These Crockpot birria tacos are made with fall-apart tender beef, crispy pan-fried tortillas, and rich consommé for dipping. This easy slow cooker birria taco recipe cooks low and slow for 8 hours, giving you restaurant-quality birria tacos with minimal hands-on work.
I created this recipe for home cooks who want authentic birria tacos without spending hours at the stove. The slow cooker does the heavy lifting, and my Mexican street corn salad recipe makes the perfect side for an easy taco night.
Recipe Summary: Crockpot Birria Tacos
- ✅ Recipe Name: Crockpot Birria Tacos
- 🕒 Ready In: 8 hours, 30 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 12 (easy to scale)
- 🍽 Calories: 177 per serving
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Beef chuck roast, dried guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, beef broth, onion
- 📖 Dietary Info: Slow cooker recipe, make-ahead friendly, freezer-friendly
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Rich, authentic flavor with tender shredded beef and crispy tacos, all with minimal hands-on work.
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My first encounter with the internet-famous birria tacos happened on an impromptu weekend trip with friends to check out the Mi Pueblito Tacos truck in Philly. When I agreed to head downtown for tacos, I never expected to wait in line for more than two hours.
But the moment I took my first bite: hunched over the hood of a Toyota Camry on a random street corner, it all made sense. The crispy tortillas, tender beef, and rich consommé were unforgettable, and I knew I had to recreate that experience at home with an easy slow cooker version. If you're as taco-obsessed as I am, my taco skillet is another weeknight favorite.
"I often hesitate to order Birria at restaurants because it has to be made just right, and I have to say this was perfect. My partner also gave it endless praise". - KP ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why you'll love this recipe
- Rich, authentic flavor. Searing the beef before it slow cooks creates deep, caramelized flavor, while the dried chiles and spices build a rich, savory consommé.
- Easy slow cooker recipe. Once the beef is seared, the Crockpot does the rest, giving you fall-apart tender beef with minimal hands-on work.
- Customizable consommé. Blend the sauce for a thicker, richer consistency or strain it for a traditional consommé that's perfect for dipping.
What is Birria?
Birria (or birria de res) is a traditional Mexican beef stew slow-cooked with dried chiles and spices until the meat is incredibly tender. In this Crockpot Birria recipe, the flavorful consommé doubles as both the braising liquid and the dipping sauce for crispy birria tacos.
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Ingredients
- Boneless beef chuck roast. The best cut for slow cooker birria thanks to its rich marbling. It becomes fall-apart tender after hours of slow cooking, making it perfect for shredding. Boneless short ribs are another great option. If you love slow-cooked recipes, my crockpot bbq pork iis another easy way to turn a tougher cut of meat into something incredibly tender.
- Dried guajillo chiles. Mild, smoky, and full of flavor, these dried chiles create the signature rich consommé without adding much heat. Most grocery stores carry them in the international aisle, or you can order them online. For even deeper flavor, toast them in a dry skillet for 1–2 minutes before adding them to the slow cooker. No soaking is needed.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo. Add smoky heat and extra depth to the broth. You'll only use a few peppers, so freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Cinnamon stick. Infuse the consommé with subtle warmth and complexity as it cooks. Remove and discard before serving. A whole cinnamon stick work much better than ground cinnamon for this recipe.
- Apple cider vinegar. Balances the richness of the beef and chile sauce with a touch of acidity, giving the consommé a brighter, more balanced flavor.
See the recipe card at the end for the full list of ingredients with the quantities.
Variations
| Make it milder. | Remove the seeds from the dried guajillo chiles and use fewer chipotle peppers in adobo for less heat. |
| Use another cut of beef. | Boneless short ribs are a great substitute for chuck roast and become just as tender. |
| Make quesabirria. | Add Oaxaca cheese before the beef for cheesy, crispy birria tacos. |
| Blend or strain the consommé. | Blend it for a thicker, richer sauce or strain it for a traditional dipping broth. |
How to make Crockpot Birria Tacos
- Step 1: Sear the beef. Season the chuck roast and brown it on all sides in a hot skillet to build deeper flavor.
- Step 2: Add everything to the slow cooker. Place the seared beef in the Crockpot with the dried chiles, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers, broth, vinegar, and spices.
- Step 3: Cook until tender. Cover and cook on Low for about 8 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender and shreds easily.
- Step 4: Shred the beef. Transfer the cooked beef to a cutting board or sheet pan, remove any large pieces of fat, and shred it with two forks. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, and discard.
- Step 5: Strain the consommé. For a more traditional dipping consommé, strain the cooking liquid instead of blending it. You can also blend half and leave half strained for a consistency somewhere in between.
- Step 6: Blend the consommé (optional). Blend the cooking liquid until smooth for a rich, flavorful sauce.
How to assemble the Crockpot Birria Tacos
- Step 7: Sauce your shredded beef. Ladle a bit of strained or blended consommé over the beef, and toss to combine.
- Step 8: Dip your tortillas. Dip the tortillas into the consommé until lightly coated.
- Step 9: Build your tacos. Layer on oaxaca cheese, sauced beef, finely diced onion, and cilantro leaves.
- Step 10: Fry the tacos. Fry your tacos over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Step 11: Gently fold over into a half-moon shape. Add a small ladle of consommé to the top of the tortilla.
- Step 12: Flip. Fry on the other side for 2-3 minutes until warm and crispy.
"Delicious! We have tried a few Birria recipes and haven’t liked any. Finally found one we love! And it was easy to prepare. I love smelling yummy food cooking in the slow cooker, and this smelled divine." - Rachael
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Expert Tips
- Sear the beef first. Browning the chuck roast before slow cooking creates a deeper, richer flavor in both the beef and the consommé.
- Blend safely. Let the cooking liquid cool slightly before blending, and work in batches. An immersion blender also works well.
- Customize the consommé. Blend the broth for a thicker, richer sauce, or strain it for a more traditional dipping consommé.
- Skim the fat (optional). If you prefer a lighter broth, skim some of the fat from the top before blending or serving.
Crockpot Birria Tacos FAQs
Beef chuck roast is my favorite cut because its marbling becomes fall-apart tender after hours in the slow cooker. Boneless beef short ribs are another excellent option, or you can use a combination of the two for even richer flavor.
Cook the birria on Low for about 8 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is tender enough to shred easily with two forks. Cooking it low and slow creates the most flavorful consommé and the best texture for birria tacos.
Crispy birria tacos with consommé for dipping are the most popular way to enjoy it, but birria is also delicious in quesabirria, burritos, birria quesadillas, nachos, rice bowls, or simply served as a hearty stew with rice and beans. For a complete meal, serve with my Mexican street corn salad and finish with a spicy pineapple margarita.
Absolutely! Birria is a great make-ahead meal because the flavors continue to develop as it rests. Store the shredded beef and consommé together or separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, then reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Yes. If cinnamon isn't your favorite, you can omit the cinnamon sticks. I don't recommend substituting ground cinnamon, which can overpower the consommé.
If you tried these Crockpot Birria Tacos or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Crockpot Birria Tacos Recipe
Video
Equipment
- crockpot
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs boneless chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or neutral oil , (plus more for taco frying)
- coarse ground salt and fresh ground pepper
- 4 dried Guajillo chiles
- 5-6 Chipotle chilis in adobo (from a can)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 8 whole cloves garlic, smashed
- 32 oz beef stock or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 14.5 oz can Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup organic Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 dry bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
Tacos/fixings
- corn or flour tortillas
- lime wedges
- fresh cilantro leaves
- diced white onion
- shredded Oaxacan cheese (or Italian cheese/Mozzarella cheese)
Instructions
- Cooking the Beef/Consomme: 1. Heat avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat for 4-5 minutes. 2. Liberally salt and pepper beef, add to hot skillet, and sear on both sides, 5-6 minutes a side. 3. Add beef to crockpot with remaining ingredients, and stir. Cook on low heat, covered, for 8 hours. 4. After 8 hours, remove beef to a rimmed baking sheet, and shred with 2 forks. 5. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick from crockpot and discard. 6. Using a high powered blender or immersion blender, blend everything until a smooth sauce forms. ***If using a standard blender, allow liquid to cool to warm (don't blend piping hot liquid!), then carefully work in batches in the blender, being careful not to overfill. 7. Transfer sauce back to crockpot to keep warm. 8. Add 1 ½ to 2 cups of sauce to shredded beef and toss to coat. Tacos: 1. Dip doubled up tortilla into consomme, and lay flat in frying pan with a bit of avocado oil or neutral oil over medium heat. 2. To one half of the tortilla, add cheese, then meat, and top with diced onions and cilantro leaves. 3. Fry 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then flip other side to make a half moon. 4. Add a small ladle of consommé to the top of the tortilla. 5. Flip over, and fry 2-3 minutes more. **If not using cheese, 1 tortilla is fine.
Notes
- Customize the consommé. Blend the broth for a thicker, richer sauce, strain it for a traditional dipping consommé, or blend only half for a consistency somewhere in between.
- Dip, don't soak. Quickly dip each tortilla in the consommé before frying so it crisps up without becoming soggy.
- Use sturdy corn tortillas. Thicker white or yellow corn tortillas hold up best and develop the crispiest texture.
- For quesabirria. Add shredded Oaxaca cheese before the beef so it melts as the taco cooks.
- Instant Pot variation. Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks, sear, then pressure cook with the braising ingredients on High Pressure for 60 minutes followed by a natural release if time allows (or a manual release if needed). Shred the beef and prepare the consommé as directed.
Cindy Peters says
Hey - I haven't ever used dried Guajillo chiles before. Do I need to rehydrate before adding to crock pot, or will they rehydrate during cooking? This looks like a great recipe. Thank you!
Sharon Farnell says
You don't need to re-hydrate them prior to cooking, they will hydrate in the crockpot! If you like things a bit less spicy, I would remove the seeds before adding to the pot.
I hope you enjoy, and I would love f you can leave a review once you try the recipe. Thanks!
Rita F. says
These were so good, easy to follow instructions and the house smelled divine. Only part I didn't get was what to do with leftovers..what leftovers!
Beth says
Hi - I have this in my slow cooker right now and am wondering if 8 hours will be too long. It's 2.57 lbs., I believe.
Sharon Farnell says
Hi Beth! It should be fine, provided you have the slow cooker on low! If you like, you can check for fork-tenderness around 6 hours. Please let me know how it turns out!
Hannah says
Can I cook this on high in my crockpot for a shorter amount of time?
Hannah says
Can I cook this on high in my crockpot for a shorter amount of time?
Sharon Farnell says
Hi! Yes, you can do this on high for 4-5 hours instead. Just be sure to check the beef- it should be fork-tender and shreddable before you remove it and make the sauce.
Sharon Farnell says
I recently revisited this at a shorter time, and I would recommend cutting the meat into smaller pieces prior to searing, and going for 5-6 hours if cooking on high.
Kiley says
My broth tastes very bitter… I haven’t blended it yet. But I’m worried. It tastes like a lot of vinegar… I feel like the broth usually has more of a sweet taste than mine. Did anyone else experience this problem?
Sharon Farnell says
Hi Kiley- I wanted to check in and see how your sauce turned out once blended.
Mel W says
I used about a tbsp of vinegar and it was perfect
Sharon Farnell says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Ashley Robinson says
This recipe turned out AMAZING. I’ve never made birria before and was intimidated, but it turned out well even on the first try. I have little ones, so I took out the peppers before blending the sauce. It turned out very mild for the kids.
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the recipe, Ashley! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a review 🙂
Rachael says
Delicious! We have tried a few birria recipes and haven’t liked any. Finally found one we love! And it was easy to prepare. I love smelling yummy food cooking in the slow cooker, and this smelled divine.
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you so much! I am so happy you enjoyed it, and thanks for stopping by and leaving a review!!
Rachael says
Hi! I can’t wait to try this, I was just wondering if I needed to steep the chiles first?
Sharon Farnell says
Hi Rachael! No need- they steep in the crockpot as it cooks!
Tara says
I’m so excited to try this! Do you chop the chiles first, or just toss them into the crockpot whole?
Sharon Farnell says
You can throw them in whole! If you want the sauce a bit less spicy, you can remove some or all of the seeds. Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear how it turns out!
Donna says
DUDE!!! I had a huge piece of fatty beef coulotte I cut up and fried fat side down and the rest pretty much followed to a T. I added a few cubes of beef bullion. I used a dutch oven @ 350 for 3ish hours. Took out the meat, used an emulsifier to blend the sauce, and added water to make it soupier. WOW were these delicious fried with corn tortilla and mozzarella cheese.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed
Leah LeGrande says
Can I use bone-in roast?
Sharon Farnell says
Yes! As long as it fits comfortably in your Crockpot that will be fine.
Allie says
This was so good! I will be making this again. The sauce was more like a salsa than the thinner consume, I'm used to, but was still really tasty.
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Amanda says
I strained mine this time!!! Try it!
Sjm says
This was my first time making this but I could taste the vinegar in the sauce, so it was a bit bitter for my taste, and once blended the consistency was very thick, not what I am used to. I wanted to follow recipe to the letter my first time to see how it turned out.
Sharon says
Hi Shannon,
You could also strain the sauce and use the liquid rather than blending for a thinner consistency for the consume. Feel free to play with the vinegar, but it should not be bitter. Did you use organic Apple Cider Vinegar?
AQ says
I never leave reviews for recipes I find online, but these turned out amazing so I had to! So easy to make and the aroma filled my house all day when it was cooking. My family couldn’t wait to eat dinner. Note: I used 4.25 lbs of chuck but kept the measurements for the rest of the ingredients the same, still came out great! Highly recommended.
Sharon Farnell says
So happy you and your family enjoyed! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lilly says
This Birria recipe is absolutely delicious!! I made it for my family yesterday and we all LOVED it! I followed the directions and used my Dutch oven instead of crockpot and placed it in the oven at 350 for 3 hours. It was so tender and full of flavor!! Thanks for the recipe!
Tara says
Hello…I am making these for a party. Once I fry them, could I keep them warm in the crockpot?
Sharon Farnell says
If you want to fry them advance for the party, I would keep them warm in the oven on a low temperature for up to 1-2 hours. If going longer, I would recommend wrapping them in foil so they don't dry out.