Slow cooker taco meat is great for a large group on taco Tuesdays! Add diced tomatoes, seasonings and ground beef together, then keep warm until you’re ready to eat. If you loved our Crockpot ground beef tips.
Slow cooker taco meat is a cheap meal that can feed a crowd. Adults and kids love tacos of every kind, this way you can set it and forget it while your guests serve up a few and enjoy during your next get together or party. Just one of many easy Crockpot recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)
Crockpot Taco Meat
There are TWO ways to make this. I have instructions for the one where you brown the meat first but you can also follow our air fryer ground beef instructions first. Then once it is done you will add all of the below ingredients and decrease the cook time by half.
I think this way is less work overall since you just prep at the beginning and just let it sit for the last few hours. You could easily double this if you had a large enough pot if you are need an easy Super Bowl meal.
Can you overcook ground beef in a Crockpot?
Yes you can. Since the meat is already cooked and you’re just keeping it warm and allowing it to absorb the sauces around it you don’t need it ON for long. Switching it to warm will allow it to not become cold but not keep cooking either. If you have a pot like mine it will do it automatically.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef 80/20 is best, free range organic is our choice for the best flavor and texture. You could add heat with 1/2 pound spicy Jimmy Dean sausage instead.
I like to add enchilada sauce, mild, to add a bunch of flavor – tomato sauce is another alternative if you don’t have that. I prefer the Mexican sauce though because it has a lot more flavor and a bit of heat to it
Diced tomatoes with green chiles is the best, some people call this Rotel and just use that because they want more of a spicy nature to their beef and others will use a can of diced chiles in with the tomatoes. I use this can for all sorts of things from this or rotel tacos too..
I like to also throw in some onions for texture and flavor, yellow or white are best. Minced and dried will work but not ideal.
- Taco seasoning makes it easier since it’s all mixed together
- If you want a layer of melted cheese on top sprinkle some on top 30 min. before serving
I grab a bag of Mexican cheese blend at the store and just use that. It’s great for this and our Instant Pot taco casserole dish. Yes you can shred it yourself but I am talking when you are in a hurry and barely have enough energy to finish the day off y’all.
Slow Cooker Taco Meat Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced with green chiles is great, if you want more "sauce" add more
- 1 cup enchilada sauce, medium
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- 1 cup cheese, shredded, to melt on top, optional
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil until outside is browned. Sprinkle in taco seasoning and garlic powder, stir in with meat. Pour into slow cooker.
- Top with can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and enchilada sauce. Stir so it is all coated.
- Cover and cook (warm together) for 1 hours on high or 2 hours on low, then set to keep warm while serving. If you want to add a layer of cheese to the top do this 30 minutes before it is done to give that a chance to melt. Then serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How Long to Cook Taco Meat in a Crockpot
Many brands offer an option where you can set the food inside and not start cooking until you want it to. This is a great option for this since the meat isn’t raw so you don’t risk it growing bacteria as it sits. Since there is such a short cook time (only 1-2 hours when pre-cooked) you can leave it and have the timing start an hour later or so.
Do you have to precook ground beef before adding to slow cooker?
Yes you will want to brown about 2 pounds of meat or ground turkey works, add your bottled or homemade taco seasoning and canned tomato products, cover and cook. Slow cooking really brings out the flavors in the ground meat. This won’t work with raw meat.
Should you cook taco meat in slow cooker on high or low?
I normally don’t suggest ever to cook on high, for this I don’t think it makes a huge difference. Typically meat in a Crock is best to set on low and slow to really absorb all the flavors inside though so I always go with that but is an option in this case.
There is a printable recipe card with nutritional information such as saturated fat, calories etc. below. Keep in mind that all store bought proteins will vary in their fat content so refer to your package for accurate measurements on that. This is basically how it’s made though.
If you’re making a taco salad you’ll want a variety of items to serve this with. Tortilla chips, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, pico de gallo salsa and/or Qdoba salsa verde are just the basics. If you want more than one type of protein you could make a batch of carne asada Crock Pot meat so you could add both.
Can you make taco meat with chicken?
Once you want to go beyond ground meat, I would suggest trying our Crockpot chicken taco meat too. This surprisingly comes out well whether it is rock hard or defrosted to begin with. Shred it easily with 2 forks with a jar of salsa for added flavors. You could cook both so people have options.
If you do have some left, allow it to cool to room temperature first. Then scoop it out and into airtight containers or freezer bags. Put as much broth or sauce as you can in there so it doesn’t get dry when reheating. Keep in the fridge and reheat in the next 2-3 days in the microwave for about 1 minute.
What can you make with leftovers?
We have a lot of leftover taco meat recipes you can choose from. I will say one of our favorites here though. You can lay a layer of this on the bottom of our Jiffy Mexican cornbread and bake together. A feel good Southern comfort meal for sure that one is.
Other easy Crockpot recipes you’ll love
We cook a lot of meat in the slow cooker because it comes out so well. This is just the beginning if you are new to this way of cooking. The best easy recipe we make on an almost weekly basis would be our 5 ingredient Crockpot chili. You could use any leftovers from this in that for sure!
We do like that added layer of cheese, but we add this to just about everything we can. When it melts on top it becomes an ooey gooey creation that can be layered on top of chips for nachos, inside taco shells or soft tortillas. Then add the cold toppings on top of all of that.
