Crockpot Taco Meat (5 Minute Prep) (5 Minute Prep and No Browning the Meat!)

Name: Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 185 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds lean ground beef (at least 90/10 recommended); 2 cups diced yellow onion; 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles (10 ounces, undrained); 2 packets taco seasoning (1 ounce each); 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

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This Crockpot Taco Meat is deeply seasoned and slightly smoky. The taco beef cooks low and slow until tender and flavorful, making it perfect for baked tacos, taco bowls, taco salad or baked nachos.

Use your slow cooker to make easy beef tacos for taco night! No need to pull out a skillet. Lean beef is the base to this perfectly seasoned crockpot taco meat recipe. This dump and go recipe is perfect to double up and freeze for easy dinners and busy nights.

This 5-Minute Crockpot Taco Meat Makes Taco Night Almost Too Easy

I can’t get enough of taco flavor. From taco lasagna, slow cooker taco soup, slow cooker taco pasta and taco spaghetti, there are just too many ways to enjoy a taco!

On Friday nights, Matt and I opt for Mexican over pizza takeout. We make delicious taco meat and serve it over tortilla chips, topped with sour cream, lettuce, guacamole and pico de gallo.

This crockpot taco meat is truly an effortless meal prep for busy families. You’ll love that it feeds a crowd, and you can easily double the recipe if needed.

Try serving with our homemade flour tortillas. And make our crockpot chicken tacos and taco soup with noodles next.

Enjoy! -Julie

Ingredients

Use lean ground beef so you don’t end up with too much grease in the slow cooker. That’s the key to this recipe working! Any lean ground meat like ground turkey or ground chicken also work well.

Use any brand of taco seasoning, or make homemade taco seasoning.

I often have a can off black beans in my pantry so often add rinsed and drained beans to make the crockpot taco meat mixture go further and add fiber.

See the recipe card below for full recipe and ingredients.

Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe

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This Crockpot Taco Meat is deeply seasoned and slightly smoky. The taco beef cooks low and slow until tender and flavorful.

Servings 8

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 5

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Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef at least 90/10 recommended
2 cups diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles 10 ounces, undrained
2 packets taco seasoning 1 ounce each
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions

Place the beef into the slow cooker base and break it up into small chunks. 2 pounds lean ground beef
Add in the diced yellow onion, garlic and can of tomatoes and mix together. Sprinkle the taco seasoning packets, cocoa powder, salt and pepper over the meat. Stir well, so that all the meat is coated in seasoning. 2 cups diced yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles, 2 packets taco seasoning, ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Secure the base and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. About halfway through cooking, mix a few times to make sure everything is cooking evenly.
Remove the lid in the last 10-15 minutes and allow some moisture to evaporate and the meat to thicken a little bit. You can remove extra fat by dabbing the top with a paper towel if there is a lot. Right before serving, add the lime juice and mix together and adjust the seasoning as necessary. 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Serve using a slotted spoon in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings like cheddar cheese and salsa.

Notes

Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, slow cooker or stovetop until hot. You can also cool completely and store in freezer in portioned freezer bags for up to 3 months. It’s a great meal prep recipe.

If you want a leaner option use ground turkey or chicken, or do half beef and half turkey mixture.

Leave the meat in the slow cooker and have it set to warm so that you can serve it hot while making the tacos, especially for seconds and thirds.

It’s up to you on how small you want to break up the meat. You can keep it in larger pieces for more texture or make it really ground depending on your preference.

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the taco meat. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Appetizer, Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, Mexican

Calories 230

Keyword comfort food, slow-cooked, spicy, taco

taco meat and 3 tacos with cheese on a table

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to brown the meat first for taco meat in the crockpot?

No! That’s the beauty of this recipe. Use lean ground beef, mix up the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook. It really is effortless.

What if my meat is watery?

I remove the lid or skew the lid the last 30-45 minutes of cooking so that some of the moisture can evaporate. The moisture is simply from the canned tomatoes and is necessary so the lean beef doesn’t dry out.

Can I use salsa instead of canned tomatoes?

Yes! And if you choose that route for your crockpot taco meat, you could leave out the onions since there are already onions in salsa or picante sauce.