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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker Beef Recipes

    Carne Picada

    Published: Dec 31, 2022 Modified: Dec 31, 2022 by Isabel Laessig

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    My Carne Picada Recipe cooks low and slow for the most delicious beef to use in tacos, fajitas, rice bowls, and more! Richly flavorful and tender, this picada slow cooker recipe will quickly become one of your favorite weeknight meals. It's so easy to make and is completely hands-off!

    Close up of carne picada in a white bowl with cilantro and rice

    Jump to:
    • Carne Picada Recipe Ingredients
    • How to Make Carne Picada in the Crockpot
    • Carne Picada Recipes Tips
    • Carne Picada Recipes FAQs
    • Carne Picada Recipes
    • Mexican Beef Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Carne Picada Recipe Ingredients

    • Bottom round roast or chuck roast cut into cubes or carne picada meat
    • All-purpose flour
    • Paprika
    • Sea salt and pepper
    • Garlic powder
    • Olive oil
    • Fire roasted diced tomatoes
    • Optional: cilantro for garnish

    How to Make Carne Picada in the Crockpot

    1. Cube bottom round roast. Dry the beef by patting it with paper towels. Combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl or on a plate, and set aside.
      Two images showing step 1: cubing the beef, and mixing the flour and seasoning mixture
    2. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Sear cubed beef over medium-high heat in batches as necessary until it browns. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
      Two images showing step 2: Searing the cubed beef in oil in a pan
    3. Stir in the flour and seasoning blend and add the fire roasted tomatoes.
      Two images showing step 3: Adding the beef and flour seasoning mixture to the crockpot, then adding the fire roasted tomatoes
    4. Cook for 3 hours on high. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired, and that's it! Enjoy making your recipes with carne picada!
      Two images of step 4: A crockpot set to high, and ladling carne picada out of the crockpot after cooking

    Carne Picada Recipes Tips

    • Don't skip out on searing the beef. It adds a ton of flavor to carne picada meat!
    • Cook the beef for longer, if you have the time. Slow cook for 5 hours and you will have the most tender and delicious crockpot meal.
    • If you like a more mild flavor, use regular canned diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted tomatoes.
    • Additionally, if you want more sauce, you can use two cans of diced tomatoes instead of one.

    This is such an easy recipe. My family loves it. It is a toss-up between this recipe and taco soup at the top of our list of weekday meals.

    Carne Picada Recipes FAQs

    What is Carne picada?

    Carne Picada literally translates to "minced meat" in Spanish, and can typically be found sold in packages as cubed, thinly sliced, or shaved beef. You can find it in packages literally labeled as carne picada meat. It's perfect for recipes like tacos, fajitas, burrito bowls, and even Mexican pizza! If you can't find packaged carne picada, you can also cube your own beef to use from chuck roast or bottom round roast.

    What kind of meat is used for carne picada?

    Most often it is cut from bottom round, chuck roast or chuck steak, which are both budget-friendly beef cuts that cook best slowly.

    What is the difference between carne asada and carne picada?

    There are two main differences between the two that make them completely separate recipes: the way the beef is cut, and the cooking method used to prepare each dish. Carne picada is minced beef that you braise (cook in a liquid), while carne asada is slices of steak typically cooked on a grill. Carne asada literally translates to "grilled meat". You may have also heard of steak picado, carne molida, carne moída, or carne guisada. All of these refer to the same thing: ground or minced meat, like carne picada!

    Carne Picada Recipes

    I love making a big batch of picada and using it throughout the week in so many different recipes! Here are some of my favorite uses:

    • Carne Picada Tacos Tacos are one of the most delicious ways to eat slow-cooked carne picada. Add your favorite taco toppings, like sour cream, cotija cheese, and guacamole. Serve in soft taco shells for the most delicious carne picada tacos!
    • Breakfast Beef Tacos You can even make breakfast tacos using the meat from this recipe! Scrambled eggs, Mexican white cheese, and avocado crema would make an amazing breakfast taco.
    • Carne Picada Fajitas Try making carne picada fajitas using tortillas and sauteed peppers and onions! A side of guacamole, beans, and rice are perfect choices for serving with carne picada fajitas.
    • Picada Rice Bowls A classic choice for recipes with carne picada meat is to make rice bowls. Beef rice bowls are so delicious! Try this Portuguese Rice recipe.
    • Picada Mexican PizzaTop a Mexican pizza with carne picada beef! Cotija cheese, queso fresco, or a Mexican cheese blend are perfect choices for the cheese. Use a flatbread for the dough - even better if you make it a grilled flatbread! For a little extra spice, add sliced jalapenos. Smoked brisket also works really well when making a delicious flatbread pizza.
    Carne picada in a white bowl topped with cilantro over rice next to lime wedges

    Don't forget dessert! Give Mexican Strawberries and Cream a try. It's so delicious!

    Mexican Beef Recipes

    • Birria Recipe
    • Carne Asada Tacos made with this amazing Carne Asada Seasoning
    • Crockpot Taco Meat
    • Taco Casserole
    • Mexican Ground Beef Casserole

    Try more of my Best Beef Recipes!

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    carne picada up close in a white bowl with cilantro on top
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    4.82 from 70 votes

    Carne Picada Recipe (Slow Cooker)

    The best carne picada recipe! Make this slow cooker carne picada with just 15 minutes of prep in 3 simple steps. Low effort, minimal clean-up, and so tasty!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time3 hrs
    Total Time3 hrs 15 mins
    Course: Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: carne picada, carne picada recipe, carne picada recipes, picada
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 68kcal
    Author: Isabel Laessig

    Equipment

    • Slow cooker

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds bottom round roast cut in ½-inch cubes
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes 14.5 oz cans

    See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!

    Instructions

    • Cube bottom round roast. Dry the beef by patting with paper towels. Combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl or on a plate, and set aside.
      Two images showing step 1: cubing the beef, and mixing the flour and seasoning mixture
    • Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Sear cubed beef over medium-high heat in batches as necessary until it browns. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
      Two images showing step 2: Searing the cubed beef in oil in a pan
    • Stir in the flour and seasoning blend and add the fire roasted tomatoes.
      Two images showing step 3: Adding the beef and flour seasoning mixture to the crockpot, then adding the fire roasted tomatoes
    • Cook for 3 hours on high. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired, and that’s it! Enjoy making your recipes with carne picada!
      Two images of step 4: A crockpot set to high, and ladling carne picada out of the crockpot after cooking

    Video

    Notes

    • Serve over rice, with tortillas, or even on a Mexican beef pizza!
    • If you want, add 2 more hours to the cooking time. Slow cooking for 5 hours will give you the most tender carne picada meat.
    • Don't skip searing the beef! This important step adds so much flavor to the dish.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 450mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

    This recipe was originally published on Sunday Supper with the title Slow Cooker Carne Picada. Photos by Marion Myers.

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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and makes regular television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cecelia L says

      January 03, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent flavor and oh-so-tender beef! I made this with the plain tomatoes, added 1/2 chopped onion and because I had 2.59lb of beef, I added 1/2c vegetable broth and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Made enough to fill 8 beef enchiladas and still have half the batch to turn into something else—probably rice bowls! When I make again, I will decrease the paprika by 1/2 tsp.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 04, 2021 at 10:55 am

        Cecelia, we're so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment!

        Reply
    2. Anna says

      January 28, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      If i decide to follow your tip on cooking for 5 hours, would i reduce temp to LOW or keep at high?

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        February 08, 2021 at 11:17 am

        Hi Anna! It would be reduced to low. Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Juli F says

      February 05, 2021 at 4:52 pm

      5 stars
      This was such a great recipe! Thank you for sharing it! I altered the recipe from 2- 14.5oz fire roasted diced tomatoes to 2- 10oz ones and added 10oz of vegetable broth!!! So good!! So much flavor, so tender! I put it over rice and it was restaurant worthy! This will be added to my dinner repertoire!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        February 08, 2021 at 11:13 am

        Juli, thank you so much! We're so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Anna says

      March 15, 2021 at 5:49 pm

      Hi There,

      I would like to try this recipe, but in an instant pot. How might I alter the cooking time in an instant pot?

      Thank you,
      Anna

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        March 19, 2021 at 1:48 pm

        Hi Anna! Thank you for the suggestion. We don't have an Instant Pot version at the moment, but will work on it and get back to you. We always want to make sure our recipes are accurate!

        Reply
        • Amanda says

          September 11, 2021 at 4:04 pm

          Any luck on the instant pot recipe?

          Reply
          • Krista Anthony says

            February 18, 2022 at 7:51 pm

            The instant pot has a slow cook function. Very easy and delicious!

            Reply
            • Em Beitel says

              February 23, 2022 at 5:18 pm

              That's a great suggestion, Krista. Thank you and we're glad you enjoy it!

        • Vickie says

          August 27, 2022 at 3:09 pm

          What if I'm using a roaster oven? what would be my tempature setting for 3 hr?

          Reply
          • Em Beitel says

            September 07, 2022 at 3:44 pm

            Hi Vickie! We are actually not familiar with using a roaster oven. Do you normally convert slow cooker recipes to roaster oven? What kind of roaster oven are you using? I would like to help if possible. Thank you!

            Reply
    5. Crystal Z says

      September 17, 2021 at 7:28 pm

      5 stars
      Came out delicious and hubby loved it. Thank you so much! I wound up using my pressure cooker since it has a searing function and that was one less pan to clean up. I pressure cooked for it 8 minutes. Came out so tender and delicious!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        September 20, 2021 at 12:48 pm

        That's awesome! Thank you so much, Crystal! Great tip, too.

        Reply
      • T. Kitchen says

        March 31, 2022 at 7:46 pm

        Thank you for the instant pot conversion!

        Reply
      • Ella says

        September 28, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        8 minutes on high? Did you do natural release as well?

        Reply
        • Holly says

          January 05, 2023 at 8:03 am

          You always want to NR meats at least 10 minutes

          Reply
          • Em Beitel says

            January 09, 2023 at 1:13 pm

            Thank you, Holly! This is great advice.

            Reply
    6. WyoJ says

      March 16, 2023 at 9:26 pm

      5 stars
      SMASHING GOOD! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ i seared a big onion, a grip of mini bell peppers & added to the crockpot as well. I used plain canned tomatoes because that’s what I had. Also used smoked paprika because that’s what I had. Turned out sooo good! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        March 20, 2023 at 11:26 am

        That sounds amazing! We're so glad you enjoyed it - thank you for your comment!

        Reply

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