This moist and tender Mexican Shredded Beef is made in the Instant Pot in less than 2 hours! Its delicious by itself or great in tacos, salads and more. (gluten free, low carb, paleo)
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 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.
Ingredients you’ll need
- beef stew meat
- chili powder, dried minced onion, ground cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, black pepper
- cooking oil
- beef broth or water
- lime juice
- cilantro
Which cut of beef do you recommend for shredded beef?
Slow cooking meats like chuck roast or round roast are great for making shredded beef. I often buy 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’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, saute/browning pan and more all in one.
The pressure cooker function in particular is what 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 quickly becoming one of my favorite kitchen appliances and I can’t recommend it enough.
If you want to get dinner on the table fast and spend less time in the kitchen, then you’ve got to give the Instant Pot a try. I have the 6-Quart 9-in-1 Duo Plus Instant Pot and I love it.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Serving Suggestions
- Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe
- Cilantro Lime Rice
More Instant Pot Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small chunks (chuck roast or round roast works well)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon 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.
Isabel’s Tips:
- 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 Information
Really good, easy to make, and can go on anything, salad tacos, burritos,
Will make again and again
My “go to Mexican shredded beef “ recipe
This recipe is so easy & delicious!! Thank you!
I would love to try this recipe, but I don’t have an Instant Pot. Is there a way to convert this recipe to use with my slow cooker?
Hi Kim! Isabel has a few recipes that are similar but adapted for slow cookers. You can search “slow cooker beef” on her site to see them all.
Absolutely awesome, flavor was great, used dried cilantro and hard to get fresh in the Kingdom of Tonga! Brilliant a d saved for lots of repeats ❤️
Fixed it and my husband loved how tender the meat came out. Will definitely make this again.
I just need to say that this shredded beef recipe is THE BEST I’VE ever found! It is my go-to, and I practically have it memorized I make it so much! It’s just a WOW recipe for key reasons. If you want easy – bam, just coat the meat in the spices, brown in instant pot, and cover and you’re done! The SEASONING is what pushes it over the edge and off the cliff doing somersaults! Look at any other Mexican beef recipe and none are as perfectly aggressive as this one. I often add a little more broth because I love the broth after cooking. So punched full of flavor. Kudos to you, #isabeleats. ❣️
Made recipe as per instructions say and it was absolutely delicious! Even better the second day thank you for sharing!!
Delicious! We made beef enchiladas with this, and the meal was a big hit!
THIS WAS AMAZING! The 2 lbs cooked down quite a bit and it was still plenty of food for the 3 of us, plus lunch the next day. I’ll definitely be making this again.
These are amazing. I used beef broth and added a little extra. Removed the beef after cooking and dipped the flour tortillas in it then fried them. Added cheese and beef to tortilla in pan and folded like a omelet. Dipped finished taco in sauce from installs. Outta this world good flavor!!!
This recipe is so full of flavor! Everyone who tries it asks for the recipe! It’s a family favorite. Even my daughters who are super picky love it.
This was so delicious!! It was a hit with my entire family, including my son who isn’t fond of Mexican food. It’s the first recipe of yours that I made – I can’t wait to try your other recipes!! Thank you!!
Delicious. Great for Tuesday Taco night and so easy. There are no leftovers with a family of 4 (two teenagers). Thank you
Thank you so much for making such a straight forward recipe that even super novice cooks like me can manage 🙂 This recipe is so easy to follow and made such delicious shredded beef!
I have a big roast. To I cut it up then cook it or can I throw the whole roast in and let the pressure cooker do it’s thing?
I think you definitely could do the whole roast as long as you cut it into about 1lb pieces of roast but I think you get more flavor infused into the meat with the smaller chunks because each one absorbs more flavor than a bigger roast piece can. You also might have to increase the cook time with larger pieces but I’m not really sure on that one.