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These juicy, tender slow cooker shredded beef tacos pack in so much flavor. Less than 20 minutes to prep, and can be made into so much more than just tacos; quesadillas, nachos, burrito bowls and more. Freezer-friendly, even better as leftovers and the perfect meal that everyone can make their own. The whole family will love it!

Shredded beef tacos on parchment lined pan topped with onion and cilantro.

Why You Will Love These Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredient Notes
Recipe Variations
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Tips
Storage
Other Slow Cooker REcipes
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
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I could personally live on either my Crock Pot Shredded Beef or this Crockpot Chuck Roast Recipe but this girl loves a good beef taco, and not the kind that is made of ground beef.

When chuck roast is on sale and we are craving tacos, I love making this super simple slow cooker shredded beef taco recipe!

The family loves being able to add their own toppings, serve it up in rice bowls and more. I set up all the toppings and fixings, and let everyone build their own meal–always a big win when it comes to dinner time!

Love taco recipes? Me too! Try some of our other favorites: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos, Air Fryer Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw, Chicken Taco Casserole, and these Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa.

Why You Will Love These Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Seriously so simple to make.
Can easily be used for 2 day’s worth of dinners–and 2 separate meals even!
Very freezer friendly.
The meat is so flavorful and soooo juicy.
An easy dish to serve to the whole family and let them have it their way!

Ingredient Notes

Chuck roast, limes, spices and other labeled ingredients for recipe.

chuck roast: for the most tender, juicy–we are talking melt in your mouth shredded beef tacos, I strongly suggest using a boneless chuck roast. It’s really not worth substituting another cut as the meat won’t turn out as well. However, if you want a slightly more affordable cut, a rump roast could work in this recipe as well. Make sure when selecting your cut of meat to look for nice marbling throughout the piece of beef–this will make for the most tender shredded beef!
beef stock: I use beef stock instead of beef broth in this recipe to add a bit more richness in flavor to the meat. If you only have beef broth, that can work well too.

Recipe Variations

make it spicier: feel free to add more cayenne pepper or add a splash of hot sauce, red pepper flakes, etc. to add extra spiciness.
add some orange juice to vary the flavor and another level of complexity to the meat. You can also add some of the lime zest to the crockpot when adding the lime juice. I use lime and orange juices in my Quick + Crispy Instant Pot Carnitas and the orange juice really does add a lot to the dish!
add some veggies: dice up some onion and bell peppers and toss them in as well if you’d like to have some veggies along with your meat.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Piece of raw chuck roast seasoned before searing.

Step 1: Make sure your meat is completely thawed. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, season generously on both sides with salt and pepper, and press/massage the seasoning int the meat. You can cut the meat into two halves to make it easier to work with if desired.

Step 2: Heat a large skillet or pan to medium-high heat. Once heated up, add the olive oil and allow to get very hot. Add the seasoned beef to the hot skillet and allow it to sear for about 3 minutes on each side–adding a rich brown crust to the meat. It should pull away easily when it’s ready to flip!

Seasoned beef chuck roast in crock pot before cooking.

Step 3: Add the rotel to cover the bottom of the crockpot and lay the seared beef over top. Pour the lime juice and beef stock over top of the meat and then add the remaining seasonings, cover the top of the meat.

Slow cooker beef cooked in juices in crockpot.

Step 4: Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW HEAT for about 8-10 hours, or until the meat is fork tender and easily falls apart. (High heat is not recommended in this recipe.)

Shredded beef tacos in crock pot with forks.

Step 5: When the meat is cooked and falling apart, you can shred it in the crockpot with two forks or pull it out and shred it on a cutting board, removing any large chunks of fat. Transfer the meat back to the pot and stir to mix with the juices. (We often like to stir in chopped cilantro at this time.) Keep the heat set to warm until ready to serve.

Slow cooker shredded beef tacos in serving plater with spoon.

Step 6: You can serve straight from the slow cooker or transfer the meat to a serving dish. Use tongs if serving from the pot as there will be a lot of juiciness and it can be a bit of a greasy mess–fair warning!

Shredded beef taco meat in plate topped with onion and chopped cilantro.

Recipe Tips

If your meat is tough even after 8 hours of slow cooking on low, it probably needs more time. This is the question I get more than anything when it comes to any crockpot chuck roast recipe. We are very used to thinking that more cook time makes meat dry but that is not the case with a beef chuck roast. It takes time for the connective tissues to break down and certain circumstances can cause one piece of meat to need more time than another. Just don’t worry about cooking the beef longer if needed.
Searing the meat adds an extra step to making these tacos, but it makes such a difference in the flavor of the meat. However, you can skip this step if you are short on time and want a simple way to shave down some of the prep time.
Make this dish the day before you plan to serve it. You can easily prep this meat the day before you plan to serve it. Follow the same cooking instructions and then store overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Pour back into the crockpot the following day and set to warm for about 2-4 hours and allow it to heat back up. Add an extra splash of lime juice and broth if needed!

Storage

Store leftover meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. I personally think this meat is even better the second day after cooking!

To freeze, allow it to cool completely and then transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before heating. I like to add more seasoning and lime juice when cooking after freezing to bring it back to life.