Instant Pot Birria Tacos Recipe
Tacos are an all-time favorite recipe, since they're so much fun to eat and easy to prepare for a small or large crowd. And if you love tacos and cooking in your Instant Pot, then we have the absolute perfect recipe for you. These Instant Pot birria tacos are cheesy and packed with tons of good flavor, making them one of the best dishes out there (in our honest opinion). If you haven't tried birria tacos yet, you really need to as soon as possible, because this new recipe has been taking the world by storm. According to the i am a food blog, birria is "an addictive sweet, sour, slightly spicy, and utterly savory Mexican beef" that is usually prepared in a slow cooker.
Recipe developer and mastermind behind this dish, Kristen Carli, opted to use an Instant Pot to prepare it, which is just as good and cooks in less time. So this dish is a total win all the way around. Carli shares that her favorite part of the recipe is cooking it in the Instant Pot. "I love that this is made in the Instant Pot, making this a super quick and mostly hands-off recipe, perfect for weeknights," she raves. What more could you ask for? Trust us on this one — this Instant Pot birria taco recipe is a keeper. Keep scrolling to learn how to make this fantastic main course that is great for a crowd, and will certainly give them something to taco 'bout.
Gather the ingredients to prepare Instant Pot birria tacos
As we mentioned before, this recipe is jam-packed with flavor, and there are quite a few ingredients needed for it. You probably already have many of them in your kitchen, and once you get used to putting this meal together, you can make sure you stock up. It's a great meal to throw together when you're stumped on what to make.
You will need to pull out olive oil, a yellow onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, ancho chiles, beef broth, and apple cider vinegar. You also need plenty of spices to mix in, including bay leaves, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. These tacos call for a chuck roast, in addition to flour tortillas, shredded cheese, lime juice, and cilantro to complete your ingredient list. Alternatively, Carli says you can use corn tortillas. That's about everything, and it will all come together to make such a tasty meal that can easily be served for lunch, a buffet, or any kind of party. Tacos are always a great crowdpleaser — aka one of those meals that has lots of personality whenever and wherever it is served.
Turn on the pot, and begin cooking
First of, get out your Instant Pot. Next, you'll need to switch it to the sauté setting. Then, you can add into your Instant Pot the olive oil. After the oil, the onions and garlic can go in. Cook everything together for just about five minutes until the onions are translucent, which indicates they are done. Next, you will throw in the tomato paste, chiles, beef broth, and vinegar. Stir well to incorporate the tomato paste with the other items. The combination of your ingredients all cooking together will start to smell pretty delicious very soon, and you are well on your way to creating something ultra yummy.
Add more to the Instant Pot
Now, it's time to add a few more things to your Instant Pot. Toss in the bay leaves, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. This will provide your birria with a ton of flavor. Finally, you can place your chuck roast over everything else that is in the Instant Pot. That's the main part of the labor, and it was literally as easy as throwing a few things into the pot. Pretty soon, you can relax and get ready for your dinner guests!
Cook the roast
Once you add everything to the pot, it's officially time to cook. Close the lid of the Instant Pot, and turn the valve to sealing. Set it for 40 minutes. When it's done, allow it to release naturally. First, remove the beef, and set it aside to use again shortly. Next, remove the bay leaves from the Instant Pot, but keep everything else inside. Using an immersion blender, blend up the liquid well. After mixing the liquid, you need to throw the meat back into the Instant Pot. Use two forks to shred it apart.
Cook the tortillas
In the meantime, grab a large skillet, and put it over medium heat. Add the tortilla, and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese on half of it. Using tongs, place about ¼ cup of shredded meat on the cheese, and fold the tortilla in half. Repeat this step with each of the remaining tortillas until they're all done. Use the above picture as a guide to see exactly how this is done — it's super easy, and everything will be ready in just about no time at all.
Serve and enjoy these delicious Instant Pot tacos ASAP
Once you have all of the tortillas filled with delicious cheese and meat, you can plate them as you wish. Put them on a large serving platter to serve buffet-style, or set it down right in the middle of your table. Or, place one or two tacos on each individual plate.
Serve your tacos with a garnishing of cilantro. If your crew likes to dip the tacos into some extra flavors, Carli has a few suggestions for you. "I'd recommend dipping these in sour cream and guacamole," she shares. You will definitely create a lot of happiness around the table with this one.
As for leftovers, if there even are any, Carli notes, "These store best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days." Now, it's time for the best part — enjoy all of your hard work, and dig in ASAP!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 dried ancho chiles
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 ½ pounds chuck roast
- 16 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- cilantro, for serving
- lime juice, for serving
- Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil, then the sliced onion and minced garlic. Stir, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off sauté setting.
- Add the tomato paste, chiles, beef broth, and apple cider vinegar. Stir well to incorporate the tomato paste.
- Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, dried oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Then, add the chuck roast on top.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Turn valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 40 minutes. Allow to naturally release.
- Remove the beef from the Instant Pot, and set aside.
- Remove bay leaves, and discard. Use an immersion blender to blend the liquid in the Instant Pot.
- Place meat back in Instant Pot. Then, using two forks, shred the meat.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add tortilla. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese on ½ of the tortilla. Using tongs, place about ¼ cup of shredded meat on top of the cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes, until crispy. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Serve with cilantro and limes.
| Calories per Serving | 808 |
| Total Fat | 40.0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17.4 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 158.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 57.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.0 g |
| Total Sugars | 4.0 g |
| Sodium | 1,413.2 mg |
| Protein | 56.4 g |
