My homemade McDonald’s Big Mac recipe is better than the original and is easy to make. It’s all about the special sauce, and I think we nailed it!

My McDonald’s Big Mac recipe is easy, healthy, and perfect for any Bic Mac lover—like my husband. The secret is in the sauce, and I think we nailed it!

We love our homemade variation because it tastes like an authentic Big Mac. I would even say this is better because you can taste the fresher ingredients. Have you ever gotten a cookie from the supermarket deli and tasted the shortening in it? You can taste the artificial, bulk, cheap ingredients. Homemade cookies are always better, and that’s how I feel about this Big Mac.

When you use better ingredients, it just tastes better. Speaking of ingredients, here is what’s going into a McDonald’s Big Mac.

Big Mac Bun Ingredients: WHEAT Flour (contains Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Sugar, Cream Yeast, SESAME Seeds, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed, Coconut), Potato Starch, Salt, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Pea Protein, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Maize Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Maize Starch, WHEAT Starch, Natural Flavouring, WHEAT Maltodextrin.

Big Mac Sauce Ingredients: Water, Rapeseed Oil, Gherkin, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Allergen Ingredient:Free Range EGG Yolk, Spices (contain Allergen Ingredient:MUSTARD), Salt, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Natural Flavourings, Firming Agent (Calcium Chloride).

Cheddar Cheese Slice Ingredients: Vegetarian Cheddar (51%) (Allergen Ingredient:MILK), Water, Vegetarian Cheese (9%) (Allergen Ingredient:MILK), Whey Powder (Allergen Ingredient:MILK), Butter (Allergen Ingredient:MILK), Emulsifying Salts (Trisodium Citrate, Tripotassium Citrate, Citric Acid), Allergen Ingredient:MILK Protein, Natural Cheese Flavouring (Allergen Ingredient:MILK), Salt, Colours (Carotene, Paprika Extract), Anti-Caking Agent (Lecithins).

Beef Patty Ingredients: 100% Pure Beef.
Lettuce (Iceberg) Ingredients: 100% Iceberg Lettuce.
Onions Ingredients: 100% Onion.
Pickle Slices Ingredients: Gherkins, Water, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Firming Agent (Calcium Chloride), Natural Flavouring, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate).

Yikes. We can do better.

McDonald’s Big Mac Recipe Ingredients

Burgers

Beef patties plus a pinch of salt and pepper. I suggest using 80/20 ground beef. The extra fat keeps them from drying out.

Special Sauce

Mayonnaise, yellow mustard, white vinegar, sweet pickle relish, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper.

Everything Else

Sesame seed buns. You’ll need three buns for two sandwiches, all buttered and toasted.
American cheese. It wouldn’t be a proper Big Mac copycat recipe without good ‘ole American cheese.
Finely diced onion. I like soaking this in water to mellow the raw onion flavor.
Chopped lettuce. I press it into the sauce so it doesn’t fall everywhere (my husband’s Big Mac pet peeve)
Dill pickle slices. Because you can’t have a Big Mac without them!

Fun fact. A former McDonald’s chef has made the special sauce recipe available to everyone on the internet, and you might be surprised to know there is zero catchup in the recipe! It gets its pink color from paprika. There is also no diced onion in the recipe. The recipe below includes the exact ingredients he used. I did change the amounts just a bit, but you can play around with the ingredients and come up with something you love!

McDonald’s Big Mac Recipe Instructions

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Dice and soak the onions.
Cook the burger patties. (full instructions in the recipe card below)
Toast the buns in the fat left in the pan from the burgers.
Assemble the sandwiches in the order below.

You want to assemble these homemade Big Macs in a specific order.

Bottom bun.
Big Mac sauce
Shredded lettuce (press it in)
Onions
Cooked beef patty
Cheese slice
Middle bun
Big Mac sauce
Shredded lettuce (press it in)
Onions
Pickles
Cooked beef patty
Top bun.

Helpful Tips & Variations

Small buns work best for this. Think about the size of a Big Mac. It’s tall but not wide, so you don’t need lumber-jack-size buns. I use a third bun in the middle of the sandwich to make this as authentic as possible. So, for two sandwiches, you will use three buns.
Because it’s so thin, the meat will cook very quickly. Cook the patties for about 90 seconds, gently pressing them down so they don’t shrink too much. Carefully flip, and finish on the second side for 90 more seconds.
This recipe is for two sandwiches. It can easily be doubled or tripled by changing the servings on the recipe card. It also makes a little extra sauce. In my husband’s opinion, they never add enough, so you will have a little extra.

My husband has been a Big Mac addict since before I met him, and he even agrees that our homemade version is better! Serve this with skinny fries (with plenty of salt) for the ultimate Micky D’s experience at home!

Check out our vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb recipes if you have food sensitivities!

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