Dinner tonight is healthy Burger Bowls with Special Sauce! Load all your favorite hamburger toppings onto a bed of greens and drizzle with our homemade special sauce to build an amazing burger salad. (Gluten-Free, Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
For the first few years after our family went gluten-free & dairy-free, the options in our local stores were nothing like they are today. There were ZERO good gluten-free buns for things like hamburgers or sloppy joes, and most of the bread options available to us then were dry and flavorless.
During that time, we got used to deconstructing meals we typically served with bread or buns, turning sandwiches into salads, having lunch fixings as more of a charcuterie board/snack board, or tucking things into lettuce wraps.
These easy burger bowls became a favorite during those years. They go by many nicknames–Big Mac Salad, cheeseburger bowls, burger salads–but no matter what you call them, these deconstructed burger bowls are DELICIOUS. You basically, take everything you love about a traditional hamburger and turn it into a giant bowl or salad (sans bun). It’s an easy, healthier way to get your burger fix!
These fully-loaded burger bowls are done in 30 minutes or less, taste fresh and delicious, and are easy to customize. Basically: they’re the perfect dinner for a busy weeknight!
Here’s what you’ll need to get started…
Simple Ingredients To Start
One thing you’ll LOVE about this easy burger bowl recipe is how simple the ingredients are! Let’s take a look:
- GROUND BEEF. Based on your dietary needs, you can choose to use beef that’s on the extra lean side (labeled as “97/3”), something mid-range (“90/10”), or something with a bit more fat (“85/15”). Generally speaking, the more fat in the beef, the more flavor you’ll taste, but you can choose whatever works best for your dietary needs.
- SIMPLE SEASONINGS. A blend of simple seasonings gives your beef LOTS of flavor and keeps your burger bowl from tasting the least bit flat. A blend of garlic powder, onion, powder, salt, and pepper season the beef to perfection, while a little shot of gluten-free tamari (or coconut aminos or soy sauce) adds a subtle layer of umami that makes it taste amazing.
- A BED OF GREENS. For me, lettuce is an absolute must for a yummy burger bowl. Vibrant, crisp greens turn this into a sort of burger salad and makes a lower calorie veggie-licious alternative to a traditional bun. I like crunchy romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce best for burger bowls, but feel free to use your favorite!
- OUR SPECIAL BURGER SAUCE. Special sauce (a homemade take on Big Mac sauce) is one of my favorite parts of a good burger bowl. Everyone has their own version of special sauce, and I really love mine. It’s a mix of tangy and savory flavors made from mayo, ketchup, pickles, pickle juice, and simple seasonings. It’s perfect smothered on a burger or drizzled over a burger bowl.
- YOUR FAVORITE BURGER TOPPINGS. The best part of these burger bowls is choosing your toppings! It’s easy for everyone to build their own burger bowl just the way they like it–you can mix and match from all kinds of toppings that work for your taste and dietary needs, like…
Burger Toppings To Try
This easy dinner starts with a simple base–lettuce + burger + toppings + sauce, but you can absolutely add extra toppings to make these burger bowls to your taste. Some of our favorite toppings are:
- Tomatoes. You can dice regular tomatoes, but I often just halve cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes for more bite-sized pieces.
- Red Onion (Or Your Favorite). Thinly sliced red onions or sweet onions can be a great addition!
- Pickles. Dill pickles are always a must for me! You can use pickle slices/pickle chips or dice whole pickles.
- Bacon. Crispy, crumbled bacon is one of the quickest ways to elevate your burger bowl from basic to fully-loaded. Add as much or as little as you like!
- Avocado. My next favorite is sliced or diced avocado. (AVOCADOS forever!)
- Cheese. If you tolerate it, feel free to add some cheese to turn it into a cheeseburger bowl. A good sharp cheddar cheese, pepper jack, Swiss, or Gouda can be fun!
- Mushrooms. A bit more on the fancy side, some sautéed mushrooms can be amazing on top of a burger bowl.
- Caramelized Onions. I ate an amazing hamburger once with mushrooms and caramelized onions. The sweet, delicious flavors are perfect with earthy, savory mushrooms.
- Fried Egg. I’ve never made my burger bowls this way, but if you really want to GO FOR IT, feel free to top it with something a bit extra, like a fried egg!
- Croutons. If you’re not eating paleo/Whole30, you can mimic the taste of the bun by adding croutons onto your burger bowl. (Try these!)
How To Make Burger Bowls, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- First, Season & Cook The Beef. Heat a medium or large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, tamari/coconut aminos, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the beef until browned and fully cooked through, stirring regularly to break the meat up a bit, about 8-10 minutes.
- While The Beef Cooks, Make The Special Sauce. In a jar or small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, 1 Tbsp. pickle juice, salt, pepper, and dill. Whisk until fully combined. Taste and add more mayonnaise, pickle, salt, or pepper, if needed, or thin out the sauce with more pickle juice or water to reach your desired consistency.
- Build Your Burger Bowl. Once your beef is cooked and the special sauce is prepared, you’re ready to build your burger bowls! For each burger bowl, combine 2 cups lettuce, 1/4 of the ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, onion, bacon, and avocado, as desired. Drizzle burger bowl with 2-3 Tbsp. special sauce and enjoy!
Make Ahead Tips
To speed your evening preparation up even more, feel free to mix up the special sauce in advance. It’ll keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator. You can also wash & prep the lettuce ahead of time. Then, all you need to do is cook the beef, finish the toppings & build your burger bowl!
Make It A Meal (Side Dish Ideas)
This delicious burger bowl can be a pretty well-balanced meal on its own depending on what you top it with, but if you’re looking for some side dish ideas, these are some of our favorite things to serve with burger bowls:
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries. What’s more classic than a burger and fries? These CRISPY fries have a seasoning you’ll DREAM about. Crispy Smashed Potatoes are another great choice!
- Watermelon Fruit Salad. In the summer, I LOVE to make a batch of this Watermelon Fruit Salad. The fresh, bright flavors are PERFECT.
- Fresh Fruit. Or, use whatever fresh fruit is in season–grapes, apple slices, oranges, berries, watermelon, peaches, etc.
- Corn On The Cobb. Another summer favorite when it’s in season!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Burger Bowl
PALEO & WHOLE30 NOTES. Our burger bowls are paleo & whole30 friendly, so long as you’re using compliant ingredients, like coconut aminos, paleo mayonnaise and ketchup, and compliant pickles (try Grillo’s or Bubbie’s!). Win!
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CHOOSE A DIFFERENT BURGER! Feel free to use a turkey burger, chicken burger, or even your favorite veggie burger instead. We’ve made these with our Buffalo Chicken Burgers and BBQ Cheddar Chicken Burgers and they’re DELICIOUS. (Just chop or dice up your favorite cooked burger patty into bite-sized pieces instead of making our seasoned ground beef.)
TRY SWITCHING THE SAUCE! Not into special sauce? Feel free to use BBQ sauce, BBQ ranch, garlic aoli, or your favorite burger sauce instead! For even more ways to play with the flavor of your burger bowls, try one of our other yummy options, like Chipotle Ranch or Avocado Ranch instead!
Recipe Card
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Burger Bowls With Special Sauce (Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
- Total Time: About 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Burger night has never been easier! Load all your favorite hamburger toppings onto a bed of greens and drizzle with our favorite special sauce to build an amazing burger bowl. (Gluten-Free, Paleo & Whole30-Friendly)
Ingredients
FOR THE HAMBURGER:
- 1 pound (16 oz.) lean ground beef *
- 1 Tbsp. coconut aminos, gluten-free tamari, or soy sauce (can sub 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
FOR THE SPECIAL SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup pickle relish (or 1/4 cup minced pickles + 2 tsp. pickle juice)
- 1–2 Tbsp. pickle juice or water, to thin out the sauce
- 1/8. tsp. salt
- 1/8. tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. dried dill (or about 1 tsp. fresh dill)
TO BUILD YOUR BURGER BOWL:
- 8 cups romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup pickle slices
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced (or minced)
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
- 1 avocado, sliced or diced
- 4–8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- grated or cubed cheese
- caramelized onions
Instructions
- First, Season & Cook The Beef. Heat a medium or large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, tamari/coconut aminos, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook the beef until browned and fully cooked through, stirring regularly to break the meat up a bit, about 8-10 minutes.
- While The Beef Cooks, Make The Special Sauce. In a jar or small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, 1 Tbsp. pickle juice, salt, pepper, and dill. Whisk until fully combined. Taste and add more mayonnaise, pickle, salt, or pepper, if needed, or thin out the sauce with more pickle juice or water to reach your desired consistency.
- Build Your Burger Bowl. Once your beef is cooked and the special sauce is prepared, you’re ready to build your burger bowls! For each burger bowl, combine 2 cups lettuce, 1/4 of the ground beef, tomatoes, pickles, onion, bacon, and avocado, as desired. Drizzle burger bowl with 2-3 Tbsp. special sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- LEAN BEEF. We usually use extra-lean ground beef (97% lean ground beef) so we don’t need to drain any excess grease. If you’re using beef that’s less lean (like 85% lean), you may prefer to drain some fat from the pan.
- PALEO & WHOLE30 NOTES. Our burger bowls are paleo & whole30 friendly, so long as you’re using compliant ingredients, like coconut aminos, paleo mayonnaise and ketchup, and compliant pickles (try Grillo’s or Bubbie’s!). Win!
- CHOOSE A DIFFERENT BURGER! Feel free to use a turkey burger, chicken burger, or even your favorite veggie burger instead. We’ve made these with our Buffalo Chicken Burgers and BBQ Cheddar Chicken Burgers and they’re DELICIOUS. (Just chop or dice up your favorite cooked burger into bite-sized pieces instead of making our seasoned ground beef.)
- Prep Time: 20 mintues
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Burger Bowl with 2 Tbsp. special sauce
- Calories: 264
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 981.3 mg
- Fat: 10.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.5 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 27.4 g
- Cholesterol: 71.7 mg
Originally published May 2021. Updated July 2024.
I love how adaptable this recipe is. And it is a great and fun way to get some greens in my diet. The special sauce acts as a perfect dressing. Love it.
Our whole family loves these burger bowls! I love making a big batch of meat and the kids can customize their bowls. It’s a winner!
This is a must-have in the meal planning rotation