This Big Mac salad bowl is a healthier, and just as delicious, version of the traditional Big Mac! It’s a gluten-free salad recipe that will kick your fast food cravings to the curb.
This bowl takes less than 25 minutes to make, and topped with dill pickles and cheddar cheese! It’s one of the best salad bowls!
Even though traditional Big Macs are tasty, I love this salad bowl because it’s gluten-free! A sesame seed bun isn’t gluten-free which means I have to stay away from them which is why I created this as one of my latest new recipes.
I love simple salad recipes like this Big Mac salad because you can meal prep them ahead of time. Cucumber salad has been another one of my go-to quick salad recipes!
If you like hearty recipes with beef, you’ll love this tater-tot casserole and this instant pot hamburger soup. Serve with a virgin margarita cocktail for some sweetness!
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Is Big Mac dressing Thousand Island?
Big Mac sauce and Thousand Island dressing are similar, but they’re not the same thing. The main difference is that Thousand Island dressing has tomatoes while Big Mac dressing doesn’t.
Big Mac sauce, sometimes called secret sauce or special sauce, has sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, and sometimes added sugar. Everyone makes secret sauce a little different so feel free to add more/less sweet relish, onion powder, etc.
You can even add a bit of diced red onion, white onion or some sesame seeds to your Big Mac burger bowls to mimic that sesame seed bun flavor. Other than the sweet relish, it is pretty great for a low carb diet as well.
What kind of lettuce is on a Big Mac?
A McDonald’s Big Mac has shredded iceberg lettuce between the beef patties which is the same lettuce I recommend using in this Keto Big Mac salad recipe.
Iceberg lettuce is light and adds to the Big Mac flavor of this salad. But really, whatever lettuce you can find at your local grocery store with work.
What you need to make this Big Mac salad bowl…
There are just a few simple ingredients you need to make this low-carb salad. You may have a lot of these ingredients lying around your house already!
Big Mac salad ingredients:
- water
- basmati rice (uncooked)
- lean ground beef
- shredded cheese (I used fiesta blend)
- iceberg lettuce
- dill pickle spears
- salt
- black pepper
Big Mac burger sauce ingredients:
- mayonnaise
- dill relish
- dijon mustard
- white vinegar
- sugar
- paprika powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
How to make a Big Mac salad
To make this cheeseburger salad simply follow these 6 easy steps! You’ll need a large bowl for the salad and a small bowl for the Big Mac salad dressing.
- Start by soaking and washing your rice 5 times. Until the water is clear. Drain all access water.
- Add the rice and water to a medium sized pot and add bring to a boil on high heat. As soon as it starts boiling, bring the heat to low/simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook for 16-18 minutes, until cooked. Then remove from the stove.
- In a pan, brown ground beef on medium-high heat, until cooked and season with salt and pepper to taste. This might take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from stove once done.
- While your rice and beef are cooking, slice your iceberg lettuce and dice your dill pickles, then set aside.
- Then make your secret sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Start assembling your rice bowls. Start with rice, then lettuce, then ground beef, cheese and pickles and top off with your sauce.
Top tip: Feel free to add red onions or more dill pickles if you like tangy foods!
Can you make it low carb or keto?
Yes you can add extra iceberg lettuce and omit the rice if you’re going for a keto or low-carb salad. If you choose not to add the rice, you’ll still have a delicious salad!
How to store leftovers
You can store leftover big mac salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use an airtight container to preserve freshness. I would recommend adding sauce before serving so your lettuce does not get soggy.
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Big Mac Salad Bowl
Ingredients
Big Mac Salad
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups basamati rice uncooked
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup shredded cheese I use fiesta blend
- 1/2 cup iceberg lettuce
- 4 dill pickle spears
- salt and pepper to taste
Big Mac Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon dill relish
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Start by soaking and washing your rice 5 times. Until the water is clear. Drain all access water.
- Add the rice and water to a medium sized pot and add bring to a boil on high heat. As soon as it starts boiling, bring the heat to low/simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook for 16-18 minutes, until cooked. Then remove from the stove.
- In a pan, brown your beef, until cooked and season with salt and pepper to taste. This might take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from stove once done.
- While your rice and beef are cooking, slice your iceberg lettuce and dice your pickles, then set aside.
- Then make your Big Mac Burger sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Start assembling your rice bowls. Start with rice, then lettuce, then ground beef, cheese and pickles and top off with your sauce.
Natalie says
Yum, that was a delicious dinner. Thank you. My boys loved that sauce. I saved your recipe in my cookbook. I will definitely make this again.
Chandice says
Thanks Natalie, that means a lot especially when kiddos love it!
Hayley Dhanecha says
Big mac salad was so good, we all loved it. Can’t wait to make it again.
Chandice says
Thanks Haley, so glad you loved it! 🙂
Veronika Sykorova says
This recipe was awesome! Such a great way to have the same flavors but healthier! I’m not a big fan of Mcdonalds buns so this is a great alternative!
Nicole says
I love Big Mac flavours so I had to give this a whirl. I’m probably going to end up using that Big Mac sauce on everything now, haha! The salad was very filling and hit all the right Big Mac vibes for me!
Megan says
Always a favourite salad. So easy and everyone loves it!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing big mac salad bowl recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Beth says
We make a bowl something like this, also eating gluten-free, but I can see that the Big Mac sauce would take it to another level – not to mention adding the pickles. Yum!
HEATHER PERINE says
Oh my gosh this was delicious! I used ground turkey..and that big mac sauce is everything! Definitely going to make again.