Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
Slow cooker birria tacos are a delicious variation for your next taco night. This classic Mexican dish is simple to recreate and tastes simply amazing when packaged into crispy, cheesy tacos. Just let the meat simmer in the slow cooker and transform into tender, juicy taco filling – and don’t forget the dipping sauce!

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What is birria?
Birria is a meat dish that originated in Mexico and includes rich, seasoned braising liquid that the meat slow-cooks in for hours. Birria’s signature flavors come from various dried chile peppers and herbs.
Birria is commonly made with beef, goat, or lamb and typically uses tougher cuts of meat that tenderize throughout the braising process. It is served as a hearty stew with extra brothy liquid and additional toppings such as chopped onions, fresh cilantro, and extra peppers.
Besides a meaty stew, birria has also been added to nachos, quesadillas, tacos, and more! You will even see unique fusions of birria with other ethnic foods.
What’s To Love About This Recipe
- Birria is one of the most flavorful ways to prepare a roast or tougher meat. Because of the slow cooking process with lots of extra sauce, it is completely infused with spices and fully tenderizes over time.
- Traditional birria may have been cooked over a pot outdoors or on the stove for hours. With this easy slow cooker birria recipe, you can achieve similar results in a hands-off process and assemble the tacos when you’re ready to eat!
- Although this is not an entirely authentic birria recipe, I love adapting dishes with shortcuts just for the slow cooker. You’ll love that you can savor the flavor of birria without labor-intensive preparation.
- By swapping a premade enchilada sauce as a handy shortcut, you can easily replicate the flavors of traditional birria since the sauce contains many of the same ingredients. You won’t need to worry about sourcing and preparing dried chile peppers and can add all the ingredients straight into the slow cooker!
- Birria tacos are a fun twist for your regular taco night. Once the meat and braising liquid are ready, you can prepare hot, cheesy tacos in just a few minutes! (Fair warning – get your napkins ready for the juicy dipping sauce.)
Ingredients Needed
- Chuck roast – Chuck roast is a tough yet slightly fatty cut of beef, which makes it the perfect choice for slow cooking. When it braises in the cooking liquid, it becomes super flavorful and easy to shred.
- Onion – Dice a small white onion for additional flavor and texture.
- Garlic paste – A garlicky element is necessary to achieve the birria’s signature flavor. Use garlic paste or jarred minced garlic.
- Enchilada sauce -This is one of the best shortcuts for slow cooker birria! I like to use a thick and high-quality enchilada sauce from a pouch or glass jar instead of a thin, canned sauce. Try out different styles for the best results.
- Beef broth – Beef broth is a staple for the rich liquid that results after hours of slow cooking. You will also use the extra liquid to create the savory dipping sauce for the tacos.
- Taco seasoning – Mix up a homemade seasoning or use a store-bought packet to add an earthy blend to the meat.
- Chipotle chili powder – This adds a bit of smoky heat beyond just the taco seasoning.
- Avocado oil – Use avocado oil in the skillet to lightly crisp up the tortillas and create a semi-fried result.
- Corn tortillas – Corn tortillas are the best size and texture for the tacos made in the skillet. With avocado oil, they crisp up nicely!
- Shredded cheese – Choose your favorite shredded cheese or shred your own from the block. I used cheddar, but you could also incorporate Monterey Jack or pepper Jack.
- Extra diced onion and cilantro – These are optional garnishes that add a delicious burst of flavor and texture to the cheesy tacos.
How To Make Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
To cook beef birria:
- Add the chuck roast to the slow cooker along with onion and garlic.
- Stir together the remaining ingredients and pour over the roast.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the roast and shred it. Add as much sauce from the slow cooker as desired back into the meat.
- Strain the remaining sauce to use for dipping sauce.
To prepare the birria tacos:
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a bit of avocado oil.
- Add a tortilla to the skillet, and then add shredded beef and cheese to one side of the tortilla.
- Fold the tortilla in half to make a taco, cook on one side until crispy, then flip and cook on the other side until crispy.
- Serve with the strained sauce for dipping.
Pro Tips
- Corn tortillas are commonly used for birria tacos and will give you tasty and crispy results. If preferred, you can use flour, cassava flour, etc. as well.
- You can sear the beef first if you would like, but this is not a necessary step. Since the beef will braise for several hours, it results in plenty of flavor without the additional step of browning it first.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- You could also use short ribs, beef shank, or even lamb as a substitute for chuck roast.
- Add fresh chili or jalapeño peppers to the meat as it cooks for even more kick, or finely chop them up to serve with the tacos.
- Increase the heat by adding crushed red pepper or additional chipotle chili powder to the slow cooker.
- Test out different enchilada sauces to add flavor variations to the meat.
How To Serve Birria Tacos
The key to serving birria tacos as authentically as possible is including the tasty dipping sauce! It really sets this recipe apart from other taco recipes, and you can absorb even more flavor into the deliciously filling tacos.
Some other great sides to serve alongside birria tacos are fresh pico de gallo, guacamole or avocado slices, lime wedges, and fluffy rice. Slow Cooker Black Beans or Charro Beans would also be delicious sides. Add some Mexican Street Corn Dip from the Slow Cooker and tortilla chips for an incredible, flavor-packed meal!
Storing and Reheating
This birria recipe makes a generous amount of meat, so you will likely have yummy leftovers! Refrigerate leftover meat, tacos, and strained dipping sauce (separately) for up to 3 days. Portion the meat into servings for quick heat-and-eat weeknight meals.
You can also freeze the meat or the tacos for up to 3 months. Store the meat in airtight containers and wrap the tacos tightly to freeze.
Defrost in the fridge and reheat tacos in a skillet or air fryer.
Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 3- pound chuck roast
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste or jarred minced garlic
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 oz shredded cheese
- Additional diced onion and cilantro optional
Instructions
To cook beef birria:
- Add chuck roast to slow cooker along with onion and garlic
- Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over roast
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours
- Remove roast and shred; add as much sauce from slow cooker as desired back into the meat
- Strain remaining sauce to use for dipping sauce
To prepare the birria tacos:
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil
- Add tortilla to skillet, and then add shredded beef and cheese to one side of tortilla
- Fold tortilla in half to make a taco, cook on one side until crispy, then flip and cook on other side until crispy
- Serve with strained sauce for dipping
Notes
- Store leftover beef and/or tacos in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the strained dipping sauce separately.
- Freeze beef in portions for up to 3 months, or tightly wrap the tacos to place in the freezer.
- Try different enchilada sauces to vary the flavor.
Nutrition
Slow Cooker Birria Taco FAQ’s
- What is a quesabirria? A quesabirria is essentially a mix between a taco and a quesadilla because it includes melted cheese. Sometimes, the terms quesabirria and birria tacos are interchangeable because it really depends on whether the taco includes cheese or not.
- What if the birria doesn’t shred easily? If the beef birria doesn’t shred easily, it likely needs to cook longer. Beef will shred easily when it reaches a minimum of 200 ℉.
- Can birria be made in the Instant Pot? Adapt this recipe for the Instant Pot by adding the roast ingredients (all except tortillas, cheese, and toppings) to the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for approximately 60 minutes. Allow a natural release, then follow the remaining directions as written.
Hi
could you please recommend some brands for the enchilada souce. I have never noticed canned or pouch at my stores but I just might not be looking as thought it only comes canned
Frontera and Simply Organic both make an amazing enchilada sauce that comes in a pouch.