Look no further for the BEST Big Mac Sauce recipe! Wonderfully creamy with the perfect balance of sweet tanginess, this world famous sauce is perfect slathered on your burgers or used for dipping fries, onions rings and much more!
What is Big Mac Sauce?
With roughly 34,000 restaurants serving nearly 70 million people every day in 118 countries, McDonald’s has certainly made its mark on the world. And no item on its menu is more iconic than the Big Mac that comes slathered with their popular “special sauce,” a sauce made with mayonnaise, pickles, onions, mustard and spices.
Unfortunately the commercially available stuff is packed to the brim with junk ingredients that are as difficult to pronounce as they are to digest. But now you can make your own Big Mac Sauce without the junk ingredients and chances are you already have everything you need in your pantry!
How to use Big Mac Sauce:
Beyond its classic application you can use this versatile sauce in many other ways. Here are just a few ideas:
- Slathered hamburgers and hot dogs
- Use as a sandwich spread
- Add it to your pasta and potato salads
- Drizzle it over your lettuce wraps
- Heap it onto your baked potatoes
- Use it as a salad dressing
- Serve it as a dipping sauce for your French fries, potato wedges, onions rings and veggies
However you choose to use this sauce you’ll love how quick and easy it is to throw together.
And it keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge so you can have it on hand whenever that McDonald’s Special Sauce craving comes a-calling!
Big Mac Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
Big Mac Sauce contains only a few ingredients: Mayonnaise, pickle relish, onion, mustard, white vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and paprika. Optional: For some added flavor I also like to add some ketchup. For another delicious, smoky flavor variation you can add some barbecue sauce.
To make this sauce simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, preferably overnight to allow the flavors enough time to meld.
Store your sauce covered in the fridge where it will keep for up to 2 weeks. Give it a shake before serving.
Enjoy!
For more delicious homemade condiment recipes be sure to try our:
- Ultimate BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Tartar Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Tahini
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Curry Ketchup
- Kecap Manis
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Ranch Dressing

Big Mac Sauce (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quality mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish (you can also use sweet pickle relish and omit the granulated sugar)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced onion
- 2 tablespoons natural ketchup or barbecue sauce , optional for a different flavor variation
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Shake or stir before serving. Will keep for up to 2 weeks. Makes approximately 3/4 cup of sauce.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 9, 2020
VALERIE says
oh my gosh, this is sooooo good. it tastes just like the big mac sauce. i love big macs. if i had known you could make the sauce so easy at home i would have been making this a long time ago. whoever said it doesn’t taste like big mac sauce, had to have made it wrong. i followed the recipe to a t and it was like someone said earily, it was spot on. i made it tonight and allmost didn’t have enough to put on my burger. i could not stop tasting it. i am going to make another batch to keep in the frig. this is a keeper.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Valerie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it – thanks so much for the feedback!
Anonymous says
Used ketchup splash of dill pickle juice instead of vinegar
Beth says
I disagree with those who say this isn’t quite right… This tastes absolutely like Big Mac sauce to me, and I have to admit I was skeptical based on the ingredients. Somehow, mustard, onion powder and garlic powder just didn’t sound right to me, but that just shows you that I am apparently a terrible recipe analyst because I think it is right on the money! I had been using another recipe that I had found, but now I am switching to this one because it’s just so good! I love Big Macs but I try not to do fast food very often so I can make a more wholesome version at home with organic meat, etc. Thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the compliment, Beth, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it!
Jindabyne says
Not quite Big Mac material….the vinegar makes it sour. Nice as a salad dressing after I added a wee bit of sour cream to cut the bitterness of the vinegar.
Joy says
I didn’t think this was exactly like a Big Mac but I put it on a salad instead of bread since I’m trying to watch my carbs. It was a good dressing and I will make it again. I tinkered with it and got the carb count down to 4.6 for the whole recipe by using a natural sugar replacer and no sugar added ketchup with dill relish. I really liked it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Joy, I’m happy you liked it!
Keith T. says
Thank you for the recipe; it is excellent. Based on some experimentation and my taste, I offer a couple of modifications: 1, equal parts mustard and ketchup (sriracha); 2, use Adobo instead of salt; 3, use Baharat instead of paprika; 4, sweet pickle relish with or without sugar; 5, pulse in food processor.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback, Keith! The adobo and baharat and nice flavor twists!
John says
Loved it! I didn’t have relish, so I just threw it all in a food processor with bread and butter pickles (the sweet round slices), and it was fantastic!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, John, thanks so much!
Hobbykoch Michael says
delicious
verena says
How is dill pickle relish different than a chopped up dill pickle? I have plenty of those in the fridge. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Verena, relish has other ingredients in it too – onions, seasonings, etc. Like this https://www.daringgourmet.com/easy-homemade-dill-pickle-relish/
Toni says
This will quickly became a favorite at my house! It looks really good!
Beti says
Oh my goodness, my family is going to LOVE this!! I need to make some asap!
katerina says
WOW This looks SO GOOD!! LOVE it!
Sara Welch says
One of my favorite sauces of all time! So excited to have this readily on hand from now on! Delicious!
Suzy says
One of my favorite sauces that I never knew would be so easy to make at home! Tastes better than the original!
Beth says
I can’t to make this recipe! It looks so delicious!