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    Home » Recipes » Beef Recipes

    Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

    Published: Dec 26, 2022 · Modified: Mar 14, 2025 by Ryan Allen · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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    Slow cook a chuck roast to create these tender and juicy Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos. They are sure to be a crowd favorite with the whole family! Everyone gets to add their own toppings without any extra hassle or stress to the cooking process.

    Crock Pot shredded beef tacos in flour tortillas and garnished with onions and cilantro.
    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Variations
    • How To Make Shredded Beef Tacos in the Slow Cooker
    • Expert Tips
    • Storage Directions
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Mexican Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

    These crock pot pulled beef tacos are packed with flavor from the delicious cut of meat, beef broth, tangy orange juice, spicy tomatoes, onions, and Southwest seasonings. The beef is so tender due to the low and long cook time and the acidity from the other ingredients. Taco Tuesday will never be the same after you introduce your family to this shredded beef taco recipe.

    If you enjoy making beef in the crock pot, you will love this Slow Cooker Steak, Potatoes, and Corn recipe, my Steak Bites with Garlic Butter, and this super easy 3 Packet Pot Roast!

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • Juicy and Tender Beef: Slow cooking the beef gives it time to absorb all of the flavors from the spices and juices. The result is juicy and tender beef that is perfect for tacos.
    • Stress Free Dinner: The most time consuming part of this recipe is searing the beef, but don't worry, it takes less than 10 minutes at the start. It’s great for an easy dinner during the week or a laid back weekend meal.
    • Budget Friendly: The best cut of beef for this recipe is a chuck roast, which is one of the more affordable cuts. Your family can enjoy delicious beef tacos without spending too much money on meat.
    • Use It in Other Dishes: Don’t just use this slow cooker beef in tacos! Try it in burritos, on top of nachos, as part of a casserole, or with a salad. 

    Ingredients

    • Chuck Roast: This cut of meat is ideal for the slow cooker because the fat renders down into the meat, making it more tender and flavorful with time. Sirloins and briskets would also work for this recipe, but may be less tender after cooking. Sear the beef before adding it to the slow cooker to enhance the flavor of the meat.
    • Beef Broth: Liquids are important for slow cooker recipes because they help the food to heat evenly and not burn over the long cook time. For a beef recipe, beef broth enhances the flavor of the meat and keeps it moist.
    • Canned Tomatoes with Chiles: These spicy diced tomatoes add flavor, heat, and acidity to the shredded beef. Acidity helps tenderize the beef. Rotel is the most popular brand of spicy canned tomatoes, but you can use any canned tomatoes with chiles.
    • Orange Juice: Sweet citrus juice enhances the flavor of the meat, and the acidity also helps break down the fat to make the perfect shredded beef. 
    • Lime Juice: Lime is a signature flavor for Mexican and South American dishes. It adds brightness and a tart citrus zing.
    • Onion and Garlic: Aromatics like onion and garlic cut through the richness of the beef and add a sharp complementary flavor. 
    • Dried Seasonings: No taco filling is complete without an array of spices. For this recipe, use salt, pepper, chipotle powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. You may also substitute individual spices for a taco or Mexican-style seasoning blend.
    • Tortillas: Grab your favorite brand of corn or flour tortillas to serve up these moist shredded beef tacos.
    • Your Favorite Taco Toppings: Enjoy with your favorite toppings. Add cheese, lettuce, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, or anything your heart desires!

    See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

    Variations

    • Use Pork or Chicken: If you don’t care for beef or want to use a meat you have on hand instead, use pork or chicken and substitute chicken broth for beef broth. The pork will have a similar cook time, but chicken cooks in half the time. Slow cooker taco recipes are always a hit.
    • Make It Spicy: Sliced jalapenos, canned adobo peppers, or hot sauce will add heat to your chuck roast tacos. Add the spicy ingredients at the beginning so they slow cook into your beef.
    • Add More Vegetables: This recipe doesn’t have any vegetables aside from canned tomatoes, so you may want to add more. A can of black beans or pinto beans, chopped zucchini, corn, or diced peppers are great extra veggies that can cook right in the crock pot.
    • Make Enchiladas, Burritos, and More: Don’t limit yourself to just tacos! This slow cooker shredded beef would make excellent burritos or enchiladas. You could even eat it by itself with a side of rice and beans.

    How To Make Shredded Beef Tacos in the Slow Cooker

    This delectable slow cooker taco beef is flavorful and easy to make. It’s the perfect low-maintenance meal for a busy weeknight dinner or for feeding a crowd.

    1. Step 1: Sear the Beef Roast. Season all sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Then heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to glisten in the pan, sear each side of the roast until the outside has a beautiful brown crust. This only takes about 2 minutes per side.
    2. Step 2: Add the Ingredients to Your Crock Pot. Add the roast to a 6-quart slow cooker with the beef broth, seasonings, orange juice and lime juice.
    A collage of images showing the steps for making slow cooker shredded beef tacos.
    1. Step 3: Set It and Carry on With Your Day. Top the roast with the garlic, onions, and canned tomatoes and chiles.  Secure the lid of the slow cooker in place and cook on low for 8 hours.
    2. Step 4: Shred and Serve. After 8 hours, shred the beef with two forks or tongs. The meat should be tender and fall apart with hardly any effort. Stir the shredded beef around in the juices left in the slow cooker. Load the meat onto tortillas and add your favorite toppings.

    Expert Tips

    • Searing Locks in the Flavor: Enhance the natural flavor of the chuck roast by searing it before adding it to the slow cooker. Searing caramelizes the natural sugars in the beef and forms a flavorful and crispy crust on the outside of the meat. For the most flavorful shredded beef do not skip this step. 
    • Cook on Low: Low and slow is the best rule when it comes to cooking beef in the crock pot. The lower temperature and longer cook time helps the connective tissue in the meat to break down. This makes the meat so tender it practically falls apart on its own.
    • Don’t Overcook: Cooking the beef at a higher temperature or for too long makes the meat tough. No one likes tough meat, especially in tacos, so set a timer and check on your beef sporadically. 
    Shredded beef in a white crock pot garnished with cilantro.

    Storage Directions

    • Storing: Allow the beef to cool, then store leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the beef with the juices from the slow cooker for up to 2 months. Thaw the meat and juices in the refrigerator before reheating.
    • Reheating: For the best results, reheat the shredded beef in a skillet over medium heat with a little beef broth. The broth helps the meat stay moist and tender. I don’t recommend reheating this in the microwave because it will dry out the meat.

    Serving Suggestions

    These crock pot shredded beef tacos are the perfect busy weeknight dinner for your family, or a great meal when serving a crowd. Serve them with a few toppings at a party or bring them to your next potluck! Serve your slow cooker Mexican shredded beef with other Mexican-inspired dishes or vegetable side dishes.

    • Serve slow cooker Mexican corn dip as an appetizer for your tacos.
    • Replace the chicken in these chicken nachos with beef and make amazing shredded beef nachos.
    • Use beef and roasted potatoes for fantastic and filling beef and potato tacos.
    • Make and serve with crockpot rice for delicious burrito bowls.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make shredded beef tacos in the Instant Pot?

    Absolutely, if you’re short on time, you can make these shredded beef street tacos in the slow cooker. First, sear the chuck roast in saute mode because you still want that tasty crust on the outside of the beef. Then add all of your ingredients and cook the meat for 60 minutes on high pressure. Use the quick-release to release the pressure when the beef is tender and cooked through.

    Can I make shredded beef taco meat ahead of time?

    Most definitely! This shredded beef for tacos is an excellent make ahead meal! Store the cooked beef in the refrigerator to use for dinner later in the week or for lunch. You could also freeze it as part of meal prep for the month.

    Slow cooker shredded beef tacos in flour tortillas and garnished with onions and cilantro.

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    Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below. Then follow me on Facebook and Pinterest! Share your favorite recipes or ask questions in my Facebook Group.

    Slow cooker shredded beef tacos in flour tortillas and garnished with onions and cilantro.

    Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

    Author: Ryan Allen
    Tender chuck roast is slowly cooked with a blend of Mexican spices for an easy, delicious beef recipe. These Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos can be enjoyed in your favorite tortillas or used in many different meals!
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 8 hours hrs
    Total Time 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 20 tacos
    Calories 145 kcal

    Equipment

    • My Favorite Slow-Cooker
    • Slow-Cooker Liners

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 lb chuck roast
    • 1 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • ½ tsp chipotle powder
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika
    • 3 tsp garlic (minced)
    • ½ cup orange juice
    • 2 tsp lime juice
    • ½ cup beef broth
    • 1 medium white onion (diced)
    • 10 oz Rotel mild diced tomatoes & green chilies

    Instructions
     

    • Season both sides of the roast with salt and pepper.
    • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and allow to heat up. Sear roast on all sides until browned—about 2 minutes per side.
    • Add roast to a 6-quart slow cooker.
    • Add chipotle powder, cumin, paprika, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, and beef broth in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined and pour over roast.
    • Top roast with onions and Rotel tomatoes.
    • Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
    • Shred with two forks and mix into the juices.
    • Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings!

    Notes

    • Sear the meat to lock in the flavor and form a lovely crust on the outside. This step is crucial for tender and flavorful beef in the slow cooker.
    • Cook beef on low for at least 8 hours to ensure the connective tissue breaks down and the meat is tenderized.
    • Reheat any leftovers on the stove with a bit of extra beef broth to keep the meat juicy and easy to chew.
    • This shredded beef is great for burritos, enchiladas, nachos, and sandwiches, not just tacos.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 13gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 197mgPotassium: 285mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 104IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg

    *Nutrition information is an estimate. It may vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact ingredient numbers, I recommend calculating them with your preferred nutrition calculator.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Katie says

      August 21, 2023 at 5:28 pm

      5 stars
      Phenomenal!! Added some extra lime juice and spices to the orange juice and served on a mini taco with mexican street corn. Really, really good!! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Ryan Allen says

        August 21, 2023 at 5:53 pm

        Sounds amazing with some Mexican street corn.

        Reply
        • Jenn says

          January 19, 2024 at 8:14 am

          How critical is the searing step? Not sure I have time foe that today!

          Reply
          • Ryan Allen says

            June 10, 2024 at 10:10 am

            You can skip searing the roast. It just adds another layer of flavor to the tacos.

            Reply
    2. Claire says

      December 28, 2024 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious!! I love making these! Super easy and the flavors are incredible!

      Reply
      • Ryan Allen says

        January 07, 2025 at 12:28 pm

        Thank you so much! These are my go to tacos.

        Reply
    5 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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