Big Mac Tacos, or Smashed Burger Tacos have crispy beef cooked on a tortilla and then topped with all of your favorite toppings like pickles and iceberg lettuce, and of course, special sauce! This 15 minute meal is knock your socks off good.
You may have seen different versions of this viral smash burger tacos recipe on Tik Tok. Smashed Burger Tacos are like if a smash burger and a Big Mac and a taco had a baby. Sounds too delicious to be true? You gotta try these.
These big mac tacos are perfect for making in a cast iron skillet or even an outdoor griddle like a Blackstone.
Wondering how the meat cooks through both sides? This happens because the meat is pressed into a thin layer and cooked at high heat. The heat is touching all points of the ground beef, creating a super crispy crust (that is full of flavor) and it fully cooked through to the tortilla. All in about 3 minutes.
The taco is then flipped and cheese added which crisps up the other side even more.
Have you tried my smash burger sliders? They are delicious!
For more Big Mac inspiration, try Big Mac Bowls (it's like a deconstructed burger salad) and Cheeseburger Stuffed Peppers.
What you'll need:
The ingredients for smashburger tacos are simple. Here is what you'll need to make them.
- One Pound Ground Beef- I like 80/20 for some fat and extra flavor.
- Flour Tortillas- Flour tortillas hold up better than corn and will not become soggy. For a gluten free option, you can use corn tortillas.
- Sliced American Cheese- American Cheese is classic on a cheeseburger, but truly any cheese of you like can be used. Other good options are cheddar cheese, pepper jack, and swiss.
- Pickles- I like extra!
- Iceberg Lettuce- I don't use iceberg lettuce for many things, but shredded iceberg is awesome on burgers. Have extra leftover? Use it up on these chicken nugget wraps.
- White Onion- White onion is what McDonald's uses on their burgers, so that's what I used here to keep the flavor authentic.
- Special Sauce- Did you know Big Mac burger sauce doesn't actually have ketchup? It gets its color from paprika! You'll need mayo, mustard, relish, grated onion, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and white vinegar.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.
Instructions
- Step 1. Combine ingredients for burger sauce, mayo, mustard, relish, grated onion, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and white vinegar. Place in the fridge for later.
- Step 2. Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic pepper and mix to combine.
- Step 3. Divide ground beef into 8 evenly sized portions, approximately 2 oz. each.
- Step 4. Place each portion of meat onto a tortilla, pressing it flat to spread it until it covers the entire tortilla surface, right up to the edge.
- Step 5. Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high heat.Place smash burger into skillet, meat side down. Cook for 3 minutes, without moving until a good crust has formed on the meat. The size of your pan will dictate how many you can cook at once, but do not overcrowd the pan.
- Step 6. Flip burger and place slice of cheese on top of the cooked meat. Lower heat and allow cheese to melt 1-2 minutes. Take care that the tortilla does not burn. Repeat with remaining smashed tacos.
- Step 7. Repeat with remaining smashed tacos.
- Step 8. Once all are cooked through, top with diced onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, pickles, and special sauce. Fold up like a taco and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- To avoid the tortilla burning while the cheese melts, turn the heat down to low. If your griddle has one, use a lid to cover and help the cheese melt from steam.
- Because you are working with raw meat, take care to keep the toppings separate from the ground beef on your work surface until the tacos are fully cooked through.
- Make sure the meat is fully thawed before working with it. This ensures that it will easy press out to cover the tortilla and that it cooks evenly and fully.
- Make sure you heat your skillet or griddle over high heat. This is important for getting a good crisp to the burgers.
- One pound of ground beef is 16 ounces. I like to measure out 2 ounce portions per smash taco, so 1 lb ~ 8 tacos.
- Do not grease the cooking surface.
More Taco Recipes
Did you enjoy these Smash Burger Tacos? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Smash Burger Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 flour tortillas
- 8 slices american cheese
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- ¼ cup diced white onion
- ½ cup dill pickle chips
Big Mac Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. mustard
- 2 tbsp. relish
- 2 tbsp. grated onion
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for burger sauce, mayo, mustard, relish, grated onion, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and white vinegar. Place in the fridge for later.
- Season ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic pepper and mix to combine.
- Divide ground beef into 8 evenly sized portions, approximately 2 oz. each.
- Place each portion of meat onto a tortilla, pressing it flat to spread it until it covers the entire tortilla surface, right up to the edge.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium high heat.
- Place smash burger into skillet, meat side down. Cook for 3 minutes, without moving until a good crust has formed on the meat. The size of your pan will dictate how many you can cook at once, but do not overcrowd the pan.
- Flip burger and place slice of cheese on top of the cooked meat. Lower heat and allow cheese to melt 1-2 minutes. Take care that the tortilla does not burn.
- Repeat with remaining smashed tacos.
- Once all are cooked through, top with diced onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, pickles, and special sauce.
- Fold up like a taco and enjoy!
TRINITY F GORZ
Sarah these look delicious. Do you have a recipe for breaded fish tacos?
I had some in California that were a very light breaded fish almost like a tempura
batter. Would love to recreate them. they had a pineapple pico on them, a slaw and
a crema.
Trinity
Sarah Baumeister
I don't currently, but will add it to my list! Sounds delish.
Sarah Baumeister
I need to make these again! So good.