This Big Mac recipe tastes just like your favourite McDonald’s burger with juicy hamburger patties, sesame seed buns and secret sauce.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Sesame seed hamburger buns – use a whole wheat bun or a lettuce wrap instead.
- Extra-lean ground beef – ground chicken or ground turkey are lower-calorie options, or you can use a black bean burger for a vegan option.
- Cheese slices – use pepper jack cheese for an added kick or a lower fat option like Provolone or Swiss.
- Dill pickles – or any other pickle variety you want.
- White onion – yellow onion has a similar flavour.
- Iceberg lettuce – opt for healthier options like chopped kale, baby spinach or arugula.
- Light mayo – you can use regular mayo, it will just increase the calorie count.
- Ketchup – regular or sugar-free ketchup is best.
- Relish – dill pickle relish or sweet relish would both work.
- White wine vinegar – regular vinegar is also fine or you can leave it out altogether.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to make a Big Mac
Step 1: Prep your toppings.
Chop up the onion, and prepare the lettuce and pickles.
Step 2: Make the Big Mac sauce.
Mix together the light mayo, ketchup, relish, white onion, white vinegar, salt and pepper.
Step 3: Make the patties.
Divide the ground beef into 8 portions, then roll it into balls and flatten as thin as possible on a lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Cook the patties.
Cook the beef patties in a skillet.
Step 5: Assemble the burgers.
Put the Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese slice and first hamburger patty on the bottom bun. Add the middle bun, then layer more Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, pickles and hamburger patty on top. Finish with the top bun.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with a Big Mac
Here are some of my favourite dishes to serve with this Big Mac recipe:
Frequently Asked Questions
A Big Mac at McDonald’s has all the same toppings I used including pickles, lettuce, onion and cheese slices. You can substitute the toppings to whatever you’re craving or have on hand.
You can try making the Big Mac sauce the night before, but it tastes best when made fresh.
Layer your Big Mac in the following order: bottom bun, Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese slice, hamburger patty, middle bun, Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese slice, hamburger patty, top bun.
For this recipe, I used extra-lean ground beef, which will give you the closest flavour to the original Big Mac. You can try making the burgers with ground chicken or ground turkey for a leaner option, but the patties will have a milder flavour.
If you're looking for a low-carb option of your favourite takeout burger, try out my low carb Big Mac salad jars!
Storing and reheating
If you think you may end up with leftovers or extra burgers, keep the ingredients separate and have everyone assemble their Big Mac at the table. Otherwise, you’ll have to disassemble them before you can reheat them. Place the burgers and all the toppings in their own airtight containers or Ziploc plastic bag. Store the containers in the refrigerator and use the leftovers within 4 to 5 days.
To reheat the burgers:
- Preheat your oven to 375° F. Place the burger patties into a single layer in a shallow baking dish.
- Sprinkle some water over top of the patties, and place 1/4 cup of beef broth, stock or water into the bottom of the dish. The liquid will help to keep the patties moist and juicy.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
You can also microwave your burger patties for 1 minute, just make sure to sprinkle some water over top so they don’t dry out.
Freezing the burger patties
You can freeze the cooked or uncooked burger patties for up to 4 months to prevent them from sticking together, place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each patty and store in a freezer-safe container like an airtight glass container or a Ziploc bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight then follow the reheating or cooking instructions.
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The Best Homemade Big Mac Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 sesame seed hamburger buns, plus 4 more bottom buns to act as the middle bun
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 4 cheese slices
- dill pickles
- white onion finely chopped
- iceberg lettuce finely shredded
Big Mac Sauce
- 1 cup light mayo
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp relish
- 2 tbsp finely chopped white onion
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Big Mac sauce by mixing ingredients together, then prepare onions, lettuce, and pickles for the burgers.
- Divide raw ground beef into 8 equal portions, rolling into balls and then flattening as thin as possible on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet.
- Heat a large skillet over med-high heat until hot. Cook beef patties four at a time for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Assemble burgers by putting Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, cheese slice and first hamburger pattie on the bottom bun. Follow with middle bottom bun, then Big Mac sauce, lettuce, onion, pickles and second hamburger pattie. Finish with the final top bun, then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Dee Scott says
I appreciate the recipe! I used my own spin in some places but the outcome was amazing!
Sav says
Amazing! Absolutely delicious!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Jill says
I have never had a Big Mac before, but these look delicious! I heard that McDonald’s will be marketing their famous sauces in grocery stores soon too. Great post as always!