Slow cookers are great for entertaining because you can easily get all the work done in advance and have your house smelling amazing when guests arrive (we use this basic, inexpensive slow cooker). Who knew you could set-and-forget Mexican cuisine in the slow cooker so it’s ready for dinner? See how this easy and delicious crockpot flank steak recipe comes together in our detailed recipe below. After all, slow cookers aren’t just for soups, people!
Make Ahead Crockpot Flank Steak Fajitas
I just made these fajitas myself the other day and my daughters kept asking me “What smells so good??” They couldn’t wait to dig in and if you make the tortillas in advance it will just take some grated cheese, sour cream, and cilantro (plus any other fixings you like on your fajitas), and your feast will be ready in no time.
How Long to Cook Flank Steak in a Slow Cooker
If you cook the flank steak on high for roughly 5-6 hours, you’ll end up with perfectly tender, pull-apart flank steak that takes on the spices and sauce flavors perfectly! Just note that different brands of slow cookers may have different heating temperatures despite having the same setting. To avoid drying out your flank steak, be sure to check on it around hour 4 and 5 if at all possible! (For reference, we used the 6Qt Crockpot on “High” for this recipe.)
Best Toppings for Steak Fajitas:
Your family’s tastes may vary, but these are some of our favorite toppings to dress up these crockpot flank steak fajitas with!
- Grated cheese, (try some Mexican Cotija!)
- Fresh cilantro
- Squeezed lime juice
- Sour cream
- Spinach
- Sliced Avocado
- Fresh Jalapenos (If you like more of a kick!)
- Habanero peppers
I am getting hungry just talking about it. But don’t take my word for it…you must try it for yourself!
Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs flank steak (preferably grass fed (we buy ours from Baucom’s Best at the Matthews Farmers’ Market))
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably the low-sodium variety)
- 1 jalapeño (seeded and chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 bell peppers (any color)
- 1 onion
Other Fajita Fixings:
- whole-wheat tortillas
- cheese (grated)
- avocado (sliced)
- cilantro
- lime
- spinach
- sour cream
- hot peppers
Instructions
- Mix together the dry spices with a fork including the chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.
- Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the flank steak and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the soy sauce on top.
- Top the flank steak with the diced jalapeno and minced garlic. Slice the bell peppers and onion and throw those on top of the steak as well.
- Turn the slow cooker onto HIGH and cook for 5 – 6 hours or until the steak can easily be shredded with two forks.
- Drain the meat and peppers well then serve with the recommended fajita “fixings” (listed above).
Enjoy!
I made this meal today for my family but my meat turned out really tough. We had a hard time cutting through it with a knife! This has happened to me a couple different times with my slow cooker. I followed the recipe exactly. Do you know if tough meat means I am cooking my meat too long or not long enough? The meat and vegetables in this recipe produced alot of juice. Did the meat boil in the juice and therefore turn out tough? I really have no idea why my meat in several recipes have really not turned out well. I would love to use my slow cooker with confidence but so far all I have made with it are several very disappointing meals! I would appreciate any advice you can give me.
Jennifer, I would try cooking on low instead of high. I rarely use my crock pot on high and have almost always had great results from any recipe. Low and slow is the key to tender meat in the crock pot
I made this yesterday for my fiancé because I wasn’t going to be home. He works all day, so it cooked on low for 8 hours and he texted me specifically to tell me how good it was. For most people that’s not really a big deal, but I rarely get more than an, “it’s fine” when I ask him how he likes a meal. Going out of his way to tell me how good it was is high praise.
Hi! I see that you said to cook it on high for 5-6 hours, but will it do just as well on low for 9-10? I would like to prep it before I leave for work and have it ready when I return home at the end of the day. Thanks!
Hi Corrinne. Some readers have cooked it on low for longer with success. I think it should work fine. ~Amy
I made this last night and it was delicious. Next time I make it I was thinking of leaving the peppers out until the last hour so they remain a little crisper. Do you think there would enough liquid to cook the steak with out the peppers in the pot?
Hi Allison. We’ve not tried. FYI: the peppers add a lot to the flavor of the steak, too. ~Amy
Tried this the other night and loved it! But the crazier thing was that my husband loved it! He normally “likes” my cooking to be nice. There was a definite difference in his tone and gestures this time!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi! It seems that my flank streak does not fit on the bottom of my crock pot. It’s a bit big. I think it’s a little over 1 1/2 pounds. Is that ok? Will it still cook safely? (I clearly don’t use the crock pot much:))
Hi Jennifer . We are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. Did it turn out okay? As long as your crock pot lid fits on without a gap, you should be fine. ~Amy
In regards to tortillas. I found some that have the following ingredients: corn, water and lime (calcium hydroxide). A Google search explained that calcium hydroxide is just limes that are dehydrated then ground up… Are these tortillas ok to eat, given the calcium hydroxide in them? Thanks!
Hi Megan. Yep, it is a typical ingredient in corn tortillas. Here is Lisa’s recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/26/recipe-easy-whole-grain-corn-tortillas/. The masa harina is also soaked in lime. ~Amy
It’s my understanding that calcium hydroxide is made from the mineral lime (not the fruit) and is added to corn in order to free up niacin and other nutrients. It’s not harmful and should actually make the tortillas more nutritious. Here is some more information if you’re interested: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/pickling-lime.html
I came across this recipe by accident. I’m trying to find new and delicious recipes for my slow cooker. This one sounded very easy and yummy. Followed recipe exactly and I can tell you it was soooo good. Defiantly a keeper. I’m passing it on to my son. Thanks
Hi! Do I have to top the slow cooker with water?? Everytime I use my slow cooker I use water, but the recipe doesn’t say I need to.
Thank you!
Hi there. Nope, you do not need to add water to this recipe. ~ Amy
Going to plan this for next week – how spicy is it? Trying to decide if I should leave the jalapeno out or not – my kids will handle a little, but not too much.
Made this for dinner last night without jalapeno and used the leftovers in a grilled cheese. Yummy!
My flank steak is frozen…do I need to defrost first? Or can I place it in the crockpot frozen? Thanks!
Hello Amber. Always defrost your meat before cooking it in a crock pot. ~Amy
Yum! This was great! Easy!
This was a big hit! Used Bison steaks we had on hand and it turned out fabulous.
Is there something you can sub for the soy sauce? I’m pregnant and not supposed to have soy sauce.
Hi Julie. This might help: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/it-s-not-hard-to-make-a-substitute-for-soy-sauce-1.3009. ~Amy
Do you think you can freeze the remaining steak from the fajitas?
Hello Andrea. Absolutely. :) ~Amy
I just wanted to say thank you for this absolutely delicious and simple recipe!!! The whole family loved it! I used a 2 1/2 lb flank steak with the same number of peppers and onions and just increased the spices and it was perfect.
I want to double this recipe. Do you think it will turn out just as well by cooking in a large crockpot? I have a dinner party of 8 to make this for.
Hi Monica. I do. You might need to increase cook time a bit. You will know it is ready when it can be easily shredded with two forks. ~Amy
I made this with an organic, grass fed pot roast (couldn’t find flank steak.) It turned out fantastic! The meat was so tender and flavorful!
I used the leftovers to make Tortilla soup. I reserved the drained juices, added some corn, the leftover meat and veggie mixture, a little more broth, some salsa, and spices. We threw a little sour cream and crunched some organic tortilla chips on top. It turned out wonderfuly.
I was able to get a dinner for 4 (fajitas,) lunch for 1 (fajitas,) dinner for 6 (soup,) dinner for 3 (soup) and 3 more lunches out of basically 1 meal!
These were slap-your-mama good! I was looking for something to feed company after my daughter’s gymnastics meet. I pre-made these that morning and stuck them in the crock pot at noon. We we came home for dinner, everything was cooked and ready. They tasted amazing!!!!
We are doing a serious 2014 budgeting plan and I’m making it a “real food” change too. These were amazing and will turn into Quesadillas later this week. Thanks for doing all the dirty work learning for us. As a full time working mom I didn’t know where to start. These recipes are a life saver.
Thank you for the ideas and recipe! Celebrated the new year with some steak fajitas with all the trimmings, which I’ve never done before. Turned out great and couldn’t be happier. Great blog overall, thanks!
Very good!!!!
This is so good!! Even my picky eater devoured 2 fajitas. And being a super-easy crock pot recipe makes it even better. This just became a family favorite! Thank you!!
Delicious! My husband was skeptical, since we grill fajitas frequently, but I wanted to try a slow cooker meal that produced fajitas for tacos when the weather wasn’t good for grilling. Followed the recipe exactly, and they were great. Thanks!
I made this-used top sirloin instead because flank steak at my store wasn’t grass fed. It was awesome! I am not that into peppers, but slow-cooking them added just the right heat and amount of flavor. I am using the leftovers for nachos. Since organic or grass fed meat is so expensive, when I do use it, I get more bang for my buck by making two meals instead of one!
I made this for the first time today! I loved it! I made it exactly as stated. =)
Hi,
I am making this as I type, but I could not bring myself to place such a tough cut of meat on “high” in the crock pot, so mine is set on “low” for 7 hours. However, I will be checking it to see it it is done before the 7 hours are up. I will let you know if a lower temp is a better idea. I think her grass fed beef is probably juicier and more tender than my supermarket flank steak, so I think cooking it on low may give me the same result as the original recipe. I will let you know!!
Hi Joan,
I am thinking the same…how did yours turn out?
Have enjoyed this meal several times. Am glad for the addition to our monthly menu. I couldn’t believe I could make something so yummy :)
Made this today. So easy and so delicious!
Hi Lana. This will help explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/10/you-are-what-you-eat-eats-too/. ~Amy
Love this recipe and I can not wait to make it. Especially during the school year when things get hectic it is nice to have something already cooking in the crock pot. However, I am wondering why grass fed beef is so important and why you avoid grain fed beef?
Thank you!
Would round steak work for this by chance?
Hi Margaret. You should try and let us know how it goes. :) ~Amy
My comment is above but email address is wrong on it so I wanted to make another one so it would
Notify me via email when you responded :) thx
Hi! Do you think this would work with chicken in the crockpot? Either a whole chicken or boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Thanks!
Hi Ashley. Here you go: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/. ~Amy
Just made this recipe for my husband with a steak from the local farmers market…. Delicious!! And that is coming from someone who rarely likes meat. Definitely a keeper.
Tried these today and they were yum!! Except i didn’t see the bit about draining the mix well, and ended up with it swimming in the juices!
Hi Maria. We have not. Some readers have cooked on low for 7-8 hours. ~Amy
Have you tried doing this recipe and/or the one for whole-chicken with the crockpot on LOW instead of HIGH? How many hours?
Loved the idea of this recipe and what a great rub
BUT..
My husband too does not like peppers and I wanted to cook it overnight.
Caution!!
So I combined the suggestions of eliminating the peppers and cook on low for 7-8 hour.
I am so dissapointed as my meat must have been so lean and without the moisture of the peppers, it burnt to a crisp (on the outside…I was able to save enought meat inside for 1 meal). AND my slow cooker cracked!
With such a meat, it looks like you need the moisture from the veggies (even if you use the cooked peppers for something else) and maybe even a little moisture at th3 bottom of the pot (maybe a stock).
I will be getting a new crock pot this week (a must in a busy house) and look forward to trying this recipe again :)