This easy Big Mac Salad combines seasoned ground beef, crisp iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, dill pickles, onions, and creamy homemade Big Mac sauce. It has all the familiar flavor of the classic burger without the bun and is ready in just 25 minutes.
This low carb cheeseburger salad has been a reader favorite since 2019, with hundreds of reviews from home cooks. Serve it freshly assembled for dinner or prepare the individual components ahead for quick lunches throughout the week.
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 homemade Big Mac 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. It's a great keto fast food option, too!
What Is Big Mac Salad?
Big Mac Salad is exactly what it sounds like. It's a salad that has all of the flavors of your favorite takeout sandwich! This hamburger salad is packed with all of the ingredients you need to make a Big Mac, without the bun!
Big Mac Salad Ingredients And Subsitutions
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:
- Mayonnaise - Creates the rich, creamy base of the homemade Big Mac sauce. Use your favorite full-fat mayonnaise for the best flavor and consistency.
- Prepared Mustard - Adds tanginess and helps balance the richness of the mayonnaise. Regular yellow mustard provides the most familiar burger sauce flavor.
- Dill Pickles - Give the sauce its signature tangy flavor and a little texture. Finely chop them so they blend evenly into the dressing.
- White Vinegar - Brightens the sauce and balances its creamy and sweet flavors. A small amount provides plenty of acidity.
- Onions - Add savory flavor and a subtle bite. Finely mince the onions so no single piece overwhelms the sauce.
- Swerve - Adds a touch of sweetness without significantly increasing the carbohydrates. Adjust the amount to suit your preferred balance of sweet and tangy flavors.
- Smoked Paprika - Gives the sauce its warm color and adds a mild smoky flavor. Regular paprika can be substituted for a less smoky result.
Salad
- Lean Ground Beef - Provides the savory cheeseburger flavor and makes the salad satisfying enough to serve as a complete meal. Lean beef minimizes excess grease.
- Salt - Seasons the ground beef and enhances its natural flavor. Add it near the end of cooking so you can adjust the amount to taste.
- Ground Black Pepper - Adds a mild peppery bite that complements the beef. Freshly ground black pepper will provide the strongest flavor.
- Chopped Iceberg Lettuce - Creates the cool, crisp base of the salad and closely resembles the lettuce used on the classic burger. Dry it thoroughly after washing to prevent a watery or soggy salad.
- Sliced Onions - Add crunch and a sharper savory flavor to every serving. Slice them thinly and cut the slices in half so they are easier to distribute throughout the salad.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Adds salty, creamy cheeseburger flavor. Freshly shredded cheese generally has a softer texture and melts slightly when placed over warm beef.
- Dill Pickles - Provide the salty, tangy crunch that makes the salad taste like a Big Mac. Chop or slice them into bite-sized pieces for even distribution.
How To Make This Big Mac Salad Recipe
- First, gather the ingredients for your hamburger salad.
2. Get the ground beef browning. Use a spatula to crumble it into small pieces.
3. While the ground beef browns, put together the Big Mac Sauce. Start by mixing the mustard, mayo, and vinegar.
4. Dice onions and pickles that will get added to the sauce.
5. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Drain excess grease if desired. Allow it to cool slightly so that it doesn't make the lettuce slimy.
6. Assemble the Big Mac Salad. Start with lettuce at the bottom. Add cheese, then add the slightly cooled ground beef. Top with onions and pickles. Put the dressing on. That's it! Eat and 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 or a picnic. It's a great summer salad recipe.
- 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.
Variations
This Big Mac Salad is easy to customize with different proteins, toppings, and serving options, so you can adjust it to fit your dietary needs and flavor preferences.
- Make It Dairy-Free. Leave out the cheddar cheese or use your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese. Be sure to choose a dairy-free mayonnaise for the Big Mac sauce.
- Add Sesame Seeds. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the finished salad to add a little of the flavor and texture you would normally get from a sesame seed bun.
- Make a Big Mac Cassserole. Serve the seasoned beef and toppings over cauliflower rice instead of lettuce for a heartier low carb Big Mac bowl.
- Increase the Protein. Use extra lean ground beef and replace part of the mayonnaise in the dressing with plain Greek yogurt. This will make the sauce tangier while adding more protein.
- Swap Out the Sauce. The Big Mac Sauce is what give the recipe it's iconic flavor, but it is also tasty with a variety of our best low carb salad dressings!
- Add More Vegetables. Top your salad with diced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, shredded cabbage, or avocado. These additions are not traditionally found on a Big Mac, but they add color, texture, and nutrients.
- Make It Spicy. Stir a little hot sauce into the dressing or add sliced jalapeños to the finished salad for extra heat.
- Serve It Family-Style. Arrange the lettuce, meat, cheese, pickles, onions, and sauce separately so everyone can build their own cheeseburger salad.
Watch How To Make Big Mac In A Bowl
How to Meal Prep 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. It's great for easy meal prep and the ultimate way to stay on track when you're away from home.
Prepping this salad for easy meals couldn't be any easier. Basically layer the ingredients in a mason jar: Lettuce, Cheese, Ground Beef, Onions, Pickles. Place your homemade Big Mac dressing in a separate container. This prevents the lettuce from getting soggy.
When you're ready for your Keto Big Mac Salad, either add in the dressing, shake up that jar well, or just tip everything into a bowl, stir, and enjoy.
Storage and Reheating
If you plan on having leftovers, I would recommend keeping the ingredients separate until you're ready to assemble and eat the salad. This prevents the lettuce from becoming soggy before you can enjoy it.
When the salad ingredients are stored individually, you can assemble a salad and enjoy it straight from the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The dressing will keep for a week in your refrigerator if you cover it well.
I know it's tempting to toss your leftovers in the freezer when you aren't going to be able to eat it before it spoils. Don't do that with this recipe. It will cause the lettuce to turn to mush.
You can, however, cook the meat and prep the dressing ahead of time and freeze them in individual portions. The cooked hamburger portions well in airtight freezer bags. The sauce freezes well in ice cube trays. It keeps it perfectly portioned and allows it to defrost quickly.
Keto Big Mac salad is a low carb cheeseburger salad made with seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, pickles, and a sugar-free Big Mac style sauce. It delivers classic Big Mac flavor without the bun, making it a popular keto salad recipe for quick lunches and easy dinners.
To prevent soggy keto Big Mac salad, store the lettuce, toppings, and low carb Big Mac sauce separately in airtight containers. Add dressing right before serving, especially if you’re packing this keto salad for lunch.
Absolutely, ground turkey works well for a lighter keto Big Mac salad with ground turkey while keeping the same burger-inspired flavors. Season it like a cheeseburger, then pair it with cheddar, pickles, and sugar-free Big Mac sauce for a low carb burger salad.
More Low Carb Salad Ideas
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.
Ingredients
Big Mac Sauce
- 3/4 cup (224 g) Mayonnaise
- 4 tsp (4 tsp) Prepared Mustard
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) Dill Pickles
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) White Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (1 teaspoons) Swerve
- 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
Salad
- 1 lb (453.59 g) Lean Ground Beef
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Ground Black Pepper
- 4 cups (288 g) chopped iceberg lettuce
- ½ cup (80 g) Sliced Onions, cut in half
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup (35.75 g) Dill Pickles
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 for easy meal prep.
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Nutrition
Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.
Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.
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