10 Slow-Cooker Taco Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

Updated November 20, 2019

From slow-cooker chicken tacos to classic carnitas, we’ve got 10 slow-cooker tacos for your next at-home taco night. Since these taco recipes require minimal prep (thanks to the slow cooker doing most of the work for you!), they’re easy enough for Taco Tuesday, but sophisticated enough for weekend entertaining.

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Slow-Cooker Mahi-Mahi Tacos

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These slow-cooker fish tacos require only 15 minutes of hands-on prep to whip together, making them a home cook's hero. The balance of cooked fish, tomatoes and onions with the raw cabbage and cilantro gives the dish a light, fresh feel. If desired, lightly toast the tortillas before filling and garnish the tacos with crushed red pepper. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

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Slow-Cooker Carne Picada Tacos with Avocado Salsa

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Loosely translated as "minced meat," the traditional texture of carne picada ranges from finely chopped to ground. Here we start with brisket, which becomes nice and tender in the slow cooker, then shred and chop the meat before serving. The seasoning is flavorful but not too spicy. Blistered jalapeños added at the end will satisfy the heat-lovers in the family. Pile the brisket into warmed corn tortillas, with lettuce, the jalapeños, cheese and avocado salsa for a healthy dinner that'll wake up your taco night routine.

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Slow-Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Avocado Crema

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A rich, creamy topping made of mashed avocado, sour cream, lime juice and salt takes these spicy slow-cooker chicken tacos to the next level. Lightly toast the tortillas, if desired. Use any leftover avocado cream as a chip dip, and serve with tortilla chips.

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Slow-Cooker Shrimp Posole Tacos

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Literally translated, "posole" means "hominy." Traditional posole dishes are soups or stews made with hominy along with pork, chicken or seafood. In these slow-cooker shrimp tacos, the hominy, cumin, oregano and shrimp render classic posole flavors that are amplified by the addition of typical posole toppings: cabbage, radishes, cilantro and lime. Toast the corn tortillas for extra crunch, if desired.

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Carnitas Tacos

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Richly flavorful pulled pork is served in corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, red onions and salsa, then topped with lime crema.

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Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos with Pico De Gallo

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Use your crock pot for perfectly tender beef in this easy taco recipe. The quick fresh pico de gallo adds crunch, flavor and color, but your favorite fresh salsa will make a great taco topper in a pinch.

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Slow-Cooker Beef Tacos with Rhubarb Salsa

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The fresh salsa in this easy load-and-go taco recipe is a great way to use spring rhubarb. If you don't have rhubarb, try subbing in fresh tomatillos or red bell pepper for an equally beautiful and delicious taco topper.

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Slow-Cooker Chile-Orange Chicken Tacos

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A taco night favorite! Boneless chicken breasts cook low and slow in a chipotle-orange sauce until they're pull-apart tender, then are paired with a fresh avocado-orange salsa.

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Slow-Cooker Pork Tinga Tacos

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Saucy tinga is most often made with chicken, but we opted for pork shoulder, which becomes meltingly tender in the slow cooker. Either way, it features a smoky chipotle-laced tomato sauce and a crispy chorizo topping. Serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

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Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos with Chipotle Aioli

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Follow this pork taco recipe as is to serve four and you'll have enough shredded pork leftover to make it again next week. It's so good, however, that we recommend doubling the rest of the ingredients and inviting over four more friends to enjoy everything right away!

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