Instant Pot Flank Steak Tacos seemed like a bad idea - and boy, was I wrong about that. Now they're a regular part of my Instant Pot Taco rotation.
(What, you don't have an Instant Pot Taco rotation for Taco Tuesdays? You're missing out...and keep reading.)
I think of flank steak as a tender piece of beef, something I can grill quickly to medium-rare. Those steaks are not good for pressure cooking; they don't need time in a pressure cooker to tenderize. Also, thanks to the popularity of fajitas, flank steak is kind of expensive. That's why I'd reach over the flank steaks for chuck roasts to pressure cook. (Especially flat iron steaks, cut from the blade steak in the shoulder.)
These are so great! They have such a beefy flavor!
But…flank steak is a tough cut. It holds up to pressure cooking just fine. And, it was on sale at the grocery store, so I bought a few flank steaks to test them out. The results were impressive…as were the reviews from my tasting panel. (My kids gobbled down the flank steak, and my wife kept commenting on the big, beefy flavor.)
Now Instant Pot Flank Steak Tacos are part of my regular rotation, a lifesaver when I need to get dinner on the table quickly. The only trick is slicing the steak into ½-inch thick strips across the grain. Cutting the long strands of meat tenderize it and shorten the cooking time to 12 minutes under pressure.
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Instant Pot Flank Steak Tacos
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Flank Steak Tacos - a quick, beefy taco dinner, ready in minutes thanks to pressure cooking.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 1½- to 2-pound flank steak, cut across the grain into ½-inch thick strips
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup water
- 10- to 15-ounce can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Ro*Tel tomatoes)
ACCOMPANIMENTS
- “Fajita” size flour tortillas
- Salsa
- Shredded Mexican cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Sour Cream
- Hot sauce
- (And any other favorite taco toppings)
Instructions
- Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the sliced flank steak with the salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. Put the steak into the pressure cooker pot, and stir in 1 cup of water. Spread the tomatoes with green chilies over the top of the beef. (Don’t stir the tomatoes – they may scorch if they’re at the bottom of the pot.)
- Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and bring it to high pressure. Pressure cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an electric or stovetop PC (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally for at least 10 minutes before quick-releasing any remaining pressure in the pot.
- Serve: Remove the steak and tomatoes to a platter with a slotted spoon. Add a ladle or two of the liquid from the pot, just enough to moisten the beef, and serve with the tortillas and accompaniments.
Notes
- The Accompaniments section are my favorite taco toppings - use your favorites on your tacos.
- I used to cut flank steak into 2-inch strips, thinking bigger pieces were better. I re-tested the recipe, and ½-inch thick strips result in better tacos, even if there’s a little more slicing work up front.)
- If flank steaks are expensive, look for flat iron steaks, cut from the chuck shoulder. They cook the same as flank steak, and I'll buy whichever is cheaper for this recipe.
Tools
- 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Slotted Spoon
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Instant Pot Birria Tacos
Pressure Cooker Quick Pork Tacos
Pressure Cooker Quick Chicken Tacos
Pressure Cooker Boneless Short Rib Tacos with Dried Chile Pepper Sauce
My Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes List
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Dot says
I followed the recipe exactly using 1.5 lb flank steak and a 10 ounce can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies. It was delicious! This is going to be my beef taco recipe from now on. The meat was so tender and juicy. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. And my husband LOVED it over Spanish rice.
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Sean says
This was a bit sketchy for me at first. Flank steak? Come on. That’s like leather unless marinated and cut cross and used for delicious fajitas! Nope. Holy crap. This was great. The chat I did miss and I did 13 and release after 25 natural but this was fantastic. I also added more spicy stuff like chili peppers and serranos but that’s because we are psychos at my home. Other than that I highly recommend this for a quick awesome meal.
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Anne M. says
My grill didn’t work at the last minute so I found this recipe as a quick alternative to cook the flank steak I already had. I was actually surprised how well and tasty this turned out considering how simple it seemed and my first time cooking flank steak in the IP. My kids ate 3 tacos each and wanted to know if there were any leftovers for the next day (there wasn’t :-)) I didn’t have a can of diced tomatoes with chiles handy so I used a combination of 1 cup diced fresh garden tomatoes and 1/2 cup medium salsa and it worked out! Very tender and juicy!
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
Great! I'm glad it worked for you.
Laurie says
Perfect! I couldn’t believe how tender the meat turned out!
★★★★★
Laurie says
Omg SUPER TENDER! Very pleasantly surprised at how great this one was.... and EXTREMELY EASY! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Thanks for sharing! 😀
★★★★★
Mandy says
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Denise says
Delicious! This was my first attempt at flank steak in my IP ! So tender. I added cut up peppers and onions on top for fajitas. Thank you
★★★★★
Michelle says
Was DELICIOUS and came out perfect. Only difference I did was no tomatoes or chilis. I used a cup of my homemade fajita marinade. Perfection!
★★★★★
Andrew says
Turned out perfectly, thank you
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Rita says
I've bought the flank steak but I think I would like to cut the meat into thinner strips, maybe 1/4-inch thick. What would you suggest for a cooking time? Or is this a bad idea? Would the meat be less tender?
Rita says
By thinner strips, I mean for younger children, beef and taco beginners.
David King says
Sounds like a good recipe, just had to comment on you saying put the salsas over the "Pork".😊
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
Argh! Cut and paste will be the death of me. Fixed, and thank you for letting me know.
★★★★★
Sarah says
What are those fiesta bowls? I need them!
Mike Vrobel says
They are Fiesta Ware Fruit bowls: https://amzn.to/2v1TqPZ . I use them for pinch bowls and small amounts of toppings.