Indulge in the best Birria Pizza, a unique and flavorful twist on traditional pizza that combines savory meat, spicy sauce, and melty cheese all in between two crisp flour tortillas. Cut into triangles, just like a pizza, this pizzadilla is a fun Mexican inspired dish that can be enjoyed by all.
Enjoy the combination of traditional Mexican flavors with the classic look of an Italian dish. Birria is a flavorful and savory stew made with tender, slow-cooked meat, which can provide a delicious topping for pizza.
Traditionally from Jalisco, Mexico, this fun spin on the dish is also popular in many areas and offers a chance for people to explore and experiment with new tastes and culinary styles.
While some dishes focus on the taste of the onion and tomatoes, like our Birria Quesadillas, this particular dish adds a taste of cinnamon. The added flavor adds to the tasty flavor profile the pizza offers.
This recipe demands a considerable amount of time to achieve the ideal texture and flavor. The meat needs to be cooked in a simmering broth for two hours to get the taste you are looking for. But it's worth the wait. Because the meat is tougher, the longer it cooks the more tender it becomes.
This is a fun weeknight meal to make with friends or family. Make it to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, or spice up Taco Tuesday.
Try our other Mexican inspired dishes like Air Fryer Tacos, Roasted Corn Salsa, and Smoky Red Pepper Crema.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Fun Dinner- This is a fun twist to traditional taco night and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
- Pizza Night- Make pizza night a little different this fun variation. It resembles a pizza and a quesadilla making it a pizzadilla.
- Restaurant Style Meal at Home- You've had this style of meat at restaurants before, now make it in the comfort of your home.
- Trending- We love when a recipe trends. It gives us the opportunity to try something new. This one is a real winner!
- Easy To make- The meat takes long to cook but it's an easy recipe to follow and make. Impress your guests with this easy but fun looking meal.
- Versatile- The meat can be used for other recipes like our Birria Quesadillas, Tacos, enchiladas, and chimichangas.
Ingredients
To make this Queso heavy pizzadilla, be sure to use the suggested cheeses below. This list of ingredients will help you have a successfully tasty meal.
Birria Meat
- Beef chuck roast- This is a fatty cut of meat that becomes tender and perfectly flavored when cooked in the broth.
- White Onion-Gives a great vegetable base flavor to the broth.
- Roma Tomatoes-Use Roma tomatoes instead of other varieties to make a good stew and sauce.
- Guajillo chilis-You don't want to substitute this chiili pepper as it gives the meat the traditional taste you like.
- Ancho chilis-You can find these dried chilis at some grocery stores in the Hispanic section, amazon, or you can find them at a great price at a Mexican market.
- Minced garlic-A great addition to flavor and stronger than using garlic powder.
- Cumin- This spice adds a great taste you find in many Mexican dishes. You don't want to leave this out.
- Oregano and Thyme-These are great herbs that are often used in taco seasoning and other Mexican dishes.
- Cinnamon- Cinnamon gives this particular Birria dish a unique distinction that isn't found in every dish.
- Lime juice- To help enhance the flavors of the other spices, herbs, and vegetables.
Assembling the Pizza
- Flour tortillas- Use the largest size flour tortillas so you get the biggest style of pizza.
- Oaxaca cheese- This cheese resembles mozzarella but has great consistency for this type of dish.
- Monterrey jack cheese- Pairs well with the Oaxaca cheese and adds to the pizza feel of the dish.
- Cilantro- if you love the taste, this herb adds the perfect flavor with the meat and cheese combination. It can be skipped if you aren't a fan of cilantro.
- Red Onion-Unlike the white onion used in the sauce, this red onion is sweeter and is mixed with the cheese and meat.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Because this is a more complicated recipe, you will want to make sure you follow these step by step process photos. You may want to refer to the pictures as you cook.
- Deseed the chili peppers. If you would like, you can use gloves so your hands don't attract the juices.
2.Saute tomatoes and white onions in a large pan with oil until soft. Add the spices.
3. Add water to the vegetables and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Add the broth and vegetables into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot and add the beef. Simm.er for 2 hours
5. After the meet is done and shredded, dip the flour tortilla in the consome and place on a preheated skillet. Pile on the meat, cheese, cilantro, and red onion.
6. Place another tortilla on top and cook each side until the cheese is completely melted.
7. Cut the tortilla like a pizza and serve with a side of consome to dip in.
Hint: Make sure to use the largest flour tortillas you can find. Small tortillas will work but extra large tortillas give that pizza feel.
Instant Pot Instructions
Try this quicker instant pot method by placing all Birria Meat ingredients into a large instant pot. Set to Pressure Cook on high and set the time for 45 minutes. After the timer goes off, allow it to have a natural release (about 30 minutes).
Remove meat and shred. Take out the bay leaves and blend other ingredients together in a high speed blender. Run the blended broth through a sieve. Make sure to save the leftover juice as consome for dipping.
Assemble the pizza as normal.
Substitutions
We don't recommend substituting too many ingredients, it changes the taste of the dish. Below are a few ideas for helpful substitutions to help with convienence and dietary preferences.
- Chicken - You can make this with chicken instead by using 4 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs.
- Ancho Peppers - Substitute Pasilla pepper with ancho peppers. They have a similar heat profile.
- Arbol Peppers - Arbol Peppers will take the heat to the next level. Use these instead of Pasilla peppers.
- Guajillo Peppers - Do not subistute the Guajillo peppers. They give the classic taste of birria.
- Mozzarella Cheese-This cheese gives a different flavor, it's very similar to Oaxaca cheese and can serve as a quick and easy subsititute.
For a tasty variation try our Birria Quesadillas.
Helpful Hints
- Make Ahead this meat ahead of time and leave in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Use when ready to make into a meal.
- Make a large batch and use some in a meal and then freeze the rest of the meat for another time.
- Save the broth and freeze for another time. When ready to use again, thaw and simmer beef for 2 hours again. Reusing the broth will help you save time and money.
How to Serve
- Serve with a side of consome, the chili broth used to cook the meat, to add extra flavor.
- Try adding Smoky Red Pepper Crema or Avocado Crema as a dipping sauce.
- Make this for a Cinco De Mayo party to wow your guests. It makes a great dinner for a large group of people. You can also serve it with a side of Churro Chips, or Sopappilla Cheesecake for a full spread.
Equipment
For the best results you will want to use the following equipment. Be sure to check out our favorite recommendations.
- Fry pan- This is used to cook the pizza once assembled. You will want a bigger fry pan so it's easier to flip over.
- Heavy bottom pot- You need this cook the meat and sauce. You can also use a large sauce pan with tall sides for similar results.
- High Speed Blender- To make the consome, the broth to simmer the meat in, you need a high speed blender.
Storage
Store Birria Pizza leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The best way to reheat is in the oven at 350° until the cheese is hot and melty. You can also reheat in an air fryer.
Birria meat and consome can both be frozen. Store in an air tight container in the freezer (in separate containers) for up to 2 months. Thaw then warm up before use.
Top tip
You will want to give yourself plenty of time and plan ahead when making this meal. It may take time to locate all of the ingredients, and the meat will take at least 2 hours to cook.
FAQ
Birria Pizza is a fun twist on a classic Italian dish by making it with a flour tortilla crust and using slow cooked Birria Meat as a topping. Cut like a pizza you can dip this tasty meal in the consome it's cooked in.
All sandwiched between two extra large tortillas, assemble this pizza by adding Birria meat, monetary jack and Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, and red onion on top of one tortilla. Top with an additional tortilla, flip and cook until the cheese is completely melted. Cut like a pizza and enjoy.
A pizza and quesadilla in one. Cut and eaten like a pizza and assembled in flour tortillas like a quesadilla, this hybrid pizzadilla is a fun Mexican style meal made with Birria meat.
Birria pizza is made with Birria Meat which is a meat slow cooked and simmered in a broth made with ancho and guajillo chilis, tomatoes, onions, and cinnamon.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are our favorite dishes to serve with Birria Pizza:
Recipe
Birria Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Fry pan
Ingredients
For the Birria Meat:
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 white onion small
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 3 guajillo chilis, dried
- 2 ancho chilis, dried
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic or 4 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 bay leaves
To Make the Pizza:
- 12 flour tortillas large
- Oaxaca cheese
- 8 oz monterrey jack cheese
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 red onion chopped
Instructions
For the Birria Meat:
- Using kitchen shears, trim off the stems of the chilis, then slice open and remove the seeds. Feel free to leave the seeds in or remove only some of the seeds for more heat. The guajillo peppers are hotter than the ancho peppers. Use gloves to protect your hands from the spice, if desired.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and tomatoes for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, cumin, oregano, thyme, black pepper, cinnamon and salt. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Add 3-4 cups of water, chilis, white vinegar and lime juice. Make sure all the vegetables (other than the chilis which float) are covered with liquid. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes.
- Place all ingredients from the pot into a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour through a sieve or fine mesh strainer back into the pot, getting all the juice back in the pot that you can. See photos above for a great visual on these steps.
- Add the meat and bay leaves to the pot. Add water until the meat is covered, 3-4 cups. Add the water into the blender first and swirl it around to get all the stuff from the sides. Bring to a boil then turn down to low and cover to simmer. Simmer covered for 2- 2.5 hours, making sure the meat is tender before use. Can be simmered longer, just add an extra half cup of water for each additional hour being simmered.
To Assemble the Birria Pizza:
- Remove the meat from the birria consome and shred it. Place the consome in a bowl for dipping. If using raw tortillas, cook tortillas before use.
- Lightly oil a fry pan on medium heat. Dip a large flour tortilla in the birria consome and cover in cheese and then meat, onion and cilantro, followed by more cheese, using a mixture of both the oaxaca and the monterrey jack. Dip another tortilla in consome and place on top. Allow to cook on both sides until the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the cooked "pizza" and set aside. Place another tortilla dipped in consome on the fry pan. Cover in cheese, meat, onion, cilantro then more cheese. Place the cooked "pizza" on top for your double layers. Cook until cheese is melted. Cut into pizza triangles and serve! Dip birria pizza slices into the consome while eating for the yummiest results.
Notes
- To make in the instant pot: place all Birria Meat ingredients into a large instant pot. Pressure Cook on high for 45 minutes, then allow it to have a natural release (about 30 minutes). Remove meat and shred. Remove bay leaves and blend other ingredients together in a high speed blender. Run through a sieve and use the leftover juice as consome for dipping. Assemble as directed above.
- dried chilis can be found on Amazon or at your local Latin market for a small fraction of the cost.
- Make Ahead: The meat can be made up to 4 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store birria pizza leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350° until the cheese is hot and melty.
- Store birria meat and consome in the freezer in separate containers for up to 2 months. Thaw then warm up before use.
- Use pasilla peppers instead of ancho, if desired. For extra heat, use dried arbol peppers.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Andrea
Wow I love this Birria Pizza so much. It's such a fun way to make a fun Mexican dish. It totally reminds me of a pizzadilla. My family devoured it!