Smash Burger Tacos combine thin and juicy burger patties with melted cheese, burger sauce, and all your favorite taco toppings in a crispy flour tortilla. Ready in just 15 minutes, they are the perfect combination of two comfort food classics!
5 Reasons To Love These Smash Burger Tacos
- Fun: Two comfort foods in one bite!
- Quick: Ready in just 15 minutes, no seriously.
- Flavorful: Crispy, juicy, beefy and cheesy served with a creamy and tangy burger sauce.
- Easy: No grill? No problem—just need a skillet.
- Kid Friendly: Great for picky eaters, everyone builds their own.
Ellen’s Recipe Notes
As y’all know, I love a good burger. From air fryer hamburgers to this creamy bacon cheeseburger soup, I’m always in. So when I saw these smash burger tacos flying around social media, I knew I had to try them! After some trial and error, I found my favorite method to ensure the meat sticks to the tortilla and turns out perfectly crispy. Instead of cooking the burger patties separately, I press the meat directly onto the flour tortillas before adding them to a hot skillet. It works perfectly every time!
Key Ingredient Notes
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this smash burger tacos recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Ground Beef: Feel free to swap this with ground chicken or ground turkey if preferred, but we like to use traditional ground beef for that classic juicy smash burger flavor.
- Burger Seasoning: Homemade burger seasoning gives the meat the very best flavor, but you can always use store-bought.
- Flour Tortillas: Standard taco-sized tortillas are what you’ll want to use for the proper ratio of burger patty to tortilla.
- Cheese: We use cheddar or a cheddar blend, but any melty cheese will work. You can always add more cheese than what’s called for if you like it super cheesy!
How to Make Smash Burger Tacos
These tacos take about 15 minutes to toss together from start to finish. Have all the sides ready (or already cooking) and your toppings prepped as these burgers cook quickly! My biggest tip to getting the perfect crispy smash burger is making sure the skillet is HOT before adding the beef patties. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions.
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How To Serve Smash Burger Tacos
- Topping Ideas: There’s so much room for creativity here! Some of our favorite toppings include our copycat In-N-Out sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions and tomatoes. If you aren’t a fan of burger sauces, you can also use ketchup, mayo, and/or mustard.
- Sides: Of course, nothing goes better with burgers than french fries! We like to go the extra mile with some zucchini fries, especially during the summer. Air fryer sweet potato wedges are also 10/10 with these burger tacos.
Cook’s Tips & Variations
- Your Skillet Matters: A cast iron or non-stick skillet, griddle, or Blackstone is a must! The burgers will stick to stainless steel skillets.
- Flatten the Meat: Use your hand or a burger press to flatten the beef. I like to use a piece of parchment paper under my hand to help flatten it. You want the meat to be good and flat—the flatter it is, the crispier and quicker it cooks.
- How to Fix a Soggy Tortilla: If the ground beef has a little too much fat/grease and the tortilla is a little soggy on the beef side, remove the patty and cook the tortilla by itself for a minute. Then, add the patty back on top of the tortilla and then add cheese.
- Keep Warm: If you’re preparing a lot of burgers at once, preheat the oven to 200°F. Cook the tortilla burgers in batches, then place them on a sheet tray and keep warm in the oven.
Smash Burger Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon burger seasoning
- 6 flour tortillas, taco sized
- avocado oil, or non-stick spray
- 1 cup shredded cheese, more if you like it cheesy
Optional Toppings
- in-and-out burger sauce, or ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc
- shredded lettuce
- diced tomatoes
- diced onions
- pickles
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Instructions
- Combine the ground beef and Worcestershire sauce. Divide the meat into 6 even sized balls. Place the meatballs on top of each tortilla. Using your hand or a hamburger press, flatten the meat onto the tortilla. Season the flattened meat with the burger seasoning.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle (or a cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add about a tablespoon of oil and let it heat for about 30 seconds. Lay the burgers meat side down on the hot skillet. Let the patties cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The skillet needs to be HOT before adding the meat to get a good sear!
- Flip the burgers (so the tortilla side is now touching the skillet) and add cheese on top of the burger patties. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the tortilla is golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately with all of your favorite toppings piled on top!
Notes
- Store: Like all tacos, these smash tacos are best served fresh. However you can store leftover tacos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the tacos and toppings separate to prevent sogginess.
- Reheat: For best results, reheat the tacos in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side until the tortilla crisps up and the cheese melts. You can also wrap them in foil and use an air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Avoid microwaving, as it can make the tortilla chewy rather than crispy again.
I saw these on pinterest and was intrigued… we tried them… WOW! They were so good and fun to eat. My kids really liked them too.
we made these last night for dinner and its going to be our new go to dinner, they were ready in no time, I used low carb tortillas and it was so delicious.