A white bowl of Guatemalan Hilachas, a shredded beef stew with potatoes and carrots, served over white rice. / Un tazón blanco de Hilachas guatemaltecas, un guiso de carne deshebrada con papas y zanahorias, servido sobre arroz blanco.

Hilachas (Instant Pot)

Helga Glaesel de BlandingJanuary 22, 2026

This post is also available in ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

Some dishes don’t need an introduction. They carry memories and the quiet comfort of something familiar simmering on the stove. Hilachas is one of those meals. It’s the kind you crave when you want to feed the people you love without overthinking it. Tender shredded beef, a deeply flavored tomato and chile sauce, and simple vegetables come together into a dish that’s comforting in the truest sense of the word.

This version keeps the soul of traditional hilachas while using the Instant Pot to make the process a little more approachable for busy days. The meat cooks until it’s perfectly tender, the sauce develops rich flavor from charred tomatoes and dried chiles, and everything finishes together in a way that feels generous. Like many comforting dishes, hilachas thickens as it rests and the meat absorbs the sauce, so you can adjust with warm broth before serving if you like it extra saucy. Serve it with white rice and warm tortillas and let it do what it does best: make the table feel like home.

Helga

Guatemalan Hilachas

Serves 6

Ingredients, for the beef (prepared in the Instant Pot):
2 lb beef chuck roast (cut into large chunks)
1 medium white onion, halved
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Water (enough to just barely cover up the meat)

Ingredientes, for the Sauce:
4 ripe tomatoes
3-4 tomatillos
1 guajillo chile seeds removed
1 chile pasa, seeds removed
1 small white onion
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1 tbs pepita seeds, lightly toasted
1 tbs sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon cumin
Reserved beef broth (from cooking)
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into medium pieces

Instructions:

Cook the Beef (Instant Pot or pressure cooker): Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and add a little oil.
Brown the beef lightly on all sides. Work in batches if necessary. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Add water only until it barely covers up the meat.
Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes.
Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release.
Remove the meat and shred. Strain and reserve the broth, you will use it for the sauce.
Make the Sauce: Roast or char tomatoes, chiles (these only a few seconds), onion, and garlic until soft and lightly blistered. Lightly toast the sesame and pepita seeds.
Add them to a large pot and pour the reserved broth. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Transfer the vegetables to a blender with a little of the broth. Let it cool down a moment before blending it, using the cover with the center cap removed, cover the hole with a folded kitchen towel. Blend until smooth at low speed.
Bring It All Together: Add the blended vegetables back to the sauce and cook 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Add shredded beef with the carrots and potatoes. Add cumin and salt to taste. Simmer 20 minutes, covered, until the potatoes and carrots are soft, stirring gently.
Serve with white rice.

Have you made this recipe?

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