Big Mac Salad
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 28, 2025 
Cheeseburger Salad Recipe – It’s easy to turn your favorite fast food craving into a delicious low-carb Big Mac Salad loaded with mini burger patties, cheese, pickles, and a tangy homemade Big Mac Sauce!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
If you’re craving a burger but trying to stick to a low-carb diet our Big Mac Salad Recipe is just what you need!
This easy cheeseburger salad AKA “burger in a bowl” is made by sizzling chunks of ground beef in a skillet to create little burger bites. Then pile the burger pieces on top of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and of course, “special” homemade Big Mac Sauce. Or in a pinch, you can buy store-bought Thousand Island dressing, which is similar.
Why You’ll Love Big Mac Salad
- Low Carb – Skip the bun and enjoy your hamburger without the guilt.
- Easy to Make – Just chop a little, sizzle, and stack.
- Packed with Flavor – This cozy, crowd-pleasing salad is loaded with all your favorite burger fillings. Who can resist?
Big Mac Salad Ingredients + Variations
For the Burger –
- Ground beef – lean ground beef or ground turkey
- Onion powder – or garlic powder, optional, but delicious
- Salt and pepper – a bit of each to season the mini burger patties
For the Hamburger Salad –
- Romaine lettuce – or iceberg lettuce, chopped
- Cherry tomatoes – or grape tomatoes, halved
- Green onions – thinly sliced to garnish
- Shredded cheddar cheese – or try shredded colby jack or spicy pepper jack.
- Pickles – store-bought or sliced homemade dill pickles
- Big Mac sauce – try our fabulous homemade Big Mac Sauce, or you can use Thousand Island dressing
How to Make a Cheeseburger Salad
With just a little bit of prep, you will have this healthy and hearty meals ready in no time!
Find the full Hamburger Salad recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, variations, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Protein Pointer – You can double the ground beef patty bites for an extra protein-packed dinner salad.
Big Mac Sauce vs Thousand Island Dressing
We linked to our fabulous Big Mac Sauce recipe below so you can quickly make up a batch for this salad. However, if you don’t have time to make it from scratch, you can use Thousand Island Dressing for this salad recipe.
What’s the difference?
Our homemade copycat big mac sauce contains mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and spices like paprika, garlic, and onion. Thousand Island is a simplified version, with white vinegar instead of mustard. It tastes similar, but in my opinion, the flavors in the BMS are a bit more robust!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of pickle does McDonald’s use?Traditional Big Macs are topped with sliced dill pickles. But feel free to mix things up and add sweeter bread and butter pickles, if you like!
Can this recipe be made ahead?You can prep the different hamburger salad elements ahead of time! Make the mini burger patties, chop the produce, shred the cheese, and whip up a batch of mac sauce a day or two in advance. Then store everything in individual airtight containers and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble.
How long do leftovers last?The different components will keep well in separate containers in the fridge for up to 3 days or so. The sauce will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge.
Looking for More Satisfying Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Big Mac Salad Recipe + VIDEO
Video
Ingredients
For the Burger –
- 1 pound ground beef
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
For the Salad –
- 7-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (or grape tomatoes)
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup dill pickles thinly sliced
- 1 cup Big Mac sauce homemade Big Mac Sauce or thousands island dressing
Instructions
- Chop the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and green onions. Shred the cheddar cheese, and drain the pickles.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat. Set a holding plate to the side of the stovetop. Working in batches, drop chunks of ground beef into the skillet. Sprinkle with onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then use a flat spatula to smash the ground beef into the pan. Fry the little burger pieces for 2-3 minutes per side. Then move them to the holding plate. Repeat until all the ground beef is cooked.
- Arrange the chopped romaine on four dinner plates. Then top with the cooked burger bites, cherry tomatoes, chopped scallions, shredded cheese, and dill pickles. Drizzle with Big Mac sauce and serve.
This was a win! We are trying to eat less carbs and I barely even noticed I didn’t have a bun here.
Hi Sommer this is Frank E.I have made this salad
before, only I used Ranch dressing