If you love the viral Big Mac smash burger taco try this keto version with a just a few tweaks to keep the carbs down. It’s a low carb high protein dinner in less than 15 minutes. It has all that flavor of the classic burger with all beef patties, special sauce, pickles and more but in taco form. Each has 2.6 grams net carbs and 36.4 grams of protein.
You might also like this keto Big Mac salad.
I just love these viral smash burger tacos. They are a thin layer of beef burger in a fun taco form. Since I discovered some tasty low carb tortillas I find recipes like this smash burger recipe are the perfect low carb high protein dinner for us. So today I made these keto Big Mac smash burger tacos and they were awesome!!!
If you are a fan of Big Macs, these have all the components of the famous burger (all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions) but are in a tortilla instead of a sesame bun. Plus you can make them in 15 minutes. I love them because each has just 2.6 grams of carbs and 36.4 grams of protein! It’s a fun and tasty dinner idea for a busy weeknight meal.
Recipe ingredients and substitutions.
The basic ingredients I used for this delicious recipe were ground beef, steak seasoning, keto street taco tortillas, cheese slices, lettuce, red onion, dill pickle slices, and a low carb special burger sauce. Of course if you are not a fan of some some of these you can add your own favorite burger toppings.
- Ground Beef and Steak Seasoning – I usually use 85% or 90% ground beef for my burgers. You can use lean ground beef or ground turkey as well as more fattier beef. Remember the higher the fat percentage the more shrinkage of the meat as it cooks. I also use steak seasoning to give it more flavor. You can also season the beef with salt and black pepper if you don’t have any steak seasoning.
- Lettuce, Onions and Pickles – I used romaine lettuce and red onions. You can use iceberg lettuce if you wish as well as yellow or white onions. I like the color of the red and crunch of romaine. The pickles are dill and have the least amount of carbs. If you prefer sweeter pickles just be aware there will be a few more carbs.
- Keto Tortillas – I love these La Banderita street taco tortillas. They have zero carbs and taste good. Plus they are the perfect size for a taco or smash burger. Many grocery stores carry low carb tortillas but you can always buy them on Amazon and freeze them to have on hand. And if you don’t care about carbs just use small soft flour tortillas.
- Cheese Slices – I used American cheese because it a good melty cheese but I would normally use a sharp cheddar cheese. You can use whatever type of cheese you want but usually for a Big Mac it is American or cheddar.
Technically this classic burger does not use ketchup or mustard but if you like either feel free to use whatever you want.
Big Mac special sauce ingredients (low carb).
For the low carb special sauce I used Catalina French dressing, Swerve sweetener, pickles, onions, mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. This homemade burger sauce is similar to what I use on my low carb Big Mac salad bowls.
You can substitute low carb ketchup or even a bit of tomato paste for the French dressing if you need. And you can use white vinegar or white wine vinegar for the apple cider vinegar. I used Swerve sweetener but you can use whatever kind of sweetener you want.
How to make a keto Big Mac smash burger taco.
This is how to make a keto Big Mac smash burger taco. If you don’t care about carbs you can use small flour tortillas or even hamburger buns. I personally love the keto mini tortillas for this dish.
And if you have a griddle this is a great opportunity to use it. I do not have a griddle so I used a small skillet and made them separately
Step 1: Get out a small bowl and make the special sauce. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, sweetener, dressing, minced onion and minced dill pickles. Mix well and set in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Step 2: I used about ¼ pound of ground meat for each of the burger patties. Just place 4 ounces of ground meat on the street taco tortilla and spread out to the edges like pictured below. Add a sprinkle of steak seasoning on top and set aside. Do this for how many burgers you want to make I just made 2.
Step 3: Heat up a small nonstick skillet to medium high heat. Spray it with nonstick cooking spray and then place the burger meat side down. Turn down the heat to medium heat. Press down with a spatula to make the meat sizzle. Do this 2-3 minutes until the meat is cooked to your liking pressing down with the spatula every once in awhile.
Step 4: Next flip it over and place a piece of cheese on top. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes. This will melt the cheese and cook the bottom of the tortilla a bit. When done, take off lid and slide onto a plate. Continue this process for the other burger or burgers.
Step 5: Top each burger with the special sauce, shredded lettuce, pickles and onions. I used sliced pickles but if you want you can chop these up or even chop up a spear.
If you want to add a little heat you can add a bit of hot sauce on the smash burger taco or even in the special sauce but that isn’t really part of the classic burger. My husband puts that on everything.
We at this just these for our dinner but to make this a complete meal you can have a nice green salad or maybe try these keto creamy southwest coleslaw or low carb potato salad. If you don’t care about carbs try these crispy teak fries!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. I would suggest just storing the burgers with the tortillas and keeping the toppings separate. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
More low carb recipes using keto tortillas.
Just in case you buy a bag of the keto tortillas here are a few of my favorite low carb recipes to use them with.
- keto gyro smash burger taco
- low carb Philly cheese steak quesadilla
- low carb air fryer tortilla pizza
- low carb tortilla chips
- keto buffalo chicken quesadillas
- keto fish tacos or shrimp tacos
And that my friends is now to make a keto Big Mac smash burger taco in less than 15 minutes. Who doesn’t love a juicy burger in tasty taco form? If you have an outdoor griddle this would be such a fun and quick dinner this summer.
This is a great low carb high protein meal to make on busy weeknights. I hope you love it as much as I did. Enjoy!
The the special sauce makes about 12 tablespoons total and 1 tablespoon has 68 calories / 7.2g fat / 0.9g carbs
This makes 2 smash burger tacos and each has 363 calories / 21.1g fat / 9.6g carbs / 7g fiber / 36.4g protein = 2.6g net carbs (not including sauce)
Big Mac Smash Burger Taco Recipe (Keto)
The Big Mac smash burger taco recipe is your low carb answer to Big Mac cravings. Full of all that taste of the classic burger with out the bun. Fun to make and has 2.6 grams net carbs and 36.4 grams of protein.
Ingredients
- 8 ounce ground beef
- ½ cup lettuce (shredded)
- 2 slices American cheese (or cheese of choice)
- 4 slices dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons onions, chopped
- 2 keto flour tortillas (I used La Banderita zero carb street taco tortillas)
- steak seasoning (to taste and can substitute with salt and black pepper)
Low Carb Special Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
- 1 teaspoon chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon sweetener
- 2 tablespoons Catalina French dressing
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Get out a small mixing bowl and add the special sauce ingredients and mix together well. Set aside. Note if you have a griddle this is a good recipe to use it. I do not so I used a skillet.
- Take the 2 small tortillas and split the ground beef between the two. Spread the meat out evenly on the tortillas to make the smash burgers. Sprinkle the steak seasoning over the meat. Note you can use salt and black pepper if you don't have steak seasoning just use liberally if so.
- Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium high heat. Place the tortillas with the ground beef. meat side down into the hot skillet. Turn the heat down to meidum heat. Note you can use a large skillet and do two burgers at once or just repeat this with the second one if using a smaller skillet.
- Cook for 2-5 minutes until the meat is cooked through, then flip over. Place a slice of cheese on top, turn off the heat and place a lid over top. After 1-2 minutes the heat will melt the cheese.
- Once the cheese has melted add a spoon or two of the special sauce over the cheese and then top with lettuce, chopped onion and pickles. Fold in two and eat like a taco! Store leftover sauce in an airtitght container.
Notes
I used 85%-90% ground beef. You can use lean ground beef, ground turkey or even high fat ground meat. Note the fattier the meat the tastier but it also shrinks quite a bit and the excess grease might make the tortilla soggy.
Also I chose a few of these ingredients to save carbs. For instance I used zero carb tortillas, dill pickles and sweetener. If you don't care about carbs feel free to use regular tortillas, dill or sweet pickle relish (for the special sauce) and or regular white sugar (also for the sauce.)
The the special sauce makes about 12 tablespoons total and 1 tablespoon has 68 calories / 7.2g fat / 0.9g carbs
This makes 2 smash burger tacos and each has 363 calories / 21.1g fat / 9.6g carbs / 7g fiber / 36.4g protein = 2.6g net carbs (not including sauce)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 363
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