How to Make Beef Instant Pot Fajitas

Instant Pot fajitas are great and take just minutes to cook to tender perfection. Flavorful marinated beef and vegetables are for dinner tonight! Use any brand of pressure cooker you have including a Ninja Foodi or Crockpot Express with the best fajita marinade or packaged seasonings.

Instant Pot Steak Fajitas

We made this steak fajita recipe in our pressure cooker. We will soon follow this one up with Instant Pot chicken fajitas too. Just like any of our other high pressure recipes you can use any brand you have at home. Many times I’ll make this as a Ninja Foodi recipe because that pot will allow me to do it both ways.

This time we are using the pressure cook function but with this machine you could make our beef air fryer fajitas recipe as well. A double win for the week. Both with different textures but still our favorite Mexican meal throughout the year.

How to Make Ninja Foodi Fajitas

This time if you are using a Foodi you want to use the lid that is not attached, that will reach high pressure for you. Locks in the moisture with this cut of meat and maintains that juicy texture.

You have got to use our dry marinade for steak. Ok I mean if you have your own creation then by all means try that too. I prefer a dry rub vs. a lot of sauce for this because you don’t really need added liquid. The meat exudes enough of what you need to reach pressure for sure.

This is what our beef looked like after it sat in the goodness overnight….I know, my family loves it!! If you have leftovers y’all, you can make our Instant Pot chicken fajita soup the next day too. I know, amazing right??

Beef Fajitas in Instant Pot

You could use a number of different pieces of beef or chicken for this. You just want to cut it into thinner strips so it can get nice and tender. It makes a great stew meat recipe too if that is what you have on hand. Just cut into bite size pieces.

What cut of beef is best for Instant Pot fajitas?

Typically you should just grab whatever type of steak you like. You are going to want to slice it into thin strips. Some like tougher cuts like flank but you need to ensure you are slicing against the grain on that one or it will be too chewy.

1. Cut your beef into strips – Or buy it like this in the meat department. It is usually cheaper to cut it yourself (but that is just the cheapskate in me talking).
   1. You could use chicken breast sliced but cooking time will need to be adjusted to closer to 7 – 15 minutes depending on thickness.
2. Slice an onion – we like thick slices

Slice a few bell peppers – a variety of colors is nice but totally up to you

1. Use lime juice as the liquid to cook – Electric pressure cooker recipes need liquid. You don’t need a lot for this though because the beef and vegetables will create juices as well as they cook
2. Add chili powder if you’d like to add additional heat before pressure cooking begins.

Here’s our pot full…..

Of course you can use lime juice in a container but fresh is always best. You can also use broth instead of lime if you’d rather but this sure does give it a great added flavor.

We used this same method when we made our Instant Pot tacos too and it works great. If you’re using something other than lime juice I’d say you might need 1/3 – 1/2 cup or so but quite honestly I have never done it that way.

Instant Pot Beef Fajitas Recipe

Instant Pot fajitas with beef 

If you do have your own favorite dry rub recipe that you love then by all means use that. We have many on our site but this one is specific to this dish.

1. Use our recipe (link above and described below) for the best fajita marinade
   • Make this first and you’ll want to leave it in the fridge overnight and cook these in your pressure cooker the next day
     1. If you don’t use this marinade then alternatively you can make homemade fajita seasoning and add in with your vegetables and season that way
2. Beef – cut into strips, the thinner the more tender they will become
3. Bell peppers
4. Onions
5. Limes
6. Other items if you’re putting this into small tortillas like tacos
   1. Cilantro
   2. Sour cream

My favorite add on top of my meat would be slices of fresh avocados. By far the best bites ever.

If you only have chicken strips, we do have this crock pot chicken fajitas recipe we’ve made in the past. I will be honest it turns out much better in your IP, Crock Pot Express or Ninja Foodi.

If you only have a slow cooker though this is an option.

After you try this, try our steak fajita cups too! You can print recipe out below.

How do you make fajita meat not chewy?

Using high pressure like we do here is key. You don’t want to cook it too long though or beef can get tough. You want a bit of pink, if you wanted it even more on the rare side you really could even cut the timing in half. Marinating helps with keeping it moist too, and lastly you could pound before slicing like cubed steak.

How to Make Instant Pot Fajitas with Steak

You could use half poultry and half beef too if you wanted to. In this case I might slice the chicken into slightly thicker pieces so they are done to the same tenderness when done. Quickly this is how to make them, there is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post too though.

1. Marinade your thinly sliced beef overnight (link to the best beef marinade is above recipe card). 
2. Slice onion and add into pressure cooker with beef.
3. Squeeze 3 fresh limes into the pot ensuring no seeds land inside.
4. Sprinkle packet of fajita seasoning over everything if you are adding that rather than previously marinading your beef.
5. Mix all ingredients so everything is mixed and/or coated well.
6. Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Time will vary depending on thickness of meat pieces and how much meat you are using

This worked well for 2 lbs. cut into med. size strips. Do a quick release. Add bell peppers, put lid on and let that sit for 5-10 minutes until they’re as softened as you’d like them to be. Serve inside small tortillas topped with fresh cilantro, salsa, sour cream, avocado, or any other fajita toppings.