If you follow this recipe to the letter, you will end up with the most tender, flavorful, satisfying carne guisada ever. Hailing from my own family’s recipe vault, this rich stew meat has a host of Mexican flavors, a luscious gravy, and caramelized veggies that build incredible flavor. We love it most in a tortilla with a generous sprinkle of fresh onion!
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If you’re looking for more warm, cozy dinner recipes, we’ve got you. These Shrimp Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage and Beef and Potato Stew recipes are incredible.
What is Carne Guisada?
If you’re new to carne guisada, know that it’s a slow-cooked Mexican stew meat. While some recipes have more gravy than others, I like mine thick like you see here. This is ideal for spooning over tortillas or enjoying on a plate next to beans and rice.
Slow and low is the name of the game, so don’t be shy about putting it on a few hours before dinner, letting it slowly simmer away (covered), filling the house with the best smells and your family’s bellies with the best meal a little later.
Ingredients
The list may seem long, but it’s actually full of really common pantry items. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1-1¼ pounds of stew meat
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ black of pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ white onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon of mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- ½ teaspoon of Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 1 cup of chicken or beef broth
- 1 can of Rotel
- Flour tortillas, for serving
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Avocado, sliced, for garnish
- White onion, diced, for garnish
- Refried beans, for serving
Ingredient Modifications and Variations
If you’re looking for modifications and variations for this homemade carne guisada recipe, we’ve got you!
- Make it gluten-free: if you’re looking for a gluten-free option here, you’re in luck! Simply swap the flour in this recipe for a gluten-free flour (THIS one is our favorite!). If you’re serving your carne guisada in or alongside flour tortillas, be sure to snag gluten-free ones too.
- Make it dairy-free: for dairy-free carne guisada, substitute in olive oil for the butter in this recipe. Easy peasy!
- Use regular oregano: can’t find Mexican oregano? No worries – regular oregano will work just fine here!
How to Make Carne Guisada
- Melt the butter and season the meat – melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 3-quart pot (with a lid) over high heat. While the butter is melting, season the stew meat with salt and pepper.
- Sear the meat – add the stew meat in a single layer to the pot and sear on all sides, then remove from the pot.
- Saute the garlic and onion – reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and onion to the pot. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and flour – add the spices and flour to the garlic and onion and toast, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot – add the broth, meat, and Rotel to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer – after 45 minutes, uncover and simmer on low until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Serve and enjoy – spoon the carne guisada into tortillas and top with cilantro, avocado, and diced white onion. Enjoy alongside refried beans (if you want!).
Can I Make Carne Guisada in a Crock Pot?
You can definitely make your carne guisada in a crock pot, but it isn’t quite as simple as most slow cooker recipes. For the best results, you’ll want to grab a skillet and follow steps 1-4 on the stovetop. Then, transfer everything to the crock pot and set to cook on low for 8-10 hours.
How to Serve
There are a couple of ways that you can serve your carne guisada! You can serve it taco-style in warmed tortillas (like we did here) complete with a cilantro, sliced avocado, and diced white onion garnish, or you can eat the carne guisada with a spoon and use a warm flour tortilla to sop up the goodness – the choice is yours, and truly, you can’t go wrong either way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Carne guisada is spanish for “meat stew” – makes perfect sense!
Carne guisada is made using beef stew meat. When cooked for long enough, it will literally FALL apart – so YUMMY.
Carne guisada (“meat stew”) is made with beef cooked in a sauce loaded with delicious Mexican spices.
Carne guisada (what we’re making here!) is a stewed beef dish typically made with chuck roast stew meat, while carne asada is a grilled beef dish typically made with marinated skirt steak or flank steak.
More Favorite Beef Recipes
Carne Guisada Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-1¼ pounds stew meat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ white onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 1 can Rotel
- Flour tortillas for serving
- Cilantro for garnish
- Avocado sliced, for garnish
- White onion diced, for garnish
- Refried beans for serving
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 3-quart pot (with a lid) over high heat. While the butter is melting, season the stew meat with salt and pepper.
- Add the stew meat in a single layer to the pot and sear on all sides, then remove from the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and onion to the pot. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and flour to the garlic and onion and toast, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the broth, meat, and Rotel to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 45 minutes, uncover and simmer on low until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Spoon the carne guisada into tortillas and top with cilantro, avocado, and diced white onion. Enjoy alongside refried beans (if you want!).
Recipe Notes
- Make it gluten-free: if you’re looking for a gluten-free option here, you’re in luck! Simply swap the flour in this recipe for a gluten-free flour (THIS one is our favorite!). If you’re serving your carne guisada in or alongside flour tortillas, be sure to snag gluten-free ones too.
- Make it dairy-free: for dairy-free carne guisada, substitute in olive oil for the butter in this recipe. Easy peasy!
- Use regular oregano: can’t find Mexican oregano? No worries – regular oregano will work just fine here!
Nutrition
We LOVED this recipe at my house. My 10 month old gobbled it up and my three year old had two servings! I did mine in the crockpot for ease, made it an easy weeknight dinner for this working mom! Thank you!
That’s the marker of a great recipe, right there! We’re so glad it was a hit with the whole family!
I made this in the crockpot and it was super easy and flavorful. I will be adding this to my recipe rotation!!
That’s awesome, Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
This turned out super flavorful and was very easy to make (and mostly hands off). You end up with that deep, slow cooked comfort food flavor in the end. Like a previous reviewer mentioned, I also cut the chili powder in half and it worked fine for my five year old. We all loved it
Wahoo! So glad y’all loved it, Kelsey! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!
This recipe is awesome! We had some roasts to use up in the freezer so I cut it up into bite size pieces and yum yum yum! The whole fam ate it up.
Wahoo! We’re so glad to hear that, Katie!
This recipe was easy to make and the ingredients were inexpensive, which I appreciate. However, the flavor really threw me. It didn’t taste like any Mexican food I’ve ever had before (and I lived in Mexico City for many years). I won’t be making it again. Not bad, just not our jam.
So sorry to hear that, Janet!
Ridiculously easy to make and equally delicious
Score! Thank you for taking the time to share this, Necia!
Would love an InsantPot version of this if possible! I think that would help tenderize the meat in a much shorter time frame 🙂 The flavors were delicious. I used half the amount of chili powder and that worked well for my little kids.
My family loves this recipe! It’s so easy and has such complex yummy flavors!! My boys eat theirs in tortillas I serve mine over some chopped lettuce
We’re so glad you love this one, Beth! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
This was AMAZING! I used sirloin steak tips that I had in the freezer and made the recipe exactly as written. I did have some sticking though I don’t 100% trust my enamel cast iron dutch oven, but definitely follow the instruction of stirring every so often during the 45 minutes. Meat was tender and it is not terribly spicy. We served as tacos using corn and flour tortillas. Great with red onion, cilantro and avocado as garnish. The leftovers are equally as tasty and I’d bet this would freeze well if you wanted to make a double batch (might do this next time!)
Wahooo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jessica! This recipe is one of my VERY favorites.
Yummy recipe! Instapot worked great to make this tender. Used the sauté function to brown initially and thicken at the end. Served over turmeric rice. Delicious and a great meal prep meal
What a fun way to serve the carne guisada, Mandy! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!
How long did you cook it in the instapot?
This recipe is so easy and full of flavor! Not to mention stew meat is typically a great cost effective meat these days! I was hurried to get eating, but I’ll be sure next time to let it just sit and simmer for a while to get the stew meat really tender! Or maybe even try the Instapot!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the carne guisada, Lane! So true about the cost-effectiveness of this meal!
I have yet to be disappointed by a Fed and Fit recipe! This one is such a winner. The meat is tender, the flavors are so so good, and it’s fairly simple to make! I love this one with cilantro lime rice or tacos.
So kind, Nicolle! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. I’m with you – Cassy knocked this recipe out of the park!
Super easy recipe, with deliciously rewarding tacos at the end. Used the leftovers for lunch burritos,
Wahooo! So glad you enjoyed it, Sophia! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us – it means a lot!
This recipe is so delicious. The flavor is complex and delicious. The meat was tender. I think it’s my husband’s favorite dinner right now. We topped with a bit of sour cream to balance out the spice.
Aw, yay! We’re so glad y’all love this recipe, Kerri. It’s my favorite dinner right now too!!
Excellent recipe! I used stew meat I defrosted after it had been sitting in the freezer for a year and it was tender and flavorful. I had to turn the heat down to a simmer on step 5 because my pan was running too hot covered (the meat was sticking after only 5 mins covered). After that, I set my timer for 10 min intervals to stir and then left it uncovered while I tried out making gluten free tortillas from scratch!
We’re so glad you loved this one, Jeanette! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Flavor is great! My meat came out very tough though. What did I do wrong? Lol. I used stew meat and followed recipe exactly.
Hi Sam! The longer the meat simmers in the sauce, the more tender it’ll get. I hope that helps!