All the flavors of a classic big mac together in salad form. So easy to make this Big Mac Salad will become your new go-to dinner.
This post may contain Affiliate Links.
Easy Big Mac Salad Recipe
Who doesn’t love a traditional big mac? I know in our house this fast food burger is complete nostalgia! So last year when I was working on developing my Blackstone Smash Burgers I was also working on making a sauce so I could get all the flavor of a big mac for our burgers. Well I also ended up using the homemade dressing to make a whole salad based off the flavors of a big mac and here is the salad the whole family absolutely loves.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – You can use whatever fat content works for you, just note if you aren’t using lean ground beef you might want to make sure the ground beef is drained before serving. Also note you could make this salad with a different protein like ground turkey or ground chicken if that works better for you. You could also use a burger patty/beef patties and cook it up and then cut it or crumble it over the salad.
- Big Mac Sauce – Or as my kids like to call it special sauce, I highly recommend heading over to my recipe for big mac sauce, it is an amazing copycat big mac sauce recipe for you to whip up for this salad. You can also buy big mac sauce at grocery stores or thousand island dressing also works since ti is so similar. For my big mac sauce you will need mayonnaise, ketchup, Dijon mustard, dill pickle chips, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic and paprika. (You can also sub sweet relish instead of the dill pickle chips for a sweeter sauce.)
- Romaine Hearts – I prefer crisp romaine lettuce for this salad but you can honestly use what works best for you, you could use iceberg like an actual big mac burger or use your favorite mixed greens.
- Cheddar Cheese – Now of course a big mac uses american cheese but we are upping the bar with this salad and using cheddar cheese.
- Dill Pickle Chips – For the dill pickles you can leave them whole as a chip for your salad or you can chop them up, totally personal preference.
- Sweet Onion – And of course some diced sweet onion. I suggest the sweeter onion the better like a vidalia onion.
- Sesame Seeds – For garnish, you obviously could leave these off but I mean you can’t forget about that sesame seed bun right?!
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
Crumble and brown ground beef until no pink remains, about 8 minutes.
Drain the cooked ground beef if necessary.
While the beef is cooking, prep the salad by evenly distributing the chopped romaine into serving bowls.
Top each bowl with about 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of chopped pickles, and a sprinkle of diced onion.
Once the beef is ready, divide it evenly between the bowls.
Drizzle the Big Mac sauce over each salad and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish.
tips, tricks and questions
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Yes, you can prepare the components separately and assemble the salad just before serving to maintain freshness.
What is the secret to making Big Mac Sauce?
Big Mac Sauce is so much better when you make it from scratch, use my version of Big Mac Sauce which I swear is better than the original.
Can I use store-bought Big Mac sauce?
Absolutely! Store-bought Big Mac sauce works well in this recipe, you can also use Thousand Island Dressing as well.
Can I substitute any ingredients?
Feel free to customize the salad to your liking. You can swap out the romaine for mixed greens or iceberg lettuce, use different types of cheese like pepper jack, switch up the pickles. You can also add other things to the salad that aren’t traditionally on a big mac burger like grape tomatoes, bacon bits, red onion, or avocado.
How can I make this recipe vegetarian-friendly?
Substitute the ground beef with plant-based alternatives like Beyond Meat or tempeh crumbles, and omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese alternative.
If you like this Big Mac Salad Recipe you might also like:
Big Mac Salad
A twist on the popular fast food this is a Big Mac Salad featuring crispy lettuce, ground beef, cheese, pickles, onions, special sauce, and sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup big mac sauce
- 3 romaine hearts, chopped
- 1 cup (4oz) cheddar cheese
- 1 cup dill pickle chips, chopped
- 1/4 sweet onion, diced
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Crumble and cook the ground beef until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Drain the cooked ground beef if necessary.
- While the beef is cooking prep the salad by adding the chopped romaine evenly to the serving bowls. Top with about 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of chopped pickles, and a sprinkle of diced onion.
- When the beef is ready divide the ground beef evenly between the bowls. Drizzle the Big Mac sauce overtop each salad and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 595Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 929mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 36g
Nutritional data is automated and might not be 100% accurate, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
Skip to Recipe
Leave a Reply