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    Home » Recipes » American

    Smash Burger Tacos

    Published: Jan 26, 2024 · Modified: Oct 7, 2024 by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Smash burger tacos topped with lettuce, pickles and onion on a plate with french fries.

    Smash Burger Tacos are all the rave right now. Juicy ground meat is smashed into thin perfection in crispy tortilla with melty cheese and dressed with classic burger toppings. It’s a fun twist on taco night and burger night all in one!

    Looking for another easy dinner recipe to try. You’ll love how quick these Thai lettuce wraps or these egg roll bowls are to make.

    Smash burger tacos topped with lettuce, pickles and onion on a plate with french fries.

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    Jump to:
    • Best Taco Burgers (Big Mac Style)
    • Ingredients needed
    • Variations/Substitutions
    • How to Make Burger Tacos
    • Tips:
    • How to Store?
    • Smash Burger Tacos

    Best Taco Burgers (Big Mac Style)

    Take my word, everyone will love a smash burger taco.  First, they combine the best of both worlds – the heartiness of a classic burger and the convenience of a taco. These come together quickly with simple ingredients and are perfect for easy weeknight dinner recipe. 

    They went viral on tiktok and got their name because you literally smash the burger flat onto tortillas. I wanted to make big mac tacos like the viral versions I saw.  But they’re so customizable with makes them a delicious recipe for all ages. 

    If you are cooking for a crowd, a hot griddle like a Blackstone grill is so great to make smashburger tacos super fast!

    Smash burger tacos topped with lettuce and pickles on a plate with fries.

    Ingredients needed

    Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make these smash burgers.  Scroll down to the full recipe card for individual amounts.

    The ingredients for Smash Burger Tacos - ground beef, flour tortillas, diced onions, pickles, thousand island dressing, chopped lettuce and american cheese.
    • Lean Ground Beef:: 90/10 is my favorite to use for beef patty without too much grease.
    • Flour Tortillas : I use the small flour tortillas for perfect taco form. You can also use corn tortillas for a gluten free version.
    • American Cheese: Melts beautifully, giving you that gooey cheese pull we all love.
    • Iceberg Lettuce: shredded lettuce adds a refreshing crunch.
    • Onion: For a bit of sharpness and texture.
    • Thousand Island Dressing: Brings in that classic Big Mac flavor.
    • Pickle Slices: dill pickle slices are my favorite.

    Variations/Substitutions

    1. Swap beef with ground chicken or ground turkey for a lighter version.
    2. Use any burger sauce you’d like. Or simply ketchup, mayo, and mustard.
    3. Go wild with any favorite toppings – think sautéed mushrooms, diced tomatoes, or make them into Mexican burgers with sour cream, pico de gallo and avocado.
    4. Choose any kind of cheese: cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, Monterey jack… yum!
    5. For a low-carb option, use low-carb tortillas.
    6. Use a regular hamburger bun for a regular burger instead of a tortilla if you’d like. These thin burger patties are great no matter what they are.

    How to Make Burger Tacos

    Four tortillas with meat scooped and flattened on a baking sheet.

    Step 1: Divide a pound of ground meat into 8 equal sized beef patties, placing each on a tortilla. Spread into a thin layer of ground beef and season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, etc if you’d like. You can also roll the raw meat into a ball and press it down with meat press or a spatula in the pan you use. Then place a flour tortilla on top as it cooks.

    A frying pan cooking a tortilla with ground beef.

    Step 2: In a cast iron pan, griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat, place them meat side down and cook for 2-3 minutes until the meat reaches 160° F, use a spatula to smash it while cooking. Then flip the burger with the tortilla side down and cook for another 30 seconds just until it’s a little crisp on the bottom. 

    American cheese added to top of cooked meat and tortillas.

    Step 3: Remove from skillet, add the slice of cheese on top of the beef side and let the cheese melt. (you can cover it for a few seconds to help the cheese melt.

    Four tacos with cheese and pickles on a cooling rack.
    Four smash burger tacos on a cooling rack.

    Step 4:  Repeat with remaining tortillas. Top each with lettuce, onion, pickles, and dressing. Fold and enjoy.

    Close up of smash burger tacos on a plate with fries and a side of sauce.

    Tips:

    • Use a burger press to flatten the beef into a thin patty.
    • After you flip the taco, be careful not to overcook the tortilla.
    • Don’t overload the tacos with toppings.

    How to Store?

    Refrigerate: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container, without the toppings, for up to 3 days.

    Freeze: Store in a freezer bag or other airtight container for up to 2 months.

    Reheat: You can either reheat the taco burger in a skillet or in the microwave for a 30 seconds to a minute.

    If you like this recipe, please leave us a comment and rate it in the recipe card. We would love for you to join us and over 300,000 followers on Facebook as well as on Pinterest and Instagram too!

    Smash burger tacos topped with lettuce, pickles and onion on a plate with french fries.

    Smash Burger Tacos

    Smash Burger Tacos are all the rave right now. Juicy ground meat is smashed into thin perfection in crispy tortilla with melty cheese and dressed with classic burger toppings. It's a fun twist on taco night and burger night all in one!
    5 from 1 vote
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    Course: Dinner, lunch
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8 burgers
    Calories: 379kcal
    Author: Sherri Hagymas

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground beef 90/10
    • 8 flour tortillas soft taco size
    • 8 slices American cheese
    • 2 cup iceberg lettuce shredded
    • ½ cup onion diced
    • ½ cup thousand island dressing
    • Pickle slices

    Instructions

    • Divide the ground meat into 8 equal amount.
      1 pound ground beef
    • Then place the meat on a tortilla and spread it into a thin layer. (sprinkle with salt and pepper if you’d like).
      8 flour tortillas
    • Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
    • Place one of the tortillas beef side down in the heated pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink.
    • Flip the tortilla over and took for about 30 seconds on that side to brown slightly.
    • Remove from the pan and place a slice of cheese on the beef side
      8 slices American cheese
    • Repeat with the other tortillas.
    • Top each taco with lettuce, onion, pickles and drizzle with dressing.
      2 cup iceberg lettuce, ½ cup onion, ½ cup thousand island dressing, Pickle slices
    • Fold like a taco and enjoy!

    Notes

    Swap the ground beef for ground chicken or ground turkey meat.
    Season the meat with any favorite spices like garlic powder, onion powder, montreal seasoning.
    Instead of making them Big Mac style, swap the thousand island dressing for ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.
    Use any favorite burger toppings like sautéed mushrooms and onions, diced tomatoes, avocado, diced jalapeños.
    Use any kind of cheese. Cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, Monterey jack, Pepper jack are all wonderful too.
    Use low carb tortillas if you’d like.
    Store leftovers in an airtight container without the toppings.
    Freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in a warm skillet until heated through.
    Reheat in a skillet until heated through for best crispy results. You can also reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1smash burger | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 322IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 282mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutritional Disclosure

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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