This Easy Big Mac Casserole will give you all of the classic flavor of the popular burger from McDonald's but without the carbs. This dish is baked with the special secret sauce, and topped with melted cheese and crunchy pickles. Serve it on a lettuce wrap or as a salad!
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Some of my most popular recipes are casseroles. Why? They are so easy and they reheat even better the next day! That makes it great for meal prep and freezer friendly, too!
Secret Sauce Ingredients
Oh the top secret sauce from McDonald's! We have heard about it all of our lives, right? I've heard it compared to a Thousand Island dressing, but I honestly feel like it's different!
The notable flavors come from mayo, pickle relish, and mustard. You can also taste the sugar! The sweet flavor comes from the relish and added sugar, but making your own relish is pretty easy. It's a simple as chopping up pickles (which are naturally sugar-free) and adding your own low carb sweetener.
Here are the ingredients.
- Mayo (see substitutes in the post below)
- Mustard
- Unsweetened BBQ Sauce (You can also substitute unsweetened ketchup)
- Smoked Paprika (You can use regular, but it won't taste the same)
- Pickles
- Sweetener (I use monkfruit)
- Vinegar
- Salt
McDonald's adds a little ketchup to give the sauce it's signature color. While testing this recipe I found that I actually love the flavor of adding a little BBQ sauce a lot more. It's amazing, but if you want to substitute ketchup, go for it.
You can also check out my Keto Low Carb BBQ Sauce recipe here.
How to Make Big Mac Casserole
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, burger seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add in Worcestershire sauce and cream cheese.
- Remove the skillet from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, heavy cream, and all of the ingredients for the Big Mac Sauce.
- Pour the ground beef mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with ¾ cup of shredded cheddar.
- Drizzle the liquid mixture on top.
- Sprinkle ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake.
How to Reduce the Fat in the Recipe
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken
- Omit the cream cheese.
- Use low fat or reduced-fat mayo.
- Substitute mayo for plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.
What to Pair with the Casserole
- Crunchy lettuce like romaine to make it a lettuce wrap or a salad
- Small side salad
- Roasted veggies like Air Fryer Broccoli or Air Fryer Roasted Green Beans
- Keto Onion Rings
Can You Make it Ahead
No, I wouldn't. You could cook the ground beef ahead and refrigerate it until you are ready to make the casserole, but that's all I would do ahead of time.
How Long Will it Last in the Fridge
It will last 3-4 days tightly sealed in the fridge.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze this dish. I would slice it up into the servings first and then freeze it in a sealable container or bag. Defrost it overnight in the frige. Because it contains dairy, the dairy and cheese will separate when reheated.
More Casserole Recipes
Keto Low Carb Cheeseburger Casserole
Keto Low Carb Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
Keto Low Carb Bacon Egg Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Keto Low Carb Pizza Casserole
Big Mac Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef Or ground turkey or ground chicken.
- 1 teaspoon Burger or Steak Seasoning You can use your favorite rub. See notes below for how to make your own.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- additional sliced pickles Optional for topping.
Big Mac Sauce
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon bbq sauce I used unsweetened and sugar free.
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons diced pickles
- 1 ½ tablespoons sweetener
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, burger seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Use a meat chopper and break the ground beef into chunks.
- Add the worcestershire sauce and cream cheese. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink and the cream cheese has melted.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Drain excess fat from the beef if necessary.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, and all of the ingredients for the Big Mac Sauce.
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with oil or cooking spray (if necessary for the type of pan you use. I use ceramic and find it doesn't need it.) Pour the ground beef mixture into the dish. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar over the beef.
- Drizzle the liquid mixture on top.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar cheese on top. Add additional pickles slices to the top if you wish.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese has melted on top and the casserole has set. You can test if it has finished baking, by wiggling the baking dish. If the casserole has a jiggle then it has not set. Mine took 35 minutes to fully bake.
- Cool completely before serving. The longer it cools, the better it will set. I cool for 15 minutes. If you slice into it too soon, it will fall apart. It will also fall apart if it hasn't fully baked.
Video
Notes
- You can make your own burger seasoning using the following ¼ teaspoon minced onions, ¼ teaspoon rosemary, ¼ teaspoon thyme, and ¼ teaspoon coriander.
- Feel free to top it with sesame seeds to make it feel more like a Big Mac!
- Feel free to make additional sauce for drizzling.
- Coconut Aminos or soy sauce can be substituted for worcestershire sauce. It will not taste exactly the same.
- You can substitute white vinegars for others, but it won't taste the same.
- McDonald's adds a little ketchup to give the sauce it's signature color. During testing this recipe I found that I actually love the flavor of adding a little BBQ sauce a lot more. It's amazing, but if you want to substitute ketchup, go for it.
- You can substitute paprika for smoked paprika.
How to Reduce the Fat in the Recipe
- Use ground turkey or ground chicken
- Omit the cream cheese.
- Use low fat or reduced-fat mayo.
- Substitute mayo for plain, non-fat Greek yogurt.
Diana says
Hey love your site
I have been thinking of starting keto and stumbled on this website is this something you would recommend?
staysnatched says
Yes, I recommend this recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Heather says
Do you think I can replace heavy cream with half and half?
staysnatched says
Likely, but I haven’t tested it to be sure.
Nicole Braswell says
Yum Brandi!! This was so good! A quick and easy weeknight meal to add to the rotation. Even my 9 year old said this was better than any “regular” burger.
staysnatched says
Yes! I love to hear it's kid friendly.
Heather says
Great dinner and now we have leftovers for lunch! I used 95% lean beef and that was perfect. The hardest part was diving up the mini dills I have on hand for charcuterie boards. 😉
staysnatched says
haha yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
JAMIE L O'BRIEN says
This is a great combination! So delicious! Can’t wait for the leftovers!
staysnatched says
Enjoy the leftovers!
Christina Smith says
Brandi- You did it AGAIN! ANOTHER 10/10 recipe! Never in my life would I have thought a casserole would hit the same taste as a well-flavored, juicy burger but WOW!!! Even my 10y/o (who refuses ALL new things & would rather starve than eat pickles or onions) INHALED it! For that reason alone Brandi- Thank you, Thank you, Thank YOU!!!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm so glad to hear it!
Shauna says
I was thrilled to find I had everything for this already in my pantry. My husband walked in the house after I pulled it out of the oven and said “It smells like McDonald’s in here.” So, clearly she nailed it, yet again. This will be a meal prep staple!
staysnatched says
Yay! Love to hear it!
Abi says
This was absolutely delicious! I subbed half and half for the heavy cream and used light mayo. It turned out great.
staysnatched says
I'm glad it worked out!
Angela says
This. Was. Amazing!!!! I just made this tonight, and my husband and I absolutely loved it! The directions were so easy to follow, and it didn’t take long to prep at all! I also baked mine for 35 minutes and let it rest as Brandi suggested. It was perfect. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Terri says
I made this a few nights ago. It was awesome! I have celiac disease, so I have to eat gluten-free and haven't had a Big Mac in five years. This tasted just like a Big Mac. My family loved it too! I may or may not have had some for breakfast the next morning . . . Haha!
staysnatched says
haha so glad you enjoyed it!
Erin says
This was delicious! I made my own burger seasoning as Brandi recommended in the notes and that’s going to be a new staple for me. Made my kitchen smell like heaven while I made this! Paired it with her air fryer roasted green beans and it made a great meal. I’ll probably have it again for dinner tonigh!
staysnatched says
That's an amazing combination!
Hayley says
Amazing, amazing, amazing! This absolutely satisfied my craving for a Big Mac with no time wasted on the empty calories and filler of the bun! I made the Mac sauce in a separate bowl first and holy smokes, it took every fibre of my being to not just eat it straight up with a spoon. Will absolutely make again!
staysnatched says
So glad to hear you will make it again.
Angela says
This recipe... *chef's kiss*
It was quick, easy, and delicious! My husband and very picky toddler both LOVED this. Highly recommend!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad the family loved it!
DeErica Reddish says
So easy to make, yet so delicious 😃
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Chloe says
This recipe is the bomb dot com. We’ve made it numerous times and it was so delicious every time.
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear it.
EJ says
Where can we find the amount of carbs in your recipes? You only list the number of calories.
staysnatched says
I’m glad you looked and found it!
EJ says
Sorry, just went back through page and found it. Just stumbled upon your website today. Your recipes sound delicious! Do you publish a strictly keto cookbook? I ordered the Keto Essential Cookbook, but would like to have one from you, if possible. Thank you
staysnatched says
No I don’t
Christina McKinney says
I decided to make this for my husband to eat over the weekend while I will be out of town. He had a little taste tonight and with a mouthful of food said “I don’t think this will make it through the weekend, it’s too damn good”.
staysnatched says
Yay! So glad to hear it.
Katie W says
I made this a few months ago and absolutely loved it! Normally I get sick of leftovers after a couple days but I was wanting more even after our leftovers were gone. Making a two casseroles next time!
staysnatched says
Wonderful. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Heather says
Another home run recipe. I’ve made this recipe 3 times in the last 3 weeks because it’s such a hit! It’s just as good with lower-fat beef or mayo. I’ve also used just the sauce recipe to add to burgers. Thanks!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Lisa says
This is delicious for the whole family and so simple! Can’t beat that!
staysnatched says
I'm so glad to hear it.
Mallory K says
Such a tasty sub for a Big Mac without the carbs! And easy to whip up even after a long workday.
staysnatched says
I'm glad to hear it was easy.
Kristin says
My whole family loved this recipe! Something different for our traditional family burger nights!
staysnatched says
Great for burger nights!
Keri says
BING BONG! ANOTHER HIT!
Made this tonight for a quick dinner and for lunch for the week at the office (yuck)
Fully anticipating my coworkers asking what it is and I will have my receipts ready.
10/10 like always!
staysnatched says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Debbie says
I made this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! The flavors were spot on. Another winner from you, Brandi! Thank you!
staysnatched says
So glad to hear it!