Street FoodEasyFree

Smash Burger Quesadilla

Name: Smash Burger Quesadilla
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300 g Beef mince (80/20); 30 g Pickled jalapeños (sliced); 3 tbsp Mayonnaise; 1 to taste Salt and black pepper; 2 Large flour tortillas; 1 Red onion (thinly sliced); 150 g Oaxaca cheese (shredded); 2 Chipotle chilli in adobo

30 min (15 prep + 15 cook) Easy 2 servings Fusion

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 27 Mar 2026 · Updated: 29 Mar 2026

Smash burger patty with crispy crust wrapped in flour tortilla with melted Oaxaca cheese and chipotle sauce.

About this recipe

The smash burger quesadilla is the most exciting fusion of Mexican street food with American burger culture: a flour tortilla acts as the bun, inside sits a smashed burger patty that develops a crispy, golden crust from intense contact with the griddle, Oaxaca cheese melted into silky strings, caramelised onion, pickled jalapeños and a creamy chipotle sauce. The result is crispy outside, juicy inside, with the umami flavour of the cheese and the smoky punch of the chipotle. It is one of the most shared dishes on social media from the new Mexican fusion food scene.

History & Origin

The smash burger was born in American diners of the 1950s, where cooks would smash balls of meat against the hot griddle to maximise contact and create the famous Maillard crust. The smash burger quesadilla emerged around 2020 in the fusion street food scene of Mexico City, Los Angeles and Madrid, where young chefs began experimenting by replacing brioche buns with flour tortillas, incorporating Oaxaca cheese (which melts into silky strings) and chipotle sauces instead of ketchup. The recipe went viral on TikTok and Instagram and today is one of the most ordered fusion dishes at food trucks and informal restaurants in Spain and the UK with a Mexican food offering.

Estimated cost

£9.00

Total cost

£4.50

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

680

Calories

38g

Protein

38g

Carbohydrates

42g

Fat

Fibre

920mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Mix the chipotles with the mayonnaise in a small bowl and blend until smooth. Set aside.
💡 You can make this sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
2
Divide the mince into 2 portions of 150 g and roll into balls. Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over very high heat until smoking.
💡 High temperature is KEY for the smash burger - without enough heat there is no crust.
3
Place a flour tortilla on the hot griddle. Put a ball of mince on the tortilla and immediately smash it with a spatula or press until 5 mm thick. Season with salt and pepper.
💡 Smash quickly, within the first 10 seconds, while the meat is still tender.
4
Cook for 2 minutes without moving until the meat has a golden crust. Flip the burger together with the tortilla (the tortilla ends up on top). Add the Oaxaca cheese over the meat and cover for 1 minute to melt.
💡 Do not move the meat before flipping - the crust forms through sustained contact.
5
Remove from the griddle. Spread chipotle sauce on the inside of the tortilla. Add red onion and pickled jalapeños. Fold the tortilla over the burger, press closed and serve immediately.
💡 Serve in butcher's paper for the full street food experience.