I Tried The Viral Smash Burger Tacos—Here's How I Made It Healthier
These tweaks make the trending dish more nutritious and just as delicious.
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
Social media has brought us several tasty recipes like the easy stuffed quesadilla and some questionable dishes like the cottage cheese and mustard trend. In the limelight now are the smash burger tacos that have been circulating the internet non-stop all summer. The trend is a take on a taco-burger mashup from TikTok that originally features a flour tortilla, ground beef and classic burger toppings all cooked to mouthwatering perfection. Its creativity and simplicity has sparked creators on all platforms to bring their own unique variations to the table. And I decided I would try making a healthier version of this trendy dish, which still lived up to the hype.
How To Make Smash Burger Tacos
First, mix together the ingredients for the burger sauce and prepare other toppings. You can choose any toppings for your tacos, just as you would for a self-serve burger. The original creator, Brad Prose of Chiles and Smoke, uses pickle, shredded lettuce and homemade burger sauce. Because this recipe is so customizable, it would be perfect for a build-your-own-burger bar at your next gathering or potluck.
Lay your tortillas on a flat surface. Small or 6-inch tortillas work best here. Place 2 to 4 ounces of ground beef (depending on the size of your tortillas) on each tortilla, and press the meat down until it's in a thin layer and covering the entire tortilla. Season your beef with salt, pepper and other seasonings of your choice, and rub a bit of cooking oil on the surface of the beef.
Place the beef side down on a preheated griddle, flattop or skillet and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on your preference for doneness. Flip the taco, and add a slice of your favorite cheese. Here, you can add a tiny splash of water to the pan and cover your skillet for 30 seconds to get the cheese extra melted.
Remove your taco from the skillet, add your desired toppings, fold in half and enjoy!
What I Thought of The Viral Taco Smash Burgers—and Tips for Making It Healthier
Trending recipes online can oftentimes be hit-or-miss, but I can assure you that these smash burger tacos were nothing short of a home run. Salt, fat, acid and heat combined in the tastiest of ways within this dish, and I will be making it again very soon. However, trending social media recipes may not always be the most health-conscious with the ingredients or cooking methods they use. Here are a few changes that I made to the original recipe to help make it a bit healthier:
Substitute Greek yogurt for mayo in your burger sauce. I made my burger sauce using Greek yogurt, dill pickle relish, ketchup, ground seasonings and vinegar. Even though my sauce was a lighter version of classic burger sauces which usually contain mayonnaise, it tasted basically the same with Greek yogurt. Not to mention, adding Greek yogurt helps up the muscle-supporting protein and gut-healthy probiotics in your dish. If you still fancy mayo-based sauce, you can refer to the burger sauce mixture in our delicious Vegetarian All-American Portobello Burgers.
Use leaner ground beef or meat alternatives. The original recipe calls for 80/20 ground beef, and that amount of fat can result in your tortilla frying in a lot of beef fat once flipped. I found that using 90/10 or even leaner ground beef didn't cause the beef to stick and gave me a much lighter and more refreshing taco. You could also use a vegetarian or vegan meat alternative, but it may require adding a small drizzle of oil to coat the pan and prevent the "meat" from sticking.
Oil the beef—not the pan. Apply oil directly to the meat's surface. I found that I had much more control over the amount of oil in the dish when doing this, as opposed to coating my pan before frying.
Choose thin-sliced cheese. If you're trying to cut down on the saturated fat or sodium in the dish, thin-sliced cheese may be a good choice. It is often half the thickness of regular cheese slices and provides just as much taste in a dish like smash burger tacos.
Switch to corn or whole-wheat flour tortillas. People who have made the smash burger taco, including Prose himself, have reported that flour tortillas are the best option, because they stick better to the beef and are easier to fold after cooking. If you're okay with a potentially crunchier final product, corn tortillas are a great alternative that has a bit more protein and fiber (did you know corn is actually considered a whole grain?). You could also opt for a whole-wheat flour tortilla to up the nutrition in your meal.
I loved this dish, and will definitely be making fun spins on it again in the near future. But maybe this trending taco isn't your speed at all, and that's fine! You can try our classic Smash Burgers or our Cauliflower Tortilla Beef Tacos for more healthy and flavorful meal inspiration.
