Smashed Burger Tacos
Smashed burger tacos are an amazing and easy to make combination of burgers and tacos. They’re delicious, super-quick and easy to make, and really simple to customize to your own taste (and pantry items!). Think juicy beef patty, golden crispy tortilla shell and tangy sauce. Heaven!
Smashed burger tacos went viral on social media and with good reason – we can’t get enough! I’ve tried a few different combinations (all are amazing!) so I’ll include the basic recipe and some suggestions in case you want to try some different flavors.
Ingredients – What You Need
- Ground beef: This recipe uses just regular ground beef. One pound (or just under 500g). Nothing fancy – whatever you can get easily. I have two suggestions: first, use ground beef with a higher fat content because it stays moist even after being smashed and cooked. Second, don’t use already formed beef patties because too thick and often contain breadcrumbs.
- Leftovers can be used up in my delicious vegetable soup with ground beef and frozen vegetables, and gluten-free meatballs.
- Tortillas: I usually use 6-inch flour tortillas I buy from the store and they work really well. However, corn tortillas also work, and some of the flavored tortillas (tomato, spinach etc) will also work well.
- Cheese slices: Whichever cheese slices you already have will be perfect! Some people like quick-melting cheese – others like firm aged cheddar slices. It really is determined by your personal preference – and what you have in your kitchen. Allow 1 slice of cheese per smashed taco.
- Lettuce: I use iceberg lettuce and shred about 1 cup. However, this recipe is supposed to be EASY and TASTY, so you can use whatever you prefer. If you’re not keen on lettuce, you could substitute it for baby spinach leaves.
- Dill pickles: Let’s face it – you either love pickles or hate ’em! My husband loves them, but me – not so much! However, the tang and slight crunch of the pickles in the smashed burger tacos is great. But feel free to either leave out the pickles if you don’t like (or don’t have) them, or substitute them for a couple of slices of fresh tomato.
- Ranch dressing: I use ranch dressing in my recipe because it’s quick, easy and tasty – and because I’ve always got some in the kitchen. If you don’t have or don’t like ranch, pretty much any sauce you do like will work in this recipe. If I’m feeling ‘fancy’ (haha!) I will mix together mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, a dash of hot sauce and a dash of pickle juice. Stir it all together and you’ve got yourself a tasty, tangy sauce that goes perfectly on smash tacos!
- Salt & pepper: I always try to use freshly ground salt and pepper, but this recipe is supposed to be super-quick and no fuss, so just use whatever you have. And as much or as little as your tastebuds like!
How To Make Smashed Burger Tacos
Follow along with my easy directions to see how to make smashed burger tacos at home!
- Preparation. Shred the lettuce, slice the pickles, season the ground beef with salt and pepper, preheat the griddle or skillet to a medium-high heat.
- Divide and get ready. Divide the ground beef into four even portions and shape each into a rough beef patty. Have all your ingredients close at hand because the smashing and cooking happens quickly!
- Smash. When the griddle or skillet is hot, add the meat patties to it, ensuring they’re spaced well apart. Put a tortilla on top of each patty and press down firmly using a burger press, spatula, or even the bottom of a saucepan. The ground beef will flatten onto the hot griddle. Don’t worry if the beef patty spreads out further than the tortilla – the aim is to cook it quickly, not make it beautiful.
- Cook. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the beef has browned and started to sizzle and crisp up. Slide a burger press or spatula under the smashed beef and flip it over so that the tortilla is sitting on the hot griddle or skillet. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each meat patty. Cook for a further 1 minute or thereabouts.
- Combine. When the meat is cooked, the cheese is melted, and the tortilla is crispy, remove from the hot griddle. Garnish each with a quarter of the shredded lettuce, some sliced pickles, and top with a generous pour of ranch dressing.
- Serve. Fold each smashed burger taco in half to create the taco shape and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Customizing Smashed Burger Tacos
One of the best things about my smashed burger tacos recipe is how easy it is to customize to suit your own taste and available panty items. Here are my suggestions:
- Salad. Feel free to add sliced or diced tomatoes, a handful of baby spinach, or sliced and cooked (or raw) onion.
- Vegetables. When I’ve got a bit more time, I will add a handful of frozen or tinned corn kernels to the ground beef, or sometimes a cup of grated carrot or grated zucchini. You could also add diced onion.
- Herbs and spices. If you like things hot, add some dried chilli flakes to the ground beef! Alternatively, what about adding some chives, parsley, cilantro or dill?
- Sauce. If you don’t have (or don’t like) ranch dressing, try ketchup, barbecue sauce, natural yogurt, thousand island dressing, mustard, hot sauce or sweet chilli sauce.
- Keto/ low carb. To reduce the carbs, use low carb tortillas and no carb dressing (like Walden Farms No Calorie Dressing).
Freezing and Storage
Fresh ground beef – seasoned or not – can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Smashed burger tacos are always best consumed immediately. If you really have to make these a little ahead of time, don’t add the lettuce, pickles and dressing until just prior to serving. Unfortunately, smashed burger tacos don’t store or reheat well.
Ground beef with a higher (ie, 20%) fat content works best for smashed burgers. The fat content keeps the beef juicy and flavorful, and as the fat cooks, it creates a caramelized crust on the outside.
Flattening the beef thinly onto a hot griddle or skillet while cooking it quickly and at a high temperature gives the burger its name. The flat, fast and quick cooking style produces a thin, crispy and flavorful patty that is still juicy on the inside. Combined with a crispy tortilla on the outside and tangy sauce, pickles, cheese and lettuce on the inside, it’s a quick and delicious meal.
Smashed burgers are awesome because they’re quick and easy to make, they’re customizable to suit your taste and pantry items, and they’re really tasty. Smashed burgers are the perfect balance between juicy meat, crunchy toppings and a zesty sauce. It’s a great way to get protein, vegetable, dairy and a some carbohydrate in an easy meal.
Smash burgers cook really quickly because the beef patty is so thin, whereas regular burger patties take much longer to cook. Smash burgers strike the perfect balance between beef patty, toppings and crispiness, but regular burgers contain a lot of bread that gets soggy from the toppings.
For a snacky dessert to go with this recipe, try my tasty turmeric balls or some flaxseed pudding.
And that’s it! Smashed burger tacos really are very quick to make – from preparation to cooking time and serving. They’re an easy, tasty and filling recipe for those evenings when you don’t feel like cooking but can’t justify the expense of take-out. My family loves them and they have become a simple ‘go to’ staple in our home.
If you loved this smashed burger tacos recipe, let us know! Share it on social media using the buttons below and tag us in your posts. We’d also appreciate it if you could leave a rating or review to help others discover this delicious dish.
Don’t want to miss any of our tasty recipes? Sign up for our email list to get the latest updates, tips, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox. Thank you for your support!
Smashed Burger Tacos
Equipment
- 1 burger flip (or spatula)
- 1 griddle or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound (or 500g) ground beef 20% fat
- 4 6-inch (or 15cm) tortillas flour or corn
- 4 slices cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- sliced pickles
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the griddle or skillet to a medium-high heat.
- Shred the lettuce and slice the pickles. Set aside.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the ground beef and work in with clean hands.
- Divide the beef into four equal portions and shape roughly into patties or meat balls.
- The smashing and cooking happens very quickly, so be prepared!
- When the griddle or skillet is hot, add the beef patties to it. (Remember to leave space between them.)
- Add a tortilla to the top of each beef patty and press down very firmly using a burger press. (If you don't have a burger press, use a strong spatula, or even the base of a saucepan.) You want the beef patty to spread out underneath the tortilla so that it's quite thin.
- Allow the ground beef to cook on the hot griddle (or skillet) for approximately 3 minutes, or until the beef has browned and is starting to sizzle and crisp on the edges.
- Use the burger flip (or spatula) to flip the the smashed burger tacos so that the tortilla side is down on the griddle.
- Add a slice of cheese to the top of each beef patty.
- Cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted, the beef has browned and is juicy, and the tortilla is crisp.
- When done, remove from the griddle.
- Top the smashed burger tacos with the shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, and a generous pour of ranch dressing.
- Fold the smashed burger tacos in half to create the traditional taco shape, and to make them easier to hold and eat.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Add sliced or diced tomatoes to the top before serving.
- Use baby spinach instead of shredded lettuce.
- Add frozen or tinned corn kernels to the ground beef before cooking.
- Use a little parsley, chives, cilantro or dill – either before cooking or as a garnish.
- Add diced onion to the ground beef before cooking.
- Grate 1 cup of carrot or zucchini into the raw ground beef.
- Add a dash of hot sauce.
- Replace the ranch dressing with ketchup, relish, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, sweet chilli sauce or Greek yogurt.
- Add 1 tablespoon of smashed avocado just before serving – yum!
- Try different cheeses. I recently used a wedge of bitey blue cheese and it tasted truly decadent!
Yum, so good. I added some American mustard too since I love it, turned out delicious.
Hi Hames. Great suggestion to add American mustard! Thanks for your comment 🙂