This Healthy Barbacoa Beef Recipe is just 210 calories and has 24g of protein!
You can use this recipe for Mexican Barbacoa in tacos (my preferred method) over homemade nachos, enchiladas, salads. The possibilities are endless!
The meal as shown with 1/2 cup barbacoa beef, 3 extra thin corn tortillas, cilantro and onions has 340 calories. It’s a filling meal that I always have the day I make this healthy Barbados beef. Then I package up the leftovers to make more healthy meals for the week.
Healthy Barbacoa Beef
What You’ll Find in this Article:
Ingredients for Low Calorie Barbacoa Beef
This low calorie barbacoa beef recipe is packed with flavor! Many of these ingredients are pantry staples, so don’t be put off by the number of ingredients.
Shopping List for Skinny Barbacoa Tacos:
Beef Barbacoa:
- Beef brisket or beef chuck roast
- Chipotle chilis in adobo
- Beef broth
- Garlic cloves
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
- Ground cloves
- Lime
Barbacoa Tacos Toppings:
- Tortillas
- Fresh Cilantro
- Onions
- Salsa or Hot Sauce (optional)
- Shredded Cheddar (optional)
- Avocado (optional)
How to Make Low Calorie Barbacoa Beef
To make this barbacoa recipe authentic we would need to roast it in a pit. That’s not easy for most of us. So I made this low calorie recipe for barbacoa in a slow cooker and supplied stove-top directions too!
I also added storage information below in the recipe card.
How to Make Barbacoa Beef:
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Cut the beef into 4 large cubes and add to the slow cooker.
- Add the chilis, beef broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and cover.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours.
- Shred the meat with two forks either inside the slow cooker, or move to a plate to shred then add back to the slow cooker.
- Mix well in the sauces, and serve hot in tacos, enchiladas, over salads, nachos, of just about anything!
Oven Directions:
- Cut the beef into 4 large cubes and add to a large pot.
- Add the chilis, beef broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and cover.
- Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours mixing often to avoid burning.
- Shred the meat with two forks either inside the pot, or move to a plate to shred then add back to the pot.
- Mix well in the sauces, and serve hot in tacos, enchiladas, over salads, nachos, of just about anything!
Healthy Barbacoa Beef Recipe
This low calorie recipe for Mexican Barbacoa is easy to make and so yummy! At just 201 calories for 1/2 cup it’s the perfect barbacoa taco recipe.
I was able to cut lots of calories by omitting all the oil, this also helped save time when skipping the browning of the meat. Now I know that is more traditional, but I have made it both ways, and I can’t tell the difference, so I skipped the step to save time and calories.
More Low Calorie Beef Recipes:
Low Calorie Barbacoa Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef brisket or beef chuck roast
- 3 chipotle chilis in adobo
- 1 ¼ cups beef broth
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Cut the beef into 4 large cubes and add to the slow cooker.
- Add the chilis, beef broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and cover.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours.
- Shred the meat with two forks either inside the slow cooker, or move to a plate to shred then add back to the slow cooker.
- Mix well in the sauces, and serve hot in tacos, enchiladas, over salads, nachos, of just about anything!
Oven Directions:
- Cut the beef into 4 large cubes and add to a large pot.
- Add the chilis, beef broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, and lime juice to a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and cover.
- Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours mixing often to avoid burning.
- Shred the meat with two forks either inside the pot, or move to a plate to shred then add back to the pot.
- Mix well in the sauces, and serve hot in tacos, enchiladas, over salads, nachos, of just about anything!
Storage:
- Freezer: Will hold for 1 month in the freezer.
- Fridge: Will hold for 5 days in the fridge
Nutrition
Nutrition and Calories in Barbacoa Beef
The taco ingredients are not included in the nutrition label below, the label reflects the barbacoa beef calories. The tacos shown are 340 calories for 1/2 cup barbacoa beef, 3 extra thin corn tortillas, cilantro and onions.
Low Sodium Tips: Get low sodium beef broth, and remove the salt from the recipe. When you shred the beef, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the sauce and mix together.
Important Note: As a reminder, at Lose Weight By Eating it is my goal to make you healthier, all-natural versions of your favorite recipes… not all will be “diet worthy” depending on the diet you are on. But they will be healthier versions to help curb your cravings.
What to Read Next:
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Article History:
- Originally written and published May 5, 2021 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 14, 2023 by Audrey Johns
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