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Crispy Beef Smash Tacos

Crispy beef smash tacos, a still from its video, with the channel name and the recipe title in text across it

By Tom · Updated

Jump to recipe
  • Makes 8 tacos
  • About 25 min
  • Takes a bit of care

These crispy smashed beef tacos are made with thinly pressed beef, melted Cheddar, fresh toppings and a quick homemade taco sauce. The beef gets smashed directly onto the tortilla and cooked until deeply browned and crispy, giving you that perfect combination of juicy beef, a crisp tortilla and plenty of flavour.

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The recipe

Crispy Beef Smash Tacos

These crispy smashed beef tacos are made with thinly pressed beef, melted Cheddar, fresh toppings and a quick homemade taco sauce.

  • Makes 8 tacos
  • 20 min prep
  • 3 min cooking
  • Takes a bit of care

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Scale
8 tacos
Measurements

Ingredients

Smashed beef

Quick taco sauce

To serve

Tick things off as you go — they stay ticked if you close the page.

A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1

    For the sauce, add the mayonnaise (100 g), ketchup (35 g), mustard (15 g), pickle juice and smoked paprika (½ tsp) to a small bowl. Season with a little salt and black (½ tsp) pepper, then mix until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Set aside while you cook the tacos.

  3. Step 3

    Place the beef mince in a bowl and add the salt, black (½ tsp) pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Mix gently until just combined. Don't overwork the mince.

  5. Step 5

    Divide into 8 roughly equal portions and loosely roll each into a ball.

  6. Step 6

    Heat a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a very small amount of oil.

  7. Step 7

    Place a ball of beef into the hot pan and immediately place a tortilla (8 tortillas) on top.

  8. Step 8

    Using a sturdy spatula, press down firmly on the tortilla (8 tortillas), smashing the beef into a very thin layer underneath.

  9. Step 9

    Hold it down for around 10-15 seconds to get good contact with the pan.

  10. Step 10

    Repeat with as many tacos as comfortably fit in the pan.

  11. Step 11

    Cook for around 2-3 minutes, until the beef has developed a deeply browned, crispy edge.

  12. Step 12

    Flip the taco over so the tortilla (8 tortillas) is now against the pan.

  13. Step 13

    Sprinkle the beef with some grated Cheddar (100 g) and cook for another 30-60 seconds, until the cheese has melted and the tortilla (8 tortillas) is lightly toasted.

  14. Step 14

    Remove the tacos from the pan and immediately top with a little of the diced (1 diced) onion, gherkin (2), lettuce and tomato (1).

  15. Step 15

    Drizzle over the taco sauce, fold and serve immediately.

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Questions people ask

How long does crispy beef smash tacos take?

About 25 min from start to finish, of which 20 min is prep and 3 min is cooking. That figure is worked out from the method rather than timed with a stopwatch, so give yourself a little more the first time.

How much does it make?

As written it makes 8 tacos. Use the scale control on the recipe card to change it: every quantity in the ingredients and inside the method steps updates with it. Seasoning, and anything measured in pinches or splashes, is deliberately left alone.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.