Cheeseburger Smash Tacos

Three smash cheeseburger tacos on a pink plate.

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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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smash burger, smash tacos

Servings: servings

Calories: 517kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the cheeseburger tacos -

1 lb ground beef (500g)
½ cup caramelized onions finely chopped (or use caramelized onion relish)
½ 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
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon fish sauce
12 Mini tortillas
Olive oil for cooking
1 Romaine lettuce chopped

For the burger sauce -

½ 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

Instructions

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.

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 or barbecue.

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.
Or, if you have an Instant Pot, you can make Instant Pot caramelized onions very quickly.

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.

Nutrition