Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

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These (Instant Pot) Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas are sure to be a family favorite. Featuring pressure cooker shredded beef, these enchiladas are then wrapped in a soft flour tortilla, covered in a not-too-spicy sauce and Mexican cheese, and baked in an oven until golden brown and gooey. 

Instant Pot Shredded Beef Enchiladas

These Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas are one of my most popular recipes on the site. It’s easy to see why—they’re easy to make, and you can customize the spices and heat level to your family’s taste. (My boys like to top theirs with a generous amount of Cholula while my daughter keeps it mild.)

To make the beef, you just pop all the ingredients into the pressure cooking pot and cook at High Pressure. It’s dump-and-go, no browning required. This makes it easy to make the beef in advance—either the night before or in the morning—then they’re quick and easy to roll and bake when dinnertime rolls around.

Converting Slow Cooker Recipes to Pressure Cooker Recipes

Marci, a Pressure Cooking Today reader, emailed me to ask for advice on converting a couple of slow cooker recipes to pressure cooker recipes, including a recipe for Shredded Beef Enchiladas from Mel’s Kitchen. Mel’s recipe looked like one my family would love, so I decided to convert it into a pressure cooker recipe and share it with everyone.

Slow cooker recipes are generally easy to convert to pressure cooker recipes because they generally call for liquid and marinades. Pressure cookers also makes quick soups that taste like they’ve simmered in your slow cooker all day long.

For more details on how to convert your own recipes to pressure cooker recipes, see my How to Convert a Recipe post. For greater detail, see “Converting a Regular Recipe for a Pressure Cooker” (pages 25-27) in my Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook.

Enchiladas, Burritos, Tacos and More

The Shredded Beef Enchiladas recipe makes enough meat for about 10 enchiladas. I only made six and froze the rest of the meat for tacos for another day.

Electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot are perfect for turning inexpensive cuts of meat into tender, succulent meals. These meats are fall-apart tender and perfect for making fillings for enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and more.

I love to make a big batch of meat and freeze the leftovers for later. If I don’t have a dinner planned, I like to freeze meat in individual portions. I often have kids and grandkids dropping by for a meal, so I never know how much I’ll need at one time. Freezing meats in single portions allows me to pull out one serving for a quick lunch for me or several servings when someone shows up unexpectedly.

I also like to keep single portions of Cilantro Lime Rice on hand for these last-minute meals as well.

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Making Shredded Beef Enchiladas in an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create these delicious Shredded Beef Enchiladas!

Collage showing the making of Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

When making this recipe, use a chuck roast because it has plenty of fat and the meat will come out super tender and flavorful.

After cooking, you will get rid of most of the fat when you shred the beef and separate the fat from the cooking liquids.

Use an instant-read thermometer to verify your beef is at least 145°F in the thickest part after cooking.

If you want to get rid of even more fat, make the shredded beef a day ahead and refrigerate the meat and juices overnight. The next day, remove the fat the when it’s solid.

Slow cooked flavor in a fraction of the time - Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Mel said the recipe was sent to her by a reader, and it is a great recipe. The beef is rich and flavorful. I used a mild salsa and the beef was not very spicy. If you like your beef enchiladas with a bit more kick, I would use a hot salsa or add a can of diced chiles.

Update: This recipe is still on regular rotation at my house. Here’s a quick video to show you how I make it!

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas

Yield: 10 enchiladas
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-pound chuck beef roast
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 10 6-inch flour or corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions

  1. Mix together the broth, vinegar, salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in the pressure cooking pot. Add the beef. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 75 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.
  2. Remove the beef from the pressure cooker and shred with two forks, discard any fat as you shredded. Use a turkey baster or fat separator to remove excess fat from the cooking liquid.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water; add to the liquid in the pressure cooking pot. Select saute and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened slightly.
  4. Mix 1/2 cup sauce with the shredded beef. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  5. Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the shredded beef mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the pan.
  6. Pour sauce over the enchiladas (you may not need to use all the sauce.)
  7. Top with any remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and hot. Let the enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  8. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and fresh salsa, optional.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 826Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 695mgCarbohydrates: 101gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 65g
If you like this Pressure Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas recipe, you might also like my Pressure Cooker Pork Tamale recipe, my Cafe Rio Style Sweet Pork Tostada recipe, or my Pressure Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Salad recipe. You may also like the pork, chicken, and steak options available in The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook.

All are faster and easier when made in your Instant Pot or other brand of electric pressure cooker.

You might also like these recipes from my food blogger friends:

Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef, Taste and Tell
Mexican Poblano Instant Pot Chicken, Sweet Basil
Instant Pot Chicken Mole, Well Plated

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originally published December 9, 2018 — last updated July 22, 2020
Categories: Beef