Slow Cooker Carne Asada is a simple way to make delicious tacos any night of the week! This tender delicious beef has just the right seasonings!
If you read this blog on any semi-regular basis, you’ve probably already guessed I have sort of what you might call a taco obsession. And if you’re one of the people who eats in my house on a regular basis, then you know it for sure. (Wait…. is anyone in my family actually reading this?). For one thing, tacos can be super easy and quick. When in a pinch, I can brown up some ground beef (or pull some already cooked ground beef out of the freezer if I’ve been good at planning) and add some of my favorite homemade taco seasoning. When I have a little more time, well, I still want something easy, but I do like to get just a little fancy as well. This Slow Cooker Carne Asada is the perfect solution and no need to worry about grilling!
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In all honesty, this slow cooker carne asada for tacos is almost easier than the less exciting ground beef version. Just toss a simple flank steak and my homemade steak marinade in the slow cooker all day and it’s so tender when you get home that it practically shreds itself. Add to some tortillas with your favorite toppings and you can have a great Taco Tuesday without all the fuss! I like this method so much better than making my carne asada grilled because it allows you to make it even when you are busy. That makes it great for parties or entertaining because you can easily add it to the slow cooker even if you won’t be home all day and have a delicious dinner to serve to your guest without stress or time worries!
Of course, you can do grilled steak but I made this in my casserole slow cooker because it made it even easier! The beef fits perfectly and will be easily covered with the juice. Not to worry if you don’t have one though, just cut the beef to fit a regular slow cooker so that it is all covered with the sauce and will cook up tender. This helps it to stay so much more juicy and tender than when you make it on the grill. The marinade here is simple, but just right for this cut of meat. The acid in the juices helps to tenderize as it cooks and the spices give it just the right amount of flavor.
Offer up a few simple topping like some corn salsa or some guacamole and let everyone dish up their own favorites. Simple is best and a nice mild cheese goes well with this although I must say they don’t even really need the extra flavor! Even just some simple sliced avocado and a grilled tortilla will make an amazing meal. If serving to a crowd add a slow cooker of chicken tacos and let everyone dish up their own plates buffet style.
And the options for serving are practically endless:
- by itself as grilled sliced steak
- shredded or sliced in tacos
- on top of rice for a bowl
- in a burrito
- pretty much anything else you could imagine!
Slow Cooker Carne Asada is a simple way to make delicious tacos any night of the week! This tender delicious beef has just the right seasonings!
- 3 pound flank steak
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- Juice of one lime about 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoons chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Add flank steak to bottom of slow cooker
- Whisk together remaining ingredients
- Pour over steak in slow cooker making sure all meat is covered with juice
- Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until tender
- Remove from slow cooker and slice
- Serve immediately or return to slow cooker on keep warm and let soak in juices
If you like pepper you can add a little to the marinade as well, either some ground bell pepper or black pepper seasoning.
Want more wild and crazy taco ideas?
Slow Cooker Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken Tacos with Caramelized Pineapple Salsa
This post has been updated from the previous version posted May 16, 2016 to include fresh photos, new tips and new ideas for serving! I hope you enjoy!
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Okay, this looks amazing. So amazing that I’d probably take a bath in that juice, for reals. Cannot wait to try this!
I made BOTH the carne asada and the sriracha chicken tacos. I just got the Cuisinart Mutli cooker and these where the first recipes I tried.
**Note to self…pay attention to the setting…lol
I made the carne asada first….wasn’t paying attention (shiny new toy!) and put the cooker on high! AAAHHH!!
Fortunately, I noticed after 2 hrs that it was on high….I quickly changed it to low for 2 more hour….but I kept an eye on it. Turned out AMAZING!!!
The sriracha chicken taco I was concerned about the heat. I did use a lil honey to cut the heat. The avocado sauce is AMAZING! Love that the pineapple salsa cuts the heat on the sriracha chicken.
Both turned out amazing!
I do have one question though…ok really two. In both recipes I doubled the marinating sauce. I didn’t feel that one batch covered enough ( though it could also be because I have a 6qt cooker) Does it need to coat it all?
That’s great!! So glad you liked them. If you are using a 6 quart slow cooker you may either need to adjust the cooking time, the liquid or possible the amount of food in the slow cooker. Many of my recipes are designed for a 4 quart, and the general rule is for the slow cooker to be at least 1/2 or up to 2/3 full for best results. That being said, you can still have great results in a larger slow cooker, just take into account that the food will cook faster and liquid will evaporate more if it’s less than 1/2 full. Hope that helps!
Sounds delicious! Quick question: is it conceivable that this recipe could be done as a frozen slow cooker meal?
Hi Lori! Absolutely! We actually have a version of this in our meal plan! To make ahead and freeze just make up the marinade and pour over meat in freezer bag. Remove air and freeze for up to 3 months. Then thaw and cook as directed when you are ready!!
Looks amazing! I am hoping that the grocery store will have meat on sale so I can make this soon 🙂
Let me know once you have a chance to try it!
Love you recepies! We are making this for our second time. Keep up the hard work,
Many mahalos
Aloha from Hilo Hawaii
Thanks Sean! Glad you enjoy this one, I love it too and I made it many times this summer. Hawaii? I’m jealous!!
I am in LOVE with that black hammered dish you have the meat in. Where did you get it?!
Hi Diana! I’m pretty sure I got it at Target last year.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I tried it today and my family loved it. We put it in baked yams with salsa, cheese, sour cream, avocado and hot sauce….soooooo good!
Sounds amazing! What a great idea! So glad you loved it 🙂
I made this carne asada over the weekend when we had guests and it turned out great! So glad to have it cooking away in my slow cooker while we were watching a movie during a 108 degree heat wave – ugh! I served this with soft corn/wheat tortillas, corn/tomato/avocado salad & coleslaw (which all went in the tacos) and salsa – delish. Still enjoying leftovers and will make this again for sure!
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Ellen!! 108 degrees… wow! Hopefully it’s cooled down a bit where you are!
Love your Slow Cooker Carne Asada! I’ve made it twice now, it’s easy peasy and tastes delicious; thank you!
Thanks Ellen! I’ve been craving it lately, I’m planning to make it again this weekend!
What would you suggest to use as a substitute for cilantro? I have a couple of people that cannot stand it. And, there is some suggestion that, in a lot of cases, if the person can’t stand the taste, they likely have a sensitivity or allergy to it.
Because, it looks delicious 😋
You could use Thai Basil (if you can find it), a lesser amount of parsley, or just leave it out 🙂
Do you think this would work with actual carne asada? Our grocery store sells uncooked sliced carne asada and it is quite a bit less expensive than flank steak.
Hi Elizabeth! Carne Asada actually refers to the preparation of the meat (literally meaning grilled meat) so I’m not sure on the cut you are talking about. I would check with the butcher and let them know what you are making and ask if this will work.
It’s also flank steak. Our grocery store sells it as Carne Asada meat as well, it’s just flank steak slicked SUPER thin (sliced horizontally so think uber thin flank steak.
It’s exactly what I”m going to make it with this weekend, I plan on splitting the meat between actual Tacos for dinners and ‘burrito bowls’ for lunches. Looking forward to it!!
If it pans out the way i expect it to next week I’ll be freezing several batches of this in the marinade to cut down on meal prep later.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing in!
One question: I don’t see any salt listed. No salt?
Hi Gisele! I didn’t add any, but of course you can add some to taste if desired 🙂
Will this work without the honey? Or what can I use in place of it?
The honey smoothes out the flavors a bit, so they may be a little more harsh? without but you could try ommitting or subbing with brown sugar or maple syrup.