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Home / Recipes / Beef / Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

March 1, 2021 By Jill Selkowitz / 67 Comments Updated April 15, 2021 / As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases; see all disclosures.

Jump to Recipe

Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos made at home are a fun, family meal. Fresh ingredients and a little trick for the most fun Taco Tuesday in your own home.

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Make your own Drive Thru Tacos right in your own home, without wondering what lurks in the meat

Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos are super simple recipe to make in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, which mimics your favorite drive thru taco stand. I’ll even show you a trick to get the meat same texture.

 

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Drive Thru Tacos are great for Taco Tuesday and taco bars.

Jump to Section

  • Ingredients for Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos
  • Can Ground Turkey Be Substituted for Ground Beef?
  • How to Make Stainless Steel Pot Non Stick
  • How to Make Taco Meat like Taco Bell
  • Homemade Taco Seasoning
  • Freezing Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos Filling
  • Liquid for Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos
  • Why add Masa to Instant Pot Tacos?
  • Toppings for Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos
  • Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Tacos
  • Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

Ingredients for Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

  • Avocado Oil, Canola Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Ground Beef or other Ground Meat
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Beef Broth or Better than Bouillon Beef Base
  • Maseca Yellow Corn Masa Flour – the flavor boost is amazing
  • Homemade Taco Seasoning – it is super easy to make and so much better

Another type of taco for Taco Tuesday or inclusion in a taco bar are Air Fryer Tijuana Street Tacos. All around Tijuana These are easily made at home and saves a trip down to Baja California. There are so many taco stands in Tijuana,.Without where meat is skewered beneath a pineapple and the pineapple juice drips into the meat as it is being cooked, this recipe is authentic.

Can Ground Turkey Be Substituted for Ground Beef?

  • Yes and it is very good. Ground turkey, as well as ground chicken releases quite a bit of liquid and shrinks much more than ground beef. I suggest using 1.5 pounds of ground turkey for this recipe.
  • If using ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef, add an additional two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce to “beef” up the flavor.

 

Allow your Pressure Cooker to Heat

Allow your Pressure Cooker to Heat

When cooking with stainless steel, making the pot non stick is easy.

How to Make Stainless Steel Pot Non Stick

  • Before adding any fat to the stainless steel pot, heat it up fully.
  • On the Instant Pot, the display will change to “HOT” once the pot is fully heated.
  • For pressure cookers without this feature, allow the pot to heat up about three minutes.

Pro Tip: Make sure to deglaze the pot after browning the meat. The brown bits called “fond” will easily release from the bottom of the pot and add fantastic flavor.

 

Add Ground Beef and Water

Add Ground Beef and Water

 

How to Make Taco Meat like Taco Bell

After the ground beef has been added to the cooking pot, a bit of beef broth or fresh water should be added.

will help to break the meat down into tiny crumbles like the Drive Thru Taco joints..

During the sauté, the meat will brown and most of the water will evaporate.

 

Break up the Meat into Crumbles

Break up the Meat into Crumbles

I recommend a High Temperature Meat Chopper for breaking up the meat.

The crumbled meat really makes a difference in the texture.

Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos are much better for your belly than those nasty mystery meat tacos at fast food stands. What do you imagine is actually in those? And do you think the employees really wash their hands after…well, you know….

Pressure Cooker Salsa Lime Chicken would be great for a taco bar too. Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchiladas are a wonderful dish for a  Mexican themed dinner.

 

Strain the Liquid from the Meat

Strain the Liquid from the Meat

A Stainless Steel Mesh Strainer is useful to use to catch the meat while pouring off the extra liquid.

 

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning

Time to season the meat. My homemade taco seasoning is made with every day panty ingredients and of course, no fillers. However, if you are in a hurry, you can always use a packet of taco seasoning.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

  • Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Minced Onions, Ground Cumin, Dried Oregano, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Sea Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper are the individual seasonings.
  • All you have to do is measure out the amounts into a container and mix them up.

I suggest making a large batch and storing the taco seasoning in a container so that it is ready to use at any time.

Fresh Homemade Pico de Gallo makes a great topping for these tacos. Make up a batch in advance and let it marinate in the refrigerator until dinner.

 

Add the Seasoning Mixture

Add the Seasoning Mixture

The filling for Instant Pot Tacos can be made in advance and frozen. A great idea is to buy ground beef on sale and make a huge batch of taco filling so that you have several freezer meals.

Freezing Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos Filling

Make sure to store the meat in a air tight container or use a Foodsaver. When you are ready to reheat, use your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker. The pot in pot method works best. Grab a trivet and a stainless steel pan and add the frozen meat.

Place a cup or water in the bottom of the cooking pot and set the cook time for 5 minutes.

Pro Tip: We like making a few batches at once and storing them in the freezer for later use. All you would then need to do is to get some toppings ready, while the meat is reheating.

 

Add Beef Stock, Chicken Stock or Water

Add Beef Stock, Chicken Stock or Water

We love to use turkey in this recipe, as much as we like the beef, so you might be wondering about the liquid.

Liquid for Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

  • If using ground beef or ground bison use Better than Bouillon Beef Base.
  • For ground chicken and turkey, use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base.

Either boxed broth or stock can be used. If using flavor bases are mixed with water and add so much flavor.

You can absolutely just use water if you like, but the stock will really add some good flavor. Do whatever works for you. 🙂 

 

Simmer the Meat Until all Liquid has Evaporated

Simmer the Meat Until all Liquid has Evaporated

There is a very short cook time. At this point, you might be thinking that this is just as easy to do on the stove.

Well, it is, however, some people don’t have stoves, don’t want to use their stove, or don’t want to have to slave over a hot stove.

Plus, the real reason to make Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos is that the flavors are super infused when cooked under pressure. You could use this method and walk away during the cook time or take 30 minutes and watch the pot on the stove.

Now you are thinking, how many times did she say “stove.”

 

Sprinkle the Masa over the Meat

Sprinkle the Masa over the Meat

Here is the tricky trick trick.

Wait what, she is adding Maseca Yellow Corn Flour. What the hell is that?

Masa is a corn flour.

Why add Masa to Instant Pot Tacos?

  • Masa adds a wonderful and unique taste and locks in the moisture from the broth.

Masa is also wonderful to thicken up my Pressure Cooker Competition Chili Con Carne recipe and adds a delicious flavor to the Chili.

 

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

Serve in taco shells and garnish with your favorite vegetables and toppings. I love these cute little Taco Holder Tongs, so that my filling doesn’t end up all over my plate. Oh, comeon, they’re cute and cost under $5.00 too! We like our Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos pretty simple.

Toppings for Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos

  • Shredded lettuce
  • Grated cheese
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Avocado slices
  • Sour Cream or Homemade Yogurt

Another admission, I love Taco Bell Taco Sauce in the little packets. I use the sauce when I use this taco meat in burritos. OMG, so good.

Luckily, I can buy bottles of the sauce, so, all is good with the World.

Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Tacos

  1. Heat pressure cooker before adding oil.
  2. Use a meat masher and mash up the meat until it looks like mush.
  3. Make sure to strain out the water very well.
  4. If you don’t have or cannot find Masa, grind up a hard taco shell (turn it into powder) and use it instead.

 

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Burritos

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Burritos

My husband is a Soft Taco/Burrito, sort of guy, so he eats his either with Soft Taco shells or I roll them up to make a Burrito.

When I do Burritos, I add a scoop of my Pressure Cooker Frijoles (Re-Fried Beans) for a seriously yummy Burrito!

However you eat them, enjoy!

More Taco Recipes to Make:

  • Air Fryer Baja Fish Tacos with White Sauce
  • Instant Pot Taco Sloppy Joes
  • Air Fryer Carne Asada Recipe {Grilled Meat Tacos}
  • Air Fryer Tijuana Street Tacos {Carne/Beef}

Taco Tuesday is every day of the week, as far as I am concerned!

Kitchen Equipment and Essentials

  • Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
  • J.A. Henckels Classic 8 inch Chef’s Knife
  • My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
  • Meat Chopper and Masher
  • Salbree Steamer Basket
  • Fine stainless steel mesh strainer
  • Homemade Yogurt Recipe
  • Taco Holder Tongs
  • Taco Bell Taco Sauce

Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes! 

If you share a picture of something you make from our blog, tag it with #thisoldgalcooks so we can see it. We might feature it on Instagram! It makes my day when I see you’ve made one of our recipes!

Here is your handy printable recipe:

Pressure Cooker Drive Thru Tacos & Burritos

Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos

5 from 24 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: American Mexican, Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 8 tacos
Calories: 174kcal
Author: Jill Selkowitz

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil Extra Virgin
  • 1 pound Ground Beef ground turkey or ground chicken
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1.25 cups Beef Broth (or 1.5 tsp Better than Bouillon Beef Broth + 1.25 cups water), divided
  • 2 teaspoons Maseca Yellow Corn Masa Flour

Seasoning Mix

  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Granulated Onion Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Minced Onions dried
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin ground
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1/16 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper ground
  • 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper or to taste

Recommended Products

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
Meat Chopper/Masher
Liquid Measuring Cup Set
High Heat Resistant Spatula
Stainless Steel Mesh Strainer
Taco Amigo Tongs
Maseca Yellow Corn Masa Flour

Instructions

  • Select Sauté or Browning on your Instant Pot/pressure cooker and allow to fully heat.
  • If using Better than Bouillon Base instead of prepared beef broth or stock, whisk together 1.5 teaspoon of base + 1.25 cup of fresh water.
  • Add oil, ground Beef and 1/2 cup of broth (or Better than Bouillon mixture).
  • Using a meat chopper/masher (or anything which will smash the meat), break up meat and sauté until crumbled and browned.
  • Turn off Instant Pot.
  • Carefully drain out any excess water through using a large mesh strainer to catch the meat.
  • Scrape any stuck on bits from bottom of cooking pot.
  • Add browned meat back into cooking pot.
  • Add all seasonings (if you mixed up a big batch of taco seasoning, use 2.5 Tablespoons of the seasoning mix), Worcestershire Sauce and the rest of the beef broth/stock (or Better than Bouillon mixture).
  • Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve.
  • Cook at High pressure for 3 minutes.
  • When beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure.
  • Open lid and sprinkle and stir.
  • Sprinkle masa over meat mixture and mix well.
  • Hit the Sauté button and stir the taco filling until liquid has evaporated.
  • Turn off pot and make tacos.

Notes

Ground turkey, chicken, bison can be used in place of beef.
After adding the oil to a hot pot and the ground beef (or turkey) beef broth or fresh water will help to break the meat down into tiny crumbles like the Drive Thru Taco joints. The meat won't be oily or wet by the time after cooking and will be infused with wonderful flavors
The Beef Broth adds wonderful flavor. Use a box of broth or mix together 1.25 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon Beef Base and 1.25 cups water.
Masa is also a wonderful ingredient to thicken up my Pressure Cooker Competition Chili Con Carne recipe and adds a delicious flavor to the Chili.
Make some Homemade Pico de Gallo and let it marinate in the refrigerator until dinner. It makes a great topping on the Drive-Thru Tacos.
When I do Burritos, I add a scoop of my Pressure Cooker Frijoles (Re-Fried Beans) for a seriously yummy Burrito!
Originally published December 13, 2016. Republished August 3, 2019.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Drive Thru Tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 174 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 40mg13%
Sodium 434mg19%
Potassium 217mg6%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 365IU7%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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About Jill Selkowitz

Hi, I'm Jill. I'm a mom to Tonkinese cats and enjoy sharing restaurant quality meals, easily made at home. With my easy step by step photos and directions, new cooks will be able to follow along and cook like rock stars.

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