Vegan Big Mac Salad

I always loved the special sauce on a Big Mac when I was younger and it reminded me of Russian or thousand island dressing but it was different somehow and hard to describe. I’ve tried recreating it over the years from various recipes but it never quite tasted the same – until now. Turns out, the secret ingredient all along was bottled French dressing!! You know, the red tomato based kind that’s always on the salad bar that no one touches? It’s like a tangier thinner ketchup and it’s the flavor component that was missing! Some brands aren’t vegan so check the labels but I know Annie’s, Organicville and some store brands like Aldi are vegan. You could use plain ketchup but it’s not exactly the same – trust me.

While this is amazing on a vegan burger (remember the jingle “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun”? No? Probably a millennial…) I wanted a lighter option for summer like a salad. This skips the bun and we’re using vegan burgers. It’s actually accidentally keto and gluten-free to boot!

Use your favorite vegan burger (even cooked lentils would work too!) then it’s just assembling the other mentioned ingredients included in a Big Mac (minus the bun) and adding a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top! Super easy and super delicious! This would feed two comfortably but you can always double the dressing and make a large version to feed a crowd. Enjoy!

Vegan Big Mac Salad

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

A delicious vegan salad version of a Big Mac with a copycat dressing!

Ingredients

• Special Sauce Dressing

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo (use your favorite)

• 3 tablespoons vegan French dressing (you could substitute ketchup)

• 4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

• 1 tablespoon finely minced or grated white or red onion

• 1 teaspoon white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon vegan cane sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Big Mac Salad

• 3 cups lettuce (use iceberg for an authentic taste)

• sliced red or yellow onions

• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese

• 2 pickle spears, diced

• 1 tomato, diced

• 2 vegan burgers, cooked and crumbled (could use vegan ground beef instead)

• toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle

Directions

• Make the dressing. I used a small mini prep food processor but you can mix by hand if you have the onions already finely chopped. I added the onion first then minced it then added all the other ingredients and blended. This is best refrigerated for at least a few hours or preferably overnight.
• Cook the vegan burgers and set aside. Prep all the veggies and assemble the salad by placing the bed of lettuce down first then arranging all the other salad ingredients around the bowl. You can section them like I did or sprinkle them all over the lettuce evenly.
• Pour the dressing liberally over the top of the salad then toss to combine. Sprinkle sesame seeds (toasted is better!) over the top if desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

• I used Aldi’s French dressing but there are many vegan versions on the market. if you can’t find it you can use ketchup but it won’t taste as authentic.
  
• Use your favorite vegan mayo. I used Follow Your Heart veganaise.
  
• I used Beyond burgers crumbled but use your favorite. Even cooked lentils would be good as an option!
• Use your favorite vegan cheddar cheese.
  

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