Quick and Easy Instant Pot Carne Asada

If you love ordering Carne Asada street tacos from your favorite food truck or Mexican restaurant, you’re going to love this recipe.  The recipe is super easy and the beef comes out tender and so flavorful.

Carne Asada (pronounced “caar-nay ah-saa-da”) means “grilled meat” in Spanish and is traditionally a grilled skirt steak or flank steak that can be used in tacos, fajitas, or served straight up with rice, tortillas, and vegetables.

I adapted this recipe for the Instant Pot from the Elote Cafe Cookbook written by the chef at the Sedona, Arizona restaurant Elote Cafe.  If you’re ever in Sedona, you need to visit this restaurant – it’s fabulous!  I love the seasonings used in the marinade. The recipe has some unusual ingredients, including yogurt, but they work together to give the meat wonderful flavors.

Serve your carne asada in tacos, burritos, or fajitas with your choice of fillings (e.g. guacamole, pico de gallo, queso fresco, cilantro, cabbage, crema, salsa). Another option is to make Carne Asada Nachos or Carne Asada Fries: Top tortilla chips or steak fries with melted cheese, Instant Pot carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro – yum, a great appetizer for game day!

Instant Pot Carne Asada would also be great for a taco party. Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Pork Carnitas – they’re super tasty and one of my favorite recipes to make for a crowd.

Tips

The recipe as written is the quick and easy version and doesn’t require marinating the beef, but if you have the time, it’s well worth it to marinate the meat for 30 minutes to a few hours.

Ancho chiles are dried poblano chiles, which are pretty mild.  Ancho chile powder is available at regular grocery stores in the spice aisle and in Latin grocery stores.

Dried arbol chile peppers are fairly spicy, so you can either leave them in whole or break them into two pieces for more heat.  Feel free to remove them before serving.

I use chuck roast because it’s the cut of beef that I like to cook in the Instant Pot. If you wish to substitute another cut, just make sure it’s one that is marbled with fat and not a lean cut, which can result in your meat being too tough.

I love to serve carne asada tacos with this guajillo sauce, adapted from the Elote Cafe Cookbook:

• 5 to 6 guajillo chiles, stemmed
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup onions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
• 1 cup water

1. In a saute pan, toast the guajillo chiles till fragrant and lightly charred.  Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add oil to the pan and saute the onions and garlic, sprinkled with salt, over medium-high heat until caramelized.
3. Add cumin, black pepper, oregano, water and toasted guajillo chiles.
4. Simmer over low heat until chiles are soft.
5. Allow the mixture to cool and blend in a blender until smooth.

Another sauce I like to serve with tacos is this spicy mayo sauce:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce or to taste
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• salt, to taste

1. Stir together all ingredients until smooth.

Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
• Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘12′ (12 minutes).

Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid.
• Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 12 minutes (00:12).
• Press ‘Start’.

• Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR).  The float valve will be in the down position.  This may take 15 to 30 minutes.
• Press Cancel and Open the Instant Pot.

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Carne Asada

Now you can make delicious Instant Pot Carne Asada at home using this quick and easy recipe!  The marinade gives the beef wonderful flavor and the Instant Pot cooks the beef perfectly tender and juicy.  Instant Pot Carne Asada can be used in tacos, nachos, burritos, or a Mexican rice bowl with your choice of toppings.

Print

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 229 kcal

Author Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp  lime juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 2 1/2 lbs beef chuck cubed or sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 6 dried arbol chiles stems removed

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine ancho chile powder, black pepper, brown sugar, Mexican oregano, salt, garlic, lime juice, yogurt, and broth.
2. Add beef to the marinade and stir to combine.
3. Add beef and marinade to the Instant Pot inner pot.
4. Stir in onion.
5. Add in dried arbol chiles.
6. Close the lid and pressure cook for 12 minutes.
7. Let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
8. Open Instant Pot lid and stir contents.
9. Remove beef with the slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl.
10. Serve Instant Pot Carne Asada in warmed tortillas, with your choice of toppings including queso fresco, guacamole or avocado pieces, salsa, pico de gallo, crema, pickled onions, cabbage, sauteed vegetables, and cilantro. 

Recipe Notes

• Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
• If you have the time, refrigerate marinated beef for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.

 

Nutrition Facts

Quick and Easy Instant Pot Carne Asada

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 229 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16g 25%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 59mg 20%

Sodium 216mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 2g 1%

Sugars 2g

Protein 18g 36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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