll have a huge impact on the flavor and texture.
- Use leftovers: Use the leftover shredded meat as a topping over your nachos or as a filling for your enchiladas and wraps. You can even stuff it into sliders or buns, or just serve it with some Mexican rice.
- Cook right: This recipe is quite forgiving, so even if you end up leaving the meat in for longer, it won’t turn out to be too dry or chewy. Depending on the kind of cut you’re using, it can take anywhere between 6-8 hours to cook perfectly and get to that fall-apart texture.
Recipe FAQs
For these tacos, I would recommend using your favorite melty cheese. Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, and sharp Cheddar are good choices, but you can also use the packaged Mexican blend if you have it at hand.
I would highly recommend using sweet onions here because they lend an insanely delicious flavor when caramelized, but you can also opt for red onions or white onions if that’s what you have at hand.
More Delicious Beef Dishes
Do you like beef recipes? Here are some other recipes you may also like to try.
Video
Take a moment to check out our video below. You won't believe how easy these Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Tacos are to make!
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Crock Pot Beef Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 - 4 pounds beef pot roast chuck, boneless, top or bottom blade, sirloin tip or cross rib
- 1 can (28 oz) canned tomatoes, diced
- 1 can (5 ½-6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 cup sweet onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons italian seasoning OR 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (1 package)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 10 soft flour tortillas corn tortillas, or crunchy taco shells
Optional Taco Toppings
- 1 cup cheese, shredded, more or less to taste
- sour cream - as needed
- 2 green onion. thinly sliced
- tomatoes, diced
- lettuce shredded or chopped
- jalapenos
Instructions
- Prepare your slow cooker with cooking spray.
- In slow cooker add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Add beef rolling around to coat. Cover and cook on low until beef is tender, 7-8 hours.
- Remove beef from slow cooker and remove any string.
- Using 2 forks shred or chunk into bite sized pieces. I find that different cuts of meat shred differently so do not hesitate to cut the meat into small chunks as necessary.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add 2-4 cups of the sauce to the beef and toss to coat. I love sauces and gravy so I tend to add in more sauce than Ken does when he makes this. The amount of sauce is up to you.
- Serve wrapped in a tortilla with green onions, sour cream and any other toppings if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add mix-ins: Olives, corn, green onions, bell peppers, and fresh cilantro are all great additions to these shredded beef tacos. Add them in towards the end of the cooking process.
- Top with salsa: Experiment with different salsas to add to the flavor of the pulled beef filling. Peach and mango salsas can be great for sweetness, but a good smoky salsa can really take the flavors up a notch.
- Meat matters: Choose the best quality meat for this recipe, because it’ll have a huge impact on the flavor and texture.
- Use leftovers: Use the leftover shredded meat as a topping over your nachos or as a filling for your enchiladas and wraps. You can even stuff it into sliders or buns, or just serve it with some Mexican rice.
- Cook right: This recipe is quite forgiving, so even if you end up leaving the meat in for longer, it won’t turn out to be too dry or chewy. Depending on the kind of cut you’re using, it can take anywhere between 6-8 hours to cook perfectly and get to that fall-apart texture.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November 2018. It's been updated with new content and images.
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