Prepare this easy, homemade McDonald’s Big Mac sauce recipe for burgers and sandwiches. Or serve the copycat sauce as a dip for french fries, potato wedges, and chicken nuggets.
What is Big Mac Sauce?
Big Mac sauce was made by McDonald’s specifically for their signature Big Mac burger that combines two beef patties stacked between three buns and topped with finely chopped onions, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, and Big Mac sauce, of course! The creamy spread has a uniquely sweet and tangy flavor that complements the sandwich perfectly.
Fun fact. Reader’s Digest suggests that in the original 1968 advertisements for the Big Mac, the delicious sauce carried the name ‘secret sauce.’ In 1974, the sauce took on the iconic name it has today.
It’s surprising how much controversy surrounds Big Mac sauce, specifically about what should and should not go in it. From what I’ve gathered, most agree ketchup and French dressing have no place in the sauce – so here it goes!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mayonnaise: Use a high-quality mayonnaise brand, like Duke’s or Hellman’s, as a base for the creamy sauce.
- Mustard: Add tanginess and color to the sauce by stirring in a little yellow mustard.
- Sweet Pickle Relish: Include sweet relish to balance the flavor of the copycat Mcdonald’s Big Mac Sauce recipe. Finely dice sweet gherkin pickles instead of sweet relish.
- Vinegar: Distilled white vinegar smooths out the sauce.
- Spices: Season with garlic powder, salt, paprika, and turmeric powder to give the Big Mac sauce its signature color.
How to Make McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce Recipe
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the yellow mustard, sweet relish, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric in a small bowl.
Step 2: Whisk the mayonnaise into the mixture until smooth and creamy.
Tips for Emulsification
What is Emulsification?
Emulsification is a fancy cooking term that describes combining ingredients that do not naturally mix, such as oil and vinegar, and making them stay together using an emulsifier.
What is an Emulsifier?
An emulsifier acts like a bridge between two opposing ingredients, holding them together in a smooth, stable mixture. The best emulsifiers contain water and oil-friendly properties to help the ingredients combine. The most common emulsifiers include egg yolks, mustard, mayonnaise, soybeans, honey, and xanthan gum.
How to Create a Stable Emulsification
If you want to learn how to make homemade vinaigrette, dressing, hollandaise sauce, aioli, or mayonnaise, then learning how to create a stable emulsification is key. Plus, it’s easier than you think!
- Choose an Emulsifier: Select an emulsifying ingredient based on what you are making.
- Combine the Ingredients: Mix the water-based ingredients, such as vinegar or lime juice with an emulsifier.
- Slowly Add Oil: Slowly add the oil or oil-based ingredients while whisking or blending the ingredients. The gradual addition helps to achieve a stable emulsion (so the two liquids combine instead of separate).
- Adjust the Consistency: If the mixture gets too thick, add more water-based liquid to thin it out while continuing to mix.
If you enjoy the sauce, pair it with one of these recipes!
How to Use the Sauce
- Homemade Big Mac, Turkey Smash Burgers, Air Fryer Chicken Burgers
- Burger Bowls
- Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Tenders
- French Fries, Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Potato Fries, Home Fries
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container. Mcdonald’s big mac sauce will keep for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is McDonald’s Big Mac sauce made of?
A McDonald’s executive chef released a video sharing all the secrets for making Big Mac at home, including a basic recipe for the sauce using simple pantry ingredients. His sauce includes mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Although his recipe seems delicious, I prefer the flavor of distilled white vinegar and add turmeric powder, as is reflected in my McDonald’s Big Mac sauce recipe.
Is Big Mac sauce thousand island dressing?
McDonald’s Big Mac sauce does contain similar ingredients to Thousand Island dressing. However, the difference is the lack of ketchup or tomatoes in the Big Mac sauce.
More Sauce Recipes:
Mcdonald’s Big Mac Sauce Recipe
- Small Bowl
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- Combine the yellow mustard, sweet relish, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric in a small bowl.
- Whisk the mayonnaise into the mixture until smooth and creamy.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Jake
Friday 26th of May 2023
Game changer sauce. I love it!
Amanda Reynolds
Friday 26th of May 2023
Wow, this copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe is LEGIT! Tasted just like the real deal. Thanks for cracking the code!