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Smashed Cheeseburger Tacos

Smashed cheeseburger tacos with crispy-edged beef patties folded into buttery flour tortillas. Juicy burger-style seasoning, melted American cheese, then finished with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and special sauce.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American Fusion
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

ground beef (80/20)
  • 1.5 lb ground beef (80/20)
small flour tortillas
  • 8 small flour tortillas
American cheese slices
  • 8 American cheese Use 8 slices (about 1 slice per taco).
butter
  • 0.25 cup butter, melted
shredded lettuce
  • shredded lettuce Amount to taste.
diced tomatoes
  • diced tomatoes Amount to taste.
diced onions
  • diced onions Amount to taste.
pickles, chopped
  • pickles, chopped Amount to taste.
special sauce
  • special sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard mixed) Amount to taste.
salt and pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Season and prep
  1. Form the ground beef into 8 small balls and season all sides with salt and pepper.
Toast tortillas and smash the patties
  1. Heat a griddle or large skillet over high heat, then brush the tortillas with melted butter.
  2. Place tortillas on the hot griddle and set 1 beef ball on each, then smash flat with a heavy spatula.
  3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the beef develops a crispy crust, keeping the heat high for browning.
  4. Flip the tortilla and beef together, then immediately top each patty with 1 slice of American cheese.
  5. Let the cheese melt for 1-2 minutes off the crisping peak heat, until glossy and fully melted.
Fold and fill
  1. Remove from the heat, fold each into a taco shape, and keep the shell tight so the cheese holds.
  2. Fill each taco with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions, and chopped pickles, then drizzle with special sauce.

Notes

Pro tip: smash firmly on a very hot surface and avoid moving the patties until they’re deeply browned—this is what creates the crispy-edged texture. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat the taco filling and patties in a skillet, then rewarm tortillas briefly so they don’t get soggy. Freezing is not recommended for best taco-shell texture. For a lighter option, use lean ground beef (90/10) and reduce the butter to a light brush on the tortillas.