Skinny Big Mac Burger

April 14, 2021 By Stephanie 44 Comments

A lightened-up version of the fast food favorite, the ultimate burger: The Big Mac. Two lean beef patties topped with cheese and sandwiched between a sesame seed bun, complete with all the fixin’s, this Skinny Big Mac burger will satisfy your fast food craving in a healthy way. With all homemade ingredients, you can control what goes into this burger, without compromising the flavor.

What makes a Big Mac different from other burgers?

There are a few components that set the Big Mac apart from other burgers:

Double Patties: the iconic Big Mac features double all-beef patties, topped with cheese
Three-part bun: to separate the double patties, the Big Mac features three pieces of a bun, as opposed to just a top and bottom.
Special sauce: the iconic Big Mac special sauce is sweet and tangy.
Toppings: lettuce and diced onion complete the flavor profile of the Big Mac.

To recreate this burger, I mirrored all of these characteristics in a “lightened-up” way. The classic Big Mac rings in at 540 calories and 18 WW points. My version rings in at 381 calories and 10 WW points.

What you’ll need to make a skinny Big Mac burger

96/4 extra lean ground beef
- I find mine at Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and some local supermarkets. If you can’t find extra lean ground beef, you can substitute any other ground beef, but the stats will change.
sesame seed buns
- I used these from Big Marty’s – they are absolutely delicious, and huge!
- They are 180 calories and 4 WW points
American cheese (I use Velveeta)
dehydrated onion (also known as minced onion)
Worcestershire sauce
ketchup
light mayonnaise
sweet relish
shredded lettuce
onion
white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

How to prep and cook the burger patties

To prep the patties, mix together the beef with the dehydrated onion and Worcestershire. The key here is to really flavor the beef. Then, form eight equal-sized patties, at approximately 2 ounces each. The key to making these patties is pressing them very flat and thin, since they are smaller in weight than a regular full-sized patty. We want them to be thin, but large enough to cover the bun.

I like to use my flat-top griddle to cook these, but any frying pan or grill pan will work great. First, preheat the pan over medium-high heat, and then spray it with non-stick cooking spray. I cook the patties for about 3 minutes per side, flipping once.

Once the burgers are cooked, divide 1 1/2 slices of Velveeta among every two patties (two patties are equivalent to one serving). Turn the heat off from under the pan. Then, place a lid on the top of the pan for the cheese to melt.

How to cut the burger bun into thirds

This is the question I get asked most frequently when I show this recipe! To cut the bun into thirds, it can be tricky. Since the bun will most likely come already cut in half, I simply take the thicker of the two halves, and then slice that in half using a serrated knife. If you are unable to do this, you can definitely leave the bun as-is. It’s really just for the whole aesthetic here.

How to prep the toppings

To make the special sauce, simply combine the ketchup, mayo and relish in a small bowl and whisk them together.

To prep the onions, dice up a white onion as small as possible, and then let it soak in the vinegar in a small bowl until you are ready to assemble (trust me on this one!)

How to assemble the burgers

This part is easy! Spread the sauce on the bottom part of the bun, then top with a patty, followed by the onions and lettuce. Then, repeat that step again, and top it with the last part of the bun.

And the end result…