When it comes to taco night, these Quesabirria Tacos are an amazing recipe! It starts with our birria recipe and then dunks tortillas in the rich broth before frying them filled with cheese and shredded beef! It’s messy and delicious, and it may level up your taco night forever!
🎥 Watch: How to Make quesabirria
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Birria has taken the country by storm. This humble Mexican stew, a traditional Mexican dish made with goat meat, has become a common dish all over the place. Not only the stew but the juicy tender meat, which is cooked low and slow in chilis, is used in all sorts of tasty dishes like beef birria garnachas, birria quesadillas, and these beef birria tacos, aka Quesabirria Tacos.
Imagine a crispy corn tortilla packed with succulent, juicy, and spicy meat with plenty of cheese oozing out and getting crisp in the pan. Can you taste it? But wait, there’s more! The rich sauce is served on the side for dunking, making these fun AND delicious to eat.
The recipe starts with authentic Mexican Birria, a meaty beef stew that we make from a tough and inexpensive cut of meat. Be sure to start the birria at least the day before because it cooks low and slow for hours. Or you could skip the Dutch oven and make Instant Pot birria, slow cooker birria, or pulled smoked chuck roast instead.
WHAT ARE QUESABIRRIA TACOS?
Queso means cheese, so you guessed it, these tasty beefy tacos are loaded with melted cheese. We use Oaxaca cheese, which is like a fresh Monterey Jack cheese. It has a mild, creamy flavor and a bit of a salty tang that goes well with these tacos.
You can find this cheese in many local grocery stores and, for sure, at Latin markets. It’s perfect in this cheesy taco quesabirria recipe.
QUESABIRRIA TACOS INGREDIENTS
What do you need to make Quesabirria Tacos? You’ll need to start with the meat from the Mexican Birria stew, also known as birria de res. You’ll also need these ingredients for cheesy birria tacos:
- Beef broth from the birria recipe is used for dunking the tacos, kind of like a French dip sandwich that you dunk in au jus before biting. Don’t skip the dipping sauce!
- Fresh corn tortillas – We tested this recipe with homemade psyllium husk tortillas to make these keto birria tacos. They didn’t hold up as well, but they did get the job done. If you’re not doing low-carb, stick with regular white or yellow corn tortillas.
- Oaxaca cheese – Shredded Oaxaca cheese is our first pick for these tacos.
- Lime wedges – a squeeze of fresh lime puts these tacos over the top!
And because we’re all about flavor, we’re topping these birria tacos with a delish onion topping and chipotle crema. To make these, you’ll need:
- Onion – Fresh yellow or white onion. If you don’t care for sharp onion flavor, opt for a sweet onion.
- Jalapeno – Because it’s all about the spice! Remove the seeds and chop them finely.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds so much flavor!
- Adobo sauce – You’ll find this in the canned chipotles in adobo sauce. You need some of the paste. Toss the chipotles into a baggie and pop them in the freezer to use later.
Crema – Sold as crema, you can also make your own by combining sour cream with heavy cream and lime juice until it’s smooth and pourable.
How to Make Beef Birria Tacos
Seriously, we’re in love with these homemade birria tacos, and you will be, too! Once you’ve got the birria meat cooked and shredded, this birria taco recipe is easy.
To make the onion topping, mince the onion and mix it with the cilantro and finely diced jalapeno. Add a pinch of salt.
Make the chipotle crema: blend the adobo sauce with the crema and lime juice.
Assemble the tacos by reheating the beef birria meat (the microwave is fine) and reheat the broth in a small pan on the stove.
Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush oil over the surface.
Dunk the tortillas in the birria broth to coat them and place them in the hot pan.
Fill the tacos with shredded beef and cheese and fold them over. Fry them until they’re golden brown on one side, then flip them and fry them on the other side until the cheese melts.
Top them with the diced onion mixture and chipotle crema and serve them with a side of consomé (hot broth) for dipping and a squeeze of lime juice.
🔪 Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- Mise en place is the key to success. Get everything ready ahead of time because the cooking process goes swiftly once you’ve started.
- Prep the crema and onions before making the tacos. Make the chipotle crema and onion topping the day before to cut down on cooking time before serving.
- Make the shredded beef birria ahead of time. Make a batch of birria, freeze it, and use leftover birria meat later to make tasty dishes like this quesabirria taco recipe. The shredded meat can be added to nachos, stuffed into burritos, and so much more.
- If you don’t like corn tortillas, feel free to use flour tortillas instead!
What to Serve With Quesabirria Tacos
Serve these delectable tacos with an Easy Grilled Corn Salad, Rajas Con Crema, and this Easy Fire Roasted Poblano Crema!
Leftovers & Reheating
Sadly, once these tacos are made, they’re never quite the same reheated the next day. You can, however, get all the components ready, and if you have leftovers of those, you can store them in the fridge and use them to make birria nachos.
The crema will keep for 3-4 days tightly covered in the fridge, and so will the onion topping. You can freeze extra meat to use in recipes later or keep it in the fridge for 5-6 days, tightly covered in an airtight container. The flavorful broth will also keep in the fridge for a few days.
MORE DELICIOUS TACO RECIPES
Pork Recipes
Pork Carnitas
Seafood
Cajun Grilled Shrimp Tacos
Beef Recipes
Enchilada Smoked Stuffed Poblano Peppers
GC Original
BBQ Brisket Tacos with Dubliner Cheese Sauce
You can’t go wrong with tender beef birria and shredded cheese all wrapped up in warm tortillas and served with a side of hot broth! If you’re looking for a fun twist on traditional Mexican food, you have to try these Quesabirria tacos!
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Quesabirria Tacos
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
For the quesabirria tacos
- 1 Recipe Birria strained, or 3 cups shredded beef
- 2 cups broth from birria recipe or 3 cups beef consomme
- 1 tbsp oil
- 24 Corn tortilla
- 24 oz Oaxaca cheese shredded
For the onion topping:
- ½ onion minced
- 1 jalapeno stemmed, seeds removed, minced
- 4 tbsp Cilantro
- 1 tsp Salt
Chipotle Crema
- 2 tbsp paste from chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- ¼ cup crema
- 1 lime
Garnish
- 4 Limes sliced into wedges
Instructions
Make the Chipotle crema:
- Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl.2 tbsp paste from chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, ¼ cup crema
- Add the juice of one lime.1 lime
- Cover until ready to use
Make the onion topping:
- Whisk the chopped onion, jalapeno, and cilantro together in a bowl.½ onion, 1 jalapeno, 4 tbsp Cilantro
- Season with a pinch of salt.1 tsp Salt
- Set aside until ready to use.
Make the quesabirria tacos:
- Reheat the birria in a microwave safe bowl or in a small oan on the stove.1 Recipe Birria
- Meanwhile, reheat the beef broth in a small pot on the stove over medium-low heat.2 cups broth from birria recipe
- Preheat a cast iron skillet or large griddle over medium-high heat. Brush oil over the surface.1 tbsp oil
- Working one at a time dunk a tortilla into the broth.24 Corn tortilla, 2 cups broth from birria recipe
- Place onto the skillet and fill half with a layer of cheese and meat. Fold over to close.24 oz Oaxaca cheese, 1 Recipe Birria
- Fry the taco until crisp and just starting to brown on one side.
- Flip and fry the other side. Its ok if cheese melts out a bit.
- Repeat as needed to assemble all of your tacos, filling the skillet or griddle as you go to work in batches.
Serve
- Serve the tacos hot from the griddle.
- Divide the remaining broth into small ramikins with the onion mixure on the side for everyone to dip their tacos into the broth and top with the onions and lime wedges.4 Limes
Video
Notes
Monterey jack cheese works great if you can’t find Oaxaca.
Nutrition
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Kita, this is a delicious recipe. I made it with my boys’ help which was fun and it turned out wonderful. Just the right amount of spice!
This with pickled red onions, diced tomatoes, and shredded cabbage was perfect!
Thanks!