I hopped on the smashed taco trend and made these turkey smash burger tacos a little lighter than what I’ve seen on TikTok. They came out delicious!
Smash Taco Recipe
This six-ingredient smashed taco recipe was a hit in my house! If you have a griddle, Blackstone, or cast iron skillet, these healthy smashed tacos are a must! The ground turkey is seasoned and smashed with a burger press, then topped with cheese, corn tortillas, avocado, and pico de gallo. Plus, these high-protein tacos have 41 grams of protein in two tacos. If you love tacos, here are more dinner ideas: Beef Tacos, Grilled Chicken Tacos with Lettuce Slaw, and Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: I bought 93% lean ground turkey to make these tacos lighter.
- Taco Seasoning: You can make homemade taco seasoning or buy it at the store. I prefer making it because it’s cheaper and healthier than premade versions.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese mix
- Tortillas: You’ll need eight corn tortillas.
- Avocado: Thinly slice one Haas avocado, for topping.
- Pico de Gallo: I have a simple recipe for homemade pico de gallo, a salsa with tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Store bought also works.
How to Make Smash Tacos
I made this smash burger taco recipe on Reels if you want to see the steps below in action.
- Prep: Before you start cooking, get all your ingredients out and prep the toppings so everything’s ready.
- Turkey: Season the ground turkey with taco seasoning, and roll it into eight balls weighing two ounces each.
- Smash Turkey: Heat your griddle, Blackstone, or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and spray with oil when hot. Working in batches, put the turkey balls on the pan, leaving enough room so they won’t touch when they’re pressed down. Smash the meat as thinly as possible with a round burger press, a large spatula with a mallet on top, or a small saucepan. Cook until the bottoms brown.
- Tortilla and Cheese: Flip the turkey, and top each patty with two tablespoons of cheese and a tortilla. Press down on the tortilla, and cook for two minutes until the bottom of the turkey browns and the cheese melts. Flip and cook for another minute to char the tortillas. Transfer the tacos to a plate, meat side up.
- Serving: Top each smash taco with avocado and pico de gallo.
What to Serve with Smashed Tacos
This easy smash burger tacos recipe would be delicious with black beans and rice, pinto beans, Mexican brown rice, or cilantro lime cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. For some veggies, make this Skillet Mexican Zucchini or Grilled Corn Salad. And don’t forget a drink! Try this Citrus Margarita Spritzer or Zero-Proof Jalapeño Paloma .
Storage
These smashed tacos are best eaten right after they are made. If you have extra raw turkey, you can refrigerate it for one day and cook it the next to have fresh tacos. If you want to make the entire smash taco and save it for later, let them cool and then refrigerate them. To reheat, warm on the griddle or in the
microwave and then top with the cheese, avocado, and pico.
Variations
- Meat: Swap ground turkey for lean ground beef or ground chicken.
- Salsa: If you don’t have time to make pico de gallo, some supermarkets sell it premade. You can also use any jarred salsa or make my No-Cook Red Salsa or Salsa Verde.
- Tortillas: Substitute flour tortillas for corn.
- Avocado: Switch out the sliced avocado for guacamole.
More Taco Recipes You’ll Love
- Shrimp Tacos
- Tofu Tacos with Potatoes and Jalapeños
- Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos
Smash Taco Recipe
Equipment
- a round burger press or large spatula
Ingredients
- 1 pound 93% ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese mix
- 8 corn tortillas
- 4 ounces avocado, sliced thin (from 1 haas)
- 1 cup pico de gallo, homemade or store bought
- parchment paper, cut into squares
Instructions
- Prep all your ingredients so everything is ready.
- Season ground turkey with taco seasoning and roll into 8 balls, 2 ounces each.
- Heat a large griddle, black stone or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- When hot, spray with oil. Working in batches add turkey balls leaving enough space in between so they have room to spread and top with parchment.
- Using the press or a large spatula with a mallet pushing down on it, smash them all down as thin as possible. Cook until the bottoms are browned.
- Flip, top each with about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese then top with tortilla.
- Use the press to press down well on each. Cook about 2 minutes, until the bottom of the turkey browns and the cheese melts. Flip and cook 1 more minute so the tortillas char. Transfer tortillas to a plate, meat side up.
- Top with sliced avocado and pico de gallo, plus salsa if desired. Fold and eat right away.
This was something fun and new. I failed the first time I tried smash burgers, so I made sure the griddle was nice and hot this time before putting the meat on it. That seems to be the key. I have a two burner griddle, and that was big enough to make six at the same time. This was easy to make after a long day of work and very satisfying. Keep the great recipes coming, Gina.
Love how easy the turkey balls are and it’s not the standard ground meat that falls from the shell. I added more heat and spice to the “homemade taco” seasoning and served with farmers market seasonal veggies that I grilled.
These were a huge hit in my house. My kids declared this their new favorite meal and requested that I make them all the time. So much flavor, and they were easy & fun to make too!
I am no novice cook, but I wouldn’t stand a chance on Master Chef; however, I can make some pretty complicated recipes. This? This was easier said than done. The amount of oil we had to use to keep the meat and then tortillas from sticking negated the healthy twist. My kitchen looks like an explosion occurred and I’m pretty sure we summoned a demon.
Perhaps your skillet isn’t nonstick?
This recipe is very tasty. I used your recipe for pico and also the taco seasoning. I will definitely cook this again.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this one LOL! It was soooo good!! Fun to make too!
These were super fun to make! I also made the Pico de Gallo and Grilled Corn Corn Salad with Cotija ! Delicious dinner!
Easy to make. It’s a great recipe to make outside on the blackstone griddle.
Delicious, easy to make! Great twist on taco night.
Absolutely delicious! We didn’t change a thing and everyone enjoyed them. They’re fun to make and eat!
Great!!
I just made this, and my family and I loved it! Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Yum! Wished there was more seasoning on the meat though. I didn’t use her recipe, just what we had on hand. But my seasoning says to use 3 TABLESPOONS per pound of meat but I followed the recipe and it was bland. Next time I’ll probably double or triple.
You left a 4 start review on a recipe you didn’t follow.
Delicious and easy to make. Will be a staple in my meal rotation.
So happy with the results! We used our Blackstone griddle and made 4 at a time. The turkey cooks so quickly and remains super moist.
Keys to not sticking are using the parchment paper before smashing and spraying the tortilla before flipping.
Paired with your Pico de Gallo Salsa. Definitely a keeper!
This recipe was so successful that I have 2 clients on a repeat this week. TIPS. Only make 2 at a time. PLUS use some cheese as adhesive to secure meat to taco. THEN add cheese topping once taco is turned. FINALLY. We served some open face and some folded. Whatever is the preference e. TRENDING. This idea trending on TICTIC and REELS. Thank you again for this❤️
Seemed like a good idea but was a lot of mess for a basic taco. Thanks for sharing tho- I like to know the current food trends. BTW, I’m also not a fan of smash burgers so it may just be me! I am willing to give just about anything you create a try!
These were so good! I made your taco seasoning and added 2 tbs and 1 tsp like the taco seasoning recipe said to do with 1 lb of meat instead of the 2 tsp for this recipe. I was worried they would be way over seasoned, but they were still excellent!
Delicious!! Hubs used his Blackstone and they came great!! He said he wishes he made them flatter, but they were good! 😋
What a fun way to prepare and serve tacos. I used 6 inch corn tortillas. Half way though I switched to carb smart flour street tacos. They fit they amount of meat better but both were acceptable. The burger press worked perfectly.
Leftovers heated very well. Instead of making more pico, I just topped the tacos with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, the avocado and a little corn salsa.
Sooo good. I feel a little guilty getting compliments when Gina deserves them. 😂
YOU deserve the compliments 🙂
We liked these. I halved the recipe (as I do all the 4 serving recipes) because there are only two of us. The meat needed more seasoning. Otherwise, they were good.
Absolutely and delicious. Not to mention so affordable and easy .
So happy you enjoyed them!
First, this was a hit and I used ground chicken. I feel that the video doesn’t totally match the written recipe. For example, recipe says add seasoning then make into balls. Video shows sprinkling of the seasoning on top of the pressed patty. I will rewrite it for myself using the video as a guide.
After I made the video I adjusted to season the meat as it tasted best. Either way enjoy!
Yet another hit! Made these tonight for the family and everyone loved them. They also kept well wrapped in foil until I got all of them made.
Great!!
Made this for dinner last night on the our electric griddle because our gas griddle was on the fritz. You really do need a large surface to make these, I could easily fit 4 on our table top electric griddle. They were delicious and so easy! What a unique twist on the “smash burger”!
I made these tacos for dinner tonight, and they were delicious! I have been a crunch shell girl my entire life. I really enjoyed these soft tacos, and my husband was over the moon for them. The fresh pico is always a hit in the house, and tonight was no different. Thanks for another easy and healthy recipe!
Im so happy you liked them as much as we did!!
This was a fun and tasty recipe to make. Huge hit at the dinner table last night. I don’t know if we will make “normal” tacos again.
I made this tonight and this recipe was so easy and so tasty! Will make again for sure. I made the taco seasoning and no know I will never buy it again. Thanks for all you do for us!
Looks delicious can’t wait to try it. What tortillas did you use? The ones pictured look bigger than your standard corn tortilla. Thank you.
Regular corn tortillas.
Can you provide the brand/size you used to determine your nutritions facts please? On a strict macro diet and every carb counts!
Guerrero Tortillas, white corn 6 inch
OMG! These were so good! You have to make the Pico De Gallo. That makes the dish. Will make this often . Thank you Gina for another awesome recipe. I only make meals from you.
Made these tonight with ground chicken…absolutely delicious!
Made these tonight with homemade Pico de Gallo and guacamole. This was so delicious. Something from a Mexican restaurant!
Excellent! Gina, you have the absolute best recipes! I have all of your cookbooks and have told all my friends and family about Skinnytaste! ♥️
Do you use the 6” size of corn tortillas?
Looks great! I can’t wait to try it!!!
Ohhh this looks good! It’s good you keep an eye on the Tik Tok crazes because I’d never get to see any of them haha! Can’t wait to try these out next week, really happy they are on the healthy side!