This Instant Pot taco meat is so flavorful! I love cooking taco meat in my Instant Pot because I can make a big batch and feed my family throughout the week.
This is the most flavorful taco meat that you’ll ever meet! It’s delicious served with tortillas, over salad or on top of nachos. I love this recipe so much that I usually make it a couple times a month and my family happily enjoys leftovers.
When you make taco meat in an Instant Pot, not only does it cook the meat quickly, I feel like it also intensifies the flavors of the seasonings that I use.
get creative with leftovers or freeze the meat for later
I enjoy making and eating traditional tacos but when it comes to leftovers I try to be creative by using the meat in breakfast tacos with eggs and potatoes, on top of salads, or in a “burrito” bowl with rice and fun taco toppings (think: red onion, cilantro, cheese, olives, sour cream… what can’t you put on a taco?).
This recipe is delicious as is – but if you want to stretch the meat out to serve more people or to last you a little longer, you can add some chopped potatoes to it. I’ve done this – and it’s fantastic.
The great thing about this recipe is that it makes quite a bit of taco meat. You can eat some now and freeze a portion of it for when you want to enjoy a lazy cooking day.
don’t add extra liquid to this… here’s why:
One thing you have to keep in mind when making this recipe is that meat can release a lot of liquid. That’s why I don’t add any additional water to the Instant Pot before making this taco meat. Even without adding liquid, I sometimes have to boil off a bit of water that the meat naturally releases. Once I remove the lid from the pot, I press the sauté button to boil off any remaining liquid.
Then (as I mentioned above) I top the meat with lots of cilantro and use it in all different ways: tacos, burritos, in salads, in a burrito bowl, etc.
Instant Pot Taco Meat
Yield: 2 pounds meat 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (or ground meat of choice)
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 2 red onions, diced
- 3 green bell peppers, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- Cilantro, garnish
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot except for the ground beef.
- Press the “sauté” button and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes.
- Then add the ground beef to the pot and cook until mostly brown.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
- Naturally release pressure (or you can quick release too if you’re in a hurry).
- Open the lid, and if the meat released any liquid then press the sauté button to boil it off.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
- I do not add any additional water to the Instant Pot prior to cooking this because meat naturally releases water as it cooks. You can add a bit of water if you’d like, but you’ll need to boil it off at the end by pressing the sauté button once it’s done cooking.
Could you follow the same directions with ground chicken or turkey? Or would you adjust time?
Mina, you can use ground chicken/turkey instead of beef. I’d keep the same cooking time (to help the flavors come flavors together). The meat will likely cook in less time though so it’s up to you!
Do you need to drain the grease from the burger? Can you use 75 or 80%lean ground beef? Thank you so much!
I don’t but you can if you’d like! And yes, you can use any ground beef that you’d like. I typically use grassfed which is lean so I don’t end up with a lot of grease.
I’ve now made this, err…loads of times. It’s fantastic. It’s one of the few recipes my son asks for and we both really enjoy. Thank you so much for posting this!
★★★★★
Trying this tonight!!!!! And saving some of you other instant pot recipes to try!
Awesome!! Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂
Would this work with frozen ground beef?
Yes, it’ll just take a little longer for the meat to thaw/brown on saute mode.
How would I adjust the cooking time if halving the recipe?
I didn’t and it came out just fine. 🙂
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Setting it for 30 minutes in the pressure cooker doesn’t make the meat turn into mush since it was already mostly cooked before that? I’m just wondering how the texture will be since ground meat cooks fast already.
I am making this now and just reading the comments. In this comment you mentioned setting for 30 mins, but in the recipe it says 10? Just wondering about this? Otherwise it smells great so far! Thanks!!
Hi Kristin! I updated the recipe after finding that 10 mins works just fine 🙂 Hope that helps!
Would you put the potatoes uncooked in with the recipe, or cook them separately and add later?
Thank you!
If you add potatoes, I suggest cooking them separately then adding them in (otherwise they’ll get too soft)
Actually, you can also add them in step 6!
I’m following the Fast Metabolism Diet and can’t use oil during certain phases. Is there a way to do this recipe without the oil?
OMG this is wonderful!! My husband and I had it for Mexican xmas this year, in burritos & taquitos. And then … the leftovers spiced up our favourite Hamburger Soup. Wow! Keep up the good work.
Happy to hear that 🙂 And hamburger soup sounds amazing!
I’m using my instant pot for the first time with this recipe! When you say “make sure the steam valve is closed” do you mean “sealed” setting?
Awesome, I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you! And yes, I mean the “sealed” setting 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! The meat has a complex flavor that reminds me of one of my favorite restaurants. I’ll crispy make a double batch next time to have extras for the freezer.
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked the recipe – thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I make my own taco meat all the time but never thought to use my Instant Pot…what a revelation! I used ground chicken and halved the recipe; I added about half a cup of tomato sauce, a teaspoon each of coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar before switching into bean/chili mode (the recipe I’ve used for a decade includes these ingredients and I find it makes a huge difference to add a splash of acid and and a dash of sweetener to taco meat). Loved the spice combination and the great flavor that developed by cooking this under pressure!
Awesome! I’ll have to try that some time 🙂
Really, really good. And super easy!! Probably the best ground beef tacos I’ve ever had. Super easy too. Topped my crunchy tacos with shredded cabbage, red onion, sour cream, tapatio, and fresh cilantro. Super good, will make again.
★★★★★
Andrew, that is so awesome to hear! Wow. Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Instapot instructions say never to used sealed lid when You sautée. Do you change to another selection when your instructions say lid for 10 minutes?
Hi Nina, yes, you have to change it to either the “manual” button or the “pressure cook” button depending on your model.
Just made this and it’s fantastic! My bf said it’s so good he could rub it all over his body! Ha ha! He’s hard to please! Can’t wait to try your other recipes. Delish!
Haha that’s awesome! I’m so glad you both liked it 🙂
If I wanted to double this recipe and make it in my 8 quart Instant Pot, how long do you think I should cook it for? This sounds really great! Thank you!
Hi Beth, you can keep the time the same – the Instant Pot will just take longer to reach pressure before it begins the countdown due to the extra meat inside. Hope that helps! Let me know what you think of it!
Is the manual setting meant to be on Low or High?
high 🙂
I’ve made this twice now, and it’s so incredible. I absolutely love the spice combo in the meat. My six year old and husband are also addicted. Very easy and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe, this will be in my rotation from here on out!
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I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for letting me know how much you and your family like the recipe 🙂
Hi Lisa, you can use either button – as long as you cook at high pressure for 30 minutes 🙂 I’m in the process of changing my directions as some of the newer models have different time settings.
I just made this to use for meal prep bowls for the week, and it is fabulous! I kind of questioned cooking under pressure for 30 minutes, then having to simmer it to reduce the liquid when I read the recipe. Seemed like an awful lot of work/time for just some taco meat I could do faster on the stove. I decided to try it out anyways bc I love the recipes on this site, and I love tacos.
Wow! I’m so so glad I did. A lot of the cooking time doesn’t require being in the kitchen, so I didn’t feel like it took that long. The end results was totally worth it. This meat is flavorful, tender, and tastes like it’s restaurant quality. It’s not mushy as some commenters wondered, and the seasoning is great! The only comment I’d make – make sure to use leaner ground beef. The way the steps are written, if you had to drain it, you’d end up losing some of the seasoning. I used 90/10 and it was perfect 🙂
Thank you for providing such a delicious, clean recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Beth! That’s so great to hear! I’ve actually reduced the cook time to 10 minutes after hearing feedback from my readers and it’s just as good! Thank you for the helpful comment – it will definitely help other readers!
Thank you. My family’s favorite taco meat recipe so far. I’ve tried several!
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Cynthia, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family like it!
Trying this as my first meal in my new instant pot and I am a bit nervous. I am a beginner cook. I am still confused in reading through the comments on this thread. You mentioned to cook on high for 10 minutes while others said 30 minutes on the chili mode. When I enter on high for 10 minutes does the pressure cook come to pressure and at the 10 minute mark it is done cooking and releases valve on its own? Or do I need to hit the quick release valve myself? A bit confused with the whole valve thing. Also how many would you say the recipe feeds? 6-8 adults?
Hi Emily, I changed the cooking time to 10 minutes after more testing/feedback and it works perfectly! I suggest following the directions in the recipe card and you’ll be set! Once the cooking time is done, just turn the valve to release pressure and once the pin drops, you’ll be able to open the lid. And I’d say it feeds 6-7. If you try this, please let me know what ya think!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this tonight. It’s the second time I’ve used my Instant Pot and it helped me learn more about what it can do.
Glad to hear that you liked it!
Thank you for this recipe! I haven’t tried it yet but wanted to ask: do you drain the fat from the ground beef? Or no?
Hi, I don’t but you can if you’d like 🙂
Do you think this would also come out well if you just threw everything in the pot and cooked without sauteeing? Would the cook time stay the same?
I think it’d be fine – I’ll have to try it this way one day to test it out…
I need to cook 7-8 pounds of taco meat for a party this weekend. Think I can safetly do it in one batch (I have the instant pot duo 6 quart).
This is our go-to taco filling. Our family loves it! Just doubled the batch and used an Elite electric pressure cooker and followed the directions exactly. Turned out scrumptious.
Valerie, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Made this tonight and it’s hands down the best taco meat recipe I’ve ever made. My husband loves it too. I only did a pound of ground beef so I halved the seasonings but kept cook time the same. So, so good. I’ve been looking for a good taco recipe for years and I finally found it! Thank you.
★★★★★
Jennifer, that is so great to hear!! Thanks for letting me how much you like this taco meat recipe 🙂
Not sure what went wrong but mine came out the consistency of chili. No amount of saute mode boiling got rid of the liquid. Despite that, it was delicious. A huge hit at my company potluck and my husband and 9 yr old raved about how good it was. No one minded eating tacos for dinner 3 nights in a row.
My first instant pot recipe to try besides steel cut oats. Was very successful. Thanks, glad I found you and can follow you on Pinterest and here.
★★★★★
Teresa, I’m so happy to hear that! Glad you found my blog too!
Could taco seasoning mix be used with the meat instead?
Yes, you can use taco seasoning instead
Hi, I was wondering how spicy (hot) is this recipe? I love tacos but have a low tolerance for spicyness 🙂 I know it’s relative but would you say is hot? medium? mild?
Thanks!
Mia, I suggest leaving out the cayenne in this recipe or adding it at the very end according to taste. Without the cayenne, this will be a flavorful recipe, not a spicy one 🙂
Thank you!
Incredibly obsessed with this recipe – I haven’t made taco meat any other way in over a year and I always come back to your site to make sure I get it just right! THANK YOU!
Rachelle, that’s so great to hear!! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it 🙂
So my family cannot eat green peppers. Do you think that leaving those out will affect the moisture in the meat as it cooks? Does it matter what percentage of fat the beef has? I hope this helps my son enjoy tacos more!
This is a weekly staple now. We eat it over sweet potatoes and sauteed cabbage for lunch. It reheats beautifully, maybe even better the next day. Ashley’s skill with blending spices is very impressive!!!
★★★★★
Tonja, thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Made this tonight. Tremendous! Definitely a future staple.
★★★★★
Rob, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I’ve made this recipe twice in as many weeks.
Easy and DELICIOUS.
Last night I subbed 1lb of black bean & brown rice (which I make in huge batches in the instant pot and store in the freezer) because I only had 1lb of beef handy. Required a bit more liquid (1/2 cup). Very authentic tasting!
I like to finish it off with the juice of 1 lime after step 6. I like the brightness of the lime but it is still amazing without.
Well done.
★★★★★
Darcy, so happy to hear that! And thanks for sharing – I’ll have to try it that way some time!
Can you start with frozen meat? We processed our own grassfed beef, but reading this I want to try it NOW and don’t have meat thawed! New Instant Pot user- your recipes are where i am starting!
Heather, so happy to hear that you’re starting with my recipes! If it were me, I would probably sauté until the meat thawed to make sure it mixes well with the spices – I know that will take longer since you’re starting with frozen meat. Technically I think you can pressure cook the whole frozen chunk of ground beef then sauté at the end to boil off any additional liquid that released – I just haven’t tried it this way. Let me know if you do that and how it goes!
How do you get the beef broken down while cooking? Is that why you sauté first? If so then why Pressure cook?
I usually cook 4-5 pounds of beef and pork mixture and package into small bags and freeze. It takes for ever. This seems so much faster. Can I do that much at one time?
Yes, you can cook more meat at a time. Pressure cooking helps to really infuse flavor in the meat, give it a try and let me know what you think!
I have a 3 quart instant pot. What size is this recipe for?
Hi Neelam, all of my recipes are made with a 6 quart. You can try halving the recipe for the 3 quart but keep the cook time the same.
I made this for my family using ground turkey. My husband didn’t even realize it was ground turkey until I mentioned something about it. We’ve added this into our regular rotation!
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Brittny, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out for you and your hubby 🙂
I don’t usually review recipes, but this one is fantastic. Seriously. Make this tonight! You won’t be sorry. Thanks so much for posting!
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Ann, so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Made this tonight- SO good. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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Daniela, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I like how straight forward this is. I’m looking to add meal to my repetoire that allow me to “set it and forget it” until I can put together stuff quickly after activites. If I saute and set the pressure cooker part, can I leave it until I get back an hour later, then saute to boil off any additional liquid? Thanks so much
Thanks Rane! So happy to hear that you like this 🙂 And yes, you can leave it – it’ll switch to the warm setting and be ready for you whenever you get home 🙂
Amazingly good! So flavorful! I just made this with ground turkey minus the green pepper and cilantro. I couldn’t help adding some water, but I just used a baster to remove excess water. This one is a keeper— thank you!
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Julie, I’m so glad you like this recipe!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
How many servings does this make? Roughly how many tacos would I get from 2 pounds of grass fed beef?
Delicious! I left out green peppers and basil, and added red potatoes in the 6th step as suggested. It’s spicy, but you don’t notice how spicy until you eat a couple of them! That’s the best kind of spice! Will make this again!
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I’m so glad you liked the taco meat! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I made this recipe today with the only variation was that I only added 1/2 tsp of chili pepper. It is the best recipe taco rwcipe I have tried!! It is delicious and easy to make. Did not added water and put it in the sauté option at the end to boil the water down!! It was amazing!
Arielina, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how the taco meat turned out for you 🙂
I made this today , I did add a small can of tomato sauce and then I put it on sauté to get rid of the extra liquid at the end ! It’s a keeper ! Thank you for this Great easy instant pot taco meat meal ! We loved it !
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Cheryl, that’s great! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
DELICIOUS! I want to print it on my nice recipe paper, but I can’t get it to print without the ads. Any ideas?
Thanks!
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Can you double this recipe in the instant pot?
Yes 🙂 Just double all of the ingredients but keep the cook time the same 🙂
Amazing! Best taco meat I have ever made! Will try using leaner meat in the future to make less greasy but I can’t complain. First recipe from this site, but will look for more soon!
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Jaynie, I’m glad you liked it so much! Can’t wait to hear what you think of any other recipes you try from my site 🙂
What do you mean in step three when it says add the ground beef and cook until browned? How do you cook it?
I just meant to cook on sauté/stir it it until it’s browned
The spice combination is delicious. I used 90/10 beef and did not drain the fat. Just required a little sauté at the end. This one is a keeper!
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Lindsay, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for ya 🙂
Really enjoyed this one. Definitely in the Dad toolbox.
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I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
This recipe is so yummy! After browning my meat, there wasn’t much juice so I did add 1/2 cup of water. You were right, there was quite a bit of juice I had to cook off, so next time, I won’t add the water. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
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Jana, I’m so happy to hear that you liked this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Excellent recipe! I made just a few changes: I doubled the amount of cumin ( I love the flavor of cumin in taco meat), and I doubled the amount of salt. Also, I used red bell peppers to make the results look more attractive. I actually prefer my taco meat to be on the “mushy” side, so I increased the cooking time to 15 minutes. I also added 1/2 cup of beef broth. One other thing: in order to better control the browning, I let the diced bell peppers sauté for a minute or two before I added the onions. Then I waited another minute or two before I added the garlic. I guess this is just a preference thing.
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Mark, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Wow, what a great idea. I am going to use this method for my all ground meat. I often cook for groups of 40+ and must do some food prep. I sometimes prep cook my beef and freeze, the extra juice in the meat makes it a great freezer item. I did add some cider vinegar just becasue add some sort of vingegar to all most everything.
10 Minutes natural release is PERFECT. Thanks.
Look forward to cooking it down more and stuffing my Mexican Egg Rools with it!
Somehow the food cooked in the insta pot intensify the spices.
Again, thanks so much I am going to make use of this often, in may dishes.
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Edgar, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this 🙂
LOVE this recipe. I tried it a few weeks ago for the first time and have since made it 4 times. Delicious!
★★★★★
Wendy, that’s so great to hear!! Thank you for leaving a review and letting me know how the taco meat turned out for you 🙂
I’m planning on making this for a party. If I used 4 lbs of ground meat, would I have to adjust the cooking time or keep it the same?
BEST taco meat recipe!!
Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thanks Elisa! So glad you liked it!
Love the Recipe! Maybe censor your ads a bit better so I don’t have to picture feet and fungus right next to the instructions even if I want to print it out. All I can think of is ground beef foot fungus!
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Hi Albert, so glad you love the recipe! Unfortunately we (bloggers) don’t really have a say over what ads show… I think they are targeted to users/searches so if you were using a public computer, you might see ads that have nothing to do with you/your family. Sorry about that!
I’ve made this recipe numerous times – with ground turkey, beef, pork, chicken, and with other mild modifications. Every time it has been exceptionally delicious. I highly recommend this impeccably flavorful recipe and will most certainly be making some form of it many more times in the future.
★★★★★
Candice, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Haven’t tried it yet. Wanted to tonight, do you use 90% lean ground beef? Or is it preference?
Totally up to you 🙂
This is fantastic! New family favorite!
★★★★★
Thanks Elise! I’m so glad you liked this 🙂
I made this today and the meat was delicious – best instant pot tacos I’ve ever made!
★★★★★
Angie, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you liked the taco meat 🙂
Best ground beef instant pot recipe online.
★★★★★
Thanks, Matt! So great to hear – thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
I have made this like 5 times now! So delicious.
Lauren, wow that’s so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
I have made this recipe every two weeks for three years. I add corn and celery for colour, texture and vitamins. I also swap out one green pepper for a red one for colour. Bag it in 1/2 cup glad bags and freeze it. It is wick and easy for dinners when I get home. Thank you.
★★★★★
Lorne, really happy to hear that you’ve been making this so often for so long! That’s so awesome to hear. Thanks for letting me know how much you like this and for sharing how you meal prep 🙂
After our first time trying this recipe a few years ago, we completely stopped buying prepacked taco seasoning blends and just always keep a jar of this blend around for all our taco needs.
We especially love the leftovers from this recipe in breakfast tacos or burritos the next day 🙂
★★★★★
Sarah, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Tried this today it was very flavorful but I did leave the green peppers out because I don’t like them but it still had a good flavor but in my opinion needed more of it so that’s why I gave it 4 stars but this is personal preference so take that into consideration. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
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