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.
Amanda says
This is my go to birria recipe, I’ve made it 4 times now. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. I always freeze my leftover consome since it makes so much and I use it with all my tacos and it’s amazing!
This time I was short on time so I tried the instant pot. I seared it off on sauté and then added all the ingredients and set it for 45 minutes. I let it natural release and once the pin dropped I pulled out the meat. I blended the sauce and then I strained it through a fine mesh strainer. I will
Do this every time now. I just used a rubber spatula and pushed it through the strainer. There was a lot of thick residue left and I’m really glad I tried it this way!
Brittany says
I made these today for cinco de mayo and they are seriously incredible! I didn’t change a thing to the recipe and it came out great! My husband gave it an 11/10!
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear this, Brittany! Thank you!
Robert Stanley says
Sharon Farnell You hit this one out of the park!!!!
The BEST Birria tacos I have ever had! I grew up in California and lived in Mexico for 5 years, I’ve had my fair share of birria tacos, so when I say these are the best, trust me!!!
I follow you on YouTube but you only have 5 shorts posted, so I’m going to challenge you to upload a full video tutorial of you making these amazing tacos!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us, they are to die for!!
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear this, Robert! Thanks so much for stopping by to leave a review! YouTube channel is new, but I've got some Birria videos on Instagram!
Erica says
Hi! I'd like to serve this for a dinner party. Could I cook the meat the day before and store the meat and sauce separately in the fridge so I would just need to reheat the next day before frying? Thank you!
Sharon Farnell says
Yes! I have done this before! Juts briefly rewarm the sauced meat and consome prior to assembling and frying the tacos!
Craig W. says
Made this today for my family. It turned out amazing. Had to fry up another one for my picky son!!! Will definitely make again. 12/10
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you Craig! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Megan Mosley says
I love reading reviews on food. So I had to come back and comment on how stinking delicious these are! I did remove all seeds and didn’t blend any peppers in with the sauce due to having multiple kids eating as well. I added about 3 tablespoons of brown sugar for that sweet heart kind of flavor. It was a big hit and it made a bunch!! Definitely will be doing again!
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks so much, Megan! So happy to hear you all liked the recipe!
KP says
Such a fantastic birria recipe! I often hesitate to order barria 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. I didn't have any coriander so I just used more cumin in its place. It was so easy to make and made so much (I used a 3.1 lb chuck roast) with tons of consommé left. Can't wait for leftovers!!!
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear this!
Valerie says
This was such a hit with my family! My only regret was not using a bigger piece of meat. I left out the apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and coriander but it was still delicious! Made it twice, once in the crock pot and once in the instant pot and both came out beautifully. I will say, I did skip the immersion blender step but we still enjoyed the consume!! Thanks so much for this outstanding recipe!
Sharon says
Thanks, Valerie! So happy you enjoyed the recipe! The consume can be blended, or strained and enjoyed!
Pam G says
I can’t have Apple Cider Vinegar. Is there anything I could substitute with?
Sharon Farnell says
You could try some fresh lime juice
Sbakes says
These were so easy and flavorful!!! And they looked exactly like the picture which made me happy. Haha! My chuck roast was almost 6 lbs, but I didn’t double the rest of the ingredients. There was still plenty of liquid to make the consommé. Doubling it would have been way too much and probably would over overflowed out of my slow cooker! . My family preferred the flour tortillas, but I’m team corn tortilla all the way! La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas are nice and sturdy.
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear, Stacy! Thank you!
Sarah says
I am making this tonight and cooking it overnight to serve for a work lunch tomorrow. I could not find the guajillo chilis, so I am using hatch chilis…. I am excited to see how it turns out!
Sarah Gamble says
Made this for the first time, and it will not be the last time. My family and I LOVED this recipe!!
Dean says
These turned out amazing! My wife was skeptical, but loved them at first bite.
Made exactly per recipe, delicious!
Thank you for sharing!
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks so much, Dean! So happy you both enjoyed the recipe!
Trina C says
Nov 2023
I made exactly as recipe calls for except the dried guajiro chiles. Store didn’t have. I used about a 3.5 Chuck roast and put everything in crockpot around 6pm on low and didn’t get it till 7am….. PERFECT AND DELICIOUS!!!!
Sharon Farnell says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Trina!
Kate says
Really want to make this however I'm in Australia and I can't find any dried chillies in any supermarkets. Could I use fresh chillies instead? Or should I get some online? What would you recommend?
Sharon Farnell says
I would recommend using dried chilis for best results- I have ordered mine from Amazon in the past and they are great quality!
Marjorie Holste says
This is fabulous! I followed the instructions and am very pleased with the recipe.🙏🏻
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks, Marjorie! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Rita says
Can I use pork shoulder instead of chuck roast?
Sharon Farnell says
This recipe is designed for beef flavors, but I feel like it could work if you'd like to give it a try. I would trim off as much excess fat as possible.
Laura says
Absolutely delicious. The kind of authentic Mexican that you rarely find! I used about 3lb of boneless chuck roast and have probably 3 cups of consomme leftover even after dipping the tortillas and using extra sauce on top of the tacos.. Any ideas of what else I could use it for? Wonder if I could make it again using the reserved consomme?
Sharon Farnell says
Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it! You could used it again to make more tacos, or quesadillas (https://jawnsicooked.com/appetizers/birria-quesadillas/), or even empanadas!
Aman says
Can I cook this for 10-12 hours on low instead of 8? I'd like to start it around 10pm at night, and take it out around 8am the next morning. I plan on not cooking the tacos until 11am, so if I can leave it on even longer, that would be great.
Sharon Farnell says
Hi Aman. While I have not cooked it that long previously, my guess would be it should be OK. I'd try and keep it closer to 10 hours if possible. Chuck roast is pretty forgiving, but you don't want to dry it out too much.