Easy Birria style tacos that are low carb and lower in calories? Yep! And they're rolled Taquito style to make them incredibly dippable and family-friendly. You'll use your crockpot to slow cook the Birria filling, then layer it with some cheese in a tortilla, roll it up, and air fry it - or use the oven. Both work!
Don Pancho Carb Control Tortillas
This recipe uses my favorite tortilla of all time - Don Pancho's Carb Control Wraps. See ya later, carbs! This soft and fluffy tortilla has only 3 grams of net carbs and less than half the 'regular' tortilla calories. It's creamy and flavorful and - LOW CARB! I lost over 60 pounds in 2018, and there's no going back, so when I find a product that I love and fits in my carb and calorie zone - I stock up! With only 50 calories per wrap, I use these tortillas for everything. Including these yummy rolled taquitos!
Easy Birria Taquitos Recipe
After seeing all the labor intensive Birria recipes out there, I wanted to create an "easy" Birria taco that any level of cook can make. Birria style isn't necessarily complicated, it just has a long and unique ingredient list, and the various steps can take time. I wanted to simplify everything yet still keep the flavor and authenticity of a Birria style taco. It doesn't use expensive or hard to find beef cuts or need overnight marinating, no browning, no basting, no mortar & pestle. It's an easy and delicious Birria taco filling that anyone can make.
The Toppings
In addition to the great Birria Sauce dip, you'll probably want to top your Birria Taquitos with a few garnishes. I opted for shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cheese, green onions, and Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema Sauce. Yep - it's famous - and for a good reason. It's bright, fresh, and contrasts perfectly with the savory Birria filling.
Equipment you need for Easy Birria Taquitos
- Blender or food processor to puree the sauce ingredients.
- A crockpot to slow cook the filling - or use your oven.
- Air Fryer or oven to bake the taquitos.
Birria ingredients
- Beef options: chuck roast, boneless pot roast, or larger cuts of round steak. Any cut of beef will do as long as there is some small amount of marbling. If you want to use a very lean cut, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the sauce. It won't be quite the same, but close enough. Traditional Birria uses goat, or oxtail, or more expensive cuts of short rib. I used an 'on sale' boneless chuck pot roast with a scant amount of marbling, and it worked perfectly. There was enough flavor without being loaded with fatty calories.
- Chiles: You can find dried whole chiles in most major grocery stores. You might have several options or maybe just one. Look at the labels to see if it says 'hot' or 'mild.' Not all dried chiles are spicy. I typically buy a few mild varieties, then one hot kind to add a bit of a kick. I used Chile De Ristra, Chile Ancho, and Hatch Chile. This combination provided a mild to medium spice level, smoky flavor with a smooth depth of flavor.
- Seasonings: Birria is incredibly flavorful, and seasonings can be expansive, but I've pared it down to the must-have authentic flavors. You'll need oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and beef bullion powder (or cubes). You probably have these items in your pantry right now.
- Three other ingredients you'll need to round out the recipe are chopped onion, a can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, and one can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes (or plain, either works fine). Plus a bit of water, and that's it!
How many Birria Taquitos does this make?
I used 2 pounds of pot roast and trimmed off much of the marbling. With slow cooking and shredding of the beef, I had enough filling to use 2 ounces of meat per taquito. I filled ten tortillas and had a bit leftover for another use. I'll have no problem using it in a chopped fajita salad or mixed with eggs for a breakfast burrito. The sauce will go a long way, as well. If you serve ¼ cup of sauce per taquito, you might have some leftover, which would freeze well. In fact, with my last batch, I doubled the sauce and planned for leftovers to make a large platter of Beef Enchiladas later this week. It will make a fantastic enchilada sauce.
Would you like something sweet to top this off? We love this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping.
Easy Low Carb Birria Taquitos
Equipment
- Slow cooker or Crockpot (or you can use the oven)
- Blender or food process to puree the softened chiles and other sauce ingredients
- Air Fryer (or you can use the oven)
Ingredients
For the Birria Filling and Sauce
- 5-6 dried whole chiles (your preferrence) see blog post for details
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 cubes beef bullion seasoning (or packets)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic (about 2 tablespoons chopped)
- 1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (7oz)
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (15oz) or plain works fine
- splash of water to rinse out the cans
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck pot roast (more than 2lbs works fine if you wanted extra)
- 1 onion (large) chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
Taquitos
- 1 package Don Pancho Carb Control Wraps (10 count)
- 2 cups white cheese that melts well Monterrey Jack, Muenster Cheese, Oaxaca Cheese
- 1 cup white onion, chopped (optional)
- 20 ounces Birria meat filling, shredded
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
Optional Toppings
- Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, chopped green onions, Queso Fresco cheese crumbles
- Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema Sauce
Instructions
For the Birria Filling and Sauce
- Heat 2 cups of water to boiling and set aside. Using scissors, cut off the tops of the dried chiles and shake out the seeds. Place the chiles in a blender (it helps to cut them into sections) and pour in hot water. The water will barely cover the chiles.
- Add all the remaining ingredients through the can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Use the splash of water to rinse out the can of tomatoes and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Cover with the blender lid. Using the pulse button, carefully pulse a few times to get the mixture going, blend on low until incorporated, and turn the blender up to medium to puree the mix thoroughly. Take care as the mixture will be hot.
- Trim the chuck roast taking off any larger sections of marbling or fat. Cut into large chunks and place into a crockpot or slow cooker. See note below if using a dutch oven for baking in the oven. Roughly chop one onion and add to the crockpot. Add the Birria Chile Sauce, pouring over the meat and onions. Add the bay leaves. Stir to combine to make sure the meat is fully coated. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is falling apart and shreds easily. Check the crockpot a few times if possible, stir and adjust the temperature if needed. (adjustments will vary per slow cooker)
- Remove the meat and shred with two forks. It should pull apart easily. It can be made days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Scoop out the sauce and place in a safe heat container. Pull out the bay leaves if you can find them. Stir and allow to cool slightly. There shouldn't be much fat on the surface, but if there is, spoon that off if possible. If you'd like to re-blend this to puree the sauce further, feel free. We serve it as is - rustic style with chunks of onion.
Assemble the Taquitos
- Shred the cheese and if using fresh chopped onion, have that standing by with the cheese, the meat filling, and the Don Pancho Carb Control Wraps. Have the air fryer standing by, or baking in the oven, preheat it to 425f.
- Laying a tortilla on the counter or cutting board and layer in 2 ounces of the filling (about two heaping tablespoons), then some shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of chopped onion. Roll up tightly. Avoid having too much filling near the edges, so the cheese doesn't melt out. Place the rolled tacos in the air fryer and lightly brush with a bit of neutral oil, which will help them crisp while baking. Follow the directions of your air fryer. I baked mine at 400 for 8 minutes. I turned them over ½ way through and re-brushed them with a small amount of oil.
Serving with Toppings
- Place a bed of lettuce on a platter, then a row of Taquitos. Sprinkle on chopped tomato, green onions, crumbled Queso Fresco (or similar cheese), chopped cilantro. Drizzle on Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema. Spoon some of the Birria Chile Sauce into serving bowls and serve the Taquitos with the Birria sauce for dipping. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you to Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods for sponsoring this recipe! All opinions are my own and I only feature products that I would personally recommend and purchase myself. I appreciate your support for A Food Lover's Life!
Brooke
These look so good and I love the low carb option!!!
Sara Kennedy
Thank you!