Make Tender, Flavorful Tacos de Lengua with Ana Nelson

Tacos de Lengua topped with onion, cilantro, and avocado salsa

May 6, 2025

Tacos de lengua can feel a little intimidating if you've never cooked with beef tongue before, but this final recipe from Ana Nelson shows just how simple and delicious it can be. When braised low and slow, lengua becomes flavorful, with a silky, tender texture that melts in your mouth. Thanks to a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot, the whole process is seamless and mostly hands-off. Ana simmers the tongue in an aromatic broth with clove-studded onion and warm spices, then chops it up and pairs it with a creamy, tangy salsa de aguacate. Tucked into warm tortillas and topped with onion and cilantro, these tacos are comforting, flavorful, and anything but scary.

Lengua Tacos (Beef Tongue Tacos)

Ana Nelson

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Author

Ana Nelson

Ingredients

For the Lengua

1 beef tongue (2-3 pounds)
½ white onion
5 whole cloves
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
Salt, to taste
½ cup water for blending, plus additional water to cover the lengua
Corn tortillas
Optional toppings: chopped white onion and cilantro

For the Salsa de Aguacate

10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
½ white onion
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeño, destemmed
3 serrano chiles (adjust to your spice preference)
1 large avocado
½ cup chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt, to taste

Directions

Cook the Lengua

Rinse the lengua under cold running water, then place it in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
Stud the onion with the cloves by inserting their pointed ends directly into the onion. Set aside.
In a blender, combine the garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, allspice, oregano, and a generous pinch of salt. Add ½ cup of water and blend until well combined.
Add the clove-studded onion and the blended mixture to the Instant Pot. Add 1-2 additional cups of water if needed so that the lengua and onion are mostly submerged.
Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 2 hours. Let the pressure release naturally.

Prepare the Salsa de Aguacate

In a saucepan, combine the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and serrano chiles. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the tomatillos are soft and pale green, about 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the boiled ingredients to a blender. Add the flesh of the avocado, along with the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust lime or salt as needed. Set aside.

Prepare the Lengua

Once the lengua is fork-tender and the meat feels soft, not tough, carefully remove it from the pot and place it on a large cutting board. Allow it to cool slightly.
To peel the lengua, make an intial cut along the base of the tongue with a sharp knife. You should be able to lift the skin off in large sections, revealing the tender meat underneath. Discard the skin.
Trim off any remaining fatty tissue or rougher bits from the bottom of the lengua.
Once it’s peeled, shred the meat using two forks, or chop it into bite-size pieces.

Assemble the Tacos

Fill each tortilla with lengua and top with chopped onion, cilantro, and a spoonful of salsa de aguacate. Serve warm. ¡Provecho!

All Comments

Thanks so much for the question! We haven’t tested this recipe ourselves without a pressure cooker, but yes, you can definitely cook lengua on the stovetop. We recommend simmering it gently in a large pot of water with the same aromatics for about 3.5 to 4 hours, or until the tongue is very tender and the skin peels off easily. Make sure it stays mostly submerged, and add more water as needed. We hope it turns out great, and we’d love to hear how it goes!

What if you don’t have a pressure cooker, what other method do you recommend? Boil adding an additional 1.5 hours?

Hi Linda! We hear you — 2 hours can seem like a lot, but lengua is a tough cut and really needs time to get tender and easy to peel. You can check it a little earlier if you’re using a smaller tongue, but 2 hours usually gives the best results. Let us know how it turns out! 😊

Is it really a two hour pressure cook? I’m using the recipe right now and it seemed like a lot.

These are very nice: I would love to see some vegan recipes.

Make Tender, Flavorful Tacos de Lengua with Ana Nelson

Make Tender, Flavorful Tacos de Lengua with Ana Nelson

Lengua Tacos (Beef Tongue Tacos)

Category

Author

Ingredients

For the Lengua

For the Salsa de Aguacate

Directions

Cook the Lengua

Prepare the Salsa de Aguacate

Prepare the Lengua

Assemble the Tacos

All Comments

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