These Instant Pot beef taco bowls combine tender shredded beef, crunchy red cabbage, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, radishes, and crispy tostones. The beef is pressure-cooked with onion, garlic, and warm spices until it can be easily pulled apart with two forks, while the fresh vegetables add color, texture, and brightness.
It’s a naturally gluten-free, satisfying meal that feels abundant without being complicated. While the beef cooks unattended, you can prepare the vegetables and make a batch of tostones, so everything is ready to assemble at the same time.
Why a pressure cooker works so well for this recipe
The Instant Pot is perfect for cooking flank steak until tender without requiring much attention. I’m not much of a meal planner, so a pressure cooker suits me better than a slow cooker — we rarely decide what we’re having for dinner several hours in advance.
The meat cooks in 35 minutes under pressure, followed by a short natural release. Once shredded and mixed with some of the cooking juices, it becomes tender, flavorful, and perfect for building taco bowls.
Serve the bowls with homemade tostones
Tostones are slices of green plantain that are fried, gently smashed, and fried again until golden and crisp. While the traditional way of making them involves deep frying in vegetable oils, I shallow fry them in extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. They are especially good alongside the juicy shredded beef and crunchy vegetables, and make these bowls feel a little more special than the usual taco bowl.
I now have a separate step-by-step recipe showing how to make tostones, so prepare one batch while the beef cooks. You can serve them around the bowl or use them to scoop up the beef and toppings.
How to build the taco bowls
Divide the finely shredded red cabbage, cilantro, avocado, and radishes between two bowls. Add the warm shredded beef and finish with lime wedges, extra virgin olive oil, and, if desired, thinly sliced raw onion or a spoonful of goat or sheep yogurt.
This combination offers plenty of contrast: tender beef, crisp cabbage and radishes, creamy avocado, bright herbs, and crunchy tostones. You can also set out the ingredients separately and let everyone assemble their own bowl.
A note for those watching dietary histamine
If you are following a low-histamine approach (like I was when I created this recipe), adapt the toppings according to your individual tolerance. You may prefer to omit the avocado, lime, yogurt, and cumin. Because tolerance can vary considerably, use the ingredients you already know work well for you.
Freshly cooked meat may also be preferable for some people following this approach. If you need to store extra beef, cool and freeze it promptly rather than keeping it in the refrigerator for several days.
I wrote an article on low-histamine cooking and food preparation if you need more help on this topic.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you choose to purchase something via one of my links, at no extra cost to you.
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Instant Pot Beef Taco Bowl with Tostones
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
These colorful Instant Pot beef taco bowls combine tender, warmly spiced shredded beef with crunchy cabbage, avocado, radishes, cilantro, and crispy homemade tostones. It’s a satisfying, naturally gluten-free meal with plenty of flavor and texture.
Ingredients
For the beef
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (450 grams) grass-fed, grass-finished flank steak
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
- 2/3 cup water
For the bowls
- 1/2 red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
- 4 red radishes, finely sliced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Homemade tostones, for serving
- Goat or sheep yogurt, optional
- Raw onion, finely sliced, optional
Instructions
- Slice the flank steak against the grain into approximately 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) pieces.
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Add a generous amount of olive oil and, once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
- Add the sliced beef, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, salt, black pepper, and nigella seeds. Brown the beef on one side, then turn the pieces and brown the other side.
- Add the water and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly with a wooden spatula. Cancel the Sauté setting and secure the lid. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Transfer the beef to a bowl and shred it with two forks. Spoon some of the cooking juices over the shredded meat.
- While the beef cooks, prepare the homemade tostones according to the separate recipe. Shred the cabbage, chop the cilantro, slice the avocado and radishes, and cut the lime into wedges.
- Divide the red cabbage, cilantro, avocado, and radishes between two bowls. Add the shredded beef and serve with the tostones, lime wedges, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add raw onion or goat or sheep yogurt, if desired.
Notes
If following a low-histamine approach, omit any ingredients that do not suit your individual tolerance. This may include avocado, lime, yogurt, and cumin.
For a different seasoning profile, you can replace the individual spices with your preferred taco or adobo seasoning.
3 Comments
Kristi
January 18, 2025 at 9:41 amThis dish is so delicious and easy!
Ronna Zaken
October 4, 2019 at 7:52 pmHi, just wondering if you are going to do coaching. I think I filled out a questionnaire awhile back.
Claudia
October 11, 2019 at 9:54 amHi Ronna, I don’t remember receiving any health history from you. Do you mind forwarding that email again? Please email me if you are interested in coaching. xx