For these Crockpot Shredded Beef Tacos, meat cooks all day in an flavor-packed tomatillo salsa, then pulls apart effortlessly, and topped with ripe avocado and tangy lime juice. So easy and delicious!
If you’re in need of a casserole, this beef can easily be put to great use in my beef enchiladas, too.
Crockpot Shredded Beef for Tacos
My trial and error with slow cooker recipes continues. I’ve made so many now that are just…disappointing. Bland. Some are even down right awful. Which means if I’m sharing a slow cooker recipe with you all, we must really love it. And we do!
These Crockpot Shredded Beef Tacos have it all going on. No cream of soup, no soggy vegetables. Just juicy and delicious meat that’s been soaking in an incredible bath of flavor for eight hours. Awesome meal to come home to after a long day at work!
Why You’ll Love This Shredded Beef Recipe
- Quick prep. All you need is 10 minutes of prep. Then set it and forget it!
- Natural ingredients. Only a small list of ingredients and they’re all natural. Nothing weird, nothing hard to find.
- Flavor. The beef slow cooks for hours, soaking up all the wonderful flavors from the salsa verde and spices.
- So many uses. Eat it with rice and beans, in a taco, a burrito bowl, make nachos – lots of options.
- Freezer friendly. It freezes and reheats really well, so dinner in the future is even easier.
- Great for entertaining. This recipe makes a good amount, perfect for having friends over for a taco bar!
Ingredients Needed
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this beef tacos recipe:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Vegetable oil – To sear the beef briefly and develop a crust that locks in flavor.
- Beef chuck roast – Boneless beef chuck roast , trimmed of excess fat.
- Seasonings – Simple cumin, salt, and pepper season the dish.
- Salsa verde – I love my homemade salsa verde recipe since it provides the best flavor, but a 16 ounce jar from the store is fine, too.
- Onion and garlic – The onion is thinly sliced, white the garlic is peeled and smashed. Both provide wonderful aromatics and flavor.
- For serving – You can enjoy these in corn tortillas or flour tortillas. We like to top them with slices of fresh ripe avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and a drizzle of lime juice.
How to Make Crockpot Shredded Beef for Tacos
This shredded beef recipe could not be easier to put together.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Sear the beef. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the roast generously all over with the cumin, salt, and pepper. Sear on both sides until browned (about 3 minutes each side). Transfer to a 6-quart greased slow cooker slow cooker.
- Add the sauce and aromatics. Add the salsa, onion, and garlic on top of the beef.
- Cook. Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 hours until the meat is cooked through and easily pulls apart.
- Shred the beef. Shred the meat with 2 forks and stir with the liquid.
- Build the tacos. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, place some of the meat in each tortilla, topped with some sour cream, avocado, and a sprinkle of cilantro and lime juice.
Do I Have to Pan Fry the Meat First?
You certainly don’t have to sear the meat first, but for the best tasting shredded beef, I highly recommend it. The crust that develops locks in flavor and deepens the entire dish. It’s worth the few extra minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Our favorite way to enjoy shredded beef tacos is piled in our homemade flour tortillas or homemade corn tortillas, topped with a bit of sour cream, avocado, and a drizzle of fresh lime juice.
Pico de gallo or candied jalapenos are also delicious toppings and it goes great with a side of cilantro lime rice or black bean and corn salsa. Don’t forget to wash it down with some refreshing horchata or a pitcher of margaritas!
Proper Storage
- How long is shredded beef good for? Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep up to 3 days.
- Can you freeze shredded beef? Yep. Store in a freezer safe bag or container. It can stay frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- How to reheat shredded beef. Add leftover beef and sauce to an oven safe container or microwave safe bowl. For the oven, cover with aluminum foil and cook at 250 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until warmed through. For the microwave, place a damp paper towel over the meat and heat in one minute increments until warmed through.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes:
- Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Pulled Pork
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Crockpot Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast , trimmed of excess fat
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 16 ounces salsa verde (or a store-bought jar is fine)
- 1 medium sweet onion , sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic , smashed
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 16 whole high quality corn tortillas , warmed
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 medium ripe avocado , diced
- 2 small limes , quartered
Instructions
- Coat a 6-quart crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high. Season the beef with the cumin, salt, and pepper. Add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, per side, to a nice golden brown.
- Transfer meat to the slow cooker; add the salsa verde, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily.
- Shred the meat with 2 forks and stir with the liquid.
- Using tongs or a slotted spoon, place some of the meat in each tortilla, topped with some sour cream, avocado, and a sprinkle of cilantro and lime juice.
I just put a smoked beef roast in the crockpot about 30 minutes ago. I love this recipe! I have done this recipe many times now and it never disappoints! Taco Tuesday time!
can you use another cut of beef that is less expensive. chuck roast used to be inexpensive but not anymore at least where I live. I can’t wait to try these out. Thank you
Hi Doris! The only other suitable cuts of beef for this are brisket or rump roast, but I don’t think either of those are less expensive :(
This was an easy fantastic recipe. We’re tired of normal ground beef tacos. Thanks for sharing!
Can this be converted to an instant pot recipe?
Doesn’t an IP also have slow cooker capabilities? I don’t have one, so not sure.
I don’t have a crockpot so just made in my Le Crueset Dutch Oven pot in the oven at 225F – came out great!
These were so fantastic and I’m glad I finally got around to making this recipe. Thank you for a wonderful meal Amy!!
Made these for my taco Tuesday. My son and husband ate in a burrito with beans, rice and cheese and I ate in tacos as suggested. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed! So easy, but very delicious!
Made this over the weekend. I added shredded cabbage to our tacos for a little added crunch, but otherwise didn’t change anything. It was so delicious. Thanks for a great crockpot recipe!
Made these for dinner tonight and they were FANTASTIC! Definitely filing in my go-to folder. And if that’s an ugly photo then I need new glasses!
Love, love, love this recipe and flavor combo!
It’s 7 am and I want beef tacos now.
These are tender, juicy, delicious, you-start-salivating-when-looking-at-them tacos. My boys LOVED them!
Definitely going to make these — they look WOW.
Loved these so much. My family loves yours recipes – I can always count on you for a delicious, easy meal.
so yummmmy!
Looks so good.
This was GREAT. The meat was tender with a ton of flavor. Perfect for poker night.
This was dinner tonight and we’re already looking forward to leftover tomorrow.
Couldn’t wait to make these and they did not disappoint! Thank you so much for sharing.
My family’s new favorite tacos – so yummy!!
They look incredible. any excuse to use my crockpot!
They sure look great. I’m making these on Friday!