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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.
3rd time making this for taco Tuesday. My wife has asked for this recipe specifically. For me it’s as easy and especially satisfying. Thank you!
I LOVE this recipe. It’s really easy to make and comes out great every time. This has quickly become my go-to recipe when I want to make dinner for (and impress) friends or family. I can’t count the number of times I’ve made it and people rave about it every time.
A couple of tips – If you double the meat, you don’t need to double the spices. Maybe 1.5x them? Also, I tend to burn the spices when I use the Instapot to sear the meat. I now sear it in a dutch oven or pan and then transfer it to the Instapot (and scrape out as much of the brown bits as possible).
Definitely recommend this recipe!
I’m so happy you love it, Megan! Thank you so much for sharing your tips, too!
This recipe turned out amazing. My guy was very impressed and loved our taco night. We used beer instead of water for the cooking liquid and it was a great idea. I served it with roasted salsa verde and pickled red onions. We will definitely making this again!
I make this all the time and it’s one of my faves for the Insta pot! Hot tip for burritos: Cook one cup of rice then mix with meat, two cans of refried beans and 1.5 cups of shredded cheese. Place one cup of mix on a 12 inch flour or corn tortilla then wrap into a burrito. This makes approximately 12 burritos that can be wrapped in saran wrap and frozen. Place thawed burritos in a frying pan and lightly brown. Then place in a baking dish, pour green enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle additional shredded cheddar. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Delicious!!
These were perfect and didn’t lose their flavor like other instant pot taco meat recipes. Love it, Thank you for sharing.
This is one of our favorites! I would love to have more leftovers. Could you double this recipe in the instant pot? Thanks!
I watched @Mandyinthemaking prepare this on her YouTube channel a few weeks ago and had to try it. So easy, and so delicious! I browned the beef in a skillet for ease, deglazed the pan and poured the broth into my Instant Pot to get all the yummy fond. I shortened the cook time to 40 minutes and it still fell apart with just a few twists from my chop-stir thingy.
My husband suggested I use these spices with a little less chili powder and cumin to make a rub for shredded bbq stew meat. I think he’s onto something!
My family loved this! We made chimichangas with the meat and it was so good. Thank you for sharing!
This instant pot mexican shredded beef is perfection! Obsessed with how easy, shreddy and tasty this is!
Winner for my whole family. So easy and so flavorful, will definitely be placed on the menu rotation for sure. And I may never make regular ‘beef stew’ ever again! We used the meat for tacos with grilled peppers+onions and beans. I also swapped fresh garlic and onion because I didn’t have any dried, and added 5 minutes cooking time to our grass-fed cut-up roast.
Hi Rebecca! Thank you so much for sharing!