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In this burger-taco mashup recipe, hamburger patties are pressed inside of flour tortillas and grilled on a hot pan yielding perfectly crusted thin and juicy burgers. They are then topped with street corn and a creamy jalapeno ranch sauce in this smash burger tacos recipe.
I love using a griddle for these smash burger tacos as the flat surface provides more contact for the burgers, creating the ultimate crust! Plus, you can cook more at one time. But of course a standard large skillet works too.
You may have tried my Fried Chicken Street Corn Taco or my Brisket Street Corn taco. Once the smashburger tacos started going viral, I knew I had to make a renditi
Why You’ll Love Smash Burger Tacos
- The best of both worlds – tacos and burgers!
- Golden crusted burger patties that’s juicy on the inside and crusty on the outside
- The burgers cook up in just 15 quick minutes
- Versatile and delicious with a variety of toppings
Which Cut of Beef is Best?
It’s always safe to default to an 80/20 ratio in most burger recipes as it’s the sweet spot of meat-to-fat ratio. Especially in this case with thin smash burgers, if you select a 90/10, it would yield a disappointingly dry burger.
Key Ingredients
Flour tortillas – the 6” tortillas are the perfect size for these smashburger tacos
Hamburger – an 80/20 ground beef (not pre-formed patties).
Corn – fresh off the cob or frozen or canned corn all work.
Mayonnaise – the creamy base of the elote street corn salad
Sour cream – the mayo counterpart for the esquites street corn salad
Garlic – just one clove of fresh garlic is all that’s needed in the street corn
Scallions – diced green onions add a light onion flavor to the esquites topping
Jalapeno – fresh jalapeno adds a kick of heat to the corn salad and pickled jalapenos impart a tangy jalapeno flavor to the creamy dressing.
Cilantro – fresh cilantro is the main flavor component in the creamy jalapeno and the street corn salad.
Lime – provides that addictive tanginess you’d expect from a street corn taco
Buttermilk – adds a creamy tanginess to the jalapeno ranch.
Cheese – cojita and queso fresco
Seasonings – dry ranch seasoning, tajin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
Hot sauce – your favorite hot sauce to add a kick of heat. This is optional. My favorite for tacos is Valentina.
How to Make Street Corn Smash Burger Tacos
I highly recommend making the toppings ahead of time to make this recipe as easy as possible. These last in the fridge for a few days in air tight containers.
Esquites Street Corn Topping
In a large bowl, add in the mayonnaise, lime juice and lime zest, garlic, tajin and chili powder and salt and pepper. Mix together to make a sauce then add in the corn, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno, and cojita cheese. Mix well until it’s all combined and top with a sprinkling of additional cojita cheese, tajin and chili powder.
Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
Using a food processor, blend together cilantro and pickled jalapeños (and their juice). Pour that into the sour cream-mayo mixture. Add the ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Mix well to combine.
Cook the Smash Burgers
Separate the hamburger meat into 3.5 ounce portions and press into 6” inch flour tortilla shells into a thin even layer, slight overlapping the edges of the tortilla (as it shrinks as it cooks down). Season with salt and pepper.
In a griddle or large skillet over high heat, cook the tortillas burger side down. Use a spatula or burger press to press firmly on each tortilla and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. With a spatula scrape underneath the burgers and flip the tortilla and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Add Toppings
Remove the smash burgers and add a scoop of the street corn, creamy jalapeno and hot sauce and a sprinkle of cojita or queso fresco cheese if desired.
Alternate Smash Burger Tacos Topping Flavors
If you’re looking to make smashburger tacos but want to change up the flavor profile, there are a lot of variations you can make, including the viral big mac smash burger tacos.
- Big Mac – follow the same process for preparing and cooking the smash burger taco, but change the toppings to a big mac sauce, pickles, american cheese and shredded lettuce.
- Tex Mex – the same process, swapping the toppings for traditional taco toppings – pico de gallo salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce and guacamole.
- Pepperoni Pizza – once you flip the cooked burger, top with a dallop of marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Turn heat to low, cover pan to allow the cheese to melt.
Did you love this street corn smash burger taco recipe? Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback.
Don’t forget to tag me on IG with any photos; @BadBatchBaking and use #BadBatchBaking
Street Corn Smash Burger Tacos
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ground hamburger 80/20
- 6 flour taco-sized tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste
Chuy's Cream Jalapeno
- 3/4 cup cilantro leaves large stems removed
- 1/2 cup pickled Jalapenos
- 2 tablespoons juice from pickled Jalapenos
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 heaping tablespoon dry ranch seasoning Hidden Valley or similar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh
- 1/4 cup buttermilk optional
Street Corn
- 5-6 ears of corn husked and removed from the cob
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 1/3 cup sliced scallions
- 1/3 cup grated cojita cheese
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced large stems removed
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 1/2-1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2-1 tsp Tajin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Street Corn Topping
- Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the corn and allow it to cook stirring frequently until it starts to char and get some color, about 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, add in the mayonnaise, lime juice and lime zest, garlic, tajin and chili powder and salt and pepper. Mix together to make a sauce then add in the corn, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno, and cojita cheese. Mix well until it's all combined and top with a sprinkling of additional cojita cheese, tajin and chili powder.
Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
- In a food processor (or blender works too), purée cilantro leaves with the pickled jalapenos and 2 tbsp of their juice. Purée until as minced as possible, scraping down the sides a few times.
- Put the mayo and sour cream in a mixing bowl. Add the ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Pour cilantro mixture directly into the sour cream mixture. Stir to combine. Add lime juice, then a little buttermilk if needed to thin it out, a splash at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Cook the Smash Burgers
- Separate the hamburger meat into 3.5 ounce portions and press into 6” inch flour tortilla shells into a thin even layer, slight overlapping the edges of the tortilla (as it shrinks as it cooks down). Season with salt and pepper.
- In a griddle or large skillet over high heat, cook the tortillas burger side down. Use a spatula or burger press to press firmly on each tortilla and cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. With a spatula scrape underneath the burgers and flip the tortilla and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Add Toppings
- Remove the smash burgers and add a scoop of the street corn, creamy jalapeno and hot sauce and a sprinkle of cojita or queso fresco cheese if desired.
I’ve never left a review for anything before but girlfriend!!! This recipe is out of this world delicious! I loved the spicy to fresh ratio this recipe has to offer. The family was super excited about it and devoured every bite. This is definitely going on the rotation!
This is such a compliment! Thank you girl!! I am so happy to hear the fam loved!!
Yum! Would ground turkey work? We hardly eat beef.
Taste XXXplosion!!
The corn alone is the most incredible thing I’ve eaten this year! Seriously delicious; family loved it. Make it.