I recently found a beef chuck roast on sale and decided it was the perfect chance to make a budget-friendly Birria recipe. Birria Tacos are crispy, cheesy, and loaded with the MOST flavorful slow-cooked shredded beef, and I wanted to create a version that anyone could make with simple, easy-to-find ingredients. Throw everything into a slow cooker and come back to melt-in-your-mouth beef that makes taco night feel like a feast!
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Budget-Friendly Cheesy Birria Tacos Recipe
Birria is a cozy Mexican stew made by slow-cooking meat (like goat, lamb, or beef) in a rich, flavorful broth (aka consomé) until it’s fall-apart tender. The taco version takes that same idea but makes it extra fun! You tuck the juicy, slow-cooked meat into cheesy-filled tortillas, crisp them up in a skillet, and serve them with the savory broth on the side for dipping. 🤤
My take on birria tacos keeps things simple and budget-friendly. I use beef chuck roast because it’s easy to find and affordable, and instead of the traditional dried chiles, I go with chipotle peppers in adobo and pantry spices (which keep the flavors bold and the recipe affordable). These homemade birria tacos are rich, cheesy, and hands-down one of my favorite taco recipes to make at home!
Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions
- Cook the chuck roast until it’s fork-tender. I use a 2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast to make 16-18 tacos (using about 1.5 oz. shredded beef per taco). I found 8 hours on low produced the most tender birria, but high for 4-5 hours still produces fork-tender meat. If your beef isn’t easily shredded, let it cook for 30 more minutes before checking again.
- Feel free to add more chili powder for spicier birria tacos!
- Don’t have a slow cooker? You can make this recipe in a Dutch oven instead! Follow the oven instructions in our pot roast recipe (3 hours in a 275°F oven, adding more time if needed) and then assemble your tacos as directed here.
Birria Tacos
Cost $21.01 recipe / $2.63 serving
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. beef chuck roast (boneless, $14.98*)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.04)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.04)
- 1 cup white onion (chopped, (½ onion, 180g) $0.65)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced, (2 Tbsp) $0.38)
- 3 cups beef broth (24 oz, $0.36**)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.07)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (diced, $0.23)
- 2 tsp chili powder ($0.07)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.08)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.04)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.02)
- 2 bay leaves ($0.20)
- 16 small corn tortillas (taco size, $1.05)
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (shredded (211g, 8 oz.) $1.89)
Garnishes
- ¼ cup white onion (diced, for garnish $0.16)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped, for garnish $0.20)
- 2 limes (sliced into wedges, for garnish $0.50)
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients.
- Pat dry the chuck roast and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Add the beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, diced chipotle pepper, spices, and bay leaves to a slow cooker (mine is 6-quarts). Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 4–5 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender.***
- Remove bay leaves and shred the meat directly in the slow cooker.
- Ladle some broth (consomé) into a bowl. Lightly dip both sides of a tortilla into it.****
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium. Place the dipped tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle with cheese on half, top with shredded birria, and fold into a taco.
- Cook 2–3 min per side until crispy and golden. Repeat with the remaining tacos.
- Serve your birria tacos hot with small bowls of consomé for dipping. Garnish with diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 6-quart Slow Cooker
- Bowl
- Medium Non-Stick Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Birria Tacos step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Season the beef: Pat 2 lbs. beef chuck roast dry with paper towels to help the seasonings stick. Season the roast all over with 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
Add to the crockpot: Place the seasoned chuck roast into your crockpot with 1 cup chopped onion, 4 minced garlic cloves, 3 cups beef broth, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp cinnamon, and 2 bay leaves.
Cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender. I found 8 hours on low produced the most tender meat for these birria tacos!
Once cooked and tender, remove the bay leaves and shred the beef directly in the slow cooker using two forks.
Dip the tortillas: Ladle some of the broth (also known as consomé) into a bowl. Lightly dip both sides of a small corn tortilla into it.
If your tortillas tear during this step, you can warm them slightly before dipping to avoid this. Doubling up (dipping two tortillas at once) will help avoid tearing them too.
Make the tacos: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and place the dipped tortilla into the skillet. Sprinkle with shredded Monterey Jack cheese on one half, top with some shredded beef, and fold the other half of the tortilla over to make a taco.
Cook the taco for 2-3 minutes per side and until the tortilla is crispy and golden. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Serve: Top your homemade birria tacos with ¼ cup diced white onion, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, and lime wedges, and serve with a small bowl of the consomé for dipping. Enjoy!
More Serving Suggestions
When I have leftover birria from this recipe, I like to get creative! Tostadas are one of my favorite ways to use the shredded beef, but I also love making a quick rice bowl for lunch. I just layer Spanish rice, beans, whatever veggies I have in the fridge, the beef, and a splash of broth in a bowl. Of course, the meat is also delicious on nachos, and I like to make mine with air-fried tortilla chips and guacamole. For something different, try upgrading your instant ramen with the shredded beef and leftover broth!
Storage & Reheating
Cooked birria tacos are best served fresh, but will keep for a day or two in the fridge if needed. I always reheat them in a skillet so they crisp back up!
As for leftover shredded birria and consomé, they’re best stored in separate containers. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze the cooled beef in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stove. Extra consomé freezes perfectly in ice cube trays, and those little cubes make the best flavor boosters for soups, rice, or stews.
Made this recipe, super easy to follow food turned out amazing
How do you freeze these?
Hi Lindsay, this recipe freezes well! Just cool completely, then store in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove. I hope you enjoy!
I don’t have a slow cooker but a small dutch oven at the recommendation of my brother. How long and at what temp should I put these in the oven instead of a slow cooker?
You can try 300ºF at 3 hours to give it that slow braised fall apart texture! :)
I really liked the recipe! It is a little spicy so if you have kids they might not like it as much. Very flavorful!
Hi Maddie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. If you want to make it a bit less spicy you can leave out the chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, also be sure to only use one from the can and not the whole can as that will make it very spicy. Thank you for making!
No offense, but where is beef chuck roast cheap in this economy? I just looked at my local Walmart and it’s like $20-37? I’d love to see some recipes with much cheaper cuts of meat that the average person living paycheck to paycheck can afford. Or at least don’t say it is an affordable cut of meat when beef is one of the most pricey meats on the market right now.
All beef is expensive these days, but my supermarket does sell cuts from the previous day at lower prices, so bargains are available. Those reduced priced cuts are perfectly good for cooking within 48 hours, and they tend to fly off the shelves. The regular price for ground chuck at most of my local stores is about $7, ground round at $8, and ground sirloin just under $9. Aldi sells beef chuck roast for $7.99 per lb, and says an average chuck roast is about 2.4 lbs. This recipe makes 8 servings, possibly more, so the cost per serving, even given a slightly higher meat price is still very good and definitely well under what a biria taco costs at a taco truck or Mexican restaurant (cheapest price I saw in my area was 3 tacos for $10.99, 1 for 3.99). A more affordable option is pork, and while pork shoulder is often on sale very inexpensively–like about $2 per lb, The cuts are huge. If you have freezer space, you can get a big one and cut it into 2-3 lb sections–or ask the butcher to do it at the store–and use one of them for this recipe. It will be delicious!
Beef problems exist in part due to drought in ranching areas in the past several years during which herds were reduced, in part by selling heifers into the beef market, due to high feed costs and relatively low beef prices. During the past several years, demand has increased and prices have jumped, but it takes 2-3 years for a heifer to go from birth to delivering her first calf, and about a year and a half for that calf to come to market. Today ranchers breed heifers at younger ages than my father did years ago but it can be risky for the heifer. Gestation is 9-10 months. While ewes produce 2-3 lambs per breeding cycle with 5 month gestation, cows generally have a single calf. Pigs deliver their first litters at about 1 year, and with gestation under 4 months can produce 2 or more per year of 8-12 piglets, or more, that are ready for market at about 6 months of age, meaning pork is still pretty cheap.
You should reconsider where you are shopping if the option is available to you. Walmart groceries are not that cheap. Local to me chuck roast is currently about $8/pound at Winco and $11/pound at Costco, and those are just the two stores closest to my home. Obviously not as affordable as other forms of protein but the price range you are quoting is not usual.
Hi Joe, I understand the frustration with the current beef prices. I actually found it at Aldi for $7.49/lb, which I found to be the most affordable and accessible option currently available. I hope you are able to find an affordable option in your region. If not beef you can also substitute with goat, lamb or pork (pork will probably be the most affordable option here). I do hope that you are able to try this recipe in whatever form you can!