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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. You will love these Chicken Fajita Bowls too!
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! Or, make these Chicken Fajitas or this Arrachera! For more ideas, try these Steak Recipes.
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!
DJ says
First time trying this recipe...the flavors are good. I followed the instructions and cooked
it on HIGH....the meat was easy to shred, but it seems awefully dry.
what did I do wrong???
100 Days Admin says
You may need to keep an eye on it and check it earlier. As with different ovens, different slow cookers can emit different temps, too sometimes. - Nicole
Leigh says
I’ve followed Lisa for years, but never tried a recipe. Let me tell you. This does not disappoint. I followed the recipe exactly. My only note is that I feel like it needed more salt. I tasted it about 30 minutes before serving, and added about a teaspoon. They were perfect and so easy. My husband requested more recipes from Lisa!!
100 Days Admin says
We're so glad you finally gave a recipe a try and it came out great for you. - Nicole
Michelle McDonald says
Made this exactly as directed and cooked for four hours. Checked then and reset for another hour on high. FABULOUS! And so easy. A winner for sure, and pretty healthy, too. Served over cauliflower rice with a salad.
Rose says
I have made this several times! I really love it and so do my kids. Nice easy version of fajitas. I love things I can make ahead for company. Pair this with some fresh homemade salsa and it's a perfect meal.
Heidi Greentree-Best says
Delicious! I added a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and squeezed a lime into the slow cooker. Easy, delicious and the entire family loved it!
Tina says
I love this recipe and so does my family. It is so yummy!
Tina says
I forgot to rate the recipe. I love my crockpot. I use it all the time and this recipe is so easy and perfect for making in the crockpot.
Suzi says
Wow! This was delicious and ridiculously easy to thrown into the slow cooker and perfect for a busy week night when we’re coming home late and hungry from activiities. I used flap steak (steak tips) as that’s what I had on hand.
Yummy. Thanks for a great recipe. I’m excited to try your other ones!
Jason Schiller says
Love this recipe!
Emily says
This recipe came out delicious and I would definitely make it again. However, next time I would wait to put the peppers in until the last hour. I ended up with very mushed peppers and lots of tough separated pepper skin.
Kim says
Do you add water?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
No. It produces liquid on its own.
Carla says
Is there nutritional (or at least calorie) info on this dish? Sorry if I missed it! Made it tonight and the whole (almost) family loved it.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. We do not provide the nutrition details on our recipes. Our focus is simply getting people to eat real food and to be less concerned about numbers. This post helps explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/healthy-eating-defined/.
katy says
Does this work well as a freezer meal?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Yes, the meat freezes well. Add the other components when ready to serve.
Kathy says
Absolutely delicious and the house smells great for hours!!
Aaron says
Not great. I cook fajitas in the slow cooker all the time and wanted to try something different. I should've listened to my gut and browned all the meat before cooking it in the slow cooker with everything else.
Megan says
I made this in the slow cooker, followed all the directions, and although the flavor was pretty good, the meat was still kinda tough. It shredded easily, but was a little difficult to chew/tear apart when eating a fajita taco. I've always encountered this problem with flank steaks; maybe it should be tenderized first?
Trisha says
I started making this recipe with pork tenderloin instead for this same reason. It's just as great and a lot easier to eat, especially for my little one.
Mary says
How you slice meat makes a big difference in how tender, or not, it is. It is important to cut against the grain, which shortens the fibers and makes it easier to chew through them, since most of the work will have been done with the knife. What that means is cut across the grain, to shorten the muscle fibers, rather than cutting parallel to the grain/muscle fibers. Cutting parallel to/with the grain leaves you with a chewier cut of meat.
Cecilia Reynoso says
Will brisket work as well as flank steak in this recipe? Thanks
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. We've not tried. Let us know if you do. :)
Trisha says
I have been using pork tenderloin and it's excellent. The flank steak had great flavor but it was too tough for my little one to eat.
wildbill says
This was so good I had a hard time stopping! I did it on high for six using local range skirt (bavette) beef. Big bang for the effort! This recipe goes in my "frequent" file for taste, simplicity and economy. I liked the contrasting taste of corn tortillas but I think any tortilla would work just fine.
Michela Hugo says
I have made this repeatedly in my electric pressure cooker. It takes only 40 minutes and it turns out perfectly every time! This was the first recipe I've ever found to use flank steak in the slow cooker. So healthy and lean but comes out perfectly shreddable with this method. Love your blog and recipes, Lisa!
Nat says
Thank you for commenting on the electric pressure cooker. I just got mine and this is one of my favorite recipes. I wasn't sure how to convert.
Michela Hugo says
I love the pressure cooker!! I always use slow cooker recipes and they always turn out perfectly.
Sharon says
I was thinking about doing this in my instant pot also.. but you need atleast a cup of liquid to do so... could you tell me how you cooked it?
Jennifer P. says
Is there any other liquid besides the soy sauce?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
No, it will make its own liquid.
AG says
Absolutely love this! We tried it in the Fall and it became part of our regular rotation. It's also great for entertaining. I used 3+ lbs of steak and it cooked up beautifully.
douglas says
totally agree, this is an awesome easy recipe. I used a london broil and it came out great. I also added a small amount of adope chipoltes and it gave it a bit of zing.
It resembled the Chipolte barbacoa.
Awma says
Have you ever made this on low? How long would it take? Also, do you (or any of your readers) know why my food always seems overcooked in my crock pot even when I follow the recipe to a tee?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Some readers have cooked it on low for 8+ hours.
Caroline says
Any idea what the nutritional values are on this receipt?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Caroline. We do not provide those details. This post might help explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
karen says
can I use skirt steak instead of flank?
if not what else can I use?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Skirt should work fine. :)
Sarah says
Is it okay to cut up the steak before putting it in the slow cooker?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Sarah. We've not tried because we shred is at the end. I imagine that small pieces will work, too.
Sarah says
Do I need to add any liquid to this recipe?
Dee Handa says
I didn't realize I was going to make this until last minute so I didn't have time to slow cook it. Instead I cut up the grass fed steak (don't remember what cut I picked up, it was marbeled without a bone), doubled the "sauce" and let it marinade in the fridge for about an hour. I cut up the onions and peppers and sauteed them in some unsalted grass fed butter and then added the meat and mixed it well (and it seasoned the veggies to perfection without any additional seasoning needed). We have a local place that gets fresh 4 ingredient tortillas so I served it on those. I used the tomatillo salsa from your website with some organic sour cream and Daiya cheese and my kids inhaled it and my super picky husband said it was beyond delicious. Thank you for all your hard work and time you put into this website. It is my first go to when I need any type of recipe.
Leah S. says
I decided it was time to post a review since this is such a regular recipe in our house! We all love it here and it is by far one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. I just wanted to mention that I have occasionally used bison sirloin steaks for this in and it turned out beautifully!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Elissa. You could use a chuck or round roast.
Elissa says
Hi! I've bought all the ingredients to make this 2-3 times...then couldn't find flank steak. We recently bought 1/4 of a grass-fed cow. Would arm steak, sirloin steak, or round steak work in place of flank steak? Just looking at my beef inventory. :) (I also have some chuck or rump roasts.)
Kristen says
I have made this recipe several times and it's always a huge hit! Tomorrow I plan to double the recipe and am wondering if I need to increase the amount of time on high it spends in the slow cooker? Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Kristen. We are not usually able to respond to recipe questions in real time. How did it turn out?
Kristin says
Love this recipe! Thank you for posting Lisa. It is a favorite in our house!
Melynda says
I love these fajitas! They are full of flavor and so simple to prepare. They are a life saver for someone like me who is health conscious and has a hectic schedule. Awesome recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Julie says
I used this recipe only blog and they were delicious, and super easy!! Check out my blog at: http://www.mollys30daychallenge.blogspot.com
Melissa D says
Could this work with chicken thighs?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Melissa. That's not something we have tried so it would be an experiment. ;)
SAMCat12 says
Has anyone made this and frozen part of it for future meals? I never know what is ok to freeze and what isn't... am afraid the peppers would become too mushy? Thoughts?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. You can definitely freeze this. It may effect the texture of the peppers somewhat but they are already very soft from cooking. ~Amy
Kelly A says
I'm going to try this but I don't have organic, grass fed flank steak avaialble. Can I use top sirloin?
Debbie says
Round steak is a good option.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Kelly. Sirloin should work, too. ~Amy