Smash Egg Roll Tacos
It might be odd to think of combining egg rolls and tacos. But we’re always living a globally inspired food lives and the combination isn’t anything new. Smash tacos are all the rage and for a great reason: they’re so good when the meat is smashed up against the tortillas. This crispy smashed egg roll taco version is just more Asian inspired when we had some leftover egg roll filling. So here we go!
Crispy Smashed Egg Roll Dumplings
It all started with our viral crispy smashed egg roll dumplings recipe we posted a few weeks ago. So many folks from around the world asked us if they can use tortillas and the answer is YES! We ran to the kitchen to make the taco version. Had to make sure it was delicious enough to share and these definitely were winners.
Video: Smash Egg Roll Tacos
Best Tortillas for Smash Tacos
Use what ever tortillas you want but here’s some suggestions. You can use corn or flour tortillas. We prefer to use the flour tortillas because they become more crispy without being greasy. In order to the get the corn tortillas to be crispy, you need to use a little more oil.
- Don’t buy large tortillas for these tacos. We like the smaller street size taco tortillas because they’re easier to smash.
- If you only have the larger tortillas, then consider it more like a smashed egg roll quesadilla!
- Low Carb or Carb conscious tortillas: these are great too but they tend to be a little larger, like about 8″. You’ll just need to use more meat.
- Zero Tortillas: This is our favorite, the zero tortillas. They’re high in fiber, smaller and they crisp up really nicely on the hot skillet.
- If you’re ambitious you can make our low carb zucchini tortilla shells.
Crispy Smash Egg Roll Tacos
Ingredients
- 6-8 small tortillas (approximately 6-inches)
- 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30 ml) oil , or as needed
For the Egg Roll Dumpling Filling
- 1 pound (454 g) ground pork or beef (or any preferred ground meat)
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) finely chopped cabbage
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) finely grated carrot
- 4 stalks green onion , minced fine
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce or fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground black pepper
Chili Crunch Cucumbers (salsa) and other optional taco toppings
- 1 medium cucumber , chopped or sliced thin
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) chili crunch or chili crisp , or to personal taste
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) sliced red onion , or diced (optional)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) rough chopped cilantro (optional)
- (Optional) any of your favorite taco toppings (pico de gallo, salsa, hot sauce, etc.)
Equipment
- Oil Sprayer , optional
Instructions
- Chop the cabbage, carrot and green onions together until they are finely diced. If they are too big and chunky, you might have a problem with the meat sticking to the wrapper.
- In bowl combine all filling ingredients (1 pound (454g) ground pork/beef, 1 1/2 cups (360ml) cabbage, 1/2 cup (120ml) finely grated carrot, 4 minced green onions, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce, 2 teaspoons (10ml) sesame oil, 1 teaspoon (5ml) garlic powder, 1 teaspoon (5ml) onion powder, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) black pepper).
- On each tortilla, place about 2-3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) of filling in center. Spread filling all the way to the edges of the tortilla.
- Repeat for all your tortillas. The number of tortillas will vary depending on the size of the tortilla. Here, we used the street sized tortillas and these were the Zero tortillas.
- Heat large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add light layer of oil.
- Lay meat filled tortilla meat-side down on skillet.
- Press down firmly to smash the filling flat. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until meat is cooked and crisp. Make sure to press down firmly so the meat sticks to the tortilla.
- Lightly spray or sprinkle oil over the top of the tortillas. Then flip the smash tacos and cook tortilla side down to crisp the tortilla, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Combine cucumbers and chili crunch. Taste the cucumbers and if you want it spicier, add more of the chili crunch.
- Top the tacos with the cucumber chili "salsa". We like to finish with the sliced red onion and cilantro. But do your tacos how you like. Even use your favorite taco toppings. If it is delicious, it isn't wrong.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
History of Smash Tacos
These are a hybrid or fusion techniques popularized by social media. Both tik tok and instagram have exploding on the smash taco trend. Instead of adding pre-cooked meat to tortillas, the smashed taco trend uses raw ground meat pressed onto the tortillas. Then the meat side of the tortilla is pressed down on a hot pan and you “smash” it. Think of it like a smash burger, but this time, it’s meat stuck to a tortilla. Once the meat is cooked, you flip it and cook the tortilla side to be as crispy as you like. It’s a fun culinary technique made viral by social media but at the end of the day, these smashed tacos are absolutely delicious.
Storing Leftovers
We tried freezing them then thawing then out. They’re great as a meal prep and after they’re thawed, just warm them up in a toaster oven, air fryer or on the skillet. They’re even better the next day!
