Loaded bacon cheeseburger cups: A new twist on an old favorite
Published 1:30 am Friday, October 23, 2026
There’s something about a good bacon cheeseburger that’s hard to beat. Juicy beef, crispy bacon, melted cheddar cheese, and all your favorite toppings. It’s a combination that’s been around forever, and for good reason. It works.
But who says a cheeseburger has to come on a bun?
This week, we’re taking everything we love about a loaded bacon cheeseburger and giving it a little makeover. Instead of the traditional hamburger bun, we’re using flour tortillas to create individual crispy cups, filling them with seasoned ground beef, bacon, and melted cheddar cheese, then finishing them off with fresh tomatoes, red onion, pickles, and a homemade burger sauce.
The trick is getting those tortilla cups just right. You want them sturdy enough to hold all that goodness without becoming hard or brittle. A little preparation before they go into the oven makes all the difference.
What I really like about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can set out all the toppings and let everyone build their own. They’re great for a family dinner, a weekend get-together, or even a game-day snack.
And the best part? You don’t need any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. Just a muffin tin, a handful of everyday groceries, and a little appetite.
So let’s get into the kitchen and make some loaded bacon cheeseburger cups.
Loaded Bacon Cheeseburger Cups
Yield: Approximately 12–16 cups, depending on tortilla size and filling
Cheeseburger Cups
• 2 pounds ground beef
• Small flour tortillas (street taco size)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded, or more as needed
• ½ pound thick-cut bacon
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1–2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• Dill pickle chips, chopped • Montreal steak seasoning, to taste • Black pepper, to taste • Garlic powder, to taste • Melted butter, for brushing tortillas
Homemade Burger Sauce
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Cook the bacon Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels, cool, then chop into small pieces.
2. Prepare the tortilla cups Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush flour tortillas with melted butter and press into a muffin tin. Bake until they hold their shape and begin to turn lightly golden. Watch closely to avoid burning.
3. Cook the beef Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles. Season lightly with Montreal steak seasoning, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook through and drain excess grease.
4. Mix the burger sauce Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, dill relish, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix until smooth and refrigerate until serving.
5. Fill the cups Spoon cooked beef into the tortilla cups. Add shredded cheddar and chopped crispy bacon.
6. Bake the filled cups Return to the oven until the cheese melts and the tortilla edges are golden and crisp.
7. Finish and serve Top with diced tomatoes, red onion, chopped dill pickle chips and a drizzle of burger sauce. Serve warm.
Broke Gourmet Tips
• Go easy on Montreal steak seasoning; it is potent.
• Do not overbake the tortillas during their first trip to the oven.
• Add the fresh toppings and sauce after baking to keep the cups crisp.
Roy Mosby is a Marysville resident and the creator of the YouTube channel Broke Gourmet.
