Mexican Shredded Beef has never been easier than this Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef… let your pressure cooker slash the time!
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You guys… this beef! It’s so easy to throw together for Taco Tuesdays (or any night!) in a fraction of the time of your slow cooker. Although I love this prepared in my slow cooker as well, I have a new love for my Instant Pot and trying to make anything and everything in it that I can.
I love being able to cook in a fraction of the time without sacrificing flavor or tenderness. I’ve been taking more time to go on long walks with my dog (Baby!) and enjoying my new back porch so my Instant Pot really has come in handy.
How long does this Mexican shredded beef take to cook in the Instant Pot, really?!
This recipe takes a total of approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes TOTAL to cook, which includes the time it takes the pot to come to pressure (about 10 minutes), cook time and the time it takes the pressure to naturally release (about 20 minutes).
What do I serve this beef with?
I love to eat it on tacos with my favorite toppings… cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, onions, cilantro… I could go on and on! You can also serve it over tortilla chips and make one hefty plate of nachos.
If you prefer to cook in your slow cooker, here is my recipe for Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef. Enjoy! 
Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (2-1/2 to 3-pound) boneless chuck roast
- 1 cup prepared salsa
Instructions
- Pour beef broth in a small bowl. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- Pour oil into your Instant Pot and set to saute. When oil is heated, sear roast on all sides until browned. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Pour beef broth mixture and salsa over roast.
- Place the lid on pressure cooker and lock. Steam release knob should be set on “sealing”. Cook on manual setting (high pressure) for 70 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Remove beef from pressure cooker and shred with 2 forks, discarding any fat. Allow fat to rise in liquid and skim off fat. Return beef to liquid mixture.
Notes
- I used an Instant Pot LUX80 8 quart in this recipe.
- Cook time includes time it takes for pot to come to pressure and natural release time.
- Category: Instant Pot
- Method: Pressure Cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: instant pot mexican shredded beef, pressure cooker shredded beef, pressure cooker beef, instant pot shredded beef, pressure cooker mexican beef
Olivia says
This is delicious and SO quick and easy to make! I’ve had an instant pot for months and was afraid of the thing. Your easy to follow directions helped me to break through the crazy fear of using it. Thank you!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thanks so much, Olivia! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂
Charles says
Sorry but the cook time is wrong my Angus boneless roast was 3 pounds and it was over cooked. My suggestion is start at 50 and check. Way to dry and not able to shred with forks
Angelica Gonzales says
I have a older kids and they each pick a meal to make during the week. My 16 year old wanted burritos, so he is going to use this recipe for the meat. He loves the set it and forget it of the instant pot. Your recipe is perfect as we already have all the ingredients.
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
I love this, Angelica! So awesome that your kids are participating in dinner preparation. 🙂 I hope your 16 year-old and everyone else enjoyed it!
VJ says
Does it matter if my chuck roast is frozen?
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi VJ, I can’t say for sure how much longer you’d have to cook it because I’ve never made this recipe with a frozen chuck roast. Sorry for the delay in responding, my area and family are recovering from Hurricane Florence. If you tried it frozen, please let me know how it turned out! 🙂
Paul Berg says
The timer does not start until the frozen meat thaws and gets to the correct temperature. It will take longer, but the cooking time is set at the same amount as if the meat was thawed.
Jim M. says
I appreciated the idea of making a slurry to add to the browned chuck roast – clever.
The final product’s well blended flavors are proof of the technique’s viability –
Mahalo!
Kris Marie says
Yes, you can cook it in a crockpot from frozen and it shreds beautifully
Tessa says
How much longer did you cook it if it was frozen?
Marc says
You mentioned you used an 8 quart instant pot for this recipe. Will it fit in a 6 quart instant pot?
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Marc, I’ve only tested this recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot so I can’t say with certainty. Here is an article on cooking differences with different sized Instant Pots that I hope will be of help.
Angela says
it fits in a 6 quart 🙂
Nicole says
What size of roast should I use for 6 quart instant pot? How would you adjust the cook time? Thank you!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Nicole, I’ve only tested this recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot so I can’t say with certainty. Here is an article on cooking differences with different sized Instant Pots that will hopefully be of help.
Christine says
I did it in a 6qt and it worked perfectly :). Didn’t alter the recipe at all. My new fav. Thank you!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thank you, Christine! 🙂
Angela E says
With both of your InstaPot and slow cooker recipes posted, what is the difference in taste/texture with the two methods? Prior to having a InstaPot, I would brown the roast in a cast iron skillet prior to putting it in the crockpot. With the InstaPot, browning the meat is easy, I would just would love to know the pros & cons with the two methods, since it’s just a different button on the InstaPot (and obviously different cook times). Thanks in advance for your comparison.
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Angela, there wasn’t a noticeable difference for me (except for the time!). Hope you enjoy it if you make it. 🙂
Amy says
I made this using a 1.25lb. beef chuck “steak” (I was nervous about cooking a large, expensive roast). I used the same amount of broth, but cooked it for 20 min Manual, and a 10 minute natural release (used the Instant Pot cooking times guide). I found that the “steak” cooked very much like one, and never fell apart like a roast should. We had to work hard at shredding it for our tacos, but was tender and flavorful. The sauce was delicious and will definitely make again. Used a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce.
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
So glad it worked out for you with the chuck steak… thank you, Amy! 🙂
AK says
I modified this recipe for two frozen chicken breasts and it turned out delicious. I have a 6 qt instant pot. I seperated the two frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot so they weren’t touching, poured 1/3 cup chicken broth over the chicken, sprinkled 1/4 teaspoon of all of the seasonings listed in your recipe evenly on top of each chicken breast, except for cumin I used 1 teaspoon, put 3/4 cup salsa verde on top of the chicken and set it for poultry 25 min. I did not use any oil. Once done, I shredded the chicken on a cutting board and placed it back in the pot with the liquid. So easy! Thanks!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Ohhhhh that sounds so delicious… thank you for sharing! 🙂
Moneca says
OMG just the best! Restaurant taste …YUM
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thanks so much, Moneca… so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Debbie says
I made your recipe a couple of weeks ago and we loved it. I want to double the amount of meat. Do I double everything? What about time? Thanks!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Debbie, glad everyone loved it, thank you! I’ve never doubled this recipe so I can’t say with certainty. I’ve read that the time for meat doesn’t need to change when doubling an Instant Pot recipe, but haven’t personally tried it so I can’t say for sure. I’d double all the ingredients, but make sure it doesn’t go past the fill line. Let us know how it turns out if you try it! 🙂
Debbie says
I doubled everything. I did cut out any big chunks of fat in the 2 roasts and I ended up cutting them up in 6 fairly equal size pieces. I put a little of the broth on the bottom to loosen up the brown bits from the searing. I then put 3 chunks of meat in the instant pot, poured 1/2 the broth mixture and 1/2 the salsa. I then placed the remaing 3 chunks of meat on top and pored the remaining cup of broth mixture and cup of salsa, used the same timing. It was delicious! All of my family raved about it! And I have a little left overs!
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Debbie! 🙂
Brittan Pittman says
Does “manual setting” just mean Pressure Cook? On the newer versions there isn’t a manual setting.
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Brittan, the manual setting is high pressure. Hope you enjoy the Mexican shredded beef! 🙂
Rya says
Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker?
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Rya, at the bottom of the post (before the recipe card) a slow cooker version of this recipe is linked. You can find the slow cooker version here. I hope you enjoy the Mexican shredded beef! 🙂
Irene says
More Mexican recipes thank you
Eddy says
Me and mi wife love this, do u know the nutrition facts for this recipe?
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Eddy, So happy you and your wife love the shredded beef! I currently do not have nutritional info, but in the meantime you can search for “nutritional calculator” online and there are several resources that will calculate it by entering the ingredients.
Matt says
Excellent. Followed as written, but used a 6 quart IP. I also liked the suggestion of thickening the leftover jus with a bit of cornstarch after a strained and defatted it. Love the flavors in this. Recipe going into my permanent Pin folder. Have you ever used the same method but switched up the seasoning to make Italian beef sandwiches?
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thanks so much, Matt! So happy you enjoyed it. Switching up the seasonings for Italian beef sandwiches is an awesome idea – will have to try that soon! 🙂
Gale says
This is so flavorful! Fortunately I had everything I needed on hand . I too used my 8 quart IP. I also made Spanish rice and layered it along with all the fixings. It complimented the burrito perfectly! Family loved it! Definitely saving this recipe! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Ohhhhh that sounds so delicious with layering it with Spanish rice… thank you for sharing, Gayle and so happy to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Andrea Poston says
Followed this to a T and it is amazingly good. Its definitely going into the rotation.
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thanks so much, Andrea! So happy you loved it! 🙂
Debbie O says
Amy, this recipe turned out great. I did change it up a bit though. I used a pork loin because that is what I need to cook. Added a Bay leaf, a Tbl. rosemary and 1/4 c beer. Cooked on Meet setting on high for 80 minutes. Per request I will be making this again. Thanks.