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These easy smash burger tacos are topped with a homemade Big Mac sauce for the ultimate 20 minute weeknight dinner. Ground beef is smashed directly onto a tortilla, creating a crispy, golden crust topped with melty cheese with all your favorite burger toppings. This quick recipe is best for when you’re too tired to cook, but need a family-friendly meal.
A Quick Look: Big Mac Smash Burger Tacos
- Prep time: Only 10 minutes for the tacos and about 5 minutes for the sauce.
- Servings: Makes 4 servings.
- Main ingredients: Ground beef, tortillas, shredded lettuce, and a homemade Big Mac sauce with ketchup, mayonnaise and spices.
- When to serve: When you need a fast, easy meal that is delicious for both kids and adults.
- Dietary information: This recipe fits a Mediterranean-style diet, and can be made gluten free and dairy free. It is HYH diet compliant.
- Why you’ll love it: These smash burger tacos will be your go-to meal when you need dinner fast and don’t know what to make. They’re delicious, juicy, and hit the spot when you want an easy burger at home. The homemade Big Mac sauce makes it extra flavorful.
These are so good because smashing the beef directly onto the tortilla allows the fat soak into the tortilla as it cooks, creating a crispy, flavorful crust while keeping the beef attached. You can make these with or without a Blackstone griddle – they work great in a cast iron pan too.
This recipe was inspired by taking the viral smash burger taco recipe and combining it with my Big Mac burger bowls – great if you don’t have buns or a tortilla!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef – I’ve tested this recipe a few different ways (it’s great with ground chicken and this Caesar dressing without anchovies), but for the classic burger flavor, stick with 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef – which have a slightly higher fat content. 90/10 will work, but won’t be as flavorful and the extra fat helps the tortilla really crisp up.
- Tortillas – Look for smaller 6-8 inch tortillas. You want the taco size instead of burrito-sized as it allows the beef to fill most of the surface. I used Vista Hermosa flour tortillas, found at Whole Foods, for recipe testing. These are also more Mediterranean-diet friendly than other brands. Flour HEB tortillas also work well. Highly recommend flour over corn, since the corn flavor doesn’t mesh as well with the flavor profile. The beef patty also sticks better to flour tortillas, and they crisp up well.
- Shredded lettuce – I like to pick up a bag of pre-shredded iceberg or romaine to make life easier, but you can also thinly slice lettuce at home.
- Cheese – American cheese will give you that classic burger flavor, and there are a lot of good brands out there now. Andrew and Everett, Boar’s Head, and Organic Valley make slices that are real cheese!
- Burger sauce – A classic Big-Mac inspired burger sauce mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, dill pickles, yellow mustard, distilled white vinegar, paprika, dried shallots and garlic powder. I use Chosen Foods avocado oil mayo, Smash Kitchen, Whole Foods, or O organics ketchup, and Grillo’s pickles. If you can’t find dried shallots, fresh will work.
Variations
- Gluten free – Use cassava tortillas like Siete over corn tortillas.
- Dairy free – Omit the added cheese on top.
- Toppings – Chopped tomatoes, avocado, or thinly sliced onion would also work. I just love to keep this recipe simple and easy!
- Tex Mex smash burger taco – Swap out the burger sauce and cheese with this white queso recipe and sliced avocado.
- Caesar smash burger– Use ground chicken or beef with the same process, and topped with romaine and this caesar dressing without anchovies!
How to Make Smashed Burger Tacos
Step 1: Begin by making the burger sauce as the smash burger tacos will cook quickly. Just combine all the ingredients together and stir.
Step 2: Separate the beef into balls. You can do four 4 ounce balls or five 3.5 ounce balls. Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium high heat.
Step 3: When the pan or griddle is hot (the beef should sizzle when touching it!), season the beef with salt and black pepper, then place the tortilla on top and smash the beef down so it forms a very thin patty. This is even easier with a burger press. You want the patty as thin as possible.
Step 4: Cook the meat for 2-3 minutes (it should only need 2 if it’s very thin) till it’s dark and crisp, then use a sturdy spatula to scrape underneath and flip the tortilla. Reduce the heat to low and add cheese on top.
Step 5: Cover with a lid and allow the cheese to melt – about 1 minute. Watch the heat here – if it’s too high the tortilla will burn.
Step 6: While warm, top the taco with shredded lettuce and burger sauce.
Foolproof Tips
- While you don’t need these, a burger press, sturdy metal spatula to get under the beef so it doesn’t stick, and a metal lid to cover the taco make the cooking process easy. You can use these again for regular smash burgers.
- The pan should be hot enough that the beef sizzles immediately when it hits the surface. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the burger won’t develop that classic crispy smash burger crust.
- Resist the urge to wipe any extra grease as this helps to crisp up the tortilla once you flip it.
Serving Suggestions
I pair these with air fryer french fries. I am obsessed with the Roots brand fries and tots, which you can find at Sprouts. Other great pairings would be this Mediterranean cucumber salad or watermelon basil salad.
For drinks, go with something classic and refreshing like an ice cold homemade cola or homemade sprite.
Storage Information
- Fridge – The burger tacos store well in the fridge for up to 3 days and are best reheated in the air fryer if you have one! The burger sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freezer – If you wanted to have these on hand, you can freeze them, and layer them with parchment in between. Just only freeze the tortilla, meat, and cheese, then make the sauce fresh each time. These will store well for up to 3 months in an airtight bag or container.
- Reheating – I recommend 350°F for 3-4 minutes, which will get the tortilla crispy again. You can also place it in a pan, tortilla side down, over medium low heat for a few minutes.
Recipe FAQ
Because the smash burgers are so thin, they cook through really quickly. The first 2 minutes are for an initial sear to get it crispy on the outside, but you can always cook it 1 more minute here if you’re unsure. Covering the burger for another minute allows the meat to steam, ensuring it’s cooked on the tortilla side as well.
Usually the pan isn’t hot enough, the beef wasn’t smashed thin enough, or the tortilla was flipped too early. A thin patty and a hot cooking surface are key. There also may not be enough fat in the beef – especially if you use ground beef with a lower fat content.
Yes, both work well. Because they’re leaner than beef, they won’t create quite as much crispy texture, but they’re still delicious. I would recommend ground chicken thighs if you do this.
No! While you can absolutely use one for this recipe, a heavy bottomed stainless steel skillet or cast iron pan will work just as well. Lodge does make a nice cast iron griddle if you make these often, as it will cut down on your overall cooking time.
More Easy Burger Recipes
Beef
Big Mac Burger Bowls
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Smash Burger Tacos with Big Mac Sauce
Ingredients
Smash Burgers
- 1 pound ground beef, 85/15 recommended
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4-6 flour tortillas, 5-7” size, will need 6 for smaller tortillas
- 4 slices American cheese
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4-5 dill pickle rounds, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried shallots, or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh shallot
Instructions
- Begin by making the burger sauce as the burgers will cook very quickly. Stir together all the ingredients and refrigerate till ready to use.
- Separate the beef into balls (4 for 4 ounce balls, and 5-6 for 3 ounce) balls. Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium high heat. When hot, place one ball of beef into the middle of the pan. Season the beef with salt and black pepper, then place the tortilla on top and use a large metal spatula or small pot to smash the beef down so it forms a very thin patty. Cook the meat for 2 minutes, or until the color of the beef is dark and crisp on the bottom.
- Use a metal spatula to scrape underneath the beef and flip the taco, then reduce the heat to low and add the cheese on top of the beef patty. Cover with a lid and allow the cheese to melt for about 1 minute.
- While warm, top the taco with shredded iceberg lettuce and burger sauce.
Notes
- If using smaller tortillas, adjust the meat into 6 sections (about 3-3.5 ounces each). For larger, use 4 (4 ounce) balls.
- A higher fat content will not only taste better, but will help the tortillas crisp up, so you don’t want to go too lean with the ground beef. 85/15 is the perfect blend.
- You don’t need a griddle or blackstone for this recipe, a cast iron pan will work well. You may just have to work in batches.
- These aren’t essential but a burger press, sturdy metal spatula to get under the beef so it doesn’t stick, and a metal lid to cover the taco make the cooking process easier.
- Nutrition facts include using the full amount of burger sauce, but you may have some leftover!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So delicious and so easy! Kids love it too. Also very easy to clean up.