Get the flavors of a fast food cheeseburger made healthier with our Big Mac bowl recipe. Topped with a simple special sauce dressing, this hearty salad is low carb, gluten-free, and keto friendly.
A traditional Big Mac contains 563 calories and a whopping 41 net carbs, we're sharing our deconstructed cheeseburger salad version that has just 3 net carbs per serving and 39g of protein yet keeps the flavor of the original!
Our Big Mac bowls are so good!
Whether you're trying to eat healthier by cooking more meals at home, eating whole foods, or you're trying to lose a little weight, eating lighter copycat versions of your favorite fast food meals really can help.
Looking for variety? We also have a low carb Big Mac casserole or our keto Big Mac sauce that can top so many creations!
"I can't believe how much this tastes just like a Big Mac. This salad is spot on." ~ Marcy
"I just made this for dinner....we loved it! This really does taste just like a Big Mac without all the bread." Cyndi
What you'll need
The full ingredient list and recipe instructions are down in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, this is just an overview!
To make this recipe even faster you can buy a sugar free "special sauce" that makes a great substitute for the dressing or you could use your favorite Thousand Island dressing in a pinch.
- ground beef (80/20) - we used 80/20 for recipe testing but we've also made this with leaner ground beef and it's tasted just as good! You could even do a ground chicken or ground turkey version.
- salt
- ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil - used to cook the ground beef, you can skip it if you're using a nonstick skillet.
- minced garlic - fresh garlic, jar garlic, or frozen garlic cubes like Dorot
- sharp cheddar cheese - sharp cheddar has a stronger flavor
- Dill pickles
- minced onion - we minced a sweet onion, white onion, or red onion work well to
- Iceberg lettuce - or use a bag of lettuce like butter lettuce, you could also try shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw.
- Big Mac Dressing - we either make our own (listed below), or we buy Sir Kensington's Special Sauce that's low carb.
- Sesame seeds (or Everything But the Bagel Seasoning)
Big Mac Sauce
- mayo - use a no sugar mayo
- low carb pickle relish (or chopped pickle with juice)
- ketchup - look for a no sugar brand to keep the carbs low
- yellow mustard
- monk fruit (increase if swapping chopped pickle for the relish)
- garlic salt - or use salt and garlic powder
- onion powder
How to make a Big Mac salad
Assembling the salad is as simple as cooking the hamburger meat, prepping the veggies, making the dressing, and assembling it all together.
Cook the meat: Heat a skillet on medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan (or cook this in a nonstick skillet without the oil). Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Stir and cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink in the middle, which will take about 6-7 minutes. Drain some of the grease and set the hamburger meat aside.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the Big Mac sauce, including the mayo, pickle relish, ketchup, yellow mustard, sweetener, garlic salt, and onion powder.
Assemble the salad: Lay the lettuce in the bottom of 4 bowls or you can make one large bowl of salad.
Sprinkle the burger meat on top of the lettuce. Then add the pickles, onion, and shredded cheese.
Drizzle Big Mac dressing over the salad or serve the dressing on the side. The sauce and yummy toppings are what give the salad so much flavor. Feel free to add as many pickles, onions, and cheese as desired. Enjoy!
Meal prep for the week
Big Mac bowls are terrific for meal prep lunches for the week too. Simply assemble the 4 salads in meal prep containers and store the dressing in a separate container so the lettuce doesn't get soggy.
We eat the ground beef cold if we have leftovers or are meal prepping them for lunches. If you'd prefer warm meat, store the hamburger meat separately, heat it in the microwave, and then add it to your salad when you're ready to eat it.
Stored covered, the salads will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Recipe tips
- While a Big Mac traditionally only has lettuce and pickles, feel free to include additional vegetables like tomatoes or anything else that's to your liking.
- You can make this in one large salad bowl or you can make individual cheeseburger salads.
Is Big Mac salad keto?
Yes, Big Mac salad is keto - when you follow the recipe! Using pickles in the sauce instead of relish will keep the dish sugar-free, or be sure to find a relish that is low carb. If you feel it needs to be sweeter, increase the monk fruit a bit.
Just 3 Net carbs per serving!
The ground beef, cheese, and pickles are all zero carb. The carbohydrates are coming from the lettuce and sauce. It's important to shred the cheese from a block since pre-shredded cheese adds potato starch and has carbs. Always check the labels when you're shopping since brands can really vary.
More low carb salads
Recipe
Big Mac Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 + Dill pickles sliced
- ½ cup onion minced
- 1 head Iceberg lettuce
- ½ teaspoon Sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning
Big Mac Sauce
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoon low carb pickle relish or chopped pickle with juice
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
- ¼ tsp+ monk fruit increase if using chopped pickle for the relish
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder + salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
Cook The Beef
- Over medium-high heat, warm a large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic clove. Stir and cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink in the middle, which will take about 6-7 minutes. Drain some of the grease.
- Set aside and let cool down while you prep the remaining low carb Big Mac salad ingredients.
Make the special sauce
- In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the Big Mac sauce, including the mayo, pickle relish, ketchup, yellow mustard, sweetener, garlic salt, and onion powder.
Assemble
- Lay the lettuce in the bottom of 4 bowls, or for as many low carb Big Mac salad bowls as you're making. You could even one do large bowl.
- Sprinkle the burger meat on top of the lettuce. Then add the pickles, onion, and shredded cheese.
- Drizzle Big Mac sauce over the salad or serve the dressing on the side. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and add salt & pepper to taste. You can also add more pickles, onions, and cheese if preferred. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Tomatoes typically aren't found on a Big Mac, but feel free to add them for color or extra low carb veggies. Likewise, you could use a different type of green than iceburg or butter lettuce.
- Ground turkey or lean ground beef can be used to make a lighter option than full-fat cooked beef.
- When you're in a hurry, swap out the homemade sauce for low carb Thousand Island or Sir Kensington's Special Sauce (burger sauce).
- Use a sugar-free pickle relish to keep the carbs down.
Terri says
Can you make this ahead with the reception of the lettuce? I know the meat you can but the sauce is what I’m referring to.
Carol says
Delicious! Made it at the spur of the moment for lunch and it was so good!
Jennifer says
Wgat is the estimated calorie count?
Dayla says
What is the size of one serving? Like one cup?
WholeLottaYum says
I don't have the exact measurement, I just eyeball it into 4 servings. Best guess would be 1 1/2 cups.
Lynn says
How much is a serving?
Lisa says
I was wondering where the sesame seeds go?Did I miss it?
Sandra Chavez says
I, personally, will toast the seeds and sprinkle on top of salad when serving. 😋
Marcy says
I can't believe how much this tastes like a Big Mac. This salad is spot on. I made the sauce according to the recipe but I left out the sweetener and it was great!
WholeLottaYum says
Thank you for reporting back Marcy! We're so glad you loved the Big Mac salad 🙂 Jen
T says
I may try this again but make my own sauce. I think the bought sauce just wasn’t that great.
WholeLottaYum says
Homemade is always best but the store bought is decent in a pinch 🙂
Trish says
Loved this recipe. I had pre-cooked hamburger in the freezer and just reheated it. Was super quick to put together. Hit with my family. Would definitely recommend.
Cyndi says
I just made this for dinner...... we loved it! This really does taste just like a Big Mac without all the bread.
Tanya Albertson says
Where does the minced garlic come in to the recipe?
Sandra Chavez says
“Cook the Beef”
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Linda says
This is a diabetic friendly recipe😊 Tasted great, even the husband enjoyed it and would like to have it again. Win-win!
Andrea says
Very yummy!! Actually taste like a Big Mac!
Chelsea says
Just tried this last night! it was super easy & had a a lot of great flavors. I was able to find the store sauce & used that vs. making my own. I love salad & this was a great way to break up the norm! Will keep this again for the future when I need to “shake up” my salad routine! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah says
This recipe was a fantastic, easy lunch! Thank you for the tip on the store bought sauce. We will def do this one again!!
WholeLottaYum says
We often use store-bought sauce for Big Mac Salad, since honestly, we don't always have time to make homemade sauces either! 🙂
Rachel says
Had this tonight for our tea - delicious! Made the sauce myself, misread it and put the pickles in too (a mix of gherkins and capers) but was absolutely fine, still tasted fab. Enjoyed by all the family and will definitely make again