Get the flavors of the McDonald’s Big Mac the low carb way! This keto Big Mac salad bowl is a filling meal with under 10 grams net carbs per serving! You’ll love this healthier version of one of your fast-food favorites. Get tips on meal prepping this Big Mac in a bowl, nutrition info on the Big Mac sandwich, and more!
Here’s a keto burger bowl that punches your typical “diet-y” salad in the face! (Just kidding, I only offer peaceful recipes here. Heh heh)
So many people say that they hate salads. Well, I think this keto cheeseburger salad might just change your mind. This, my friends, is no ordinary salad.
I based this keto Big Mac in a bowl on the popular McDonald’s burger. However, instead of added sugar and refined grains, I’ve upped the flavor with higher quality ingredients.
Caramelized onion, shredded Gruyere, crisp butter lettuce, and succulent crumbled burger are coming to play here. It’s lighter than a burger and fries, but you’d never know from the taste!
I could seriously eat this salad every day for lunch and never have a Big Mac again. It’s just that good.
Taste aside, this salad offers up a variety of nutritional benefits as well. We’ve packed in more veggies than you can pile on a typical burger. You get more of the nutrient-dense foods that are good for you.
Jump to:
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One Big Mac burger bowl has 685 calories, 9.2 grams net carbs, and 41.4 grams protein. Its macros can easily fit into most keto and low carb diet plans.
⭐ Benefits
Why make keto burger bowls? Isn’t it so much easier to pick up a McDonald’s burger and fries from the drive-thru?
Fast food may be more convenient, but this DIY cheese burger salad offers much more nutritionally. Here are some of the nutritional benefits:
- High protein: This cheeseburger salad bowl offers over 40 grams of protein. If you want to increase the amount of high-quality protein in your diet, this salad is a super pick.
- Low-carb, keto, gluten-free: If you are on a special diet, cooking at home is the way to go. Now that McDonald’s has cut salads from the menu in the U.S., they offer few options for keto dieters.
- Filling: This burger bowl is far more likely to provide you with lasting satiety than your typical Big Mac. Burgers can only fit so many high-volume vegetable toppings, but the sky is the limit with a salad. Pile on your favorite low-carb, low-calorie veggies, and give your meal the staying power to keep you full.
- Easy to customize: Don’t miss the section below on additional topping ideas!
- Curb cravings: If you are craving a burger, this meal should satisfy you. This recipe makes it easier to stay out of fast food restaurants if you’re trying to eat healthier.
If you are turning a burger into a main dish salad meal, I recommend comparing your entire burger meal to your entire salad meal. Few people order and have a single burger as their entire meal. It’s typical to get fries (and maybe a soda pop) with a burger.
Here’s a mini comparison of this salad versus a McDonald’s Big Mac and medium fries for my left-brained people:
| Meal | Calories | Protein (g) | Net Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keto Big Mac Salad | 685 | 41.4 | 9.2 |
| Big Mac and Fries | 870 | 30 | 81 |
🥘 Ingredients
What are the ingredients of a big mac? Here’s what's in a McDonald’s Big Mac, compared to our Big Mac keto salad:
| Big Mac | Keto Big Mac Bowl |
|---|---|
| Big Mac Bun | No need for refined grains here |
| Seasoned Ground Beef | Seasoned Ground Beef |
| Lettuce | Crisp Butter Lettuce |
| Big Mac Sauce | No Sugar Special Sauce |
| Processed American Cheese | Shredded Gruyere Cheese |
| Pickle Slices | Tomatoes and Sauteed Mushrooms |
| Onions | Caramelized Onions |
I’m going to be so bold as to say that our burger bowl is even BETTER and more flavorful than a Big Mac. We’re ditching the ultra-processed burger bun, Big Mac sauce, cheese food, and pickles (that have preservatives).
In their place, you are getting...
- Sweet and delicious caramelized onions
- Real Gruyere cheese
- Umami-packed mushrooms
- Juicy cherry tomatoes
- Creamy chipotle aioli dressing
These swaps don’t just elevate the flavor, however. They also remove all the added sugar, refined grains, and unwanted additives.
What we’re left with is a keto-friendly meal that taste AMAZING and is healthier for you too. Huzzah!
🍔 Big Mac Salad Dressing
Our Big Mac salad sauce offers big flavors without the carbs. Here’s what you need for our Big Mac dressing:
- Mayonnaise (I use an avocado oil mayo which is Paleo and Whole30 friendly)
- Chipotle in adobo sauce
- Minced garlic clove
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Cumin
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
You might notice that this dressing is nothing like McDonald’s special sauce. That’s because their sauce is mostly made of soy oil and pickle relish. I knew I could improve on the original and create something way, way tastier than that.
Hey, if we’re spending time in the kitchen, let’s make something GOOD. I want something that pleases my tastebuds AND benefits the body. Forget that ultra-processed soy oil plus sugary pickle relish.
🍽 Equipment
To make this Big Mac bowl recipe, you’ll need a cast iron skillet, good knife, and containers for holding the salads. For meal prep, I like to use these salad containers plus 2-cup glass Pyrex containers for the hot ingredients. You could also store your keto Big Mac salad in a mason jar.
🔪 How to Make
Let’s learn how to make keto big mac salad! I’m ready for lunch.
Put the cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium-low and add some olive oil. Thinly slice two sweet onions and add them to the skillet.
Let them slowly cook down to a lovely golden brown, stirring occasionally. It can take anywhere from 45-60 minutes to caramelize the onions. Don't rush this process!
Set the onions aside and add more olive oil to the skillet. Slice your mushrooms and sauté them for 10-15 minutes over medium heat. Set them aside as well.
Now add the ground beef and steak seasoning to the skillet. Brown it over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. It will take about 10 minutes.
To make the dressing, whisk together the mayo, chopped chipotle in adobo, garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
Cut your cherry or grape tomatoes in half. To assemble the salads, divide the butter lettuce between four bowls.
Top the bowls with the beef, mushrooms, Gruyere, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. Reheat the beef, mushrooms, and onions if they’ve cooled too much. Drizzle on the dressing and enjoy.
️🌡️ Meal Prep
It’s simple to turn this recipe into a meal prep if you keep your hot and cold foods separate. There are no ingredients (like avocado) that brown quickly here. Everything should stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To package your salads, put the lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes in big salad bowl containers. These ingredients will stay cold. The container should be large enough to add the hot ingredients right before serving.
Put the beef, sautéed mushrooms, and caramelized onions into containers that can be heated. Keep the chipotle aioli in small dressing containers with leak-proof lids. (The salad bowls I linked to above come with lidded dressing cups.)
When you are ready to eat, reheat one of your hot food containers in the microwave or in an oven. Once it is heated, dump the contents on top of one of the cold food containers. Finish the salad by drizzling with the keto Big Mac dressing.
If you put your hot foods on the cheese in the salad bowl, the cheese melts a bit. This is an excellent way to fit a little extra gooey cheese deliciousness into your day. (I try not to pass up these good opportunities when they arise.)
By the way, I know it is a bit of a pain to keep each meal in three separate containers. However, this is the best way to make sure that everything ends up at the right temperature. In addition, keeping the dressing separate from your salad prevents the dreaded lettuce sogginess.
I absolutely loved being able to enjoy the flavors of a good burger for lunch all week. I hope you do too!
🧀 Toppings
What are some of your favorite burger toppings? Is there anything you think is a must on a good burger? Add them to this keto burger salad to customize it!
Here are a few (low carb keto) ideas:
- Shredded cabbage
- Romaine lettuce
- Spinach
- Shredded pepper jack cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cooked bacon
- Sugar-free ketchup
- Mustard
- Chopped dill pickles (sweet pickles have sugar added)
- BBQ sauce (sugar-free)
- Coleslaw (no sugar version)
- Pickled jalapenos
- Blue cheese
- Ranch dressing
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo (or another salsa)
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Truth time: you could make a lower calorie and keto meal by ordering a bunless Big Mac without fries. However, it may not be very filling compared to this salad. I think burger salads are a really great concept to get the burger flavor in a more satisfying meal.
A lot of people using the keto diet for weight loss combine it with intermittent fasting. If you only eat two meals per day, you may be able to fit larger meals (like this 700-calorie salad) and maintain a calorie deficit.
On the other hand, if you wanted to make this a lighter recipe, it’s easy to do so! Here are some tips to make a low calorie Big Mac keto salad:
- Drop the amount of cheese down to 4 ounces (1 ounce per serving)
- Use light cheese shreds
- Substitute half of the mayo for non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- Lean ground turkey or chicken could work in place of the beef
It’s important to note that just because something is a salad it doesn’t automatically mean it is low in calories. I know of a certain restaurant salad that is over 1,000 calories for the single meal.
It is topped with quesadillas and an extremely generous amount of oily dressing. (I mean, you can theoretically top a salad with just about anything, right?)
So, what if you want a higher calorie salad meal without refined grains or fried foods? Try this in place of the lean ground beef to keep things nutrient-dense and keto.
To my salad haters out there, I hope you get a chance to try this Big Mac salad recipe. You might be amazed at how tasty (and not “diet-y”) a well-constructed salad can be!
FAQs
According to the McDonald’s website (U.S.), a Big Mac has 42 grams of net carbs. It is not keto-friendly. (That’s 45 grams of total carbohydrates, minus 3 grams of fiber.) You get 39 grams carbs in the bun; a Big Mac with no bun would be low-carb friendly.
The amount of Big Mac sauce in a Big Mac only provides 1 gram of carbs. Though the second ingredient in Big Mac sauce is sweet relish (containing sugar and corn syrup), the sauce is mostly soybean oil.
Big Mac sauce is not a Thousand Island dressing copycat, though the two condiments are similar. Thousand Island typically contains a tomato-based ingredient, while Big Mac sauce has no tomatoes. Also, Big Mac special sauce has more sweet pickle relish than you might find in Thousand Island salad dressing.
You can make this a Paleo and Whole30 Big Mac salad by skipping the cheese. Add chopped avocado if you’re missing the creaminess that cheese provides.
To order keto at McDonald’s, burger patties without the buns or sauces are a safe bet. Both the hamburger patties and cheeseburger patties are keto. McDonald’s used to offer some keto-friendly salad options in the United States. At the time of this writing (2021), their salad options are discontinued.
👩🏻🍳 Other Keto Salad Recipes
Looking for more recipes for keto salads? Salads are super for the keto diet plan if you want a high volume, high protein, low carb meal. Here are some more filling low-carb salads you may enjoy:
- Canned Salmon Salad (No Mayo)
- Best Cobb Salad
- Pork Shoulder Carnitas Salad (skip the corn for keto)
Also, don’t miss the low carb recipes section! You’ll find low carb salad, low carb snacks, low carb burgers, and much more!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
"Keto" recipes on the web may not be appropriate for those using ketogenic diets as part of their medical nutrition therapy. That includes this recipe.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Low-Carb Keto Big Mac Salad Bowl
Ingredients
- 8 cups butter lettuce, torn into large pieces
- 1 lb lean ground beef (454 grams; 93/7 lean beef)
- 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced (454 grams)
- 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (170 grams)
- 2 large sweet onions (cut in half, then thinly slice)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (grape tomatoes are fine too)
For the upgraded Big Mac dressing:
- 8 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped (include both sauce and pepper)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the sliced onions and slowly cook them down, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and turn a lovely golden brown. It will take around 45-60 minutes to caramelize the onions. Set the onions aside.
- Add the last tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Set the mushrooms aside.
- Season the ground beef with the steak seasoning. Brown it in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks. Set it aside after it has finished cooking. It will take about 10 minutes.
- To make the Big Mac salad dressing, whisk together the mayo, chopped chipotle in adobo, garlic, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve:
- Divide the butter lettuce between four bowls. Top with the beef, mushrooms, Gruyere, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. Drizzle the salad bowls with the dressing (our "special sauce") and serve.
- Note: For tips on making this recipe a non-soggy meal prep, don't miss the article above!
Video
Notes
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Truth time: you could make a lower calorie and keto meal by ordering a bunless Big Mac without fries. However, it may not be very filling compared to this salad. I think burger salads are a really great concept to get the burger flavor in a more satisfying meal. A lot of people using the keto diet for weight loss combine it with intermittent fasting. If you only eat two meals per day, you may be able to fit larger meals (like this 700-calorie salad) and maintain a calorie deficit. On the other hand, if you wanted to make this a lighter recipe, it’s easy to do so! Here are some tips to make a low calorie Big Mac keto salad:
- Drop the amount of cheese down to 4 ounces (1 ounce per serving)
- Use light cheese shreds
- Substitute half of the mayo for non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- Lean ground turkey or chicken could work in place of the beef
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated from 2020 to include new photos, a recipe video, and more nutrition information. Enjoy!
Terrified Amateur says
Looks amazingly indulgent, Summer! Not in the close-I-guess-(somewhat)-if-you-have-to-eat-a-salad sense, but in the way it's an extravagance all by itself. Then, as you mention, it ends up being better for you too. Bonus! Leave it to you to find the perfect balance.
I type this too in the full realization I hardly am cheese's most vocal advocate. When I make the salad, I might leave out the cheese. Or might not. It is Gruyere after all, and white cheeses always are more preferable.
Advancing this much more unreservedly, though, are the mushrooms. Nearly perfect by themselves, but when paired with burgers...
Also, the tomatoes. Unlike on a conventional burger, you can pile them up to your heart's content. Indeed, given that the globes will approach peak perfection in the next month, the heart will be quite content, thank you.
Summer Yule says
We love mushrooms here, as I've mentioned before. I was considering throwing them on my indoor smoker to see how they turn out! That might be an even tastier way to have them than my typical sautee.
I tend to prefer white cheeses as well. I think there's something about bright orange cheese that I've always found less appealing. If it's cheddar, it even tends to taste the same but I just don't like the look of orange cheese as much. haha
Terrified Amateur says
I thought it, Summer, and you typed it! As far as the pigmented cheeses go, I always have hated them, and likely always will.
Especially that dreadful glop "served" with nachos. Shudder! In fact, culinarily speaking, it's not fully a cheese anyway, is it? Really, one of the ten worst things ever to hit Planet Earth. And that includes the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs and brought on an Ice Age. At least that invader made ascendant our kind (mammals).
Nope, give me a good Gruyere or Reggiano any day.
Summer Yule says
Oh, the neon glop! You just brought back a memory. A million years ago when I was an undergrad, I worked in the kitchen in a dining hall that was known on campus for its healthy options. And they did offer mostly healthful foods. But guess what one of the most popular things they served was?
Yes, it was the orange "cheese" ooze over fries. Hahaha The goo was likely far more affordable than the better stuff (and sadly, it may have been more readily accepted than other options too).