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This moist and tender Instant Pot shredded beef is fall-apart tender and ready in less than 2 hours! It’s great in tacos, salads, burrito bowls, and more.
Hands up if you agree that tender, juicy, fall-apart Mexican shredded beef is simply the best!
Perfect for quick meals, this flavorful Instant Pot shredded beef recipe is one of my go-tos for adding protein to my burrito bowls, salads, tacos, enchiladas and more.
It’s made with a handful of ingredients that I always have in my spice cabinet and requires minimal prep work.
If you love this recipe, you’ll also love my beef tinga and barbacoa!
Ingredients
- Beef chuck roast
- Seasonings: Chili powder, dried minced onion, ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper
- Olive oil
- Beef broth
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
Which Cut of Beef for Instant Pot Shredded Beef?
Slow cooking meats like chuck roast or round roast are great for making shredded beef.
I’ve even made this recipe with the cuts that are labeled “beef stew meat” at my grocery store, and those work perfectly!
Shredded beef often takes quite a while to become fall-apart tender when made in the oven or the slow cooker. While I still love those methods of cooking when I have the time, they require some planning ahead which is easier said than done.
So the ultimate question is…
How Do You Cook Shredded Beef Quickly?
Use a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot!
People are obsessed with their Instant Pot, and for good reason – it speeds up the cooking process dramatically and can cook things like shredded meats, stews, chilis, and other meals that normally take 4 or 5 hours in a fraction of the time.
It’s one of my favorite kitchen appliances, and I can’t recommend it enough.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Ways to Use Instant Pot Shredded Beef
This Mexican shredded beef can be used in so many different ways:
- Serve it on top of some cilantro lime rice with black beans, roasted corn salsa, and pico de gallo for the best burrito bowl!
- Use it to make beef enchiladas, beef taquitos, or sheet pan quesadillas.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small chunks (chuck roast or round roast works well)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3/4 cup beef broth (or water)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl add beef, chili powder, salt, minced onion, ground cumin, garlic powder, oregano and black pepper. Toss to combine.
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and add the cooking oil. When hot, add the seasoned meat and sear until browned on all sides.
- Add the broth, cover with lid, seal the pressure valve and cook for 50 minutes at high pressure.
- Open the pressure valve to quickly release the pressure. Carefully open the lid and transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon.
- Shred beef with two forks and then return it to the Instant Pot. Add lime juice, chopped cilantro and stir. Serve and enjoy in tacos, burrito bowls and salads.
Notes
- I have the 6-Quart 9-in-1 Duo Plus Instant Pot.
- To keep beef from drying out in the fridge, I recommend mixing it with some of the cooking liquid before storing in an airtight container.
- To freeze, place cooled shredded beef in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Are you suppose to remove the liquid before adding the meat back into the instant pot? I made this today, but when I added the meat is soaked up all the juices
No, it’s supposed to soak up the juices!
Okay I followed your recipe, 2lbs of beef, 3\4C broth, 50 mins on high, after 30 min my beef was burning in the pot and the liquid was gone, please explain how this happened, very upset right now!
Hi Billy! I’m not really sure why that happened, especially since it sounds like you followed the recipe very well. Do you mind elaborating so we can help?
Made this last night with a shoulder roast in a Fagor lux multi cooker on high pressure setting. CAME OUT PERFECT! Very tender. Effortless to shred, hubby and son loved it. Served on soft corn tortillas for tacos.
I’m so happy you loved it, ReeNee!
Hi I don’t have an instant pot.
Can I use my slow cooker? and how long would I cook for?
Can you still make this recipe if you don’t have an instant pot?
You could make it in the slow cooker. Sear the meat on your stove like normal, then add it to the slow cooker with all the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.
Hi! This recipe is amazing and my family and I love it!! However, I was wondering if you had around what time it would cook if you boiled this in a normal pot?? I’m going to Florida in a couple weeks, and I won’t have my yedi down there, so I was hoping you might know around how long I could cook this in a regular pot??
Do you put the instant pot on meat/stew for 50 minutes?
Hi, Ali. For this recipe, I press the Pressure Cook button, not the Meat/Stew button. If you make it, let me know what you think!
Do you think I could sub chicken instead of red meat? And would I have to lower the cooking time?
Thank you
Hi! Yes, you can. Here’s a recipe for Isabel’s Instant Pot Chicken Tacos: https://www.isabeleats.com/instant-pot-chicken-tacos/. You can use the cook time from this recipe.
Delicious!!! Made this for company. I tripled the recipe except for the chili powder (used 1 T since there were a lot of young kids) and I used chicken broth. I pressure cooked for 70 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you!
Thanks, Jax! I’m so happy everyone loved it!
This beef looks so tender and full of flavor! I love how quick this is to prep. Now I’m craving tacos for lunch. 🙂
Thanks, Kristine! It’s seriously so easy to prep, it’s one of my favorite things about it! Then you just let the Instant Pot do all the work! 😉