Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos with avocado, salsa, and onion are easy to prepare and yield THE BEST tacos! This easy-to-prepare recipe is big in flavor, yet so simple!
Tacos. A love language. Powerful enough to put Tuesday on the calendar. A source of pure unadulterated joy. Some may say, a state of being.
When pressed to divulge my all-time favorite taco, I don’t think I could possibly choose. Each has their place!
Sometimes I crave fresh and vibrant Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa, but when I have a hankering for that smoky grilled char, it’s Grilled Chicken Tacos.
When I’m feeling pork, I get my Crock Pot Carnitas Tacos on, and when I couldn’t possibly wait for dinner tacos, it’s all about Crispy Avocado Breakfast Tacos or Superfood Breakfast Tacos.
So many meat, topping, and sauce options!
But the taco (and burrito!) I find myself yearning for most frequently is the shredded beef taco.
So long as the beef is mega flavorful and tender, there isn’t much more you need than the actual shredded beef!
I top shredded beef tacos with avocado, red onion, and salsa because it creates that fine balance of heat, creaminess, freshness and zing.
One of the best parts about this recipe is the fact that all the heat stays in your Instant Pot (no oven-roasting necessary!), making it ideal for summertime when you’re craving tacos non-stop but can’t bring yourself to cook.
What Type of Beef to Use For Shredded Beef Tacos?:
Really any roast you can find at a grocery store will work for shredded beef tacos. However, choose wisely depending on the fat content you’re looking for.
For instance, tri tip and brisket will yield an insanely flavorful and crazy tender shredded beef, because the fat content is high.
I choose a sirloin roast to keep the fat content under control, and it still yields an incredibly flavorful result.
The key to perfect shredded beef is adding big bold flavors like onion, garlic and chilis to to the meat, seasoning it well with sea salt, and allowing it to pressure cook (or slow cook) for a decent amount of time.
How Long to Pressure Cook Beef for Tacos?:
Different schools of thought on this topic!
Although pressure cookers cook meat through very quickly, you don’t want to just set it for the bare minimum. In general, the longer meat cooks, the more tender and shreddy it will become.
For this reason, I pressure cook my beef roasts on high for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes for a 2 to 3 pound roast, and I bump it up to 2 hours for anything heavier than 3 pounds.
I also allow the pressure cooker to completely naturally release and allow it to sit for additional time (about 1 to 2 hours).
This may be bad news for folks who want their tacos done yesterday, but giving it the proper amount of time is well worth it!
How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos:
Remove any webbing around the beef roast and chop it into large chunks (I do 3 to 6 chunks for a 2.5-pound roast).
Season the beef on all sides with sea salt and garlic powder.
Plug in your pressure cooker, press the Sauté button, and allow it to heat up for a few minutes.
Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Scoot the onion off to the side and place the chunks of beef on the hot surface, making sure they have room to get a nice sear. You will likely have to sear the meat in 2 to 3 batches, depending on the size of your pressure cooker. Sear for 3 to 5 minutes on two sides, or until the chunks of beef are nice and golden-brown on two sides.
Pour the chicken broth and chipotle chilis into the pressure cooker and secure the lid.
Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the time for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Make sure the steam release valve is sealed shut and that the pressure is on its default High setting. Allow the pressure cooker to run its course, then allow it to completely naturally release (about 1 hour. You can allow it to sit longer if you’d like!).
Remove the lid and transfer the beef to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the beef, then transfer it back into the pressure cooker to absorb the juices and become even more flavorful.
Taste the beef for flavor and add sea salt and/or lime juice to taste.
Use shredded beef for tacos, burritos, taco salads, tostadas, enchiladas, and more!
That’s it! Sear it, set it, taco it!
Let me know what toppings you love on your shredded beef tacos!
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Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 ½ lbs sirloin roast cut into large chunks*
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 cups chicken broth or beef broth
- 4 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce chopped**
For the Tacos:
- Tortillas of choice
- 2 ripe avocados sliced
- Salsa
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Remove any webbing around the beef roast and chop it into 3 to 6 large chunks.
- Season the beef on all sides with sea salt and garlic powder.
- Plug in your pressure cooker, press the Sauté button, and allow it to heat up for a few minutes.
- Add the yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scoot the onion off to the side and place the chunks of beef on the hot surface, making sure they have room to get a nice sear. You will likely have to sear the meat in 2 to 3 batches, depending on the size of your pressure cooker. Sear for 3 to 5 minutes on two sides, or until the chunks of beef are nice and golden-brown on two sides.
- Pour the chicken broth and chipotle chilis into the pressure cooker and secure the lid.
- Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the time for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Make sure the steam release valve is sealed shut and that the pressure is on its default High setting. Allow the pressure cooker to run its course, then allow it to completely naturally release (about 1 hour. You can allow it to sit longer if you’d like!).
- Remove the lid and transfer the beef to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the beef, then transfer it back into the pressure cooker to absorb the juices and become even more flavorful.
- Taste the beef for flavor and add sea salt and/or lime juice to taste.
- Use shredded beef for tacos, burritos, taco salads, tostadas, enchiladas, and more!
Notes
Nutrition
I’ve yet to try your Instapot shredded beef taco suggested recipe but I do know that when using a chuck roast up to 3#, 65 minutes on high pressure is more than sufficient with a 10 minute natural release and then vent the balance.
The pot roast will be nice and “shreddy.”
No need to go hours on end with a chuck roast.