Cheeseburger meets salad in this healthy burger salad bowl recipe! Dressed with a Big Mac-inspired special sauce, these delicious burger bowls taste like your fast food favorite, but are way, way, healthier. Super simple to throw together at the last minute or make a bunch for meal prep! {Gluten-free}
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Fully Loaded Burger Bowls
If you’re trying to eat a little better but still find yourself craving fast food, burger bowls are just the thing.
You get all the flavors you love – like seasoned hamburger meat with lettuce, juicy tomatoes, dill pickles, cheese and plenty of burger sauce – just without the bun (and ultra-processed ingredients).
The healthy Big Mac sauce is so good, you guys. You’ll definitely want to make extra!
Why We Swear By This Salad
With just a few fridge basics, you can throw this whole thing together in just a few minutes.
We like to keep the sauce on hand for lightning-quick salads on those crazy days! It goes especially great with Grilled Chicken Nuggets.
Plus, it’s loaded with 37 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and plenty healthy fats to actually keep you going. Totally macro-friendly and only 400 calories per serving.
P.S. My kids LOVE these salad bowls (minus the red onion), and it’s an easy way to get kids to eat get more veggies and protein!
Before You Get Started
- Make sure that you give the cashews sufficient time to soak so that they are soft enough to blend. If they aren’t soft enough, the sauce may contain chunks of cashews. We want a smooth and creamy sauce. If you don’t have time to soak the cashews, you can also boil them in water on the stove for 20 minutes to soften them.
- I recommend making up a double batch of this sauce since it keeps well in the fridge. It’s so good, you’ll want to put it on everything! It also works well spread on burgers or sandwiches, mixed in with shredded or diced chicken or used as a creamy salad dressing.
If you’re a burger lover, be sure to also try my Worcestershire Sauce Burger Recipe, Frozen Burger Recipe and Big Mac tacos too!
Ingredient Notes
For the burger salad
- Beef: I like to use extra lean ground beef which is high in protein and lower in saturated fat. You can absolutely use ground turkey or chicken instead, too.
- Burger essentials: Load up on all your favorite burger toppings, like romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, dill pickles, and avocado.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: You can use mild, medium or old cheddar depending on what you prefer.
Special Sauce Ingredients
This version of burger sauce is made with cashews instead of mayonnaise! If you require a nut-free option, however, you can sub in a quarter cup of mayo instead of the cashews.
- Raw cashews: Forms a creamy base for the sauce when soaked and blended. Use unsalted raw cashew if you can.
- Tomato paste: Key for color and that umami, finger-licking flavor. It’s my low-sugar stand-in for ketchup!
- Dijon mustard: Dijon adds a great flavor without being too overpowering. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can use regular yellow (AKA American) mustard
- Pickle and pickle juice: This gives the sauce its unmistakable special sauce flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
- Soak cashews for at least two hours in hot water.
- Cook ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and Dijon mustard, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently. Drain off any fat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the special sauce into a high power blender (we like the Ninja) and blend until smooth.
- Divide the lettuce among four bowls, top each with equal amounts of the ground beef mixture.
- Top with red onion, avocado, tomatoes, pickles and cheddar cheese. Drizzle each salad bowl with desired amount of sauce and toss to combine.
How to Store
You can store the burger mixture in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Meal prep tip: I recommend storing the burger mixture, sauce and salad separately and combining when ready to serve to keep it as fresh as possible and prevent the lettuce from going soggy. I often like to microwave the meat mixture to serve it warm, but that’s optional.
Best Toppings for Burger Bowls
Just like regular burgers, there are truly infinite flavor combinations to play with.
We like to keep it classic with the lettuce, tomato, onion roster (plus some avocado for healthy fats), but you can try out different options here.
Customize your bowls with these diner-inspired combos or make your own!
- Salsa Burger Bowl – Add salsa, sour cream, guacamole, black beans, pickled jalapeños, crushed tortilla chips, and pepper jack cheese.
- Bacon Blue Burger Bowl – Add crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and caramelized onions.
- BBQ Burger Bowl – Top with crispy fried onions, lower sugar BBQ sauce, and crumbled bacon.
- Mushroom Swiss – Sauteed mushrooms and onions with shredded Swiss cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Of course, no burger is complete without some French fries on the side! We like to pair them with Curly Sweet Potato Fries to really round out the experience although these healthy roasted potatoes are a nice option.
Really, this salad is a complete meal in a bowl, so you don’t actually need to serve it with anything else!
Substitutions + Variations
- More veggies: If you want more veggies, you can also add diced or shredded carrots, peppers or cucumbers.
- Use leftover burger patties: This is a great time-saver! Save leftover burger patties from grilling, and just chop them up to throw in the salad.
- To make vegan: Use veggie grounds or black beans and leave off the cheese.
More Healthy Salad and Bowl Recipes
- Protein Salad Recipes
- Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- Steak and Avocado Salad
- Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Potato Kale Bowl
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Burger Salad Bowl
Video
Ingredients
For the burger mixture
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Dash of salt and pepper
For the special sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted cashews, soaked
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons diced pickle
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice (or white vinegar)
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
For the burger bowls
- 8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 4 cups diced cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced pickles
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Soak cashews for at least two hours in hot water.
- Cook ground beef in a frying pan over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add in the onion and Dijon mustard, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently. Drain off any fat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the Big Mac sauce into a high power blender (we like the Ninja) and blend until smooth.
- Divide the lettuce among four bowls, top each with equal amounts of the ground beef mixture.
- Top with red onion, avocado, tomatoes, pickles and cheddar cheese. Drizzle each salad bowl with desired amount of special sauce and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Soften the cashews: Soak well for a smooth, creamy sauce. Short on time? Boil cashews for 20 minutes instead.
- Save time: Make the sauce ahead so you only need to cook the beef and assemble when ready.
- Meal prep tip: Store the burger mixture, sauce, and salad separately to keep the lettuce from getting soggy.
- Make extra sauce: It keeps well in the fridge and is delicious on burgers, sandwiches, chicken, or as a dressing.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in April 2021 and the text and formatting was updated in January 2026.
Love this recipe as it has some delicious ingredients (such as beef and avocado), I end up cooking the same way all the time, so it was nice to try something new! Plus – that paprika kick in the sauce, together with the mustard, was absolutely perfect, it balanced the whole dish! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Elle! It’s always nice to switch up the menu and try something new :) Thanks so much for returning to leave a review!