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.

The process of this recipe remains as simple as can be. Mix your topping, press it onto your mini tortillas, then pan-fry for a few minutes and add your toppings. It’s such a fun twist on the smash taco trend and truly does taste just like a cheeseburger.

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 stove-top, 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, 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 them

Mix your cheeseburger topping – making sure to combine all the seasoning evenly throughout the beef. You can grate your cheese or chop it into little chunks – either works well.

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. Don’t be afraid to go right to the edge of the tortilla as the meat will shrink a little in the pan when you cook it.

Pan-fry the topped taco until cooked through. PRO TIP: To make sure the cheeseburger topping sticks to the tortilla, make sure you’re really pressing down on the tortilla in the pan (a spatula/fish slice is good for this) and that your pan is nice and hot.

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.

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

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• Author: Kate Phillips
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Low Fat

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Description

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.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the cheeseburger tacos –

• 1lb/500g ground beef
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions, finely chopped (or use caramelized onion relish)
• 1/2 cup pickles, finely chopped (plus extra for serving)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated or diced (plus extra grated cheese for serving)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon or American mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• Mini tortillas
• Olive oil, for cooking
• 1 Romaine lettuce, chopped

For the burger sauce –

• 1/2 cup garlic aioli (or regular mayo)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon or American mustard
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 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

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Instructions

1. Make your cheeseburger topping. Add the ground beef, 1/2 cup of chopped caramelized onions (or relish), 1/2 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, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine, making sure all the seasoning is evenly dispersed throughout the beef.
2. 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. 
3. Make your burger sauce. Add 1/2 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.
4. Cook the tacos. Drizzle a large pan or skillet with a little olive oil and set it over medium-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. PRO TIP: You should be able to cook a few tacos at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Or, you can cook them on an outdoor grill, barbecue or Blackstone.
5. 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.

Notes

HOW TO MAKE CARAMELIZED ONIONS: 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.

MEAT NOT STICKING? Make sure you REALLY press your tortillas into the hot pan as you cook them – a fish slice or a spatula works well – this will help the meat fuse with and stick to the tortilla. You also want to make sure your pan is nice and hot when you add the tacos. But if your meat doesn’t stick to the tortilla, don’t worry too much! They’ll still taste lovely and exactly the same.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Lean ground beef works well here – but use beef with a higher percentage of fat if you like. Cheddar is a lovely sharp cheese to use, but anything with a strong flavor works too (I like Gruyere or Emmental). Fish sauce may seem unorthodox but I promise it works! It just adds a lovely, deep savory flavor you won’t get with salt alone (it doesn’t taste fishy at all in the topping).

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge for about 3 days, but the tortillas will go a little soft when you reheat them in the microwave, so just keep that in mind. You can also prep everything in advance, and then just top the tacos and cook them when you’re ready. The cheeseburger mixture will be fine for a couple of days in the fridge, and the burger sauce keeps for at least 1 week in the fridge.

• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15
• Category: fakeaways
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: american

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3 tacos
• Calories: 517
• Sugar: 9.7g
• Sodium: 1057.6mg
• Fat: 25.9g
• Saturated Fat: 9.8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6.1g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 32.1g
• Fiber: 3.8g
• Protein: 38.2g
• Cholesterol: 118.2mg