Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (2024)

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If you're keto and are missing Big Macs, have I got the perfect Big Mac Salad and Big Mac Sauce for you! Super easy and let me tell you--it tastes EXACTLY like the real thing.

Except, of course, this low carb hamburger salad is actually good for you. Homemade Keto Fast food is an excellent choice if you ask me.

Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (1)

Why You'll Love This Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe

  • Fast. Make a salad the whole family will love in less than 30 minutes.
  • Easy. Cook up your ground beef, slice up your lettuce, make your sauce, and toss.
  • Low Carb. Only 4 net carbs per serving.
  • Affordable. Take out not in your budget this week? Make this for a fraction of the price of hitting your nearby fast food drive thru.

What Is In Big Mac Sauce?

Well, now. Isn't that a huge secret?

Full disclosure--I used to have McDonalds (r) as a client. But they did not give me their secret recipe.

So I have no real idea what's in the McDonald's Sauce Recipe. But I can tell you that whatever it is I cobbled together tastes EXACTLY like McDonald's secret sauce!

Is Big Mac Sauce the Same as Thousand Island Dressing?

I know a lot of people wonder if McDonald's Big Mac Sauce is exactly like Thousand Island Dressing.

Based on my experiment, I don't think it is. This keto Big Mac Sauce has far fewer ingredients than Thousand Island, which is good. Less is better as far as I'm concerned.

What Does This Hamburger Salad Taste Like?

Like a big mac.

No, really! It does. It's been so long since I've had a Big Mac that I asked my friend Jennifer to taste test it. And then, hundreds and hundreds of people made it and they all agree--it tastes just like a Big Mac.

I mean, what's not to love? Not only does it taste just like a Big Mac, but it's homemade, low carb, keto--and best of all, the various components can be made ahead of time.

Anytime you can have homemade food that's essentially like Keto Fast food - I'm voting for that.

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Ingredients You'll Need

Trust me when I say that this secret sauce shouldn't be a secret at all. It's so simple to make, everyone loves it, and it's made with ingredients you likely already have in your fridge.

Here's what you'll need to make this tasty Big Mac Salad recipe:

Big Mac Sauce

Salad

How To Make This Big Mac Salad Recipe

  1. First, gather the ingredients for your hamburger salad.
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2. Get the ground beef browning. I used this Le Creuset tarte tatin pan.

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3. While the ground beef browns, put together the Big Mac Sauce. Start by mixing the mustard, mayo, and vinegar.

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4. Dice onions and pickles that will get added to the sauce.

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5. Season the ground beef.

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6. Assemble the Big Mac Salad. Start with lettuce at the bottom. Add cheese, then add ground beef. Top with onions and pickles. Put the dressing on.

At this point, you can either toss the hamburger salad (as in, MIX it, not toss it into the trash) or save it like this for a while. Since the dressing is sitting on top, it won't make your lettuce all soggy and wilt.

That's it! Eat. Enjoy.

Tips for Making Big Mac Salad

  • The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge so make double--or quadruple! Not only does it get better with time, but it also works well with a variety of salads and grilled meats. Great for dipping grilled chicken as well.
  • Use lean ground beef for this so you don't have a greasy mess in your salad.
  • I used plain yellow mustard for this.
  • You can make a layered salad in a mason jar, and take it to work.
  • Use a great nonstick pan to make clean up a breeze.

If you're struggling with missing that fast food, this Big Mac Salad with hit the spot and satisfy those cravings.

Watch How To Make Big Mac In A Bowl

Mason Jar Big Mac Salad

I ate this salad straight from the fridge. You would think cold ground beef wouldn't taste that good, right?

It was actually MOST EXCELLENT. So one thing you could do is turn this low carb Big Mac Salad into a Mason Jar Salad and take it for lunch.

The attached video shows you how to do this. But basically layer in exactly this order: Lettuce, Cheese, Ground Beef, Onions, Pickles, Big Mac Sauce Dressing

Then, when you're ready for your Keto Big Mac Salad, either shake up that jar well or just tip everything into a bowl, stir, and enjoy.

Can I Freeze This Big Mac Salad Recipe?

Nope, you can't. That lettuce would just absolutely die if you did that. You CAN, however, make up the meat and the dressing ahead of time.

The dressing will keep for a week in your refrigerator if you cover it well.

Other Keto Recipes to Consider

  • Beef Bulgogi Burgers - A burger with a Korean barbecue twist.
  • Keto Mushrooms and Bacon - a great keto side dish.
  • Keto Sushi- A delightfully low carb take on a Spicy Tuna Roll.
  • Antipasto Salad - A delightful Italian salad.
  • Here are all of my salad recipes. Including a Keto Tabouli
  • Keto Pound Cake - The perfect finishing touch to any meal.
  • Keto Peanut Butter Bars - Taste identical to peanut butter cups.
  • Instant Pot Butter Chicken - Trust the "Butter Chicken Lady".
  • French Garlic Chicken - Sauce so good you could eat it on a boot!
  • Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies - The perfect Keto treat!
  • Keto Bread - the perfect bread non-eggy bread solution!
  • Keto Fast Food - Stay Keto on the run.
  • Keto Cookies - are the best treat to beat your cookie cravings.
  • Keto Meatloaf- a great recipe without pork rinds.
  • 20+ Low Carb Salad Dressings - There's something for everyone in this list of 20+ keto dressings.
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Pin It!

If you love this Keto Big Mac Salad recipe as much as I do, make sure you share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can make it too.

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Keto Big Mac Salad | Low Carb Hamburger Salad

I kid you not, this tastes JUST like a Big Mac, except it's low carb and you know exactly what went into it.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Course: Main Courses, Salads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: big mac salad, big mac sauce, low carb hamburger salad

Servings: 4

Calories: 625kcal

Author: URVASHI PITRE

Click on highlighted ingredients or Equipment to see exactly what I use to make this recipe

Ingredients

Big Mac Sauce

Salad

Instructions

  • Make the dressing. Mix mayo, diced pickles, mustard, vinegar, onion, paprika and Swerve. Set aside while you get the other ingredients together.

  • Heat a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef, smash it to break up the clumps, and cook until it's almost cooked through. Add salt and pepper and finish cooking it all the way.

  • While the ground beef is browning, chop lettuce. Slice onions and then cut into half. Roughly chop pickles..

  • When you are ready to serve the salad, mix the lettuce, onions, pickles, and cheese. Put into four bowls. Add in ¼ of the ground beef mixture into each bowl. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Watch The Video

  • The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge so make double--or quadruple! Not only does it get better with time, but it also works well with a variety of salads and grilled meats. Great for dipping grilled chicken as well.
  • Use lean ground beef for this so you don't have a greasy mess in your salad.
  • I used plain yellow mustard for this.
  • You can make a layered salad in a mason jar, and take it to work.

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Nutrition

Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 52g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

Tried this recipe?Follow @twosleevers and Pin it!

Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.

Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.

Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (10)
Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (11)
Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (12)
Big Mac Salad | Keto Big Mac Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Thousand Island dressing like Big Mac sauce? ›

Although Big Mac Sauce is similar to Thousand Island Dressing, the two are NOT exactly the same. Thousand Island is made with ketchup, while most Big Mac Sauce recipes contain French dressing for a tangier flavor.

What kind of lettuce is on a Big Mac? ›

Product. The Big Mac is made with two 1.6 oz (45 g) beef patties, a "special sauce" (similar to Thousand Island dressing), shredded iceberg lettuce, one processed American cheese slice, two slices of dill pickle, and minced onions, served on a three slice sesame seed bun.

What is the closest thing to Big Mac sauce? ›

Haracz continued, saying fans of the popular fast food chain's sauce who are looking for something that's both “store-bought” and “already purchased” should try Walmart's Great Value Secret Sauce. The sauce, Haracz said, is “closest” to the Big Mac sauce that is “served in the restaurant.”

What is the Big Mac sauce made of? ›

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Sweet Relish (diced Pickles, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Corn Syrup, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Chloride, Spice Extractives), Water, Egg Yolks, Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Onion Powder, Salt, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (hydrolyzed Corn, ...

Does McDonald's sell Big Mac sauce? ›

Available in restaurant, in Drive-Thru, via the My McDonald's App, and also via McDelivery, now is the time to try Big Mac® Special Sauce with any McDonald's menu items whether that's Chicken McNuggets, Veggie Dippers... or perhaps a Big MacFlurry…?

Where do McDonald's get their lettuce from? ›

Our lettuce is predominantly sourced from the U.K. during spring and summer, and Spain during autumn and winter. However, there's also a small percentage that also comes from Holland and France.

What kind of pickles does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's uses dill pickles in their burgers including in the Big Mac®.

Is the lettuce in Big Mac healthy? ›

I'm going to go with “no”, considering that those little gross, wilted shreds of lettuce hardly qualify as a vegetable. Honestly, the most nutritious part of a Big Mac are the beef patties, so ditch the special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and the sesame seed bun, and you'll be good to go.

What kind of pickle is on a Big Mac? ›

That's because in the US a gherkin is a pickled cucumber that is quite small and seldom sliced. McDonald's, in the two or so countries where I've been in a McDonald's. use sliced Kosher dill pickles (aka Hamburger Chips), even though the French call these “relish”.

How much lettuce is in a Big Mac? ›

For example, the recipe for a Big Mac® uses 28g of shredded lettuce, whereas the Chicken Legend® uses 12g of seasonal green lettuce. Each amount has been specifically chosen to create the perfect fresh lettuce-y crunch.

What is the secret to Big Mac sauce according to a former McDonald's chef? ›

According to Haracz, it all begins with one cup of mayonnaise. He specifically said he uses Hellmann's but that you can "use what you want" for your Big Mac Sauce. Next, he adds a quarter cup of sweet pickle relish, followed by two tablespoons of Dusseldorf Mustard and one teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

What are the ingredients in a Big Mac? ›

Two 100% beef patties, a slice of cheese, lettuce, onion and pickles. And the sauce. That unbeatable, tasty Big Mac® sauce. You know you want to.

Does Big Mac sauce taste like mayo? ›

No, Big Mac sauce is not the same as Thousand Island dressing. While both are mayonnaise-based sauces, Big Mac sauce has a much more distinct flavor and is typically tangier because of the addition of ketchup and mustard. Some copycat recipes also use French dressing to mimic the original formula.

Is Thousand Island the same as Big Mac? ›

Some might think the special sauce is just Thousand Island/Russian dressing, but that's not quite right. The Big Mac topper is definitely similar to those two, but not quite the same. It has way more pickle relish than either of them, and there's another ingredient (or ingredients) that can't quite be placed.

Is Thousand Island dressing the same as burger sauce? ›

Is burger sauce the same as Thousand Island? The two share a lot of similarities in ingredients and color, but they're not exactly the same. Burger sauce really just a mix of condiments like mayo, mustard, ketchup, and relish with a few extra flavorings thrown in. Thousand Island is a bit more complicated.

What dressing is the same as Thousand Island? ›

Russian and Thousand Island have lots of other cousins, too. McDonald's Big Mac sauce is sort of a cross between Thousand Island and Russian dressing, but it omits sweet ketchup in favor of the horseradish-like burn of mustard. Then there's comeback sauce, comparable to Thousand Island without the pickle relish.

Is Thousand Island sauce good for burger? ›

Using Thousand Island dressing can add a tangy and slightly sweet taste to your hamburger, along with a creamy texture. It can also contribute additional flavors from the pickles and other ingredients in the dressing, giving your burger a unique twist.

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