McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce (Copycat)

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

23 Comments

5 from 5 votes
16 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Jump to FAQsJump to Recipe
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce Copycat is easy to make with ingredients from your pantry! Almost better than the original, top-secret spread!

If you’ve made Big Mac Sloppy Joes, you already know how good this Copycat Recipe for McDonald’s famous sauce is. Slather it on everything from Slow Cooker McRib Sandwiches to Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, and so much more!

Sabrina’s McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce (Copycat) Recipe

Is there fast food more iconic around the world that a Big Mac? Two all-beef patties, shredded lettuce, onions, tomato, the sesame bun… Oh, and of course that creamy sweet and tangy sauce unlike any other! Even before they released the ingredient list in 2012, many attempts have been made to recreate this top secret sauce. McDonald’s didn’t give the amounts of each ingredient of course, so there’s been lots of testing to get it just right. After many trials, I’ve now got it down!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce Recipe

This McDonald's Big Mac Sauce Copycat is easy to make with ingredients from your pantry! Almost better than the original, top-secret spread!
Yield 16 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
ingredients in sauce all mixed up in a bowl
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup creamy French dressing , Kraft or Wishbone work great
  • 2 tablespoons sweet relish
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Mix ingredients well.
  • Refrigerate for 24 hours before using for best (and most authentic) taste.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Table of Contents

Back to Table of Contents

About this Recipe

You may be wondering if Big Mac Sauce is just Thousand Island dressing with a fancy name. While they are similar, Thousand Island has some warmer spices and this sauce has a lot more sweet pickle relish. Make sure not to get the dill pickle relish when making this sauce or it will be much more tangy! Ketchup and French Dressing give the most spot on taste, coloring, and balance of flavors. While they aren’t listed in the official ingredients, they make this sauce the best copycat recipe. Typically we offer variations on sauces, but this Big Mac Sauce Copycat is perfect the way it is.

Ingredients

  • Creamy French: You can make this sauce with any store-bought creamy French dressing, no need to use a fancy brand. We’ve tried Wishbone and Kraft brands and both worked well, plus these are relatively inexpensive brands that go on sale often so you can stock up for whenever the drive-thru craving hits.
  • Mayo: We used Best Foods mayonnaise in this recipe. Be sure to use real mayonnaise. Considering the delicacy of this recipe, Miracle Whip will not work as well. 
  • Sweet Relish: We are using a sweet relish, not the regular dill pickle relish which will be too tangy and not as sweet. 
  • Ketchup: You can use any ketchup you have in your pantry. 
  • White Vinegar: We are using a regular white vinegar, but you can substitute 1:1 for distilled white vinegar which has a lower acidity than regular white vinegar. 
  • Onion Powder: This dry spice is critical in giving the sauce a delicious depth of flavor. You won’t want to skip it! 
  • Salt: We’re only using ⅛ teaspoon salt because the other ingredients already have salt in them.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes! This is a great sauce to make ahead of time. In fact, it will taste even better because of the time all the ingredients have to marinate together. You can make it up to a week in advance and store in the fridge. Don’t store in the freezer because the mayo will not thaw very well. Enjoy! 

How to Store

  • Serve: Make sure to let this sauce refrigerate and meld together for at least an hour, but it’s best served the next day. Don’t keep at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: You can refrigerate any leftover sauce in an airtight container, like a sealed glass jar, for up to 1 week.
  • Freeze: Since this is a mayonnaise-based sauce, you don’t want to store it in the freezer. It is made so easily from pantry ingredients, just make it the day before.

Ideas to Serve

  • Cheeseburger Casserole: The only thing our Big Mac-inspired Cheeseburger Casserole is missing is a drizzle of secret sauce!
  • Chicken Strips: If you were addicted to dipping nuggets in the limited-time-only Signature Sauce, dip Chicken Tenders in this Big Mac Sauce instead!
  • Bacon Cheeseburger Cups: Serve Bacon Cheeseburger Cups with a side of secret sauce for a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
  • Cheeseburger Salad: Make a deconstructed Big Mac as a salad, just hold the sesame bun! Add a little more French dressing or vinegar if you like a thinner dressing.

Homemade McDonald’s Big Mac

Make your own Big Macs at home and skip the drive-thru! This Big Mac guide makes 4 servings.

  • All-Beef Patties: Use 1 ½ pound lean ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper, formed into 8 thin patties.
  • Buns: You want sesame seed buns, and you will need 4 top buns and 8 bottom buns. The middle “bottom bun” is there to catch all the sauce.
  • Lettuce: Use finely shredded iceberg lettuce for authenticity and the best crunch.
  • Onion: Minced white onions are what McDonald’s uses. Mincing cuts down on their sharpness.
  • Cheese: Use 4 American cheese slices for true Big Macs (1 slice per burger), or if you like extra you can double the cheese.
  • Pickles: You want dill pickle slices for the burger and sweet pickle relish for the sauce.
  • Assemble: Bottom bun, Big Mac Sauce, onion, shredded lettuce, cheese, patty, bottom bun, sauce, onion, lettuce, pickle, patty, and top bun. Enjoy!

Frequent Questions

What’s the difference between sweet relish and regular dill relish? 

While both are made from cucumbers, regular dill relish is more common and is more tangy. Sweet relish has a lower amount of seeds than the regular dill relish, and sugar is added to it for sweetness. 

Is there yellow mustard in Big Mac Sauce? 

We do not put any yellow mustard in our yummy Big Mac sauce. However, it would be a great additional condiment to add to any homemade burger! 

Is Big Mac Sauce the same as Thousand Island dressing?

No. While they are quite similar in ingredients, Thousand Island dressing is made with red bell peppers and has a bit extra tanginess as well as possible ingredients like Worcestershire sauce and orange juice, depending on the makers recipe. 

More Yummy Sauces u0026 Dressings

McDonald's burger sauce Copycat Pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

McDonald's Big Mac Sauce Copycat collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Have you checked the FAQ section above to see if your question has already been answered? View previous questions.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Maximum file size: 10 MB.
Allowed formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF. Drop images here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. This was definitely better after sitting in the fridge for a day. Still tasted great the first day too. Will definitely make again.

    Reply

  3. Was told They never use catchup or mayonnaise in their big Mac sauce they get their color from paprika and the main ingredient is creamy onion dressing not mayonnaise

    Reply

    2. It’s the best copycat recipe I’ve found. I actually like it better. It gets rave reviews from both family and friends alike. Try it!

      Reply

  5. I keep this on hand. Everyone in the family loves it. I’ve tried numerous recipes from this site and have never been disappointed. This is my go-to “what’s for dinner?” site.

    Reply

      1. Thank you for doing the Lord’s work! I make homemade Big Macs every once in a while and everyone who has had one says they are better than the original!

        Reply

  6. This recipe tastes more like mayo…

    So after I made it I added more French dressing and sweet relish. Tastes better but not like Mac sauce..

    Reply

  8. How long will this keep in fridge? Looking at ingredients, looks like it would last a good while, like mayo does. ??

    Reply

  9. I have read in some of your recipes that you prefer to make your own Mayonnaise for your recipes , in this recipe did you use your own Mayonnaise recipe or a jar brand Mayonnaise to make this sauce ?

    Reply