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All of the flavors that you love from a classic “Big Mac” burger come together in a deliciously satisfying dinner salad. The Big Mac salad is loaded with flavorful ground beef, cheese, pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomato, and finished with sesame seed bun croutons and that sweet-and-savory “special sauce” dressing!
Table of Contents
If you love dinner salad recipes, be sure to try this steak salad, a chicken pasta salad with shrimp and pepperoni, and this Southern chicken salad recipe, too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. Sure, there are a few different steps involved in assembling the salad. That said, each step is quick, easy, and requires simple ingredients. If you can brown ground beef and toast some bread, then you can make this meal!
- Light Yet Satisfying. A Big Mac salad offers the iconic taste of a Big Mac sandwich in a healthier salad form. Satisfy your cravings for the fast food classic, while still reaping the nutritional benefits of fresh veggies and lean protein.
- Versatile. Adapt this recipe to suit your lifestyle. For instance, add extra vegetables or swap dressings so that the meal appeals to your tastes and your dietary needs.
Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite big mac salad recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Sesame seed hamburger buns: cubed, tossed with olive oil, and seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toasted until crisp and golden brown, these homemade croutons just might be the best part of the whole salad! In a pinch, you can use store-bought croutons for a shortcut.
- Special sauce salad dressing: a combination of mayo, pickle relish, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, and other spices creates the most delicious copycat big mac sauce. Use store-bought Thousand Island dressing when you’re short on time.
- Seasoned ground beef: instead of forming the meat into “all-beef patties,” it’s quicker and easier to brown the lean ground beef in a skillet with Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
- Lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, and dill pickles: classic burger toppings that add great flavor and texture to the dish. I use shredded cheddar, but a classic Big Mac burger includes American cheese which is also fine here. Any variety of tomatoes are great (or omit them altogether). I’ve shown cherry tomatoes, but grape tomatoes or even diced roma tomatoes work well.
Directions
This ground beef salad tastes just like a Big Mac — but lighter and fresher! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Toast the croutons.
- Whisk together the Big Mac salad dressing.
- Brown the seasoned ground beef.
- Assemble the salad by combining the lettuce, beef, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and cheese with the croutons and dressing.
- Serve immediately so that the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Serving Suggestions
Offer the cheeseburger salad with a side of French fries, baked potato wedges, or potato chips. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds for even more flavor and crunch. For the full restaurant effect, you might like a glass of Coke, sweet tea, or a milkshake, too!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead. You can prepare the individual ingredients in advance (for instance, cook the meat and chop the veggies). I do not recommend tossing the salad together until just before serving. The dressing will make the croutons and vegetables soggy as it sits, so this is best enjoyed right away.
- To prep in advance, I suggest cutting up the vegetables, cooking the ground beef, and grating the cheese up to 1 day in advance. Keep the ingredients wrapped in airtight containers in the fridge and then combine them when you’re ready to enjoy. You’ll need to reheat the meat in the microwave so that it’s warm first.
- How to Store: Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, the croutons and lettuce will get soggy as it sits. Do not freeze the salad. The lettuce and other vegetables will become soft, watery, and mushy when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- To make it more of a low-carb meal, omit the croutons.
- Add cooked, crumbled bacon or roasted, crispy potatoes for even more flavor and texture.
- Bulk up the meal with extra veggies. Feel free to adjust the quantities of each ingredient to suit your preferences. For instance, add extra lettuce, double the tomatoes, or use even more pickles if you like it tangy.
More Dinner Salad Recipes to Try
Tortellini Salad with Chicken
30 minutes mins
Greek Salad with Shrimp
20 minutes mins
Dorito Taco Salad
27 minutes mins
Big Mac Salad
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
A hearty entree salad that tastes like a classic Big Mac sandwich — including the "special sauce" dressing!
Ingredients
SESAME SEED BUN CROUTONS
- 4 stale sesame seed hamburger buns, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
SPECIAL SAUCE DRESSING
- ½ cup mayonnaise (we like Duke’s brand)
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
FOR THE SALAD
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 head iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or American cheese
- ½ of an onion, thinly sliced (use white onion, sweet onion, yellow onion, or red onion – whichever you like)
- ¼ cup dill pickle slices, or more to taste
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
MAKE THE CROUTONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss together the olive oil and cubed buns. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toast in the oven until golden brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Cool completely; store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or use immediately.
MAKE THE DRESSING
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. If the dressing is too thick, gradually whisk in a little bit of water until it reaches the desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing will keep in the fridge for at least 1 week.
COOK THE GROUND BEEF
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink (breaking up the meat as it cooks), about 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Set the meat aside to cool slightly while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
- Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cheese, onion, and dill pickles. Add the croutons and ground beef. Toss with some of the dressing, to taste. Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side.
Notes
- To make it more of a low-carb meal, omit the croutons.
- Add cooked, crumbled bacon or roasted, crispy potatoes for even more flavor and texture.
- Bulk up the meal with extra veggies. Feel free to adjust the quantities of each ingredient to suit your preferences. For instance, add extra lettuce, double the tomatoes, or use even more pickles if you like it tangy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the salad and dressingCalories: 776kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 34gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 1083mgPotassium: 776mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1354IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 324mgIron: 5mg
This looks awfully good in its entirety but I’ll have to wait awhile to make the croutons, ect. because we have entered the vicious summer temperatures down here, meaning 100+ daily. Which will probably last a couple of months if not three. Yay. Yipee. However I was thinking about making that sauce and using it as a sandwich sauce or drizzle. Would I need to alter it for that or would it be thick enough as is?
Does this kind of salad make the boys more salad friendly yet or do they prefer theirs still in a sandwich?
Congratulations to Spencer for getting his braces off. I’m glad he could that over with while he’s still so young.
I’ve always thought you have a lovely smile.
Thanks, Marion! The boys definitely prefer a classic burger over a salad — even if the salad looks like this. 🙂
The dressing would work well on a sandwich! I don’t think it’s too thin at all, but you can always add a little bit more mayo if you would prefer it thicker.