Making taco meat in your crockpot is one of the simplest ways to prepare the foundation of a delicious taco dinner. Tender and hearty ground beef is slow cooked with lots of seasonings to make an irresistible filling for tacos, all in a short time!
This is the only way we cook ground beef for tacos now. It's so simple, hands-off and delicious. I love that we can throw the ground beef into the crockpot with all the seasonings needed to give it an out-of-the-world flavor with barely lifting a finger.
Then I go about my day, nonetheless dreaming of my taco dinner as the warm smell fills the house. I use this homemade taco seasoning blend, which is easy to make in big batches and always have on hand in the pantry.
Cooking ground beef in your crock pot does not take long- just a couple of hours whether you use fresh or frozen beef. It's great for busy weeknights, weekends, vacations and parties. We use the crockpot for all of our Mexican dinner meat fillings, including chicken tacos, shredded steak tacos, and a tasty enchilada chicken stuffing.
Why This Recipe Works
- You can use thawed or frozen ground beef in a crockpot, making this very convenient for when you forget to thaw your meat.
- While it only takes a few hours to cook thoroughly, you can cook chopped ground beef for longer without worrying that it will become tough. This is great if you'll be away from your crockpot for longer than 4 hours.
- The combination of seasonings is extremely flavorful so you won't be left with flavorless taco meat. Most of the spices and herbs are likely to be in your pantry already.
Ingredients
Simple ingredients only are needed for this recipe:
- Ground beef: I use 90% lean but any type works. A bit of water is added in with the beef, or use beef broth for even more flavor.
- Seasonings: the spice blend is made with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
Can I Use Frozen Ground Beef In My Slow Cooker?
Yes, for this recipe you can use frozen ground beef. Place the frozen meat into the slow cooker without the seasonings to start. 30 minutes into cooking you should be able to break up the meat with a wooden spatula. At this time add the seasonings and water or beef broth. Increase cooking time by 1 hour.
Kristina's Tips
- If you use a leaner beef, like 90/10 or 93/7, you don't need to worry about draining the grease.
- Don't use your crockpot ground beef taco meat just for traditional tacos! This recipe works as a filling for fried tacos, cheesy quesadillas, air fried beef taquitos, pan-fried beef taquitos, in chilaquiles rojos and in taco soup.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Add the ground beef, water (or beef broth), chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt to the slow cooker. Mix well, chopping up the ground beef into small pieces.
- Set to LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
- Stir well when done, chopping up the beef further. Serve inside taco shells with your favorite toppings, such as lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa roja or salsa verde, diced onions, jalapeños, etc.
Crockpot ground beef tacos are delicious served with a side of Spanish rice, slow cooker pinto beans or Mexican black beans. Both of these recipes are made in the pressure cooker, and are hands-off too!
How To Store
Fridge: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: store in freezer-safe storage bags for up to 6 months.
This is a great recipe to cook in large batches and then freezer for easy dinners later on. We usually double the recipe, and freeze half to make taco pizza, taco stuffed peppers, fried tacos and whatever else we can think of!
Recipe
Crockpot Taco Meat
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ⅓ cup water or beef broth
- 1½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon Spanish paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- toppings: cheese, lettuce, salsa, diced tomatoes, etc.
Instructions
- Add the ground beef, water (or beef broth), chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt to the slow cooker. Mix well, chopping up the ground beef into small pieces. *see notes for using frozen beef
- Set to LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours.
- Stir well when done, chopping up the beef further. Serve inside taco shells with your favorite toppings. Alternatively, use as the stuffing for burritos, burrito and rice bowls, enchiladas, quesadillas and on tostadas.
Notes
Nutrition
Genevieve says
It's always a plus to have a food prep recipe and this one fits the bill!
Mimi says
Threw this in before work and came home to dinner ready. So flavorful and the meat stayed so juicy. Made tacos, nachos, and burrito bowls throughout the week. New meal prep favorite.
Sawyer says
Great recipe, the seasoning is spot on! And slow cooker is a great way to cook taco meat - super tasty, very delicious and minimal fuss.
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!