Trader Joe’s Beef Birria
Last summer, I had lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant that served quesabirria, or fried tacos with a beef filling and cheese. It came with a rich beef birria broth for dipping. Birria is a Mexican dish consisting of meat (beef, goat, or lamb) marinated in various spices and seasonings and cooked in a broth. It’s often served with tortillas or tacos.
When I was browsing at my local Trader Joe’s store not long ago, I noticed TJ’s — which is a cousin to Aldi — sells its own version of beef birria. I decided to pick it up and see how it compared to what I’d had in a restaurant.
Trader Joe’s Beef Birria cost $7.99 for a 16-ounce package in 2026. That comes out to around 50 cents per ounce. One package contains two 1-cup servings, so it’s about $4 per serving. We buy products for review using our own money.
Ingredients and Nutrition Facts:
The ingredients list is beef, water, onions, crushed tomatoes (tomatoes, citric acid [acidifier]), chile peppers, salt, distilled white vinegar, spices, and garlic.
A 1-cup serving has 280 calories, 15 grams of total fat (19% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 1,090 mg of sodium (47% DV), 3 grams of total carbohydrates (1% DV), no dietary fiber, less than 1 gram of total sugars, no added sugars, and 32 grams of protein.
Heating Instructions:
The box has directions for heating this in the microwave or on the stove top.
To microwave from frozen, remove the outer packaging and carefully puncture the film. Heat on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Carefully remove the film and stir. Heat for an additional 2 1/2 minutes or until the product reaches 165 degrees. Serve as a stew with chopped onions and cilantro, or make birria tacos.
To heat on the stove top, thaw the product in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the outer packaging and film, and pour the contents of the tray into a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and serve as a stew or make birria tacos.
The package also has directions for making birria tacos. Soak a tortilla of your choice in the birria broth and place in a frying pan over medium heat. Add shredded birria meat, chopped onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime to one half of the tortilla. Fold and fry until crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with the broth to use as a dip.
Our Thoughts:
I served this as tacos with corn tortillas. This is packaged as larger chunks of beef in a sauce, and I broke up some of the beef as it cooked, which meant I didn’t really have a broth for dipping. Still, this was good.
It’s upper mild to lower medium spicy and very flavorful. I added a little cheese to our birria tacos, technically making them quesabirria. They were tasty, and even certain family members who don’t typically like soft tacos ate these. I could probably make birria from scratch with a cut of beef and some seasonings, but you can’t beat this for convenience.
The Verdict:
We’ve had birria from restaurants, and Trader Joe’s Beef Birria tastes authentic. It’s medium spicy and we like it served as a taco filling.
