These tasty Instant Pot Birria Tacos are easier to make than you think! The meat is fall-apart tender and so rich and flavourful.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Onion – use white, yellow or red onion.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Plum tomato – use any kind of tomato of your choice.
- Minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – minced pickled jalapeno with BBQ sauce can be used, but it’ll have a different flavor. For a more traditional option, use a blend of guajillo chiles and ancho chiles.
- Chili powder – make your own using a blend of cumin, cayenne and paprika.
- Oregano – dried basil or thyme can be used instead.
- Coriander – double up on the cumin if you don’t have any coriander.
- Cumin – substitute for more coriander or even chili powder.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Beef broth – you can use vegetable broth, but it’ll have a much milder flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar – white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar would be the best substitutes here.
- Chuck roast – cut-up brisket, rump roast or flank steak would also work. Make sure whatever meat you’re using has the bones removed.
- Cinnamon stick – or ½ teaspoon cinnamon. You could also add bay leaves for more flavor.
To serve
- Corn tortillas – substitute for flour tortillas if desired.
- Grated mozzarella cheese – use any cheese of your choice like Monterey Jack, cheddar or oaxaca cheese.
- Onion – diced white onion is best but red onion would also work.
- Cilantro – leave this off if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
- Lime wedges – leave these off if you don’t have any fresh limes.
How to make birria tacos in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Sauté the veggies and spices.
Sauté the onion, garlic and tomato until softened, then add the chipotle and spices.
Step 2: Blend the sauce.
Blend the mixture with the beef broth and apple cider vinegar.
Step 3: Sear the beef.
Season the beef chunks and sear them in the Instant Pot.
Step 4: Cook on high pressure.
Add the sauce and cinnamon to the pressure cooker with the beef, and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
Step 5: Shred the beef.
Do a natural pressure release, then shred the beef with forks. Remove two cups of the sauce, then add the shredded beef back to the pot.
Step 6: Assemble and fry the tacos!
Fry the tacos in a skillet, then add in the beef filling and cheese. Garnish with onion and cilantro, serve and enjoy!
How to serve birria
Here are some different ways you can serve your Instant Pot birria meat:
- Quesabirria tacos: Add the beef filling and cheese to the corn tortillas, then fry the tacos in a cast-iron skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Garnish with onion and cilantro and serve with the sauce for dipping.
- Burritos: Add them as topping to burritos with all the fixings like salsa, diced avocado and lime crema.
- Burrito bowls: Serve the birria beef over cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice.
- Stew: Double up on the consomé ingredients to serve the birria as a Mexican beef stew. Top it with diced onions, cilantro and lime wedges.
- With your favourite sides: Serve as tacos with a side of Mexican street corn, cowboy caviar or chips and guacamole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Birria is a Mexican dish from the state of jalisco. It consists of stewed meat (typically beef or goat meat) that’s marinated in adobo, vinegar, dried chilies and other spices. It’s typically served in a consomé as a Mexican stew or in fried corn tortillas as tacos.
While birria meat is typically made of goat, birria tacos are most often made with beef. I like to use cut-up chuck roast for my Instant Pot birria recipe, but you could also try using chunks of brisket, rump roast or flank steak.
Frying the corn tortillas a bit first prevents your Instant Pot birria tacos from getting soggy. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes before adding the beef and cheese, then fry them for another 2 minutes per side.
You can make the sauce and the birria meat ahead of time, but I’d recommend waiting to fry and assemble your tacos until right before serving. You can make the sauce a couple days in advance, then use it to make the birria meat; or cook the birria meat ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Just reheat the meat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave then assemble your tacos fresh.
Your birria may be bitter because the meat has been overcooked or you used too much chili powder. Spices are essential to delicious birria, but you want to make sure you’re not going overboard.
Storing and reheating
You can store any leftover Instant Pot birria tacos in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Since you’re frying the tacos, they should be okay to store and reheat whole, but you could also just store the birria meat and toppings separately then assemble them fresh.
Reheat the tacos in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, in a pan on the stove top or in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
If you made a big batch of Instant Pot birria, you can freeze the meat on its own in airtight containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags for up to 3 months. Make sure to transfer all of the sauce to the container so the meat stays nice and moist.
When you’re ready to enjoy, let the meat defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Fry up your corn tortillas, add in the reheated meat and toppings, and dig in!
More Instant Pot taco recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these tacos into a weekly lunch.
- I get all my beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders to marinate the beef with ease.
Easy Instant Pot Birria Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 plum tomato chopped
- 1/4 cup minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 lb chuck roast cut into large 3 inch pieces
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp cinnamon
To serve
- 18 corn tortillas
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode. When hot, add onion, garlic and tomato, sauteeing for 5 minutes until softened. Add chipotles, spices and salt & pepper, sauteeing another minute until fragrant.
- Add mixture to a blender and blend with beef broth and apple cider vinegar until combined.
- Meanwhile, season beef chunks generously with sea salt and heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pot. Add beef when oil is hot, cooking for 2 minutes per side until a nice sear develops.
- Add the blended sauce and cinnamon, then turn off saute mode. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes then let the pressure naturally release.
- Remove lid once safe to do so, then remove beef from the Instant Pot and shred with 2 forks. Remove cinnamon stick if using. Finally, remove 2 cups of the sauce, then add beef back to the pot.
- Heat a large skillet over med-high heat, then lightly coat each corn tortilla in the fat floating on top of the reserved sauce. Add a bit more olive oil to the skillet, then add 2 corn tortillas at a time, cooking on one side (do not flip!) for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted.
- Fill each with a bit of beef, topping with cheese. Fold corn tortilla over, then fry for 2 minutes per side.
- Remove each tortilla from heat, then sprinkle with diced raw onion, cilantro and lime wedges. Serve by dipping in reserved sauce and enjoy!
