Although these Big Mac tacos are based on a virtual TikTok trend, they’re here to stay! These small, bite-sized tacos cook up in just a few minutes in a hot pan. Add a slice of cheese, your favorite toppings, and a drizzle of homemade burger sauce to make them taste just like a Big Mac burger with a healthier spin!
Table of Contents
Big Mac Smash Burger Tacos
My whole family loves burgers and for obvious reasons. They’re juicy, meaty and taste amazing with a little melted cheese and all the fixings. These viral Big Mac tacos are another way to make burgers even more exciting!
After forming the burger patty, you press the patty directly onto the tortilla before cooking like normal. The patties are so thin that they cook really quickly, making it easy to serve homemade burgers faster than ever. Then serve them up with this Healthy Big Mac Sauce and they taste just like your favorite burgers in taco form!
Why We Love This Big Mac Smash Taco Recipe
- Ready quickly: These Big Mac smashed tacos are so trendy right now, partly because they’re so fast to make! Normal burger patties can take a while to cook, but the super thin patties on the tortillas are ready in just a few minutes. This makes it easier to make a bunch of them really fast! Great for those busy weeknights.
- Healthier alternative: Big Macs are a classic for a reason, especially with that delicious Big Mac sauce. They’re also a calorie bomb! They’re high in carbs, saturated fat, sodium, and more. By making these Big Mac smash tacos at home, you can control the quality of the ingredients and reduce the sodium. Plus, I’m sharing my homemade Big Mac sauce below, too. It’s so good!
- Classic flavor: Burgers will never go out of style. They’re a tried-and-true family favorite. This Big Mac taco recipe has the classic flavors of your favorite McDonald’s burger but in an updated way.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: Use extra lean ground beef and divide it into equal portions (I recommend four 4-oz portions).
- Flour tortillas: Either white or whole wheat work well.
- American cheese: Grab American cheese slices at the store (or use sliced cheddar cheese if you prefer).
- White onion: For that crisp, crunch, and sharp bite.
- Dill pickle slices: These are a classic part of the Big Mac flavor!
- Tomato slices: Add a slice of tomato if you’d like.
- Seasoning: Season the meat with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Healthy Big Mac sauce: Whip up a batch of my dairy-free Big Mac sauce, made with soaked cashews, pickles, pickle juice, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and more. It’s perfect for burgers and to dip your fries!
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the Big Mac sauce:
- Soak the cashews for the sauce in hot water for at least 2 hours.
- Add all of the ingredients for the big mac sauce to a mini blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a glass jar storage container, such as a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the burgers:
- On a clean work surface, spread the 4 ounce beef patties evenly over the flour tortillas until almost completely covered. Season each patty with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add one or two patties beef side down and lightly press onto the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, flip, add a cheese slice and cook for another 30 seconds-1 minute. Because the burgers are so thin, they won’t take long to cook. Repeat with remaining burger patties.
- To serve the burger tacos, add the lettuce, onion, pickles and tomatoes (if using) and drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of the big mac sauce. Serve immediately.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- I used extra lean ground sirloin for the burger patties. Be sure to use extra lean ground meat to prevent the burgers from being too greasy.
- If you prefer less crispy tacos, only flip for a few seconds and then remove from the pan to allow the cheese to melt onto the burger.
- If you have leftover big mac sauce, it also tastes great on your favorite burgers, wraps, or as a dip for fries.
Recipe FAQs
If the phrase is new to you, I can relate! Smash tacos are relatively new to the culinary scene, although they’re similar to tortilla burgers. This is based on a viral recipe that showed up on TikTok in 2023. Basically, you press the tortilla directly into the burger patty. Because the patty is so thin, it cooks really quickly, and the tortilla gets nice and crispy from cooking in the beef fat.
These smash Big Mac tacos add all the classic Big Mac flavors, like melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and that classic Big Mac sauce. They’re a fun twist on the fast food classic and so much fun to make!
These tacos are more like classic burgers than tacos, so stick with your favorite burger toppings: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, American cheese, and your favorite sauce. I’m partial to my homemade Big Mac sauce, but you can also use my homemade BBQ sauce, Thousand Island dressing, etc.
In this recipe, I recommend using a large skillet to control the heat easily. If you have a large family, try making these tacos on a griddle! You can use a countertop griddle or an outdoor Blackstone to cook several burgers at once.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Once cooked, these tacos are best eaten quickly. Since the tortilla is cooked with the burger patty, it can easily become soggy after refrigerating.
If you do end up with leftovers, pop them into the air fryer to crisp up the tortilla and warm the meat through. Top with your favorite toppings and serve like normal.
Serving Suggestions
Like any burger, these delicious Big Mac tacos are great with a side of French fries (or tots). These are some of my favorite options:
- Curly Sweet Potato Fries
- Healthy Roasted Potatoes
- How to Make Zucchini Fries in Air Fryer
- Sweet Potato Fries with Cinnamon
- Roasted Heart Shaped Potatoes
- Cauliflower Tots
I also recommend pairing these burgers with a side of veggies, whether it’s some of this tossed green salad, healthy caesar salad or a little oven roasted broccoli.
Recipe Variations
- Use corn tortillas: They aren’t quite as pliable as flour tortillas, but they taste great!
- Adjust the size: You can easily make these burgers into small bites using street taco tortillas or make them on a burrito-size tortilla for a full meal. The burrito tortillas can easily be turned into a wrap for a full meal!
- Have fun with the toppings: This recipe is intended to taste like a Big Mac, but you can really make it taste like any type of burger. Use sauteed mushrooms, onions, and blue cheese for a blue cheese burger, add fried onion strings and BBQ sauce for a BBQ burger, etc.
- To make gluten-free: Use gluten-free flour tortillas or corn tortillas.
- To make dairy-free: Skip the cheese or use plant-based cheese.
More Tasty Burger Recipes
- Worcestershire Sauce Burger Recipe
- Burger Salad Bowl
- Frozen Burger Patty Recipe
- Zucchini Turkey Burgers
- Chicken Feta Burgers
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Big Mac Tacos {Smash Burger Tacos}
Ingredients
For the Smash Burger Tacos
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef, divided into 4 ounce patties
- 4 6-inch flour tortillas (can use white or whole wheat)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices American cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Minced white onion
- Dill pickle slices
- Tomato slices (optional)
For the Big Mac Sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted cashews, soaked
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons diced pickles
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in hot water for at least 2 hours.
- Add all of the ingredients for the big mac sauce to a mini blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a glass jar storage container, such as a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Burgers
- On a clean work surface, spread the 4 ounce burger patties evenly over the flour tortillas until almost completely covered. Season each patty with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat until lightly smoking. Add one or two patties meat side down and lightly press onto the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, flip, add a cheese slice and cook for another 30 seconds-1 minute. Because the burgers are thin, they won’t take long to cook. Repeat with remaining burger patties.
- To serve the burger tacos, add the lettuce, onion, pickles and tomatoes (if using) and drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of the big mac sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
-
- I used extra lean ground sirloin for the burger patties. Be sure to use extra lean ground meat to prevent the burgers from being too greasy.
- If you prefer less crispy tacos, only flip for a few seconds and then remove from the pan to allow the cheese to melt onto the burger.
- If you have leftover big mac sauce, it also tastes great on your favorite burgers, wraps, or as a dip for fries.
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