Cheeseburger Salad (Big Mac Salad)
This meal takes a favorite cheeseburger and turns it into a delicious salad that’s better than any drive-through!
Crisp lettuce topped with seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, pickles, onions, and sesame seed croutons all drizzled with our own special sauce!
A Fave Cheeseburger Salad
- Much like a taco salad (with different flavors of course), this is a super quick weeknight meal.
- This salad has all of the flavors of your fave fast food restaurant but it much healthier (and fresher)!
- The dressing is an easy homemade thousand Island style dressing but you can use store bought if you prefer.
- You can use prepared croutons but we love to make our own out of sesame seed buns.
Ingredients
THE BEEF: Lean ground beef is browned and seasoned for juicy burger flavor in every bite! Season with onion powder, salt and pepper but feel free to add garlic powder or even steak spice if you’d like!
THE SALAD: Chopped iceberg lettuce or romaine give this salad the crunch needed to hold up to the ground beef and pickles.
THE TOPPINGS: Pickles, onions, cheese, and croutons with our homemade version of big mac sauce. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds are great on top.
Other Additions
Add anything you add to a hamburger!
A note on the onions, I find buying dehydrated onion flakes and rehydrating them gives a great flavor and reminds me of the onions found on a Big Mac. You can use fresh onions if you’d prefer.
How to Make Big Mac Salad
- Mix Dressing. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, longer is better.
- Cook Beef. Season and brown the beef (per the recipe below).
- Bake Croutons. Cut small croutons from burger buns and bake until crispy (or use store bought croutons).
- Assemble Salad.
What’s in Big Mac Sauce?
Mayonnaise and ketchup are the basics of this classic sauce. Pickles (or pickle relish, if time is short), onion flakes, a splash of vinegar, and some milk to make it creamy are all it takes!
How to Store
Keep leftover dressing in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 5 days. Big Mac salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a sealed container (store the meat separately so it can be headed and added).
Refresh by tossing and adding new lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese. Store dressing and salad ingredients separately.
Our Fave Salads
Did you make this Big Mac Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad
Prep Time 20 minutesCook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 saladsSkip the drive-thru and make this homemade salad that tastes just like a Big Mac!
Sesame Croutons
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Preheat oven to 375°F.
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Cut small 1″ circles out of a sesame seed bun (or cut into cubes). Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with little bit of seasoned salt.
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Place the “croutons” on a baking sheet and bake about 8 minutes or until crisp.
Salad Preparation
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Brown ground beef with onion powder and garlic powder until no pink remains. Drain fat and season with seasoned salt and pepper to taste.
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Place ¼ of the lettuce in each bowl. Top with beef, pickles, 1 tablespoon of rehydrated onions, cheese, and croutons.
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Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Optional additions: BBQ sauce, diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon
Shortcut Tips:
- To save on prep time, buy shredded cheese and washed lettuce.
- Sesame seed croutons can be replaced with regular croutons.
- Purchased Thousand Island Dressing can be used instead of homemade dressing.
Calories: 557, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 1076mg, Potassium: 804mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 1145IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 332mg, Iron: 4mg
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Keyword Big Mac Salad, Big Mac Salad recipe, cheeseburger salad, how to make Big Mac Salad
Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American
