Ultimate Smash Burger Crunch Wrap Recipe

Several iconic fast foods collide in this "smash burger meets crunch wrap" recipe. I pulled culinary influence from the iconic Big Mac, complete with two smashed all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and pickles. Instead of a sesame seed bun, the components are wrapped in a sesame seed-crusted flour tortilla. Providing the crunch? A crispy corn tostada that separates the layers in classic Taco Bell fashion.

There's something about McDonald's special sauce that stands out from the (very saucy) competition. That combination of flavors: tangy (ketchup), unctuous (mayonnaise), sweet (relish), and savory (onion) just work so well as a burger condiment. That flavor cohesion is why I picked "special sauce" for this wrapped-up recipe. My rationale being, "if it works on a bun, it should work with a tortilla too". Tested and tried, it works fabulously!

I tip my chef hat to the fine folks at Taco Bell for creating the Crunchwrap Supreme—what a masterpiece of culinary ingenuity. That toasted tortilla exterior concealing all that meaty, melty, crispy-crunchy goodness! It is a textural and structural marvel. And, once you get the hang of filling, folding, and toasting, crafting crunch wraps at home becomes really fun. If this is your first foray into crunch wrap craft, you're in luck. I find this configuration of ingredients (burger patties vs. crumbled ground beef, especially) to be easy to work with and less likely for ingredient fallout.

To start, you'll make the homemade special sauce, which consists of mayonnaise, ketchup, minced yellow onion, sweet relish, paprika, and garlic powder. There's a good chance you will have some leftover special sauce, and you'll want to keep it refrigerated between uses.

Then, for the smash burgers, you'll need ground beef, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. The mayonnaise addition to the burger mix aids in caramelization and searing, creating a super-crisp exterior on your smashed burgers. For assembling and cooking the crunch wraps, you'll need large flour tortillas (including a couple quarter-slice pieces that'll make assembly easier), crispy corn tostadas, American cheese slices, dill pickle slices, and shredded lettuce. To coat the crunch wrap, you'll need an egg and white sesame seeds.

To make the special sauce, place the mayonnaise, ketchup, onion, relish, paprika, and garlic powder in a medium bowl.

Whisk to combine the sauce, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the burger mix, place the ground beef in a large bowl.

Add the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to the bowl. 

Using your hands, mix until thoroughly combined.

Divide the burger mixture into 4 even balls.

Spritz a large skillet or griddle pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the burger balls to the skillet, and sear for 1 minute.

Firmly press the burgers flat using either a burger press of a slightly smaller (heavy-bottomed) skillet.

Cook for 2 minutes or until deeply seared. 

Flip the burgers, reapply the press, and sear for another 2 minutes on the other side until seared.

Remove the burgers from the skillet and set them aside. Reserve the pan drippings in a small bowl.

To assemble the crunch wraps, place a flour tortilla on a clean work surface.

Place one of the seared burger patties in the center of the tortilla.

Top the patty with a slice of American cheese and 3 pickle slices.

Dollop with 1 heaping tablespoon of the special sauce.

Top with ½ cup of shredded lettuce.

Top with one of the crispy tostadas.

Place another burger on the tostada and top with a cheese slice, 3 pickles, and a dollop of special sauce.

Top with ½ cup shredded lettuce.

Place one of the cut tortilla pieces on top of the lettuce.

Tightly fold the edges of the large tortilla toward the center, overlapping the folds slightly.

Flip over, seam-side down, and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.

Drizzle the same skillet or griddle with a tablespoon of the reserved pan drippings and reheat over medium.

Once hot, place the wrap seam-side down in the skillet, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and sealed.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, placing seared-side down.

Brush the top of the wrap with egg wash.

Generously sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and place the crunch wrap in the oven.

​​Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Remove the crunch wrap from the oven and serve it with the remaining special sauce on the side for dipping and dunking.

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If you've ever enjoyed a crunch wrap at Taco Bell, you understand the importance of concealment. The biggest hurdle when it comes to crafting crunch wraps at home is the assembly, getting everything inside that tortilla (and keeping those ingredients from smushing out). My top tip for crafting your own crunch wraps is to use the freshest flour tortillas you can find. You can determine the freshness by searching for the "use by" date on the packaging. The later the date, the fresher the tortillas. Why fresh tortillas? These will be noticeably softer, more pliable, and subsequently easier to fold and manipulate into that signature crunch wrap shape.

Another top crunch wrap tip is to keep your moist or saucy ingredients closer to the center of your wrap. In this recipe, that saucy component is our secret sauce. This arrangement of ingredients helps to keep the sauce from interacting directly with the susceptible flour tortilla, preventing sogginess and boosting crispiness and toast-ability.

I pulled inspiration from the iconic Big Mac for this recipe, but that doesn't limit us in terms of creative culinary possibilities. Any fast food-inspired burger toppings or ingredients would work in this smash burger crunch wrap recipe. I am a big fan of Burger King's Whopper. You could easily adapt the toppings to include tomato, onion, mustard, et cetera. Shake Shack's burger sauce is not that different from our version of McDonald's secret sauce, allowing for easy modification. If you'd like to lean into a more Tex-Mex variety of burger topping (we are using tostadas and tortillas, after all), feel free to make a chipotle-flavored secret sauce and use toppings like pico de gallo and avocado. 

For a more gourmet topping approach, I recommend considering fancier cheeses like brie, goat, bleu cheese, or aged cheddar. Bacon, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, and even a fried egg would make for fantastic additions to your smash burger crunch wrap.

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