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Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos with spicy red verde sauce and tangy jalapeño yogurt. Because loaded tacos are just better. Slow-cooked beef chuck roast seasoned with a smoky chipotle chili spice mix. Then braised with fresh orange juice until caramelized and falling apart. Shred the meat, then stuff it into warm taco shells with a quick red salsa verde sauce, jalapeño yogurt, and crumbled cotija cheese. These tacos are saucy, spicy, cheesy, and so yummy! You’ll love this slow cooker recipe any time of year on a busy day.
Taco Tuesday is more of a thing, but this week we’ve got Wednesday night tacos, and we are here for it. I’ve been so excited to share this easy recipe. These are currently some of our most favorite tacos!
It’s the shredded chipotle beef – SO GOOD.
I know I’ve spoken about my dad’s tacos many times over. But for those of you who may be new, my Dad made tacos at least once a week. They were a staple when my brothers and I were growing up, and my dad had them down to a T.
He’d make his tacos with ground beef and store-bought taco seasoning. Then he’d stuff the meat into flour tortillas with a little cheddar cheese, maybe some lettuce, and nothing else. No beans, no avocado, not even cilantro or fresh lime juice. Very, very basic, but to this day, they were one of our most loved dinners.
Now I’m the one making tacos all the time. My tacos are typically crispy like dads. But today’s tacos are a little switch-up. They’re made in soft shells and we absolutely love them. It’s all about the shredded chipotle beef!
Here are the details
Step 1: the seasoning
My go-to taco seasoning blend is chipotle chili powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, Mexican oregano, and salt.
I use this for my weeknight tacos, it’s my favorite blend.
Step 2: slow-cook the meat
You can braise the meat in the oven or use the crock pot. Both methods are almost identical and equally delicious.
Arrange lots of sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add orange juice and a small bit of honey, then water. Slow braise the meat for 2-3 hours in the oven or 5 hours in the crockpot. As the meat is slowly cooking, the braising liquid turns into a yummy red sauce. Save this sauce, and we’ll make a dipping sauce with it!
Step 3: shred the meat
When the roast is falling apart, remove it from the pot and shred the meat.
Step 4: the sauce
Now take the red sauce in the pot and mix it with salsa verde. This is your dipping/drizzling sauce for the tacos. It’s spicy and smoky. Make sure to season with salt.
For this jalapeño lime yogurt, simply add everything to a bowl – the yogurt, garlic, pickled jalapeños, lime, and salt. Then mix until creamy. The recipe is in the ingredient notes!
Step 5: assemble
Originally, I was going to make these crispy tacos, which you can still totally do. But I didn’t have the right tortillas. So I used some soft shells tortillas from Caramelo Tortillas that I had on hand. We ended up loving them. Using good tortillas is the key to great soft-shell tacos, and theirs are the best. I like the pork and duck fat options.
Stuff the meat into the charred tortillas. Then take the red verde sauce and spoon it over the meat. Add all of your favorite taco toppings–avocado, cilantro, and lots of sharp cheddar cheese and/or cojita cheese.
The bonus is that these beef tacos are simple to make, which makes them even better, you could even do burrito bowls!
Looking for more simple weeknight recipes? Here are a few favorites:
Crispy Cider Braised White Chili Chicken Tacos
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Healthier Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Lastly, if you make these Crockpot Chipotle Pot Roast Tacos, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Chipotle Honey Pot Roast Tacos
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 203 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 1 (4 pound) chuck roast
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 12 hard or soft taco shells, warmed
- cilantro, green onion, avocado, and crumbled cotija cheese, for serving
Instructions
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. 2. Arrange the onions in the bottom of a large, oven-safe Dutch oven. 3. In a bowl, mix the chipotle, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Rub the roast all over with the spice mix, then place on top of the onions. Pour over the orange juice, 3/4 cup water, and the honey. Cover and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until very tender.4. Crank the heat on the oven up to 425° F. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes, until deeply caramelized on top. Remove the meat from the pot and shred it using two forks. 5. Mix the salsa verde with 1 cup of the braising sauce – season with salt.6. Stuff the beef and onions into the warmed taco shells and top with cilantro, avocado, and cheese. Serve with salsa verde. Enjoy!
- Crockpot
- 1. Arrange the onions in the bottom of the crockpot bowl. 3. In a bowl, mix the chipotle, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Place the roast over the onions, then rub all over with the spice mix. Pour over the orange juice, 3/4 cup water, and the honey. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.4. Remove the meat from the crockpot and shred it using two forks. 5. Mix the salsa verde with 1 cup of the braising sauce – season with salt.6. Stuff the beef and onions into the warmed taco shells and top with cilantro, avocado, and cheese. Serve with salsa verde. Enjoy!
Notes
Jalapeño Lime Yogurt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
2 tablespoons lime juice Combine all in a bowl, mixing until creamy. Season with salt. For Easy Homemade Hard Shells: Warm 8-12 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and beef. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
2 tablespoons lime juice Combine all in a bowl, mixing until creamy. Season with salt. For Easy Homemade Hard Shells: Warm 8-12 corn tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Lay each flat and then layer evenly with cheese and beef. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling, gently pushing to adhere (see above photo). Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.
Made these for NYE last night to share with some friends, and these were a HUGE hit!
Hi Emi,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Happy New Year!🥳🥂 xx
Made these for dinner over the weekend and this may now be my favorite fancy (but super easy) taco meat. My chuck roast was just under 3 lbs and I seared it in a pan first, but I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. Cooked in the crock pot for 5 hours and it was fall apart tender. SOO good!
Hey Becca,
Happy Holidays! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best day:) xx
I made this tonight with just over 3+ pounds of meat…everything else as written. Yum! Fanciest, tastiest tacos I’ve ever made!
Thanks so much, Mary Kay!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Tuesday! xx
After cooking my roast for 7 hours on low, it was only a 165 degrees and not falling apart…. because the recipe says to only cook it for 5 hours I wasn’t sure if it was undercooked or overcooked… everything smells so good.I just put it all on a bowl and put it in the.Refrigerator overnight. The next day, I threw it in my pressure cooker and set it to ten minutes. Voila it was done and perfect. I will definitely make these again, but next time I will put them in the crockpot on high for 5 hours. I forgot to add that.I put the salsa verde over the top of my roast while it cooked in the crock pot.
Hey Shiela,
Happy Weekend! Thanks so much for trying this dish and your comment, love to hear it turned out nicely! xT
I think the oven braise result is far superior to the crock pot and no more work! Def 10/10!!
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Ingrid! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Friday! xx
Hi! I love so many of your recipes. Last night I made your cider braised pot roast. I was thinking of using the leftovers to make tacos/quesadillas. Do you think the sweetness of that recipe will marry into the flavor profile of this one well? Thanks for your feedback, the cider pot roast was yummy!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for making the pot roast, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! Yes!! I love this idea, what a great way to use the leftover meat. Have a nice weekend! xT
I have made this twice in the past 3 weeks. It’s replaced our regular boring ground beef tacos – my 4 and 5 year old love it (I do leave out the chipotle and make sure the salsa verde I use is mild). My husband drank all the orange juice last time, so I subbed pineapple juice because I had it, and I think it was actually even better! Definitely watch the temperature – the beef needs to hit like 195ish degrees for the connective tissue to melt to make the beef shreddable. In my crockpot, that takes longer than the recipe says.
Hey Laura,
That’s awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out nicely for you! Xx
Something went really wrong in the slow cooking process. I followed instructions as stated and my roast was chewy in some parts and tough in others. Also disappointed in the flavor. I tried to save by making quesadillas and even cheese couldn’t save it, some how it just got worse. Not my best work, probably my biggest cooking flop.
Hi Stella,
Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! What size was your roast? Please let me know if I can help in any way! xT
This was so good! My boyfriend said they were quite possibly the best tacos he has ever had. I made it in the slow cooker, and served it with homemade tortillas (your recipe- thanks T!)… so good. It was my first time cooking a chuck roast and I was so pleased with how it turned out. I used a 2.5lb chuck roast (a little less than the recipe calls for), but I did everything else as written. Looking forward to making this a 2nd time. Appreciate you!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
Oh my goodness! So delicious! Definitely will be making this again.
Hey Nancy,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I appreciate you giving it a try! xT
I’m making this for the second time today, it’s such a fantastic recipe! I was a bit confused by the 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt in the ingredients given the recipe refers to 1 tbsp salt in the instructions. Can you clarify how much salt to use in the spice mix vs how much to use in the sauce?
Hey Nancy,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Sorry for any confusion, you can use 1T of the salt. Happy Sunday! xT
hi there- any salsa verde you would recommend? I have never used the sauce that is made when you make the beef to be added to a green salsa. So intrigued! thanks!
Hey Monica,
Whole Foods 365 brand has one that I really like and same with Frontera brand. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
If I could give this 10 stars, I would! This was a find for not only my immediate family but my extended family too. It made such a generous amount that I froze a bag full of meat and we just pulled it out. It warmed up beautifully and we made yummy tostadas out of it this time. There is still enough for another meal so it will make an appearance at Saturday brunch tomorrow as breakfast tacos with the addition of scrambled egg and a side of fried potatoes. Can’t wait to fix this for our dinner club!
Hey Amy,
Happy Friday! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it and your feedback! xT
Made this a while back and loved it! But it’s been a while so I can’t exactly remember the flavor profile. Has anyone tried/think it would work to sub the orange juice for pineapple juice, maybe even top with pineapple?
Hey Cassie,
I think that would work nicely for you! Let me know if you give it a try, I hope it turns out well! xT