Beef Carnitas is super easy and cooked all day in a slow cooker. Great for tacos, meal prep, full of veggies, minimal effort, versatile, and high in protein.
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About Beef Carnitas
Carnitas is a Mexican pork dish that translates to "little meats." This version uses beef instead of pork, which I believe is technically called beef barbacoa.
What's nice is that this makes a pretty big batch, so it can be enjoyed for high protein meal prep for a few meals over the week.
Plus, you can enjoy it in multiple ways: with tortilla chips, as tacos in warm tortillas, or over rice for rice bowls. Or freeze it and enjoy it later when you have no energy or time to cook.
In my opinion, the beauty of the slow cooker is that you don't have much work to do to prepare dinner.
And while these aren't super budget-friendly, they are still cost-effective at less than $5 per serving.
All the veggies stretch the meat further and make the beef carnitas even more nutritious.
Honestly, I love these beef carnitas, and I'm pretty sure you will, too!
Ingredients
Veggies: These beef carnitas are packed with veggies, including chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Any color of bell peppers can be used. For the onions, you can use yellow onion, red onion, or sweet onions.
Personally, I like to use 4 bell peppers and 2 onions, but you can adjust to your liking. Also, you can add diced carrots and/or celery.
Seasoning: A dry rub with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt seasons the beef carnitas. Feel free to play around with the amounts. For example, you can decrease the salt if you are trying to reduce the sodium content.
Beef: For testing, skirt steak and flank steak were used. You can also use flat iron steak, top blade, chuck eye roast, chuck arm roast, beef chuck roast, and chuck tender roast.
More about beef!
Grass Fed vs Grain Finished Beef
Learn the difference, health benefits, and more.
Recipe Cost
- onions 2 medium: $1
- green bell peppers 2 medium: $1.44
- red bell peppers 2 medium: $1.98
- jalapeño 1 medium: $0.20
- chili powder 2 teaspoons: $0.16
- cumin 1 teaspoon: $0.13
- salt 1 teaspoon: $0.01
- garlic powder ½ teaspoon: $0.04
- black pepper ½ teaspoon: $0.06
- cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon: $0.02
- flank steak 2 pounds: $20.84
TOTAL COST: $25.88 or $3.24/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2025)
Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Look at the price per ounce or pound of beef to get the best deal.
- There are multiple cuts of beef that work for this recipe, so buy the one that is least expensive if needed.
- Freeze leftover slow cooker beef carnitas recipe that you won't have time to cook to prevent food waste (which saves on your food budget as well).
How to Make Beef Carnitas
Beef Carnitas is super easy and cooked all day in a crockpot. You'll love them because they are great for minimal effort, healthy, versatile, and high-protein.
- Step 1: Fill the slow cooker with onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos.
- Step 2: Top with beef, and season.
- Step 3: Cover and cook.
- Step 4: When the meat is done, remove it from the slow cooker.
- Step 5: Shred or chop the beef.
- Step 6: Return it to the slow cooker, and enjoy!
Beef Carnitas Tip
Stir the spices together in a small bowl, so they are evenly distributed over the meat.
Recipe Tips
How to Fix a Mistake
- Too much liquid: Simply drain off the liquid before serving.
- Lacking flavor: Season with additional chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, or salt. Also, you can add red pepper flakes for more heat. Or add a squeeze of lime juice.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Beef carnitas recipe is great for a meal prep and make-ahead meal. Prepare as directed and keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to enjoy.
Storage Suggestions
Keep the shredded beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
I highly recommend freezing in smaller containers because you can defrost only the amount you need. That way, you won't spend time defrosting the entire batch.
To reheat:
- In the microwave: Place in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 45 seconds at 100% power. Flip and microwave for another 30-45 seconds until warm.
- In a skillet: In a dry skillet over medium heat, add the beef mixture and cook for about 3 minutes per side until warm.
Variations
Ingredient Options
Veggies: Use about 6-8 cups of chopped veggies in any combo. Feel free to use different colored bell peppers, poblano peppers, or add carrots, etc.
Beef: Luckily, these carnitas work with most proteins if you do not eat red meat. Pork or chicken are both great options.
Pepper: If you don't want these to be spicy, omit the jalapeno or cayenne pepper. Or if you prefer more spice, increase the jalapenos or cayenne pepper.
How to Make Allergy-Friendly
These slow cooker beef carnitas tacos are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beef carnitas recipe is made of steak, peppers, onions, jalapenos, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and pepper.
The best meat cuts for beef carnitas include skirt steak, flank steak, flat iron steak, top blade, chuck eye roast, chuck arm roast, and chuck tender roast.
Fun Fact
This is one of my favorite recipes to bring to friends when I am taking them a meal because it's so versatile, delicious, and nutritious.
Nutrition Benefits
One serving of these fall-apart tender beef carnitas provides 26 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 81% RDA of Vitamin C, 25% of Vitamin A, 17% of iron, and 15% of potassium.
Plus, it's a great way to get a full serving of veggies for extra nutrients.
This spicy beef is the perfect recipe for meal prep and busy weeknight dinners.
What to Serve with Beef Carnitas
This shredded carnitas steak can be served in corn tortillas or flour tortillas for delicious tacos, over chips for nachos, with fries, or with cooked beans and rice. Or simply serve over cooked rice, quinoa, or lentils.
Great with your favorite toppings like fresh cilantro, avocado, low-sodium salsa, black bean mango salsa, lime wedges, pico de gallo, and cheese. Or top with a cilantro avocado sauce.
Honestly, these can be enjoyed in whatever way you want!
If you decide to serve these as tacos, serve them in homemade tortillas if you're feeling extra fancy.
Serving Tip
Remove the shredded meat from the crock pot with a slotted spoon.
Final thoughts:
Flavorful beef carnitas made in the crock pot are simple, delicious, and great recipe for meal prep. You can serve this easy meal in a variety of ways, and you get a serving of veggies in each serving of steak carnitas.
While they aren't super budget-friendly, one serving of beef carnitas is less than $5. Plus, the extra onions and bell peppers help to stretch the meat further, and they give your dish extra nutrients.
Everyone in the family (who eats meat) will enjoy this slow cooker staple, and you get a big batch. With only a little effort of cutting the veggies, you get a lot of food.
MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 2 medium green bell peppers chopped
- 2 medium red bell peppers chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded & minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds skirt steak
Instructions
- Put the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño in the Crock-Pot.
- Put the steak on top of the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cayenne pepper. Rub the mixture over both sides of the steak.
- Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.
- Take the steak out and transfer it to a cutting board. Let cool for 10 minutes, then shred the steak.
- Put the shredded meat back in the slow cooker. Stir everything together and serve in tortillas with avocado, cilantro, and lime slices.
Notes
What to Use in This Recipe
Meme
This post was originally published on January 17, 2013. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.
Beef Carnitas Nutrition Facts
(from the original 2013 post)
Carole
These look so delicious! Great photography! I'm going to give them a try - anything Mexican is a fave! Just stopping by from this week's SITS Tribe Challenge.
Meme
Thanks!! They are so so so good! I love when I have leftovers in my freezer. And you're so right; anything Mexican is my fave too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂