How to Make Big Mac Sauce
Homemade Big Macs (Sauce Recipe + Burgers!) – Skip the drive-thru and make the iconic creamy, tangy, and delicious sauce you know and love right at home with this easy McDonald’s copycat recipe.
Do you love copycat sauce recipes as much as I do? Try these ones next: Chick-Fil-A Sauce and Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce.
Why We Love This Recipe
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun! If you’re of a certain age, you know exactly what I’m talking about… The Big Mac. And what makes a McDonald’s Big Mac so special? It’s not the lettuce, I can tell you that. It’s the sauce, THE Big Mac Sauce.
The reason we love McDonald’s Special Sauce so much is because of the flavors. It has all the good things in it that you would usually put on a burger, in a creamy mayo base. It has mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, paprika, garlic powder, and additional onion powder. Mix this all together and you have a dreamy sauce that is not only fabulous slathered over burgers, but also tastes great on hotdogs, deli sandwiches, and as a dipping sauce for fries and potato chips. You can truly put it on just about anything!
Today’s recipe is specifically for Big Mac Sauce with homemade hamburger patties. But don’t fret, we will show you how to build a McDonald’s Big Mac at home as well.
Ingredients You Need
For the Copycat McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce Recipe –
- Mayonnaise: the creamy base that holds all the flavors together
- Ketchup: adds a touch of tanginess and sweetness
- Dill pickle relish: or sweet pickle relish
- Onion: minced
- Yellow mustard: offers a slight tang
- Granulated sugar: balances the flavors with a hint of sweetness
- Spices: smoked paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder
To Make Big Mac Cheeseburgers –
- Ground beef: forms the juicy, flavorful patties
- Sesame seed hamburger buns: lightly toasted for texture and classic Big Mac flavor
- American cheese: melts beautifully over the patties for a creamy, cheesy finish
- Iceberg lettuce: shredded
- White onion: finely minced
- Pickle slices: tangy and zesty to complement the sauce
- Butter: used for toasting the buns
- Spices: salt, pepper, and onion powder
- Big Mac sauce: the star of the show that ties it all together
How to Make the Copycat Big Mac Sauce Recipe
- Set out a medium mixing bowl or measuring picture. Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, minced onion, yellow mustard, sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure to add a couple of extra teaspoons of pickle relish juice for extra tang.
- Stir until smooth. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
How to Make and Assemble a Big Mac Cheeseburger
- Form the ground meat into 8 very thin patties that are wider than the buns. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Set a large skillet (or two large skillets, if you want to finish the burgers all at once) over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place one tablespoon of butter in the skillet and place four patties in the pan. Press each burger patty extra flat with a wide spatula. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, per side. During the last minute in the skillet add a slice of American cheese over the top of each patty so it has time to melt.
- Meanwhile, open the buns. Slather Big Mac sauce on both sides of the bun.
- Layer shredded lettuce on the bottom bun, and minced onion on the top bun.
- Stack two all-beef patties over the lettuce.
- If adding an extra bottom bun to the center, place it in between the two hamburger patties. (We intentionally skipped this part.)
- Load on pickles, and add the top bun.
- If using one skillet repeat with the remaining butter and burgers. Serve immediately.
Get the Complete (Printable) Homemade Big Macs Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Big Mac Sauce
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container or a mason jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Stir before using to ensure the ingredients stay well combined.
Big Mac Cheeseburgers
- Cooked Patties: Wrap leftover patties individually in foil or plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave until warmed through.
- Assembled Burgers: If fully assembled, the Big Macs are best enjoyed fresh. However, you can wrap leftovers tightly in foil, refrigerate for up to 1 day, and reheat in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Prepare the sauce a day before using it to let the flavors meld.
- Shape and season the burger patties in advance, then refrigerate for up to 1 day before cooking.
- Chop and prep the toppings (lettuce, onion, and pickles) ahead of time for easy assembly.
Serving Suggestions
A classic combo doesn’t get much better than a burger with fries and a shake! Try Shoestring French Fries to get that authentic old-school diner vibe, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges for a heartier spud side dish. We also love it on onion rings. And if we are talking McDonald’s then we of course have to include a sweet and frosty Shamrock Shake!
This homemade Big Mac sauce is great on burgers, of course – but that’s not all! Spread some onto hot dogs, deli sandwiches, wraps, or warm subs. Use it for dunking chicken tenders or fish fingers. You can even drizzle it on fresh greens as a Thousand Island-style dressing for a hearty bun-less and low-carb Big Mac in a Bowl, AKA Big Mac Salad.
The secret sauce is also fabulous for serving with potato chips, Low Carb Burger Bites, or as a creamy dip with any snackers!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sour, savory, tangy, lightly sweet, creamy… C’mon, what’s not to love? This sauce really hits all of your tastebuds in just the right ways.
While these two condiments are similar mayonnaise and ketchup-based sauces, Thousand Island dressing and Big Mac sauces are not made from one another. Thousand Island is way heavier on the tomato and does not have minced onion. Personally, that bit of texture is one of my favorite things about traditional Mac sauce. I always suggest making it from scratch!
Keep the burger sauce in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.
Looking for More Easy Retro Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Patty Melt Recipe
- Cheese Sauce for Broccoli
- Easy Retro Sausage Balls
- Sloppy Joe Noodle Skillet
- Beef Stroganoff
Get the Complete (Printable) Homemade Big Macs Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
How to Make Big Mac Sauce (Recipe + Burgers!)
Video
Ingredients
For the Big Mac Sauce –
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons pickle relish dill or sweet + 2 tsp extra juices
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar not needed if using sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For 4 Big Macs –
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 4 sesame seed hamburger +4 bottom buns if you want to add the quintessential McDonald’s center bun. I left it out.
- Big Mac sauce
- 8 slices of American cheese
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4 tablespoons minced white onion
- 12+ dill pickles slices
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt pepper, and onion powder
Instructions
To make Big Mac Sauce –
- Set out a medium mixing bowl or measuring picture. Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, minced onion, yellow mustard, sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure to add in a couple extra teaspoons of pickle relish juice for extra tang. Stir until smooth. Then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make Big Macs –
- Form the ground meat in to 8 very thin patties that are wider than the buns. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Set a large skillet (or two large skillets, if you want to finish the burgers all at once) over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place one tablespoon of butter in the skillet and place four patties in the pan. Press the patties extra flat with a wide spatula. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, per side. During the last minute in the skillet add a slice of American cheese over the top of each patty so it has time to melt.
- Meanwhile, open the buns. Slather Big Mac sauce on both sides of the bun. Layer shredded lettuce on the bottom bun, and minced onion on the top bun.
- Stack two all-beef patties and pickles over the lettuce. If adding the center bun, place it in between the two hamburger patties.
- If using one skillet repeat with the remaining butter and burger patties. Serve immediately.
Pretty good sauce in and of itself but doesn’t taste like McD’s. Definitely don’t recommend using smoked paprika, it throws it off in my opinion.
easy and delicious
Holy crap, this took your Best Hamburger Patty Recipe from an 11/10 to a 15/10. We did the dill relish + sugar version. The whole family slathered it on, even people who don’t like sweet sauces.
Out of curiosity what is the butter for? It’s listed in the ingredients but not the instructions. Should the pan be buttered? The meat usually produces grease so I wasn’t sure
Hi Dana!
It is to create extra flavor while searing the patties. You can skip the butter if you are using a good non-stick pan.
This burger is a real treat! Big Mac but homemade! Delicious.
I made this for our last BBQ and everyone loved it! So easy too!
The sauce is the best part of a big mac!! This recipes tastes even better & I love that I can make it any time we make burgers now! So yummy!