Big Mac lettuce wraps are cheesy beef patties with chopped salad, onion, pickles and a creamy special sauce, rolled in layered iceberg leaves instead of a bun. Grated potato keeps the patties moist, and the sauce is one small bowl of stirring. Total time is about 30 minutes.
📷 Recipe Snapshot
🍽️ Recipe: Big Mac Lettuce Wraps with Special Sauce
⏲️ Ready In: 30 min
👥 Serves: 4 (8 thin patties, 2 per wrap)
🌏 Cuisine: American
💪 Difficulty: Easy
📌 Recipe Type: Main Course / Burger Lettuce Wraps
🌟 Ingredient Highlights: ground beef, grated potato, iceberg lettuce, cheese, dill pickles, Greek yogurt
❤️ Why You'll Love It: Cheesy beef patties and a creamy Big Mac-style sauce rolled in crisp iceberg, with no bun and one small bowl for the sauce.
💡 Summarize and save this recipe on
Iceberg is the lettuce to use because the leaves are large, crisp and sturdy enough to hold a hot patty. Layering two or three leaves together gives the wrap more support when you roll it. Butter lettuce or romaine will work, but the leaves are softer or narrower, so they hold less.
These burger lettuce wraps use the patty mix from my oven-baked burgers, with a grated potato added, but you cook them in a pan instead of the oven. Make the patties thin and smaller than a regular burger, since you stack two in each wrap.
Want the bun back? My soft milk bread rolls work with the same patties. For another ground beef dinner, try my ground beef tacos, or roll the same filling in my homemade soft flour tortillas.
The wraps go well with baked potato wedges or a bowl of easy potato salad. You can find more dinners like this in my beef recipes.
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💗 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Burger flavor, no bun. You still get the patty, melted cheese, pickles and sauce, wrapped in crisp lettuce.
- Seasoned patties. Onion, garlic, herbs and Worcestershire sauce flavor the beef, and a grated potato goes in the mix.
- A lighter sauce. The base is Greek yogurt instead of mayo, with sweet chili sauce and paprika.
- Quick. About 30 minutes, and you prep while the patties cook. [CONFIRM]
- Easy to adapt. Ground chicken or turkey works if that's what you have.
♻️ Substitutes & Variations
- Ground chicken or turkey: Use it in place of the beef. The wraps will be leaner and less rich, so add a little extra mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the patties to 165°F (74°C).
- Chopped Big Mac lettuce wrap: Chop the cooked patties and toss them with the chopped salad, onion, pickles and sauce, then spoon into the leaves. It is easier to eat and the sauce coats everything.
- Mayo-based sauce: Swap 2 tablespoon of the Greek yogurt for 2 tablespoon mayonnaise. The sauce will be richer and less tangy.
- Butter lettuce or romaine: Softer or narrower leaves hold less filling, so use a lighter hand and layer them.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Check the patty mix holds its shape before cooking.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
- Serve with baked potato wedges or potato salad.
- Put extra sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
- Set out the lettuce, patties, onion, pickles and sauce and let everyone roll their own.
Claudia's top Tips
- Prep everything before you start rolling so the patties are still hot when you assemble.
- Layer 2 to 3 lettuce leaves for every wrap.
- Wrap the roll in parchment paper to keep it together while serving.
- Dry the lettuce well. Wet leaves slide and make the wrap soggy.
Common Mistakes
- Overfilling. Use a lighter filling than you think you need, or the wrap splits at the seam.
- Leaving the patties thick. Keep them thin so they cook through quickly.
- Leaving out the water. The ½ cup of water mixed into the beef keeps the thin patties juicy.
- Guessing on doneness. Check that the beef reaches 160°F (71°C).
For more recipes and inspiration, visit the LG Kitchen Facebook Group
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes. Use the same method, add a little extra mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and cook the patties to 165°F (74°C). They will be leaner than beef.
Layer 2 to 3 leaves, keep the filling light, roll tightly and wrap the roll in parchment paper.
A Big Mac uses shredded lettuce. For these wraps I use whole iceberg leaves because they are large and crisp enough to hold the patty.
Store the cooked patties and the sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the lettuce and chopped salad separate and assemble the wraps fresh. Reheat the patties in a skillet or the microwave until hot.
Yes. Freeze them cooked. My oven-baked burgers post has the full freezing steps.
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📖 Recipe
Big Mac Lettuce Wraps with Special Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
For the patties
- 1 lb ground beef or pork/beef blend, 80/20
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 medium potato grated
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs panko or gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon mustard Dijon or yellow
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon mixed herbs such as thyme, rosemary and oregano
- ½ cup water mixed into the beef
- 8 slices cheese American or cheddar
For the Big Mac sauce
- 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 2 tablespoon diced onion
- 2 tablespoon diced dill pickles also called gherkins
For the wraps
- 8 to 12 iceberg lettuce leaves 2 to 3 per wrap
- 1 cup chopped lettuce or other greens
- 1 small onion diced
- Dill pickles gherkins, sliced
Instructions
- Wash and dry the lettuce leaves. Dice the onion, slice the pickles and chop the salad.
- Make the sauce: stir the Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, salt, pepper and paprika together in a small bowl. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, diced onion and diced pickles. Set the sauce aside.4 tbsp Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp paprika, 1 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp mustard, 2 tbsp diced onion, 2 tbsp diced dill pickles
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, grated potato, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and the water. Mix with your hands until well combined.1 lb ground beef , 1 small onion, 1 medium potato, 1 egg, ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp mustard, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp mixed herbs, ½ cup water
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and shape each one into a thin patty, about ½ inch (1 cm) thick. You can also smash them flat in the pan.
- Cook the patties in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, in batches if your pan is small. The beef should reach 160°F (71°C) inside.
- Lay one cheese slice on each patty in the last minute of cooking and let it melt.8 slices cheese
- Lay 2 to 3 lettuce leaves on a sheet of parchment paper, overlapping them slightly.8 to 12 iceberg lettuce leaves
- Add the chopped salad, two cheesy patties, diced onion, sliced pickles and a spoonful of sauce.1 cup chopped lettuce, 1 small onion, Dill pickles
- Roll tightly, wrap the parchment around the roll and serve right away.
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Notes
- Iceberg lettuce: Choose whole outer leaves that are large and unbroken. Pat them dry so the wraps don't go soggy.
- Ground beef: I use 80/20. My oven-baked burgers post has more tips on choosing ground beef.
- Cheese: Any sliced cheese that melts easily works.
- Beef patties should reach 160°F (71°C). For ground chicken or turkey, cook to 165°F (74°C). Store patties and sauce separately for up to 3 days and assemble fresh.
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