This Crockpot Taco Meat is my all time best taco meat recipe made even easier in the slow cooker — packed with flavor, incredibly tender, and ready the moment you walk in the door with zero standing over the stove. Toss everything in before you leave and come home to the best taco night your family has ever had.
My taco meat recipe has always been the most requested dish in our house — so much flavor that my family thinks I spend hours on it. When I started making it for large parties I decided to try it in the slow cooker and it was a game changer. It just as delicious as the stovetop version with none of the standing over the stove stirring.
Tacos are my family’s absolute favorite meal and whether it is Mexican Monday or Taco Tuesday we are always up for a good taco. Toss everything in the slow cooker earlier in the day and once you come home dinner is ready to be served — the meat is so flavorful and tender from cooking all day. You may even like this Crockpot Chicken Tacos Recipe for another easy taco night option!
Check out also our Skillet Ground Beef Tacos, Easy Carne Asada Street Tacos recipe, Double Decker Taco Recipe or this Fried Taco recipe for other delicious taco recipes.
Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef – You can also use Ground Turkey or a mixture of both.
- Salsa – We like using chunky salsa but any type of salsa will do. We have even used our Homemade Salsa Recipe.
- Taco Seasoning – I use homemade taco seasoning made with garlic powder or garlic salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin and more or you can use the packet.
Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details.
How to Make Taco Meat in the Slow Cooker
Step 1 – Place the ground meat in the slow cooker.
Step 2 – Pour the salsa on top and sprinkle with the taco seasoning mix. (We use homemade taco seasoning.)
Step 3 – Cover and cook for 3 -4 hours on high until no longer pink. Use a spoon to break up the taco meat in the slow cooker and serve.
Easy Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup salsa
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
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Instructions
- Place 2 pounds of ground meat (raw) in the crock pot.
- Pour 1 cup of salsa on top and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix. (We use homemade taco seasoning.)
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until no longer pink. Use a spoon to break up the taco meat and serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Breaking up Beef – I like to break up the taco meat and stir 30 minutes before serving while it is slow cooking.
- Browning Meat – There is no need to brown the meat prior to putting it in the slow cooker.
- Drain Meat – Depending on the type of meat that you use, you may need to drain the meat after cooking in the slow cooker.
- Stovetop – If you prefer you can also make taco meat on the stovetop and add in salsa and the taco seasoning.
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Salsa
- Avocado
- Hot Sauce
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Fresh Lime Juice
Nutrition Facts
How to Use Leftover Taco Meat
We love leftover taco meat. I will intentionally double the batch that I am making so that we can have leftovers for the upcoming meat.
- You can make Burritos with this crock pot taco meat recipe.
- We love making Crockpot Taco Salad Recipe
- Serve on top of homemade arepas
- Make homemade Taco Bowl Recipe. I like to make Black Beans in the Crockpot and Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe to add to my taco bowl.
- Check out these other ways to use up the leftover taco meat. Such as this Crock Pot Taco Casserole Recipe
- For an easy appetizer, make Wonton Taco Cups.
What to Serve with Tacos
Tacos are a staple meal that we have just about every week. These are some easy side dish that complete our meal.
- Easy Spanish Rice Recipe
- Easy Crockpot Refried Beans Recipe
- The Best Crock Pot White Cheese Dip Recipe
- Easy Sopapilla Recipe
- Queso Fundido con Chorizo and tortilla chips
- Check out What to Serve with Tacos for more side dish ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can put raw ground beef in crock pot. You may need to adjust cooking time, but this is a great way to meal prep taco meat for the week.
If you have taco meat leftover, you can place it in the refrigerator. I love having taco meat available for my kids to grab a quick taco as they are heading out the door. It is so much better for them and I know they are eating something that will last them for awhile. You may even like to use your leftovers to make Taco Lasagna Recipe.
Taco meat is also great to store in the freezer. I like to place in a zip lock freezer bag. I make sure all the air is out and then I place it in the freezer. It is good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure you check out all our Leftover Taco Meat Recipes or 10 Easy Crockpot Freezer Meals in an Hour!
You could use frozen ground beef but you will need to cook on high for 5-6 hours.
More Easy Crockpot Taco Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make slow cooker taco meat recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Amazing on my go to
Michael – Wahoo! Thanks for sharing. It means a lot!
Can you triple this in the crockpot with good results?
Stephanie – Yes, it should work great. I recommend using a 6 quart or larger crock pot when tripling this recipe.
I have made this recipe probably 10 times now, and while the stove top is a quicker cooking version, this recipe in the crockpot makes the meat so juicy and we 100% prefer this way!
Lynn – I’m so glad you have this recipe on repeat. That means so much!
I am cooking this recipe as I type this! I am excited and can’t wait to taste the results! I am glad I found your page. I will be cooking more of your recipes this winter. Thank you!
Jonathan – Woohoo! I’m so glad you found my website that you will be enjoying the recipes all Winter long. I hope you enjoyed this crock pot taco meat and thank you so much for the positive review!