BEST Big Mac Sauce Recipe
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Look no further for the BEST copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe! The perfect balance of sweet and tangy that hits all the right flavor notes, this homemade McDonald’s Special Sauce is delicious slathered on your burgers or used for dipping fries, onions rings and more!
Homemade Big Mac Sauce
I’m a huge fan of homemade sauces and seasoning blends. Making your own gives you full control over what goes in it (and what stays out), it’s fully customizable to your preferences (less salt, more heat, ingredient swaps for variety), and it is far fresher and more flavorful than anything store-bought. Or in the case of this copycat Big Mac Sauce, it’s much better than the stuff at McD’s!
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. It shares some similarities with Thousand Island Dressing but has a personality of its own. I’m going to show you how to make your own homemade Big Mac Sauce and chances are you already have everything you need in your pantry!
How to Make Big Mac Sauce
Making your own copycat Big Mac Sauce couldn’t be simpler. There’s no cooking required, there’s virtually no prep work, and the only chopping or slicing involved is simply mincing a bit of onion. But to make the best Big Mac Sauce it’s all about the right ingredients in the right ratios. Then all you have to do is add all the ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine, and that’s it! This homemade Big Mac Sauce 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!
Ingredients for Big Mac Sauce
Although it’s also called secret sauce, we’re revealing that secret right here, right now. This Big Mac Sauce recipe contains only a few ingredients:
- Mayonnaise: this forms the base of the sauce so use a good one.
- Dill pickle relish: adds some tangy flavor and crunchy texture. Alternatively you can use sweet pickle relish and omit the granulated sugar, but I personally prefer the tangy flavor addition of dill pickle relish.
- Onion: mince it very fine; adds flavor and texture.
- Mustard: for a touch of sharpness, tang, and color.
- White vinegar: cuts through the mayo and adds tangy contrast.
- Sugar: a touch of sweetness for balance.
- Garlic powder, onion powder paprika, salt: for some savory, earthy flavor notes and a touch of salt to give everything a flavor boost.
- Ketchup: I add this one last because it is not included in McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce. However I really like the addition of some ketchup and I think you’ll agree. For a fun smoky flavor variation you can add a dash of barbecue sauce. And if you like a bit of kick you can add a splash of your favorite hot sauce or stir in some cayenne pepper.
Copycat Big Mac Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
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.
How to Use It
Beyond its classic application as a burger sauce there are numerous other ways you can use it, including as a dipping sauce and incorporating it into creamy salads. Here are just a few ways that I like to use it:
- Slather it on hamburgers and hot dogs (see my recipe for homemade hamburger buns).
- Use it as a sandwich spread (see my sandwich bread recipe).
- Add it to your pasta / macaroni salad and potato salad.
- Drizzle it over your lettuce wraps.
- Make a Big Mac Sauce dressing for salads by adding a tablespoon or two of milk to thin it out.
- Heap it onto your baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes.
- Serve it as a dipping sauce for your French fries, baked potato wedges, sweet potato fries, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, onions rings and veggies.
Enjoy!
For more popular homemade sauces be sure to try my:
- BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Tartar Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Sriracha Mayo
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Tahini
- Curry Ketchup
- Kecap Manis
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BEST Big Mac Sauce Recipe
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 (see note)
- 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. Can be used immediately but for best flavor results 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 9, 2020
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This is my second time making this big mac sauce and I neglected to comment after the first time. But I wanted to let you know that the whole family loved it on their burgers, so much so that they requested it again and I’m sure this won’t be the last time :)
Thank you such, Terri, I’m happy it was a family hit!
So good and even better flavor than McD’s!
Thanks so much, Tyler, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
This is the second sauce of yours that I’ve made. The first one was the yum yum sauce and now this. Both sauces were A++. Really enjoyed them both.
Thanks so much, Will, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Growing up my parents didn’t let us eat a lot of fast food but there were those rare occasions when they’d let us eat McDonald’s and we always eagerly ate those Big Macs. I’ve no doubt the fast food version of this Big Mac sauce is full of all kinds of incomprehensible ingredients and I love how that this sauce tastes like the real thing (even better in my opinion!) and has such a short, clean list of ingredients. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you so much, Toni, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Terrific sauce. I added some hot sauce because I like a bit of heat, otherwise made it as written.
Thanks so much, Neal, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Delicious! I made the recipe as written but subbed out the paprika for some smoked paprika just to give it a bit of smokiness for my burgers. It was awesome, great sauce.
That’s fantastic, Brett, thank you so much!
This is a fantastic big mac sauce. The whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.
I’m so glad, Archer, thank you very much!
Even though is delicious, I might use only 1 tap of mustard next time
This is so spot on, my kids absolutely love this sauce. A real winner, thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad your kids enjoyed it, Amirreza, thank you!
Thank you for this, I just made the sauce and Im trying it on a taco big mac burger!! I was wondering have you ever made Hungarian Goulash?
Wonderful, Sabrina, I’m so happy you made it! Yes, I have several authentic Hungarian recipes on my site, including Hungarian Goulash: https://www.daringgourmet.com/traditional-hungarian-goulash-gulyas/
What a refreshing change to have someone actually sharing a flawless Hungarian goulash recipe and not some unrecognisable abomination. All praise!
Thank you for the compliment, Sandor! <3
Big Mac Sauce perfection! I found myself heaping probably a little too much of this on my burger tonight, haha. It’s so good though I couldn’t help myself. Two thumbs up!
Fantastic, thank you so much!
This was superb. We served it with our burgers and our daughter who won’t eat burgers loved it as a dipping sauce for her fries.
Thank you, Suzanne, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s even better than McD’s top secret stuff.
Awesome, thank you so much TJ95!
This was scrummy. Used it on our burgers with extra for dipping fries and onion rings.
Fantastic, Maddie, thank you so much!
This was so delish and brought back memories of the days I used to indulge in a Big Mac from time to time. We had some beautiful weather today and decided to grill some burgers. I found your recipe and decided to make some of this big mac sauce to go with our burgers. Everyone LOVED it and insisted it become a regular from now on!
Wonderful! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, thank you Candice!