Crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor, these Slow Cooker Birria Tacos are everything. Slow-cooked beef melts into crispy tortillas, ready to dip into rich, smoky consommé.
Birria Tacos Recipe
Birria tacos have taken the U.S. by storm—and for good reason. These crispy, juicy tacos, served with a rich consommé for dipping, are pure comfort food. Traditionally made with goat or lamb, birria comes from Jalisco, Mexico, but today I’m sharing an easy slow cooker birria tacos recipe made with beef and easy-to-find ingredients—so anyone can make them at home! For more popular Mexican recipes you will love to make at home, don’t miss my Barbacoa Beef, Slow Cooker Carnitas, and Chicken Enchiladas.
Why This Recipe Works
My husband Tommy fell in love with this crockpot birria taco recipe. I loved it because he’s not always easy to please—plus it made enough for two meals, so he got to enjoy it twice! Here’s why it works:
- Hands-off slow cooker method: minimal effort, maximum flavor
- No Hard to Find Ingredients: Made with easy-to-find ingredients from any grocery store
- Freezer-Friendly: Freeze half of the meat for another night.
- Delicious Crowd Pleaser: Great for meal prep, leftovers, and feeding a crowd!
- Dietary Restrictions: Weight Watchers-friendly, gluten-free, high-protein, dairy-free (use dairy-free cheese)
If you make this healthy birria tacos recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this birria tacos recipe. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Beef Pot Roast or Chuck Roast are the best cuts of meat for birria. They will get more tender as they slowly cook in the crockpot. Just trim off the fat and cut the meat into 2 or 3 large pieces.
- Aromatics: Chopped onion and smashed garlic
- Birria Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, salt
- Chipotle in Adobo provides a complexity and smokiness.
- Birria Taco Sauce: Canned crushed tomatoes (fire-roasted is preferred) and beef broth
- White Vinegar for acidity
- Bay Leaves for an herbal note
- Corn Tortillas to make tacos
- Cheese: Monterey Jack, Oaxaca, or queso chihuahua would all be delicious on birria tacos.
- Toppings: Chopped onions, cilantro, and lime wedges
How to Make Birria Tacos
Browning the meat in a skillet before slowly cooking will deepen its flavor. Worth the extra step! See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Brown the Beef on all sides in a large skillet over medium heat, then transfer to the crockpot.
- Make the Birria Sauce: Blend onion, garlic and onion powders, oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, chipotle, crushed tomatoes, broth, vinegar, and salt in a blender. Pour over the beef.
- Slow Cook the Beef: Add the bay leaves and slow cook on low for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4–5 hours) until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- Shred the beef and stir it back into the birria sauce (consommé).
- Assemble the tacos: Dip tortillas into the consommé, fill with beef and cheese, and crisp them up in a skillet until golden and melty.
- Serve hot with extra consommé for dipping, plus chopped onions, cilantro and lime.
To Make It More Traditional
This recipe was designed to use easy-to-find ingredients, but if you want a more authentic flavor, you can swap the chipotle for dried chiles instead. Omit the chipotle in adobo and use:
- 2 dried guajillo chiles (for a mild, fruity flavor)
- 1 dried ancho chile (for rich, smoky depth)
- 1 dried chile de árbol (for heat — optional if you want it spicy)
Remove the stems and seeds, then soak the dried chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes until softened. Blend the softened chiles with the sauce ingredients before cooking.
Variations
- Meat: Swap beef with goat or lamb for a more authentic birria taco recipe.
- Make it Mild: Use less chipotles.
- Oregano: Buy Mexican oregano, which is more citrusy, if you can find it.
- Cilantro hater? Skip it!
- Dairy-Free: Omit the cheese or use your favorite dairy-free cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these easy birria tacos with plenty of fresh cilantro and lime wedges. If you’re looking for side dish ideas, here are some of my favorites:
Storage
- Refrigerate beef and consomé for up to 4 days.
- Freeze it for 3 months in airtight containers.
- Reheat: Thaw it overnight and reheat it in the microwave.
FAQs about Birria Tacos
Yes! Sauté the onions and garlic first, then pressure cook everything on HIGH for 50 minutes, followed by a natural release.
Absolutely! Birria tastes even better the next day as the flavors develop. Store the meat and consommé separately in the fridge and reheat before serving.
More Slow Cooker Recipe You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas using beef, check out my Slow Cooker Recipes collection, plus these five delicious slow cooker beef recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: 8 servings
Serving Size: 2 tacos
- 2 ½ lb beef pot roast or chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-3 large pieces*
- 1 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, mexican oregano if you can find it, it is more citrusy
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder blend
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, or 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 ounces chipotle in adobo, see notes
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, fire roasted if you can find it
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack, Oaxaca or queso chihuahua
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
- lime wedges, optional for serving
- guajillo, ancho and arbol chiles, optional in place of chipotle for a more traditional birria. See note below.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Brown the beef on all sides in two batches. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
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In a blender, or food processor, blend 1 cup onion, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, chipotle in adobo, crushed tomato, beef broth, white vinegar and salt. Pour over beef. Add bay leaves and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
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Shred beef strain the broth. Return beef to slow cooker with ½ cup broth and keep warm. Save remaining broth for dipping tortillas and serving.
To serve:
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Quickly dip tortilla in the consommé (broth) and add to a hot skillet or griddle.
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Add 3 tablespoons of shredded beef and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese to the tortilla with some onion and cilantro. Fold and cook like a quesadilla until browned on each side.
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Serve birria tacos with raw chopped onion and cilantro, plus remaining consommé in a small bowl, for dipping.
Last Step:
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This recipe was designed to use easy-to-find ingredients, but if you want a more authentic flavor, you can swap the chipotle for dried chiles instead. Omit the chipotle in adobo and use:
- 2 dried guajillo chiles (for a mild, fruity flavor)
- 1 dried ancho chile (for rich, smoky depth)
- 1 dried chile de árbol (for heat — optional if you want it spicy)
Remove the stems and seeds, then soak the dried chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes until softened. Blend the softened chiles with the sauce ingredients before cooking.
*Start with a 2 3/4 or 3 lb roast and trim.
Serving: 2 tacos, Calories: 394 kcal, Carbohydrates: 25.5 g, Protein: 42.5 g, Fat: 14.5 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 121.5 mg, Sodium: 1067 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 5.5 g
