Big Mac Salad

It’s not often that I find myself having a fast food craving, but the last one really hit out of NOWHERE. I really wanted - no, NEEDED - a Big Mac.

Super random. I wonder if I saw a commercial or something, to put the thought in my head. No idea.

Anyway, having a craving like that hit while on a low carb diet isn’t the most convenient, so I decided to come up with a Big Mac bowl recipe.

I’d been on a bowl kick at the time, doing all sorts of fajita, burrito, and shawarma bowls... but I ended up deciding to do it up as more of a hamburger salad, in the end.

So, I did a bunch of Googling on all things Big Mac, to design the perfect Big Mac salad.

I looked into how the beef patties were seasoned, found a video of one of McDonalds’ chefs making a batch of their special sauce , and more.

To make a Big Mac in salad form, I designed a keto friendly replica of Big Mac Sauce to use as the salad dressing. This would top off a salad based completely on the real thing:

Iceberg lettuce, ground beef seasoned the same way as the burger patties, pickles, cheese, and onions. Finally, I topped it all off with some sesame seeds, as a nod to the famous sesame seed bun.

It was fantastic!

For something that uses such basic ingredients, it actually packs a lot of flavour - and that sauce REALLY hit the spot!

Beyond being low carb & keto, it’s also suitable for those on a gluten-free diet - unlike the source material.

All around, a great recipe. Let’s look at what you’ll need, to make you own Big Mac Salads:

Salad Ingredients

This easy recipe uses some pretty simple ingredients - for the most part - but you should be able to find almost everything you need in any larger grocery store.

I have a quick overview of the ingredients with some notes for you, though:

Lean Ground Beef

For the most authentic taste - a salad that actually tastes like there’s a burger patty involved - use lean or extra lean ground beef for this cheeseburger salad recipe.

That said, you can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey if needed - we usually do!

Also, as a note: I did a lot of looking into it, and it seems that McDonald’s patties are only seasoned with salt and pepper.

If don’t care as much about replication and you’d like a bit more flavour to your ground meat, feel free to add a bit of garlic powder and/or onion powder, when cooking it up.

Fresh Lettuce

For a low carb big mac salad that most closely resembles the flavors of a Big Mac burger, you want to use a basic, crisp lettuce.

Iceberg lettuce works best - it’s what you’d find on an actual Big Mac - but some crisp romaine lettuce would also do the trick.

Onion

This is a bit of a weird thing, as there’s conflicting info out there. McDonald’s either uses raw onions - white onion - or dehydrated dried onions.

Personally, I veer off from the traditional Big Mac either way, and use red onion. I just prefer red onions, when it comes to salads.

Sliced Pickles

Dill pickles are what get used on a classic Big Mac sandwich, so that’s what I recommend using.

Sometimes I’ll crinkle cut them, just for fun.

Allulose

This is the only one of the main ingredients that may not be easy to find in stores.

In fact, I have to bring Allulose in from the USA - less than ideal, especially at the moment!

The thing is McDonald’s “Secret sauce” needs a bit of sweetener. While regular big mac sauce is sweetened with sugar, this copycat Big Mac sauce needs a sugar free option.

Allulose is a little less sweet than regular sugar, but tastes the same - and has no weird aftertaste or mouth feel.

As an aside, did you know that Big Mac Sauce isn’t actually Thousand Island Dressing? I’d definitely say it’s based on it, though.

The big difference is that actual Big Mac sauce doesn’t use ketchup, while Thousand Island does. So, no need for sugar free ketchup in this homemade dressing, anyway!

Fresh Tomatoes (Optional!)

While there aren’t any tomatoes on a Big Mac, some people prefer juicy tomatoes on their cheeseburgers - and, by extension - on any cheeseburger salad.

My husband hates them, so I don’t bother... but if I were to use tomatoes in this low carb Big Mac Salad, I’d go with some cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved.

I think it would be cute!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Mayonnaise
Sesame Seeds
Olive Oil
White Vinegar
Yellow Mustard
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt

... I just don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go!

How to Make Keto Big Mac Salads

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. Here is a visual walk through, with detailed instructions and step-by-step photos:

Homemade Big Mac Sauce

Measure all of the ingredients into a mini food processor, blitz a few times to combine and break up the pickles a bit.

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Will keep for a week or so.

Make the Big Mac Salads

Note: If you prefer to serve this family style, you can assemble it in one large salad bowl, rather than in separate bowls. Personally, I find it easier to serve and eat as individual servings, rather than from a large bowl.

Measure olive oil into a large skillet.

Add ground beef, pepper, salt, and onion/garlic powder (if using) to the pan, breaking up and mixing everything together.

Brown ground beef (or chicken!) over medium or medium-high heat until beef is browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

While beef is cooking, assemble your salads:

Divide lettuce between 4 bowls. Top with shredded cheese, sliced pickles, onion, and tomatoes - if using.

Once beef is ready, drain and divide it between the salads. Drizzle with the Big Mac dressing and garnish with sesame seeds, serve immediately.

Make-Ahead

If you’re aiming to do meal prep, I like to prepare the ingredients and store in separate containers.

Then, I’ll reheat the meat and assemble the salads a few minutes before serving them.

More Keto Main Dish Salad Recipes

Looking for more low carb salad recipes that are substantial enough to serve as a meal? Look no further!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Cobb Salad
Italian Sub Salad
Keto Taco Salad
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Salad Meal Prep
Seafood Cobb Salad
Seared Tuna Salad
Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
Shawarma Chicken Salad
Steak Salad with Creamy Wasabi Dressing
Thai Pesto Salmon Salad