These super easy Big Mac Tacos are taking Tik Tok by storm, for good reason. It takes 20 minutes (tops) to make a stack of tacos, and they’re full of classic, nostalgic Big Mac flavours. They’re a wonderful combination of a smash burger and a taco and are seriously easy to eat.
This is a Tik Tok trend I can absolutely get behind. If you love tacos, Big Macs and smash burgers, you are going to LOVE this recipe.
A classic Big Mac has those signature thin beef burger patties, pickles, diced onion and that iconic sauce. All those flavours are present here, I’ve just made a couple of little tweaks to really maximise the flavour.
The genius is the simplicity here. Grab a tortilla, press some ground beef onto it, then throw it straight in the pan and load up your toppings. Finish with a drizzle of copycat Big Mac sauce and it really will feel like you’ve just made McDonalds at home.
These tacos are perfect for weeknights, Taco Tuesday, as a snack with a drink in the sun or as a quick working-from-home lunch. This is also a fun one to get the kids involved with making! And if you love these flavours as much as I do, I think you’ll love these super easy loaded Big Mac salad bowls too.
Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make these delicious tacos.
- Ground beef. I used lean beef and it was absolutely fine, but if you want a juicier taco go for beef with a higher percentage of fat.
- Tortillas. Use mini flour tortillas for these tacos – if you can’t find mini ones you could use regular ones and either cut out smaller circles from them or just make a couple of big versions of the tacos.
- Lettuce. I’m using Romaine, but you could use any crunchy lettuce. Iceberg or Cos lettuce would also work well.
- Pickled onions. Regular Big Macs include diced white onion but I’m really not an onion fan UNLESS they’re pickled. They also add a lovely pop of colour. You could use diced white onion instead, or leave them out.
What’s in Big Mac sauce?
It’s forever been a bit of a secret, but if you look closely at the allergen information on McDonalds’ website, you can see the base ingredients. Lots of copycat recipes for the sauce include tomato ketchup but actually, that signature pale red colour comes from paprika, rather than anything tomato-based.
My version is made up of garlic aioli, finely chopped pickles, pickle juice, garlic, paprika and Dijon mustard. If you can find sweet pickle relish, that tends to be a common ingredient in copycat recipes too, but I’ve found that hard to find so have skipped it here. I think it’s a pretty good copy!
How to make them
Mix all the ingredients for your Big Mac sauce, and get all your toppings prepped and ready to go.
Spoon about a golf-ball-sized amount of ground beef onto your tortilla, and press it all over, flattening it with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle over salt and pepper, and press it into the beef too.
Heat olive oil in a large pan, then place your tortilla, beef side down, into the pan. Let it cook for about 2 minutes (you can press down on it with a spatula if you like to really get a lovely crust), then flip it over, scatter it with grated cheese and pop on a lid. PRO TIP: If your pan doesn’t have a lid, you can use a plate or a wooden board. Having the lid on will make the cheese melt faster to prevent the bottom of your taco from burning in the pan).
Load on the shredded lettuce, pickles and Big Mac sauce and you’re done!
Got a question?
I’m using lean (5% fat) ground beef here and it worked really well, but you can use beef with a higher percentage of fat if you like. You could also swap it for turkey or chicken mince if you prefer.
These tacos are best eaten right after they’re made. You can reheat them (either in the pan for a couple of minutes or in the microwave), but they won’t be as nice. You can chop your lettuce and pickles ahead of time (they’ll be fine for at least 5 days in the fridge).
You could add sliced tomatoes or raw diced onion (like in the classic Big Mac), and scallions or red pepper would also work well.
In the UK? Shop this recipe on the Cherrypick app
You can easily order all your ingredients through the all-in-one meal planning app, Cherrypick. Just head to the app, add the ingredients you need to your basket, check out and then your ingredients will be delivered to your door by Sainsbury’s. Easy peasy!
Watch how to make them
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Easy Big Mac Smash Burger Tacos
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
- Diet: Low Salt
Description
These super easy Big Mac Tacos are taking Tik Tok by storm, for good reason. It takes 20 minutes (tops) to make a stack of tacos, and they’re full of classic, nostalgic Big Mac flavours. They’re a wonderful combination of a smash burger and a taco and are seriously easy to eat.
Want more Big Mac flavour? Try these low-carb Big Mac salad bowls.
Ingredients
For the Big Mac sauce –
- 1/2 cup garlic aioli (or regular mayo)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 3 pickle slices, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
For the Big Mac tacos –
- 500g/1lb ground beef (beef mince)
- 12 mini flour tortillas
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (or use cheese slices)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Romaine/Cos lettuce, shredded (or another crunchy lettuce)
- 12 pickle slices, finely chopped
- 12 slices of pickled onion (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Big Mac sauce. Add 1/2 cup of aioli, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, 1 crushed garlic clove, 3 finely chopped pickle slices, 1 teaspoon of pickle juice and 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika to a small bowl. Mix with a small spoon to combine, then set aside.
- Press the beef into your tortillas. Spoon about a golf ball-sized amount of ground beef into the middle of each tortilla, then use the back of a spoon to smooth it out and press it into a flat, even layer, covering the whole tortilla. Sprinkle over a little salt (roughly 1/8 of a teaspoon) and a good grind of black pepper, then use the spoon to press the seasoning into the meat. PRO TIP: It’s easiest to prepare all the tortillas at once, then you can just cook each one quickly right after the other.
- Cook the tacos. Place a large frying pan or skillet that you have a lid for over medium-high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, place a tortilla, beef side down, onto the pan. Use a spatula to press the tortilla into the pan so that the beef cooks evenly. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the tortilla over and scatter over 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese. Pop the lid on your pan and cook for another 2 minutes, just to let the cheese melt. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to do 2 or 3 at once. PRO TIP: If you don’t have a lid for your pan, use a plate or a wooden board.
- Assemble the tacos. Transfer the cooked tacos to a wooden board (or straight onto a serving plate), then scatter with the shredded lettuce, diced pickles, pickled onion and a good drizzle of that Big Mac sauce. Eat right away, while the cheese is gooey and the taco is nice and crispy.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: I’m using cheddar cheese, but you could use sliced American cheese or another cheese that melts easily (gruyere or mozzarella would be good). Skip the pickled onions if you like (a classic Big Mac has diced white onion which you could use).
THE SAUCE: There are lots of versions of copycat Big Mac sauce, and one of the most debated ingredients is tomato ketchup. According to an ex. McDonalds corporate chef, the red hue in the sauce comes from paprika, rather than anything tomato based, so I’ve skipped it here. Lots of recipes also include sweet pickle relish, but I struggled to find that, so have used pickle juice instead. If you can find it, go ahead and add 1 teaspoon, but otherwise, I think this sauce is a pretty delicious dupe of the iconic sauce.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: These are really best cooked and eaten right away – though they’ll still be delicious if they get a little cold. You could reheat them in a hot pan for a couple of minutes if you like too.
SHOP YOUR INGREDIENTS ON THE CHERRYPICK APP: If you’re in the UK, you can use the all-in-one meal planning app, Cherrypick, to shop all the ingredients you need for this recipe, in one click. Then, Sainsbury’s will deliver them straight to your door.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 521
- Sugar: 6.5g
- Sodium: 1351mg
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 6.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 34.4g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 25.9g
- Cholesterol: 64.9mg
Keywords: smash burger, smash tacos
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