McDonald’s Big Mac Recipe + Special Sauce

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 Big 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? It has an artificial taste, which usually comes from bulk ingredients that are cheaper but lack flavor. This tastes better. That’s not to say my husband still won’t get his big MacBook at McDonald’s from time to Time, but we make homemade burgers at home all the time, and this Copycat McDonald’s Big Mac recipe is on repeat!

Speaking of ingredients, here’s what goes 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

McDonald’s Big Mac Ingredients You’ll Need

Burger Patties

• 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 old 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 online, and you might be surprised to know that it doesn’t contain ketchup. 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 adjust the amounts slightly, but you can experiment with the ingredients and come up with something you love! 

Instructions

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

How To Assemble

(For an authentic McDonald’s Big Mac recipe, it must be done in this order.)

1. Bottom bun.
2. Big Mac sauce
3. Shredded lettuce (press it in)
4. Onions
5. Cooked beef patty
6. Cheese slice
7. Middle bun
8. Big Mac sauce
9. Shredded lettuce (press it in)
10. Onions
11. Pickles
12. Cooked beef patty
13. Top bun.

Helpful Tips & Variations

• Small buns work best for this recipe. Think about the size of a Big Mac. It’s tall but not wide, so you don’t need lumberjack-size buns.
• To make this as authentic as possible, you will use a third bun in the middle of the sandwich. Thus, you will use three buns for two sandwiches. 
• Because it’s so thin, the meat will cook very quickly. Cook the patties for about 90 seconds, gently pressing them down to prevent them from shrinking too much. Carefully flip it over and finish on the second side for 90 more seconds.
• This recipe makes two sandwiches. It can be easily doubled or tripled by adjusting the servings on the recipe card below. It also makes a little extra sauce. In my husband’s opinion, you can have enough sauce—ha!

If you’ve tried my homemade McDonald’s Big Mac recipe or any recipe on my site, please leave a comment below!

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McDonald's Big Mac Recipe + Special Sauce

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!

Print This Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

Burgers

• 4 2-ounce beef patties
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Special Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 3 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Everything Else

• 3 sesame seed buns
• 2 slices American cheeses
• 2 tablespoons fined diced white onion, soaked
• 6 dill pickle slices
• 1 cup chopped lettuce

Instructions

Special Sauce

• Add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl.
• Stir well to combine.
• Cover and refrigerate while you work the rest.

For the Burger Patties

• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Flatten the patties out until they are very thin, flat, and wider than the buns.
• Place in the skillet and lightly salt and pepper the first side.
• Cook the first side for 90 seconds.
• Carefully flip the patties and lightly salt and pepper the second side.
• Cook for 90 seconds and remove them from the pan.

To Assemble Burgers

• In the same skillet you cooked the meat, toast the inside of the buns. * see note
• See the notes below for the order to assemble the sandwiches.
• EnjoY

Notes

There’s a very specific order in which you want to assemble!

1. 1. Bottom bun.
   2. Big Mac sauce
   3. Shredded lettuce (press it in)
   4. Onions
   5. Cooked beef patty
   6. Cheese slice
   7. Middle bun
   8. Big Mac sauce
   9. Shredded lettuce (press it in)
   10. Onions
   11. Pickles
   12. Cooked beef patty
   13. Top bun.

You'll have extra sauce for dunking 🙂

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