Elevate your burger game with the Chalupa Burger
Looking for a burger that’s anything but basic? Try the Chalupa Burger. It’s bold, flavorful and will take your taste buds on an adventure.

When I was a kid, Dad and I used to watch cooking shows every Saturday morning. If we weren’t watching cooking shows, then we were hitting the road and finding yard sales. We would learn new recipes and tricks on those cooking shows. And it was a great way for us to connect.
I still watch cooking shows. But I always watch those shows about weird food from around the world. And I watch those shows about local favorites. Hence this Chalupa Burger. I watched a show about San Antonio. It’s one of my fave cities. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve had a great time. And the food is AWESOME!

What food is San Antonio famous for?
Puffy tacos for one. They take the basic taco masa dough and flatten it like a tortilla. Then it’s deep fried until puffy. And at just the right moment, the taco is crimped with a spatula creating the fold that holds the taco ingredients.
Breakfast tacos are another dish that San Antonio is known for. I talked about breakfast tacos in this post. Since then, I’ve found an article that quotes a snippet from the El Paso Herald-Post. A gubernatorial candidate made it a point to eat them on a campaign stop in 1962. The quote reads that “he had tacos for breakfast and was greeted by a mariachi band from Matamoros” which, in my opinion, has the best tamales. So, I guess it’s still on the fence who created the breakfast taco.

And while San Antonio did not invent the tamale, they sure as heck make the second best that I’ve tasted. Or maybe I should say third best. I feel like I should give props to Pops for his tamales. Of course, it was after a few trips to San Antonio and other parts of the Texas where dad learned about making these gems. I just wish I had paid more attention when we were making them at home. I talk about my adventures in kitchen making tamales with the fam in this post.
There’s also the chalupa burger. I saw a snippet about this delicious burger on the aforementioned television show. It was all of about 5 minutes of the show maybe. But just the idea of a chalupa burger. All those Latin flavors on an American burger. Yum!

What is a chalupa burger?
It starts out with a tostada on the bottom. Refried beans goes top of the tostada that then gets topped with pico de gallo. Of course, mine doesn’t have cilantro, but feel free to add some to yours if you want. Yes. I’m one of those people.
A ground beef burger seasoned with taco seasoning and topped with melted Cheddar cheese tops the guacamole. On top of that is homemade fresh guacamole. All of this burger goodness has a brioche bun to wrap it all up. That hint of sweet tastes delicious with all the spicy and creamy goodness that is this chalupa burger.

Just look at all those layers of goodness. You can see the refried beans peeking out from the bottom. Of course, you can’t see the tostada. I made the tostada bun sized by using a large biscuit cutter. Then I popped them into the air fryer at 350 for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Watch them halfway through the flip to make sure they don’t get too brown. I did that with the first batch by accident.
The pico de gallo is simple. Just some tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, a little garlic salt, a sprinkling of chili powder and ground cumin. That sat in the fridge for several hours before I cooked up the burgers. Whatever was leftover went onto the tortilla chips. Along with the leftover guacamole.

What does the chalupa burger taste like?
I shocked the hubs the first time I made fresh, homemade guacamole. He thought the guacamole should be creamier than what I’m used to. I guess he never had homemade guacamole. But he loves the way I made guacamole! Just some mashed up avocado, lime juice, a little tomato, red onion, and jalapeno. Again, add cilantro here if you want. I do not want. But you already know that.
Then there’s the burger. It’s delicious ground beef burger mixed with my taco seasoning. Yes, I realize I have yet to share this recipe with y’all. Trust me. I will some day and when I do, I will come back and link the recipe to this one. But, for now, feel free to use your favorite taco seasoning or enchilada seasoning mix. Or just a regular ole burger seasoning mix. The choice is yours! Because it’s your burger.

Chalupa Burger
The Chalupa Burger layers a taco seasoned burger with a tostada, pico de gallo, Cheddar cheese, and guacamole. It’s the ultimate in Latin inspired hamburgers.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 3 cups diced tomatoes, divided
- 2 cups diced avocado
- 1 1/2 cups diced red onion, divided
- 1/4 cup finely diced jalapeno, divided
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
- 4 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup refried beans
- 4 ounces sliced cheddar cheese
- 4 hamburger buns
- Burger toppings of choice (lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Fold the taco seasoning into the ground beef and form into 4 patties.
- Combine 2 cups of the tomatoes with 1 cup of red onions, 2 tablespoons of finely diced jalapenos, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice in a medium bowl.
- Stir to combine and refrigerate.
- Coarsely mash the avocados in a medium mixing bowl.
- Stir in the rest of the tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and lime juice and refrigerate.
- Cook the corn tortillas in the air fryer at 350 for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until brown and crispy.
- Season the burgers with salt and pepper and grill on medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes, turn and grill an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the burgers reach 160 F internal temperature.
- Remove the burgers and top with the cheese. Rest 5 minutes.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans on top of each of the tostadas.
- Place the tostadas on top of the bottom bun.
- Spread some of the pico de gallo on top of the beans.
- Top with a burger and some of the guacamole before placing the topping with the other bun and serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 1144Total Fat 62gSaturated Fat 22gTrans Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 33gCholesterol 210mgSodium 1413mgCarbohydrates 75gFiber 15gSugar 13gProtein 73g

Take Out Recipes
- Beef and Broccoli from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Chalupa Burger from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Chicken Tikka Masala from That Recipe
- El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup (Copycat) from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Golden Carolina BBQ Chicken Tenders (Cracker Barrel Copycat) from Palatable Pastime
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Holy cow look at the size of this burger! I love all the different elements!
Definitely not one to eat without a bib!
How interesting with the tortilla on the burger! The whole thing sounds wonderful!
I thought so, too! A recreation of a burger I read about online and it was well worth it!