Everything you love about a classic deluxe cheeseburger is mixed into this amazing Big Mac Salad!
Seasoned ground beef, homemade special sauce, pickles, and cheese are tossed with fresh salad veggies and the most adorable mini burger bun croutons.
This Big Mac Salad is easy to make, and completely delish!
As the famous Mcdonald’s jingle goes, “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun”. That’s what makes up a Big Mac Sandwich, and that’s exactly what we’re mixing up to make this amazing Big Mac Salad!
Ground beef, homemade Big Mac Sauce, cheese, and veggies come together to make a salad that tastes just like a cheeseburger with all of the fixings. To make it even better, we’ll top it with miniature burger bun croutons!
Another salad featuring ground beef is my Dorito Taco Salad. It’s perfect for parties and potlucks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect Big Mac Flavors – Everything that you’d expect on a delicious cheeseburger is included in this salad recipe. It’s just like a Big Mac in a bowl!
- Homemade Dressing – Some recipes for Big Mac Salad utilize bottled salad dressing like Thousand Island, but that shortcut is just not worth it to me! Instead, whip up a batch of my homemade Mac sauce with mayo, ketchup, and a few other simple seasonings.
- Versatile Recipe – I’m sharing the directions for making mini burger bun croutons, but you can skip the bread and make this a low-carb, keto-friendly cheeseburger salad too. Swap the ground beef for a vegan substitute or ground turkey to make it healthier too.
Big Mac Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this cheeseburger salad:
- Ground Beef: Instead of two all-beef patties, we’ll top our Big Mac bowl with cooked ground beef. I prefer to use 80/20 ground beef here, but any type will work. Simply season the meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Special Sauce: The dressing for this salad is a simple and homemade Big Mac Sauce. It’s made with mayo, ketchup, minced onion, pickle relish, and seasonings, and is completely delicious!
- Lettuce: Crunchy lettuce like iceberg and romaine are perfect in this recipe. I’m using 1 romaine heart and about a half-head of iceberg.
- Cheese: A Big Mac would typically have American Cheese on it, but shredded cheddar works best for salads. For the best flavor, shred the cheese from a block rather than using pre-bagged shreds.
- Pickles and Onions: Sliced white onion and dill pickle chips are a must in anything “big mac” style.
- Tomato: Not an ingredient in the original Big Mac, but I like diced tomatoes in this salad for their juiciness!
- Sesame Seed Buns: We’ll cut these into circles and toast them up to make croutons that look like tiny burger buns!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make The Best Big Mac Salad
- Make the Dressing: The dressing for this Big Mac Salad is a homemade version of Big Mac Sauce! Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, while you prep the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Make Sesame Bun Croutons: Use the back of a large piping tip to cut circles from the top of the sesame buns. Then place the pieces on a baking sheet, spray with oil, and bake for 7 minutes at 350°F, or until crispy. You can also make croutons in your air fryer if you prefer!
- Cook the Beef: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain any excess fat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, cheddar cheese, and sliced onion. Then add the cooked ground beef, and drizzle the salad with the chilled Big Mac Sauce.
- Serve: Toss to combine, making sure everything is well coated with the sauce. Top with croutons and serve immediately.
Tip!
Wait until just before serving to add the croutons. This way they’ll be perfectly fresh and crunchy!
Recipe Tips
- Make this recipe low-carb: Skip the croutons, and replace the sugar in the sauce with your favorite low-carb sweetener.
- Make it vegetarian by replacing the beef with your favorite vegan ground meat substitute, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger.
- Croutons: The little round mini burger bun croutons are perfect, but you can also cut the sesame buns into cubes or just tear them into pieces before baking. These can be made ahead too, just store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Big Mac Sauce: The flavor of this sauce is best if you make it a day ahead of time, but it’s good enough to let it chill for about 30 minutes if that’s all the time you have. You can also make the dressing ahead of time. Store it in the fridge for 4-5 days if needed. Make extra sauce to dip french fries into!
Storing Tips
Once the salad is mixed up, it’s best to eat it right away. You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, but you’ll find that the lettuce and veggies soften with time.
If you would like to make this ahead of time, I suggest preparing all of the parts of the salad and storing each separately. When you’re ready to eat, add the meat, sauce, and croutons to the vegetables and toss.
What To Serve With Big Mac Salad
This Big Mac bowl is already a meal, complete with protein, veggies, and carbs from the homemade croutons.
If you’re extra hungry, I suggest serving this salad with a side of homemade french fries or easy air fryer tater tots. Fried potatoes are always great with cheeseburgers!
For dessert, Try a slice of warm Apple Pie, or a homemade McDonalds Copycat Shamrock Shake.
Recipe FAQs
McDonald’s uses shredded iceberg lettuce on their Big Mac burger, so it’s perfect for this salad. I like to use some iceberg and some romaine to give the salad extra texture and color.
Of course! Skip the croutons, or use gluten-free buns to make them and the rest of this dish is naturally gluten-free.
Sure! Use any type of onion that you have on hand. In fact, there are very few rules when it comes to salad veggies, so feel free to add cucumbers, peppers, or carrots too.
More Hearty Salad Recipes
All Salads →
This salad is exactly like a Big Mac in a bowl, but tastier and healthier! Make sure to save this recipe – You’ll want to remember how to make homemade Big Mac Sauce for salads and burgers.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Big Mac Salad
Equipment
- Large Piping Tip (optional)
Ingredients
For the big mac sauce
- ½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon finely minced white onion or grated
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the croutons
- Sesame hamburger buns
- Cooking spray or oil
For the salad
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef I used 80/20 but you can use lean
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 heart romaine chopped
- ½ head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 2 tomatoes diced
- ½ cup yellow onion thinly sliced – or white onion
- ½ cup dill pickle slices
- 1 cup (120 g) sharp cheddar cheese grated
- Big Mac sauce from the recipe above
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.
- Mix well until everything is fully combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
To make the croutons:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Using a large piping tip, cut out small circles from the hamburger buns. Alternatively, these can be chopped or torn.
- Place the mini bun circles on a baking sheet and spray or lightly brush with oil.
- Bake for 7 minutes or until crispy. Alternatively, you can use an air fryer.
To make the salad:
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drain any excess fat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuces, tomatoes, dill pickles, cheddar cheese, and onion.
- Add the cooked ground beef to the salad.
- Drizzle the chilled Big Mac sauce over the top. Toss the salad to combine all the ingredients and ensure everything is well coated with the sauce. Top with croutons if using, and serve immediately.
Notes:
- Make this recipe low-carb: Skip the croutons, and replace the sugar in the sauce with your favorite low-carb sweetener.
- Make it vegetarian by replacing the beef with your favorite vegan ground meat substitute, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger.
- Croutons: The little round mini burger bun croutons are adorable, but you can also cut the sesame buns into cubes or just tear them into pieces before baking. These can be made ahead too, just store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Big Mac Sauce: The flavor of this sauce is best if you make it a day ahead of time, but it’s good enough to let it chill for about 30 minutes if that’s all the time you have. You can also make this ahead. Store it in the fridge for 4-5 days if needed. Make extra to dip french fries into!
- Storing: Once the salad is mixed up, it’s best to eat it right away. You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, but you’ll find that the lettuce and veggies soften with time.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
John Webb says
I made this salad for church’s fellowship lunch yesterday. I prep everything ahead time on Saturday. Then took everything to church and just before serve throw all ingredients. That Prep on Saturday and put bags but Big Mac Sauce which ip bowl which I made it and keep the cheese in it bag. I brought in the cheese brand that used is Sargento. Since it’s real cheese. I cook the ground beef and chopped the entice on Sunday Morning. The salad was a big hit
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you for the prep-ahead tips, John! I’m glad everyone liked the salad.
Toni says
My kids enjoyed this! Quickly became a favorite at my house!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you for sharing, Toni! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe has become a favorite!
Sha says
I had this big mac salad for lunch and it was incredibly savory and pleasing! Definitely having this again!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
That’s so amazing to hear, Sha! Thank you for the kind review!
Jasmine says
It’s like a burger without the bun, very healthy and delicious! Nailed the sauce and it came out perfect!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, Jasmine, for the great review! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Big Mac Salad recipe!
Nancy Hill says
Made this tonight because I’m always looking for something a little different. Turned out great. Was easy and fun. Loved the sauce. By the way your two chicken tenders recipes (honey and garlic) are my “go to” recipes – always delicious and so quick to make. Thank you!!!