Smash Tacos Recipe

Taco seasoned beef is smashed directly onto corn tortillas and cooked ’til crisp-edged on a screaming hot griddle in this smash tacos recipe. Top with all your favourite taco toppings for a taco night that is next level with this marriage of smash burgers and tacos. And believe it or not, these smash tacos come together faster than regular old ground beef tacos!

Smash Tacos Recipe

If you’re a fan of smash burgers you’re going to love these smash tacos. It’s the same concept; you get all the perks of smash burgers like lacy, crispy edges and juicy meat done in a fraction of the time of a standard burger patty.

Unlike regular ground beef taco meat that would be dry and sad if you crisped up bits of it, the meat here remains juicy underneath and crisply caramelized outer crust. Having the tortilla on the other side keeps it moist, too!

Have you ever bemoaned how tacos fall apart on you while you eat them? This recipe is the solution to that problem, too! Because the meat cooks right onto the tortillas, it doesn’t fall out of the taco as you take bites.

I’m telling you, this is our new taco night standard. It is a lightning fast, satisfying, delicious, and fun way to have tacos.

Smashed Tacos

Let’s talk tortilla choices for a moment. You can use small flour or corn tortillas for this recipe. Both are delicious, so it’s down to personal preference. I often do a handful of each.

You really just want to make sure they’re small tortillas. Standard corn tortillas and street taco sized flour tortillas are the best choices. And when it comes to toppings, the sky is the limit!

You can cook these on a frying pan, to be sure, but using a griddle will let you tear through cooking these in just a few minutes. I made a double batch of 18 smash tacos in less than 20 minutes using my beloved Zojirushi electric griddle.

I’ve also used and loved this old school cast-iron griddle. The cast iron version can also be used over a campfire! Just imagine campfire smashed tacos.

Smash Burger Tacos

I choose to serve these folded up around toppings like a traditional taco, but you can also serve these open faced. If you want to fold them as I did, please fold them in half as you remove them from the griddle.

That way, as the tortillas cool and harden, they’ll already be in that taco position. If you want to leave them open, you can simply lay the finished smash burger tacos on a cooling rack while you finish cooking the rest of them.

Alternatively, you can top them like a burger if the spirit moves you! Add a little cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and burger sauce for a one-handed feast!

And -oh, hey- bonus time!!! You can whip these up in a big batch, store the leftovers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, and reheat them (wrapped in foil) in an air fryer, toaster oven, or 350ºF for just a few minutes. Talk about a lunch to envy!