All the flavor of a juicy cheeseburger, in speedy smash taco form. The burger topping is supercharged with cheese, pickles and caramelized onions then spread onto tortillas and pan-fried until beautifully golden. Drizzle with burger sauce and more cheese to serve for the perfect family-friendly midweek meal, that’s also fab for parties and entertaining.
Table of Contents
Cheeseburger Smash Tacos, at a Glance
⏰ Time: 30 minutes
🍽️ Makes: 4 servings
🛒 Key Ingredients: Ground beef, mini tortillas, sharp cheddar, mustard, pickles, mini tortillas, caramelized onions (or caramelized onion relish)
🍳 Cooking Method: Pan-fry
💪 Protein: 38g per serving
🥙 Why it Works: All the flavors of a juicy cheeseburger, in a quick, easy, hand-held form.
🥡 Perfect For: Easy high-protein dinners, taco night, a twist on burger night, or a fab, fun, crowd-pleasing party bite
The Viral Big Mac Tacos, But Better
A little like the original Big Mac smash tacos, these (in my opinion!) are even BETTER. Instead of a simple salt and pepper seasoned ground beef topping, I’ve taken the ingredients you’ll find in a cheeseburger and mixed them into the topping, adding SO much extra flavor to every bite. This is actually the same topping I use in these beautiful crispy cheeseburger dumplings (or potstickers), so if you have any mixture leftover, I can HIGHLY recommend making a batch of those 👀
I love to serve these with a Big Mac copycat burger sauce on the side (and drizzled on top!) to really add to that burger flavor. While it’s not EXACTLY the same as the iconic sauce, it’s close enough and uses basic ingredients you probably have on hand.
While these are lovely cooked on the stovetop, they’re also a fab choice for entertaining over warmer months. You can prep them all, then cook them all at once on an outdoor grill, barbecue, or Blackstone. Serve them with the topping on the side and let everyone help themselves.
And if you love these smash tacos, try my high-protein satay chicken smash tacos, Korean fried chicken smash tacos, smash dumpling tacos or chicken Caesar smash tacos next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef. I’ve used lean ground beef here, and it works well – but you can use beef with a higher percentage of fat if you like.
- Cheese. A nice, sharp cheddar is great here. You want something that has a strong flavor – Gruyere or Emmental would also be great.
- Caramelized onions. These give a lovely, sweet savoriness to the cheeseburger mixture and I highly recommend using them. Caramelized onions take time to make, however, so the quick way to do this is to use caramelized chutney or relish.
- Pickles. I feel like a burger just isn’t a burger without pickles, so you’ll use a decent amount here. Regular dill pickles are perfect.
- Tortillas. Use soft mini flour (or corn) tortillas. Or, you could use large tortillas to make supersized tacos.
- Mustard. It’s not pictured, but a little American or Dijon mustard again just adds to that unmistakable burger flavor.
How to Make Cheeseburger Smash Tacos
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the smash tacos – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Add your cheeseburger topping ingredients to a mixing bowl. You can grate your cheese or chop it into little chunks – either works well.
- Mix well so the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the beef.
- Spread a heaped tablespoon of the mixture onto each of your mini tortillas, using the back of your spoon to press it into a thin, even layer.
- Pan-fry the topped taco until gorgeously golden and crispy.
- Drizzle the taco with your burger sauce, then top with chopped lettuce, more pickles and a good sprinkling of grated cheese. Finish with more burger sauce and sesame seeds, then serve with any extra sauce on the side for dipping.
Watch How to Make Cheeseburger Smash Tacos
Cheeseburger Smash Taco FAQs
I love using sharp cheddar, but any cheese will do! Gruyere or Emmental are great choices too.
You can prepare the elements in advance, then just top and cook the tacos when you’re ready to serve.
You can press the cheeseburger topping onto the tacos, and store them stacked with baking/parchment paper in between each in the fridge for a few hours. Don’t leave them too long, as the topping will cause the tortillas to get a little soggy over time.
There are two things you can do to stop this from happening. The first is you want to make sure you REALLY press the tortilla into the pan while it cooks – this will help the meat fuse with the tortilla as it cooks. I find a large spatula or fish slice is best for this.
The second is that you want the pan to be nice and hot when you add the taco, so the meat cooks quickly and again, seals with the tortilla.
But if your meat doesn’t stick, it’s not the end of the world. You can still enjoy the tacos, and they’ll taste exactly the same!
Like this recipe? Try these smash taco recipes next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Cheeseburger Smash Tacos
Ingredients
Method
- Make your cheeseburger topping.Add the ground beef, ½ cup of chopped caramelized onions (or relish), ½ cup of chopped pickles, 1 cup of grated or diced cheese, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of pickle juice, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of black pepper to a mixing bowl.Mix well so that the seasoning is evenly dispersed throughout the beef.
- Top the tacos.Scoop up a heaped spoonful of the cheeseburger mixture and spread it into a thin, even layer onto each of your mini tortillas (I like to use the back of a spoon to do this). Don't be afraid to take the topping right to the edges – the meat will likely shrink a little when it cooks.
- Make your burger sauce. Add ½ cup of garlic aioli, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup, 1 crushed garlic clove, the chopped pickles, 1 teaspoon of pickle juice, and 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika to a bowl. Mix well to combine into a cohesive sauce and set aside for now.
- Cook the tacos. Drizzle a large pan or skillet with a little olive oil and set it over high heat. Place the tacos, topping side down, onto the pan and press down FIRMLY on the back of the taco with a spatula or fish slice, to really seal the meat into the tortilla. This will help it stick when you flip it over. Cook for four minutes, then flip, and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
- Top the tacos. Arrange the tacos on a serving platter, then drizzle each with a little of the burger sauce. Add the shredded Romaine, then scatter with the set-aside chopped pickles. Top with the set-aside grated cheese, then drizzle with a little more burger sauce.Serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping and enjoy while hot.
Nutrition
Notes
- I highly recommend making a big batch of caramelized onions to have on hand in the fridge (and they freeze well too!) They take time, but it’s worth it. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, then add thinly sliced onions (I like to do about six at a time – it will look like a lot at first but they’ll reduce massively as they cook).
- Cook for a few minutes until they start to soften, then add a little salt and (optional) 1 tablespoon or so of balsamic vinegar. Stir through the onions then reduce the heat right down and cook for about an hour – stirring every couple of minutes so the onions don’t stick to the pan – until they’re deeply golden brown and sticky. If they’re really sticking to the pan, add a splash of water which should release them from the bottom of the pan.
- Or, if you have an Instant Pot, you can make Instant Pot caramelized onions very quickly.
