Smash Burger Tacos Recipe
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If there's one kind of culinary mashup I can always get behind, it would be a burger-taco (or taco-burger, depending on how you look at it). And we're not just talking about any humdrum burger or mediocre taco. This smash burger taco recipe goes all out on the savory, cheesy goodness, featuring juicy burger patties smashed and cooked right onto corn tortillas. For optimal burger-taco fusion, the handhelds come complete with plenty of fresh and pickled toppings and a zesty taco night-themed special sauce.
In my excitement to develop this recipe, I knew that a complete and harmonious merger between the two iconic foods was essential. For the taco side of this coin, I made sure to highlight smoky chipotle flavors, savory Tex-Mex seasonings, zesty jalapeño notes, and skillet-crisp corn tortillas. For the smash burger side, we've got seared patties smothered in melty cheddar, along with the classic lettuce, tomato, and onion accompaniments. I knew that I wanted to include a special sauce to top it all off, and the resulting creamy, twangy, boldly seasoned condiment is just the right finishing touch to firmly fuse taco and burger together in perfect harmony.
Gather the smash burger taco ingredients
You'll begin this recipe by making the special sauce, for which you'll need mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chipotle peppers in adobo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and granulated sugar.
For the tacos, reach for ground beef, taco seasoning, corn tortillas, olive oil, and deli-style cheddar cheese. To top everything off, have shredded lettuce, sliced Roma tomatoes, red onion, sliced pickled jalapeños, and dill pickle chips on hand.
Step 1: Add special sauce ingredients to bowl
Make the special sauce by placing the mayonnaise, mustard, chipotle peppers, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Combine and refrigerate the sauce
Whisk to combine the sauce, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 3: Season the ground beef
To begin the tacos, sprinkle the ground beef portions with taco seasoning.
Step 4: Place beef portion onto tortilla
Place one of the seasoned ground beef portions in the center of a corn tortilla.
Step 5: Smash the patty into the tortilla
Press the ground beef into the tortilla, creating a thin patty.
Step 6: Assemble the remaining smash burger tortillas
Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and seasoned ground beef portions.
Step 7: Preheat a skillet with olive oil
Drizzle a large skillet with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Warm over medium-high heat.
Step 8: Sear one of the patties
Once hot, place a tortilla-patty into the skillet, beef side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until deeply seared.
Step 9: Flip and continue on other side
Flip the tortilla and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the ground beef is cooked through.
Step 10: Add the cheese
Top the patty with a slice of cheese and cook until the cheese has melted. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step 11: Repeat the process to cook the remaining smash burger tacos
Repeat the cooking process with the remaining tortillas and cheese.
Step 12: Add the toppings to each taco
To assemble the burger tacos, divide the tortillas between plates, and top with shredded lettuce, tomato slices, jalapeños, and pickles.
Step 13: Top the smash burger tacos with special sauce to serve
Dollop the dressed burger tacos with special sauce before serving. Serve with any additional sauce on the side.
What to serve with smash burger tacos
Smash Burger Tacos Recipe
Is it a taco? Is it a smash burger? Thanks to this two-for-one recipe, which features taco-seasoned patties smashed and seared onto corn tortillas, it's both!
Ingredients
- For the special sauce
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped chipotle peppers in adobo
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- For the tacos
- 1 pound ground beef, portioned into 8 balls
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 8 taco-sized corn tortillas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 slices deli-style cheddar cheese
- For the toppings
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup sliced pickled jalapeño
- ¼ cup dill pickle chips
Directions
- Make the special sauce by placing the mayonnaise, mustard, chipotle peppers, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
- Whisk to combine the sauce, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To begin the tacos, sprinkle the ground beef portions with taco seasoning.
- Place one of the seasoned ground beef portions in the center of a corn tortilla.
- Press the ground beef into the tortilla, creating a thin patty.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas and seasoned ground beef portions.
- Drizzle a large skillet with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Warm over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, place a tortilla-patty into the skillet, beef side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until deeply seared.
- Flip the tortilla and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Top the patty with a slice of cheese and cook until the cheese has melted. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Repeat the cooking process with the remaining tortillas and cheese.
- To assemble the burger tacos, divide the tortillas between plates, and top with shredded lettuce, tomato slices, jalapeños, and pickles.
- Dollop the dressed burger tacos with special sauce before serving. Serve with any additional sauce on the side.
How can I switch up this smash burger taco recipe?
This recipe is endlessly customizable, so if you are looking for some very tasty suggestions of alternatives, here are a few I recommend. The smash burger components can be swapped for a number of protein and cheese combinations. Ground turkey, chicken, or raw sausages (chorizo would be exceptionally delicious) would make for great smashed patties. Melty cheeses like Oaxaca, American, Monterey Jack or pepper Jack would pair well with the special sauce and toppings. As for optional toppings, fresh sliced avocado is my top choice, followed closely by crispy bacon and sauteed fajita-style peppers and onions.
Flour tortillas would also work in this recipe with just a slight tweak to the prep work. Since flour tortillas are much more delicate than corn ones, you run the risk of ripping or tearing them when applying the beef. To mitigate any potential tortilla tearing, I would sear and smash the burger portions in the skillet, place a flour tortilla on top, and then flip to finish for similar results.
Can I cook the tacos in larger batches?
I have a few tips for making these smash burger tacos in larger batches, as opposed to one at a time (as I do in this recipe). If you happen to have a sizable griddle pan, this recipe is perfect for it. You can sear multiple tacos at a time, depending on the size of your griddle, which would speed up the whole process significantly. A griddle insert for an outdoor grill is also an excellent option. Just monitor the grill temperature to keep the tortillas from burning and to keep those juicy burger patties from causing any fiery flame-ups.
If you are serving a group and would like your burger tacos to be ready to go at the same time, here is my little hack for that. Start by preheating your oven to 250 F. Once you've successfully seared, flipped, and applied cheese to your tacos, transfer them to a large baking sheet. Tent the baking sheet loosely with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Continue to add tacos to the baking sheet in the oven as you work through the remainder. This way, you can still cook the tacos one-by-one but also ensure that everything will still be toasty warm when it comes time to serve.