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Big Mac Sauce Copycat Recipe

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This Big Mac Sauce copycat recipe is so close to the McDonald’s special sauce, you won’t be able to taste the difference!

A while back I tried being humble for a day, and I can proudly say, I was the greatest humble person ever. Now that I got that horrible experience out of the way, I need to brag that I developed, quite possibly, the best Big Mac Sauce recipe on the web. All with one hand tied behind my back just to make it fair. 

Big Mac Sauce Recipe

Ok, truth be told, I cheated a little bit. I actually watched a video of one of McDonald’s executive chefs making the Big Mac Sauce and did my best to replicate the ingredient ratios. It took a bit of trial and error, so I am still taking credit for it!

Is Big Mac Sauce the Same as Thousand Island Dressing?

I spent most of my life believing McDonald’s Special Sauce was simply Thousand Island dressing. Big Mac Sauce is not Thousand Island dressing. Thousand Island dressing requires tomatoes, which isn’t actually an ingredient in authentic Big Mac Sauce.

For this same reason, I also make my Big Mac Sauce without French dressing. You will find 95% of the Big Mac Sauce recipes on the web call for French dressing. Don’t be fooled. Though, I will admit the flavor is in the right ballpark, but, *spoiler alert*, it still tastes like French dressing.

McDonald's Special Sauce recipe

What is in Big Mac Sauce?

How do I know there are no tomatoes in McDonald’s Special Sauce? Because, I looked up the ingredient list. This is what is in McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce:

Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (Diced Pickles, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Distilled Vinegar, Water, Egg Yolks, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onion Powder, Mustard Seed, Salt, Spices, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Mustard Bran, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy and Wheat), Caramel Colour, Extractives of Paprika, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric (Colour), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Protect Flavour)

How to Make Big Mac Sauce

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you don’t have a pantry full of preservatives and chemical binders, so let me break this down into ingredients you understand. Based on the above ingredient list, you will need sweet pickle relish, mayo, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. That sounds a lot more reasonable, doesn’t it?

How to Make Big Mac SauceHow to Make a Big Mac

Once you craft your own Big Mac Sauce, you are well on your way to earning your children’s undying love and affection by making them homemade Big Macs! You will want to brush up on my fast food burger recipe to really hit these out of the park. Though I have been known to slather this sauce on larger homemade burger patties too!

To make a Big Mac, light toast a sesame seed bun, and grab an extra bottom bun to use as the middle piece. Spread the special sauce on the bottom bun, sprinkle with diced onion, shredded lettuce, and top with a slice of American cheese. Place one burger patty on the cheese, then add the middle bun, top with more sauce, lettuce, and add pickles. Finally add the second burger patty, top with the crown of the bun and enjoy!

Big Mac Sauce Copycat Recipe
Print Recipe
4.72 from 21 votes

Big Mac Sauce

This Big Mac Sauce copycat recipe is so close to the McDonald's special sauce, you won't be able to taste the difference!
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Author: Fox Valley Foodie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Mayo
  • ¼ cup Sweet Pickle Relish
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Prepared Yellow Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Can be enjoyed immediately, but the flavor is best when allowed to sit in the refrigerator overnight. Store in an air-tight container.

Video

Notes

If Yellow Mustard isn't common in your country, click here to see what is being referenced. (affiliate link)
 
IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE you need to check out my McDonald's Egg McMuffin copycat recipe too!
*Calories listed are a vague estimate and accuracy should not be assumed.

If you enjoyed my Big Mac Sauce recipe then you should probably like me on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest too. That’s what I would do at least, because if you don’t get to know me but you still use my recipe it is kind of like taking candy from a stranger, and your mom taught you not to do that. Don’t disobey your mom, subscribe to Fox Valley Foodie today.

Comments

  1. Lynn says

    Tried this. Too “mustardy “ and really yellow in color. Wondering if it’s a typo. Maybe should be a teaspoon and a half? That’s what I’m going to try next time. It’s not too bad tho.

    Reply

    • Fox Valley Foodie says

      I double checked the recipe and did a side by side comparison with Big Mac Sauce from McDonalds and 1 1/2 tablespoons is correct. Initially I tried just 1 tablespoon of mustard and the real sauce had a noticeably stronger mustard flavor. I encourage you to get some sauce from your local McDonalds and let me know what you think after tasting them side by side.

      Reply

    • DRMiller says

      I thought it was too strong on the mustard as well. So I tried it with less and it really rated off. I found some dill mustard, and now my son thinks I’m a super hero! Lol! Thanks for the recipe Valley Foodie!

      Reply

    • Nikola says

      This is the best copy of the bigmac sauce ever! Exactly the same taste, there’s no difference between this and original. Most important thing is to let the sauce in refrigerator overnight for best results!

      Reply

  4. Line says

    I really want to try this I have searched for a recipe for sweet pickle relish but there is a lot of different ones. Do I need cinnamon, mustard seeds and special sugar to make the relish? I have some pickled cucumbers so I don’t need to start from scratch. Do you have a simple recipe?

    Reply

    • Fox Valley Foodie says

      I don’t buy any specific brand of sweet pickle relish. Purchase the seasoning simply labeled as “Paprika” in the store, paprika is regular paprika. Recipes will typically specify “smoked paprika” if it is needed.

      Reply

  8. Alisha says

    I have been eating big mac’s for almost 10 years now I never ordered anything else from McDonald’s I am going to try this . It will be my holly grail if it turned out the same! This has a high expectation to meet. Will let you know how I like it 🙂

    Reply

  10. Fabio says

    “Yellow mustard”. I feel so sorry you live in such a sad place that all mustards taste alike and you need not be more specific about the kind of mustard to get this right 😀

    Reply

    • Sarina says

      There is a thing such as STANDARD YELLOW MUSTARD…so no feeling sorry for us wherever you are…we have TONS of mustards to choose from. French’, Heinze or Plochman’s is standard in most states…

      Reply

    • Camalita Lee Daniels says

      I feel sorry you live in such a sad place you talk sh*t about things you know nothing about. Now, I’m going to my fridge, where I have yellow mustard, brown mustard, spicy brown mustard, Chinese hot mustard, Dijon mustard, champagne mustard, horseradish mustard, honey mustard, and whole grain mustard. I bought my condiments from standard old Safeway, not even a fancy import shop where they would have an even bigger selection.

      Reply

  11. Erik says

    You say its 12 servings, but what is the size per serving? I need to carb count so I was just wondering. I plan on making a Big Mac salad and stumbled across your recipe.

    Reply

  16. AJ says

    Wow, this sauce is AMAZING…the whole family devoured these burgers because of the sauce. I only refrigerated the sauce for one hour but I can just imagine how much more amazing it could be marinating for longer. We are truly in awe and so incredibly pleased with the results. thank you so much!! God Bless

    Reply

  17. Chris says

    Absolutely perfect. The only thing that wasn’t quite right for me was the color. So I added about 2 drops of red food coloring. It was spot on. I let it marinade in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. You can’t get more perfect than that. Thank you!!!!!!

    Reply

  18. Gordon says

    I tried it and something was missing. I added a tablespoon of French dressing and now it is much closer to the Big Mac flavor. It is worth noting that other online recipes call for either Thousand Island dressing or French dressing.

    Reply

  19. Jennifer Rolland says

    Love this, was so happy when I made it, my Son and I loved it. I was sooo impressed with myself ( you too for posting !! ). I called my husband at work and told him all about it and that we were having these burgers for dinner. After a LONG pause my husband (whom I have been married to for 30 years and together as teenagers for 5 ) said ” Don’t you know me at all ? I hate big macs, I have never ordered one in the 35 years we have been together !!! AGHHH I really didn’t know that. My Son and I had Big Macs and Mr. Party Pooper just had a burger… Have a great year, gonna have to watch my weight with this one. Having them again tonight.

    Reply

  20. J.P. says

    This is seriously wrong. The real recipe was leaked from an 80s manager manual. You need sweet and dill relish. You also need Mayo and miracle whip. Every now and then it gets reposted. Look for the real thing don’t use this awful copy cat recipe.

    Reply

  21. Kurt Holzmuller says

    I have been trying to find a good copycat recipe for this sauce for a long time. I made this sauce last night for a “Big Mac cheeseburger salad” recipe I have. This sauce was fabulous and I will make it again and again. I also am enjoying the new Beyond Beef and will use this sauce when making burgers. Thanks for posting this and figuring it all out for us.

    Reply

  23. Jason says

    This is MONEY! I tried it after only sitting for 2 hours but it’s as close as you’re going to get making this from home. I did add some course ground black pepper to mine but we all just love it. Thanks for sharing this with all of us!! Props!

    Reply

  24. Jerrie says

    Do you know if this is the same sauce they put on the new burger from Spain? We loved it and are trying to make it at home. I mixed mayo, spicy sauce and a little ketchup but it’s missing something. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Fox Valley Foodie says

      I don’t, and I have wondered if Big Mac Sauce is different overseas than in America. Perhaps a traveler can chime in if they know the answer.

      Reply

  26. Marie says

    My hubby is a big Big Mac fan so I made this for him. Great recipe! It has just the right amount of tang and sweetness and topped off our homemade Big Macs perfectly.

    Reply

  27. Chris says

    This recipe is so good and I mostly followed it except I had to use the rice wine vinegar. And I increased the paprika to get a Pinker color. My husband tasted it and said it tastes the same; we’re going to makes big macs with beyond meat burgers when my daughter visits tomorrow . She will be the judge because that’s her fav food 😊 thank you

    Reply

    • Fox Valley Foodie says

      I am not familiar with that type of pickle relish. The flavor matters more than the color, so if it has a sweet flavor you should be good to go.

      Reply

  30. Kris says

    Loved this. Did take the mustard down to 1 tsp, and added a heaping Tbsp of ketchup, fam loved it, and will definitely make again, thank you!

    Reply

  31. Cheryl Willaman says

    This was good, and whenever I have gotten a big mac, I say no sauce, or extra piece of bread. used to make my dad so impatient waiting. well, extra bread can go to dogs or ducks now but I don’t go to mcds much. but this recipe I can do, but I like spice so I did add cayenne along with the paprika for burgers tonight. husband knows how to cook a good burger! and I really don’t prefer red meat but I bought and sounded good. probably sriracha on mine, forgot. honestly, I like a1 and yellow mustard on my burgers. and always pickle. and white cheese, just not swiss. guess I am a little picky, eh? lol. 😂

    Reply

  32. Desiree says

    We can’t believe how much this tastes EXACTLY like Big Mac sauce. We have made this a few times now, (using vegan mayo and I keep forgetting to buy white wine vinegar so have used apple cider vinegar). Oh and also using veggie burgers. But wow, the sauce is amazing! It is true, let it sit overnight and it will have just the right colour and flavour. Thank you for sharing this recipe! From an appreciative Canadian family 🙂

    Reply

  34. kathy says

    I make my own mayo (bit of garlic and dash of sugar) with my own chicken egg yolks, and THEN make this sauce. goes on all my sandwiches. it is num num….

    Reply

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