Ground Beef Instant Pot Taco Bowls

Instant Pot taco bowls with fresh, thawed or frozen ground beef over rice is the bomb for dinner! Add cheese and all the fixings for this easy one pot pressure cooker recipe even your kids will love. You don’t have to wrap meat and toppings in a tortilla, sometimes deconstructed in Ninja Foodi is the way to go.

Beef Taco Bowl Instant Pot

We always have a lot of “cow in the freezer” since we buy meat in bulk each year. Since that was what was on hand on this day I decided to document the process so I could share it with y’all since it’s such a hit with my family. So here we go…..

This is just one of many simple Instant Pot ground beef recipe choice we have made over the years, over and over again. All ingredients are easily accessible, and really inexpensive too. It came out FULL of flavor and was fun served on top a bed of rice with toppings everyone could choose from.

This is what we used. Yes you can use your Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi pot to make this as well. Use the instructions below.

Instant Pot Burrito Bowl Beef

If you wanted to make this more of what you would find wrapped in a tortilla you could make some refried beans on the stovetop or if you had another IP at home.

Ground beef recipe in Instant Pot

Forget using more than one pan or pot, we have you covered when you cook Instant Pot ground beef anything! Just set to saute, add a bit of olive oil and brown as you normally would on the stovetop.

• The game changer is you can then keep going with all of your other ingredients and pressure cook all in the same pot.
• We follow the same steps when we make Instant Pot taco meat.
• This too is another one of our favorite cheap Instant Pot recipes that go on our weekly meal rotation.

How do you make taco bowls from scratch?

It’s quite easy using this method. Use what you have on hand and the seasonings you love. Below are just suggestions we love but just like any other Instant Pot tacos you can serve them a multitude of ways.

You are essentially cooking the main ingredient, the meat, using the saute function for the ultimate flavor. We are going beyond just ground meat paired with taco seasoning. You should add more than that and salsa will bring it to a whole new level.

Instant Pot Taco Bowl Ingredients

• Hamburger meat
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cumin
• Salt
• Salsa verde
• Beef broth
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
• Onion

Once you’ve browned your hamburger you’ll want to add in all the other ingredients. How can you serve this taco bowls recipe is really up to you but typically it is served over a bed of rice. Then add toppings you love like cheese, avocado, diced tomatoes etc… It is basically a deconstructed version of this popular Mexican dinner.

What to serve with a taco bowl?

1. Over a bed of Instant Pot white rice 
2. Brown rice is an option too
3. Sliced avocado is great, jalapeno will make it spicy
4. You can scoop it up with tortilla chips
5. Plain, as is without carbs.
   1. If you meal prep I would leave those items out anyway and just pack meat in airtight containers and store in the fridge.

Here are the steps to follow: First I like to rinse the rice with water in a strainer. This step isn’t necessary but if you have time I recommend it. Cook Pressure cooker brown rice as usual separately, then fluff rice with a fork when done and keep warm. Of course if you aren’t serving these in the form of a taco bowl then skip that step.

Any way to make my taco bowls taste better?

Serve over Pressure cooker Mexican rice instead of white!! Allow everyone to add their own mix ins and toppings. This is the most fun part really so you should make a bar of add ins, think outside of the box when it comes to this by adding; sliced olives, shredded cabbage, diced green chiles, guacamole, black beans and Fritos are fun to crush over the top too!

What do you put on tacos?

That is a BIG question with a lot of answers but here are a few of our favorite taco toppings:

1. Shredded lettuce
2. Shredded cheese – sharp cheddar is my favorite
3. Avocado and/or guacamole
4. Salsa
5. Tomatoes
6. Hot sauce
7. Jalapenos
8. Onions

You can use this recipe for traditional soft tacos as well, or make lettuce wraps for a low carb keto meal. If you want to add other favorite ingredients like finely diced bell peppers or jalapenos feel free. I use what I have on hand really for this Instant Pot dinner idea.

What do you need for a taco bar?

Other than the meat and toppings you see above? Charro beans and pressure cooker black beans are great to serve on the side or throw them right on top! Hard and soft taco shells can be offered for everyone to choose their favorite. In this case you don’t need them but can still be enjoyed together.

Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep

Ground beef is excellent to meal prep, this is no exception. The salsa will keep it extra moist too when reheating the next day(s). As always when done you need to cool completely before sealing in airtight containers and should be enjoyed and warmed within 3 days of creation. Adding 1 can of black beans into the mix will make it heartier for this.

Set pot to saute and add olive oil and ground beef, onions, garlic, onion powder, and cumin. If you have fresh cilantro, add it at this time too.

1. Cook until meat is no longer pink, then turn pot off.
2. Dump in salsa verde and broth, stir together.
3. Close lid and turn pressure release valve to sealing position.
4. Set to high pressure for a 4 minute cook time followed by a quick release.
   1. This should take a total of about 12 minutes including time to pressurize.
5. Serve at this time or set to saute again and allow some liquid to evaporate and sauce to thicken.

Total cook time for both rice and taco meat is about 30 minutes which is a pretty quick and easy Instant Pot meal.

How many tacos do you need per person? 

I would cook extra beans in a pressure cooker to have on hand because they’re the cheapest ingredient and easy to make this way. Typically the general rule is 3 each.  If you are serving them with a carb, in bowls as you see here that wouldn’t apply. I would count on one bowl per person.

Keep in mind that one 16 ounce package of 80/20 ground beef will produce 12 ounces of cooked hamburger, so plan accordingly.