This Mexican style carne guisada recipe is chunks of beef that are stewed with tomatoes, peppers and spices until tender and flavorful. Serve your stewed beef as-is in its own gravy, or use it to make burritos, enchiladas, or many other different specialty dishes!
In my house, we enjoy Mexican food at least once a week. Some of our favorites include chile Colorado, marinated carne asada, chile verde, pumpkin enchiladas, chicken fajita foil packets and this savory carne guisada.
My local Mexican restaurant makes the absolute best carne guisada. I decided it was time to learn to make this classic dish at home! It turns out that this tender beef is actually quite simple to make, with ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Table of Contents
Carne Guisada Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need vegetable oil, beef stew meat, salt, black pepper, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, all purpose flour, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, beef broth and cilantro.
How Do You Make Carne Guisada?
Start by searing the beef until it’s golden brown. Add peppers and onions to the pot, then cook until the veggies are soft. Stir in some flour to help thicken the sauce. Next, add in fresh diced tomatoes along with tomato sauce, beef broth and an assortment of seasonings. Cover the pot, and let the meat simmer on the stove until it’s fork tender. Add some cilantro, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- You can make carne guisada up to two days before you plan to serve it. The meat will become even more flavorful as it sits in the sauce. Reheat the beef in a pan on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
- Try preparing carne guisada in the slow cooker. Follow the recipe through step 7, then transfer the ingredients to a crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours.
- This dish is a great candidate for the freezer. Place the cooked meat into airtight containers or freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator over night, then reheat on the stove.
- I like to serve my meat with flour tortillas or corn tortillas, white rice or pinto beans and rice, as well as homemade pico de gallo to add a fresh flavor and some color. It’s also great with a dollop of Chipotle guacamole on top.
Quick Tip
Choose a well marbled cut of beef for this recipe such as beef stew meat or chuck roast.
Recipe FAQs
Carne guisada is a stewed beef dish, whereas carne asada is a grilled beef dish. Carne asada contains steak, while guisada typically involves a less tender cut of beef. Both dishes are staples in Mexican cuisine!
Carne guisada is a type of stewed beef that is cooked with tomatoes, peppers and onions. Mexican style carne guisada consists of beef in a thick gravy and is often served as a main course with a side of tortillas, or as a filling for tacos and other dishes. There is another version of carne guisada that is popular in other Latin American countries that consists of beef stewed with potatoes and beer. This version here leans toward the Mexican interpretation.
You can enjoy carne guisda in a bowl as a hearty beef stew. You can also use a slotted spoon to remove the beef chunks from the liquid and use the meat as a filling for burritos, tacos or a nacho topping.
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Flavor Variations
While I find this meat to be delicious as-is, you can experiment with different ingredients to make the flavors your own.
- Meat: Some varieties of this dish use sirloin, which is a lean cut of meat that does not need to cook for long. You can use sirloin, just be careful to make sure it doesn’t overcook! This dish also works with pork shoulder, although that is not a traditional choice for guisada.
- Spice: If you prefer your food on the hot and spicy side, feel free to add 1-2 canned chipotle peppers or 1/2 teaspoon (or more!) of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add some veggies such as potatoes, carrots or poblano peppers.
- Toppings: Top your stewed beef with cotija cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, fresh avocado or a drizzle of crema.
You will love this classic dish! It’s an easy way to enjoy authentic restaurant style flavors into the comfort of your own home.
More Mexican Style Recipes To Try
Steak Fajitas Recipe
30 mins
Taco Bake Recipe
45 mins
Agua Fresca Recipe
11 mins
Beef Enchiladas
55 mins
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
3 hrs 20 mins
Carne Guisada Video
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Carne Guisada
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds beef stew meat or chuck roast cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup fresh tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Place the beef in a single layer in the pot. Season the beef with the salt and pepper.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. You may need to work in batches.
- Return all the meat to the pot. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika and beef broth.
- Stir to combine, then turn up the heat to medium-high until the mixture comes to a simmer.
- Cover the pot. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until beef is tender. If you feel like the mixture is getting too dry you can add more beef broth, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Uncover the pot. Sprinkle with cilantro, then serve.
Notes
- Choose a well marbled cut of beef for this recipe such as beef stew meat or chuck roast.
- You can make carne guisada up to two days before you plan to serve it. The meat will become even more flavorful as it sits in the sauce. Reheat the beef in a pan on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
- This dish is a great candidate for the freezer. Place the cooked meat into airtight containers or freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator over night, then reheat on the stove.
A local Mexican restaurant has guisada on their menu and you can choose how spicey you want it and they serve it with corn tortillas so I have been on the hunt to find a recipe that is similar. This one comes very close. I made it in my instant pot, using the sautee feature to brown the beef in batches then removing the beef completely and cooking only the onion and peppers until soft then added back in the meat and other ingredients, minus the flour, and pressure cooked it for 32 minutes with a 10 minute natural release then added the flour to 3 Tbs of water to make a slurry and added it in to thicken it. It tasted good – only needed a little salt and some hot sauce.
Amazing recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was outstanding. I used chuck-eye steak and it was flavorful and tender. Wasn’t sure how to serve it, so I just put it on a tortilla and ladled some of the delicious gravy on top.
Wow, this turned out so good! Can not believe how easy this is to make! Served with rice-the family loved it!