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This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.

Big Mac Salad – Cheeseburger Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free)

This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.

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My low carb Big Mac salad recipe is like a healthier version of rare childhood memories stopping at McDonald’s. That’s probably not much of an impression for most people, but we very rarely ate out when I was growing up. This included everything from gourmet restaurants to fast food, my parents much preferring home cooked meals.

For the most part, I loved my mom’s home cooked food, too. I won’t lie, though – as a kid, those rare occasions that I got to have “fast food” were a treat.

I’d beg my dad to take me to Burger King or McDonald’s after gymnastics practice, hoping for that rare “yes”. It only came a few times a year, making it all the more special.

I can’t say I blame my parents for leaving the fast food joints to rare occasions, especially knowing what I know now about fast food. My two-year-old has yet to try any, and I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible. There’s nothing wrong with a rare exception for most people, but I think the majority would agree that frequent fast food is far from ideal.

All that being said, there’s no reason you can’t make your own healthier, low carb fast food version at home! This low carb Big Mac salad recipe (or simply, cheeseburger salad recipe) is just that.

This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.

What healthier way to enjoy a homemade Big Mac than as a big ol’ salad, right? Seriously, I don’t even miss the bread when I make this one. It’s the classic combination of smoky ground beef, crisp romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, rich shredded cheese, and salty pickles… all finished with a creamy-sweet Big Mac copycat dressing.

Oh, and it happens to be sugar-free, low carb, and gluten-free! Yesssss.

I used powdered erythritol to sweeten the dressing, but you can absolutely use any sweetener you like. This recipe isn’t fussy at all, so seriously any sweetener you like will work, whether it’s liquid or granulated. Just adjust to taste until you reach your desired sweetness.

This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.

As usual, I kept the entire recipe under 10 ingredients total. (Granted, one is repeated in both the salad and the dressing, and I’m not counting salt and pepper.)

That can be a challenge with salads, since the dressing in itself is often quite a few ingredients, but I managed to keep this one simple enough. And to me, it still tastes just like the famous sauce on a Big Mac… minus any weird ingredients, of course!

In many ways, this low carb Big Mac salad reminds me of my popular healthy taco salad. It’s another transformation of a carb-heavy classic into a lighter salad that’s still packed with flavor and hearty enough to be a meal on its own.

With summer approaching, you’ll want to have meal salad recipes like these on hand. It’s the perfect way to serve dinner with minimal cooking!

Disclaimer: Big Mac may be a registered trademark. This recipe is my interpretation of a similar dish, but is not to be construed as an endorsement of the company or having been endorsed by the company. There is no affiliation between myself and the company. Trademark remains the property of its owner and is used here only to describe the product.

 

This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.

Big Mac Salad Recipe – Cheeseburger Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free):
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Video Showing How To Make Big Mac Salad:

Big Mac Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free)
Big Mac Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free)
Print recipe
This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.
Servings Prep Time Cook Time
servings 10 minutes 10 minutes
Big Mac Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free)
Big Mac Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free)
Print recipe
This easy low carb Big Mac salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes! A gluten-free, keto cheeseburger salad like this makes a healthy lunch or dinner.
Servings Prep Time Cook Time
servings 10 minutes 10 minutes
Ingredients
Salad
  • 1 lb Ground beef
  • 1 tsp Sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 8 oz Romaine lettuce (or iceberg if desired)
  • 1 cup Tomatoes (chopped)
  • 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded)
  • 1/2 cup Pickles (diced)
Dressing
Instructions
  1. Cook ground beef in a skillet over high heat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Stir fry, breaking up the pieces with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is browned and moisture has evaporated.
  2. Meanwhile, puree all the dressing ingredients in a blender. If dressing is thicker than you like, thin out with water or oil and puree again. Adjust sweetener to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the ground beef. Toss with dressing.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 368 Calories from Fat 279
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 48%
Total Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 1g
Protein 18g 36%
Vitamin A 53%
Vitamin C 22%
Calcium 13%
Iron 13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Net carbs per serving: 2g

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Want more low carb, gluten-free ideas for salad? Try these:

Healthy Taco Salad (Low Carb, Gluten-free) - This easy, gluten-free, low carb, and healthy taco salad recipe is like a beef taco in a bowl. Just 10 ingredients and ready in 20 minutes!
Easy Healthy Taco Salad Recipe with Ground Beef
This easy spring mix salad recipe with blueberries, goat cheese, and walnuts comes with a blueberry vinaigrette dressing. Just 5 minutes to make!
Spring Mix Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese and Walnuts (Low Carb, Gluten-free)
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (Low Carb, Gluten-free)

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hi Carrie, This recipe uses dill pickles since I’m not a fan of the added sugar in sweet pickles, but you can use whichever you like better! You may need less sweetener in the dressing (or even omit it, to taste) if you use sweet pickles in there.

      Reply

  4. A Big Mac consists of “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun”. With the exception of the bun, this salad is missing cheese, onion and sesame seeds. Also, Big Macs don’t have tomatoes. For an authentic Big Mac salad you should consider adjusting your recipe accordingly. 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Leslie, The recipe does have cheese. 🙂 You’re right, though – I used tomatoes instead of onions, and of course as a salad it’s missing a sesame seed bun. You can certainly add in onions and/or omit the tomatoes if you prefer.

      Reply

    • Just thought about this. If you want to go and get GF croutons and add them to the salad! And sesame seeds, like sprinkled on top or get a GF sesame seed bun and leave it out to get a slight bit stale, then chop it up, butter or oil it, and put in oven to be croutons! Ha! That never occurred to me till I saw this comment and then the light bulb came on! Enjoy!!

      Reply

  5. Wondering if I could use pickle relish instead of having to dice up pickles? This recipe looks awesome and I love that it’s healthy.

    Reply

  8. I’m sorry if I missed it somewhere, what is the serving size for this?? Making it now for lunches this week!

    Reply

  10. I would like to make for my weeks work lunches. Would this hold up all week with the lettuce and tomatoes?

    Reply

    • Hi Sharon, If you’re meal prepping for the week, keep the dressing separate until right before eating. Other than that, store the salad with the lettuce on top. The tomatoes are better cut fresh, but should be okay if you store it with the tomatoes on the bottom.

      Reply

  11. I made this for dinner tonight and it is absolutely amazing! I literally felt like I was eating a Big Mac with the roll. Hubby liked it as well. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for posting!

    Reply

  12. Made this tonight and it was super good. Used ground turkey because that was what was on hand and it worked great. Used some Montreal seasoning to make it more “beef” like. I will definitely be making this again.

    Reply

  13. Trying this tonight. I saw the nutritional info but I’m wondering if you know how much of the 31g of fat is considered Saturated Fat? I’m trying to calculate the Weight Watchers Smart Point value for this dish. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Pam! Like you saw, I have the nutrition label posted below the recipe, but don’t have a breakdown of saturated fat. (The link between saturated fat and heart disease was actually disproven – source.) You’d have to enter the ingredients into an online nutrition calculator to get additional info.

      Reply

  15. Just made this yummy salad! Thanks for the awesome recipe! I did a few little tweaks of my own to appease my family’s likes and dislikes. It is a very easy and versatile dish. I love it!

    Reply

  21. I love this salad! I could eat it every day! I added a small handful of diced onion and another small handful of crumbled bacon. Also, toasted a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds in a dry skillet and tossed on top. It was heaven in a bowl!!! Thanks so much for coming up with this! It will be made in our home very often!

    Reply

  22. Thank you for this wonderful and easy recipe! My family loved it, and didn’t even realize they were eating low carb! Big hit!

    Reply

  23. Hi, found this through Pinterest, and sure glad I did!
    Altered some ingredients in the dressing – used 10% fat greek yogurt instead of mayo, pickle juice instead of vinegar, upped the paprika slightly and about half the sweetener (Stevia). It was a hit, and being rotated into our monthly repertoire!! No idea how that changes the macro nutrients, but I did add 2 Tbsp of avocado oil to the pan before frying the beef so I am confident the fat is higher as well, which works well for my keto way of eating.

    Reply

  24. Oh my! The name of this salad held no appeal to us, since we are not McFans of the Golden Arches. HOWEVER – this recipe was delicious! The salad itself is pretty much what we normally have, but the dressing was the star of this meal! Mr. Picky Palate – a/k/a My Hubs – was almost sad to try the dish because of the name. We’re just finished the entire meal for the second day in a row (love leftovers!), and his words were:

    This doesn’t need a thing. It’s perfect the way it is. Perfectly balanced flavors. The taste is amazing.

    This from the guy who is not a fan of anything new.

    Thank you for such a great, easy, delicious dish!

    Reply

  26. This was amazing! I’m not in love with the name because we’re not McFans , and I almost didn’t make the recipe. But the comments won me over! We had this for dinner after church Saturday evening. My husband was *dreading* the meal…because we’re not McFans…but one bite in, he declared It’s A Keeper…which is similar to getting a blue ribbon!

    I used spinach and didn’t put the pickles in the salad, but did put in bacon. The dressing was the star of the meal. It absolutely made the whole dish! I would never have considered pickles in a salad dressing, but remembered that’s what’s in Russian dressing – which Mr. Picky Palate and I both enjoy.

    Thank you for such an easy, fast, delicious recipe, Maya! It’s A Keeper in this home!

    Reply

  27. Loved this recipe!! Was really good. Ate it again for lunch the next day and the lettuce was still crispy. Can’t say I’ve ever had a Big Mac but I’m newer to the low carb diet, so always looking for ideas. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  28. I am definitely going to make this! Did you use full fat mayo? I would like to decrease the fat a bit as I try to keep my total fat intake under 35 grams for the day.

    Reply

  31. It’s great but I feel like it’s missing something. More bland than I’d prefer. I’m going to experiment with it and see if I can make it just right for me. Thank you!

    Reply

  32. Always happy to find low carb options that my hubby will also eat. This one is definitely a winner in our house. We cannot get enough of this and the taco salad. Love your page and recipes, they definitely keep me on track on my WOE 🙂

    Reply

  34. Very good..the only thing I changed was using pickle juice instead of vinegar in the sauce..and added some onion and garlic powder to the ground beef…very tasty. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  35. I crave a Big Mac from time to time. So…I’m making this for dinner and hoping it does the trick! I’ve already made the dressing, without adding any sweetener, and it’s been chilling all day. The dressing tastes amazing! I just know this is going to be a delicious Big Mac Salad!!

    Reply

  36. I love this and did not miss the buns! I had a couple of leftover burgers I grilled a few days ago, so I used those instead and it was still very tasty. I’m betting it’s even better making the beef fresh.

    Reply

  37. Does it keep well to save if you don’t eat it all? Like add the beef warmed up as you go and dressing ? Just combine the lettuce ingredients?

    Reply

  38. You can also try thousand island dressing, it’s very close to the Mac sauce flavor. I worked at McDonald’s for years as an after school job.

    Reply

  39. Oh my goodness! I am sitting here eating this right now. It is sooo good! The pickles and special sauce make it!!!

    Two All-Beef Patties (well, probably only ONE!), special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions WITHOUT a sesame seed bun! (But, I DID add sesame seems while browning my beef!)

    Sooo, sooo good. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  42. What is the serving size? How would I figure that for two servings? And that is an awesome feature, to be able to adjust the servings.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Ashley, One serving is 1/6 of the recipe. It’s hard to measure since the volume would depend on how tightly you pack it into a measuring cup (and it’s pretty unusual to pack salad into measuring cups anyway). If you reduce the amount to make just 2 servings, one serving would be 1/2 of the whole thing.

      Reply

  43. So delicious! Brings back the taste of a Big Mac as if I just had one yesterday, but it’s actually been years! I added just a tiny bit of low-sugar ketchup to the top and it was perfect! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!

    Reply

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