This KETO BIG MAC SALAD has all of the flavors of my favorite fast food sandwich without all of the carbs or guilt! This makes a great lunch, it’s packed with protein, and it’s sure to satisfy that craving!
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Yes, yes, I love Big Macs and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I mean, I even shared a Big Mac Chaffle a few months ago and I still make the recipe on the regular. It’s the perfect sandwich, if you ask me!
Anyway, this time around, we’re going a bit lighter and turning that fast food burger into a salad!
This keto big mac salad has all of the flavor of a Big Mac sandwich and it’s really pretty easy to make!
The dressing is a version of my keto Big Mac sauce and it’s going to just bring it all together. You might have to hide the dressing from yourself – it’s just that good!!
How to:
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There are a few components to this recipe: the beef, the salad, and the dressing!
To make the beef, you’ll just brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet and then season it with some on onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I use lean beef for this, so there’s no need to even drain the grease, but if you’re using a fattier beef, you’ll want to drain off the extra fat.
To make the salad, you’ll want to chop up about 6 cups of romaine lettuce. This will be enough to make 4 large salads. You’ll also need diced onions, chopped dill pickles, and shredded cheddar cheese.
To make the big mac sauce, you’ll whisk together mayonnaise, sugar free ketchup, dill pickle relish, mustard, vinegar, onion powder, and paprika.
To assemble, fill a bowl with your salad greens, and top it all off with the seasoned beef, onions, pickles, and cheddar.
Drizzle on your Big Mac sauce – and don’t be shy! That sauce is so good! Finish your salad off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Serving & Storage: If we’ve put this salad all together, we like to dig in right away. No wilty lettuce in this house!
If we’ve made enough for more than one meal, we store the components separately and then assemble just before serving. The beef and dressing should each last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
More low carb ground beef recipes to try:
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
- Keto Lasagna
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Keto Chili
- Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs
- Keto Cheeseburger Soup
Big Mac Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
- ¼ cup diced yellow onions
- Sesame seeds for garnish
For the Big Mac sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sugar free ketchup
- 2 tablespoons dill relish
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
To make the salad:
- Add the beef to a large skillet over medium heat and break the meat up as it cooks. When the beef has cooked through, drain the fat.
- Season the beef with the salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Divide the lettuce evenly between 4 salad bowls, about 1 1/2 cups each.
- Top the lettuce with the the cheddar, onions, pickles, and beef.
- Drizzle about 3 tablespoons of the big mac sauce over each salad and toss well.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and additional pickles just before serving, if desired.
To make the dressing:
- To make the big mac sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined.
Molly Rodriguez says
This was such an easy and delicious recipe! I had ground chicken so that’s what I used, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Karly Campbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks, Molly!
Nicole says
Loved this recipe! The dressing is spot on!! Enjoy all your recipes!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Nicole!
June C Leathers says
This Big Mac Salad sounds so good. I’m on a low sodium diet so do you have a version using low sodium?
Karly Campbell says
I would use a sodium free seasoning and cut way back on the pickles. Use low sodium products anywhere else you can. Otherwise, I’m not much help – sodium isn’t something I generally watch since you tend to need a bit more while on keto.
Paul says
Made this last night – didn’t have a full pound of ground meat, or regular paprika – used 3/4 a pound of meat and smoked paprika – and it turned out absolutely delicious. One of the only recipes that got a “this is tasty” comment without me having to ask. This is a KEEPER for sure.
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Paul!
Samantha says
How many calories are in the sauce? So what would 3 tablespoons be?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Samantha! I’m not sure about the nutrition info for the sauce alone. You’re welcome to put the recipe into an online calculator and see what you come up with though. 🙂
Gerard says
Made this tonight for my girlfriend and I, we loved it! The dressing is spot on. Thank you xx Gerard.
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Gerard!
Nadege Boinnard says
The Frenchie is back 🙂
The Big Mac is definitely one of my favorite burgers (and I’m not ashamed either !). It’s this kind of food that makes it tough for me to keep doing Keto / Low Carb as I start literally dreaming about a Big Mac with fries, a huge plate of dreamy spaghetti etc.
Once again, I must confess I was skeptical. But I bought the ingredients (and it was not easy : I’m in Portugal so forget about finding dill… And French Amazon has no idea about what’s dill relish or dill pickles… I had to purchase from GERMAN Amazon and it was delivered yesterday…).
We prepared it today, chop chop, very easy to prepare, fast too so perfect for a busy week day.
And now : I tasted the sauce before putting it on the salad and told my guy “uuuuhhhh, doesn’t taste like the Big Mac sauce at all !”. And then said “Oh well, it’s done anyway, let’s try it like that !”. So poured, stirred to mix everything together and as I was stirring, my guy could hear me say “Oh my God. OH MY GOD ! OH ! MY ! GOD ! It SMELLS EXACTLY like a Big Mac !!”. And the taste was there too !!
We LOVED it. Again, 5 stars to you. Thank you so much ! You have no idea how much easier you’re making my soft dieting ! Thank you thank you thank you !!
Nadege
PS : Next stage > Big Mac Chaaaaaaaffles !! :)))
Karly Campbell says
Oh yay! So glad you stuck with it and gave it a try! What dedication, hunting down ingredients from all over the place! 🙂
Enjoy those chaffles too!
Nicole says
Substitute Dijon for regular mustard because it’s what I had! Other than that I followed exactly and wow this is amazing!
Karly Campbell says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
mau says
thank you for this recipe! love it! ❤️
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Mau!
Pam Hardison says
This salad is amazing! The sauce/dressing is perfect! The whole family, (even the grandkids) like it!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Pam!
Pat Shaw says
I have enjoyed saving your recipes to try. Here’s a question: I try to stay in the Keto ratio 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs. Do your recipes support this?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Pat! All of my recipes are keto friendly, but they don’t all hit those exact ranges. You’ll have to check the nutrition for each recipe you’re interested in. I personally find it easier to hit those as my daily macros, not by meal. So, I’ll end up around those numbers at the end of the day, but the specific meals don’t always hit those ranges, if that makes sense.
Gail F says
What differences would there be if I used sweet relish vs dill relish?
Karly Campbell says
Do you mean differences in flavor or differences in nutrition?
Kate Mattson says
Looks good but am I reading the nutrition info correctly? This recipe makes 4 servings and the info shown is for a single serving? So there are 635 calories, 48g of fat and 1305 mg of sodium per serving?
Karly Campbell says
That is accurate. There are some simple ways to cut it down, if you like. Reduce the pickles and salt to cut the sodium down. Use lean beef, less cheese, and less dressing to cut fat and calories.
Nicole says
This is the best! I’ve been making it for a year or so now and we have it about once a month. We love it. Keto dieters or not….everyone will love!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Nicole! 🙂
Violet Perez Cepeda says
love this recipe!!!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Violet!
Helen C Williams says
I made Big Mac Salad and shared it on my FB and Instagram page and it is really delicious! I may have used a tad too much vinegar, but that’s ok – it was STILL absolutely delicious! Now my daughter and my cousin, who both love Big Macs, are going to make it! I wish I could share my photo on this page, but I tagged you on my IG page. Yummy and delicious. having the rest of it tonight! Thank you for a wonderful, easy and straight -forward recipe that is as delicious as you state. Not all keto recipes are as tasty as they sound and I am grateful for this. I may add an egg to my Salad plate tonight.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Helen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing the photo – I’ll have to check Instagram for it. We do have a new site being built that will have the ability for readers to upload photos, but it won’t be ready until summer. 🙂
Anyway, so glad you liked the salad!
Marilyn Bowers says
Will be interested in recipes!
Lisa says
I love salads and that one looks amazing!
Karly Campbell says
It’s so good! Hope you try it!
Lisa says
Thanks! I will!
Marnie says
This was awesome!! Do you happen to have the calories for just the sauce?
Karly Campbell says
No, sorry, I don’t.
Jessica says
This is by far my favorite! Do you by chance have the net carbs for this recipe?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Jessica! Sorry about that – for some reason the nutrition info wasn’t being displayed, but it’s there now at the bottom of the recipe card. 5 net carbs. 🙂
Debbie Carey says
What type of mustard do you use please?
Karly Campbell says
Just American style yellow mustard.
Lynn Cox-Jonke says
I can’t wait to make the keto burrito bowl. I’m trying to lose weight with keto and chicken breast is so boring. Thanks for the tasty recipes.