Big Mac Salad

Salad for dinner can be a hard sell for a lot of people but I’m telling you, no one is going to complain about this Big Mac salad. All that’s missing is the bun, and let’s be real, that’s always the most lackluster component of the Big Mac experience.

The salad starts with a crisp romaine lettuce base, then you pile on seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, dill pickles, cheddar, and onion. (And if you do find yourself missing that sesame seed bun, go on and sprinkle sesame seeds on there, too!) The finishing touch is homemade Big Mac sauce, which has the perfect balance of creamy, tangy, sweet, and zippy—it really brings it all together!

Big Mac Salad Recipe

Burger in salad form. Need I say more?! This Big Mac salad really does have all the flavor of a Big Mac but in a lightened up package. It’s so fun, this is a salad you’ll get excited about eating! It may remind you of a taco salad. (Ranch pasta salad is another crowd-pleaser.)

Easy to make. The whole thing comes together in 30 minutes, and you can easily get a head start by prepping the sauce and browning the beef in advance so all you have to do is assemble the salad before serving it.

Hearty enough for a meal. This is no side salad recipe! A Big Mac salad is filling enough that it eats like a meal. You don’t even need to add any sides to round things out.

Ingredient Notes

• Lean ground beef: You can use ground turkey if you prefer.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and coarse ground black pepper add flavor and dimension to the ground beef.
• Romaine lettuce: While iceberg is used on Big Macs, I opted for romaine instead because, well, it’s just better (except in a wedge salad!). If you’re really a fan of iceberg lettuce, feel free to substitute it.
• Cherry tomatoes: Any small tomatoes will work, including grape tomatoes. So will a diced regular tomato, but they tend to be a bit more watery.
• Dill pickles: I like the refrigerator pickles which tend to be more crisp but regular dill pickles are fine, too. Pat the pickles dry with paper towels—again, you don’t want too much liquid in your salad!
• Shredded cheddar cheese: I like a nice thick shred for maximum cheese impact. Finely shredded cheese tends to get lost a little bit in this salad.
• Onion: It’s up to you whether you want to include onions in your salad. We really love the flavor and crunch they add. You can soak the chopped onions in ice water to cut their bite a little.
• Sesame seeds: Instead of a sesame seed bun, add a sprinkle of sesame seeds to garnish the salad. You could also add croutons for a “bun” experience. Try homemade air fryer croutons! They’re easy to make and so much better than packaged croutons.
• Big Mac sauce: The dressing is a homemade Big Mac sauce. It’s super easy to make with mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, white vinegar, and a few pantry seasonings. You can use the sauce for burgers and sandwiches, too.

How to Make a Big Mac Salad

Brown the beef. Add the ground meat to a hot skillet set over medium-high heat. Season with the garlic and onion powders, salt, and pepper and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Once the meat is browned with no pink remaining, drain off the excess grease.

Make the Big Mac sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together to make the dressing, and season to taste. The dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the salad.

Assemble the salad. Place the lettuce in a shallow salad bowl, or individual plates, and add the ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, and onion. Drizzle the Big Mac sauce over the top and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 

Serve the salad as is, or toss the ingredients together until the salad is coated with the dressing.

Tips for Success

Drain the beef if needed. If it’s very greasy, it will immediately wilt your salad and make it rather unappetizing. (No one likes greasy lettuce!)

Make the Big Mac sauce ahead of time. It’ll keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, plus it gives the flavors some time to mix and mingle.

Serve immediately after assembling. As with any other salad that combines warm and cold elements, it’s important to eat your Big Mac salad right away before the lettuce starts going limp on you. Another option is to chill the meat mixture before serving the salad.

Recipe Variations

• Make it meatless. A vegetarian Big Mac salad?! Yes, you can! Just swap in your favorite plant-based ground meat. You’ll need to add a drizzle of oil to the skillet before cooking it to keep it from sticking.
• Transform it into wraps. Instead of incorporating the lettuce into the salad, serve the fixings in sturdy lettuce leaves chicken lettuce wrap-style.
• Reinvent leftovers. Crumble leftover hamburger patties or even meatloaf for your salad instead of browning ground beef.

Refrigerator: Store the ground beef, vegetables, and Big Mac sauce in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. The sauce will last up to a week; the other salad ingredients will last 3 to 4 days. 

Reheat: Warm up the ground beef in a skillet set over medium heat or in the microwave, then assemble the salad.

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned and fully cooked, breaking up the meat into small crumbles. Drain any excess fat and set aside to cool slightly.

  1 pound lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.

  ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• In a large bowl or individual serving plates, add the chopped romaine lettuce as the base. Top with the cooked ground beef, cherry tomatoes, dill pickles, shredded cheddar cheese, and onion (if using).

  1 head romaine lettuce, chopped, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, ½ cup chopped dill pickles, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ¼ cup finely diced onion

• Spoon or drizzle the Big Mac sauce over the salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for that classic burger touch.

  sesame seeds, for garnish

• Serve immediately with extra sauce on the side, if desired.

• Pickles: We recommend patting the pickles dry with paper towels before chopping to remove excess juice so your salad doesn’t get too watery. 
• Cheese: Thicker/coarser shreds of cheese work better; finely shredded cheese gets little lost in this hearty salad.
• Make ahead: Some components of the salad can be prepped ahead. Mix the dressing and refrigerate it in a covered container for up to a week. Brown the meat and refrigerate it up to a day ahead. You could also freeze the cooked meat and thaw it out in the microwave when you need it. The lettuce can be rinsed, dried, and chopped ahead of time. 

Calories: 519kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 1144mg, Potassium: 936mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 14185IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 192mg, Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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