Goodbye Ketchup And Ranch: The Best Burgers Are Topped With This Dressing In Your Fridge

Ketchup. Mayo. Mustard. Barbecue sauce. Ranch. There are a ton of options when it comes to topping off your burger, but we've got one you may not have ever thought to pull out of the fridge (even though you've likely had something similar on a burger if you frequently grab a Big Mac from McDonald's): Thousand Island dressing. It's tangy, a little bit sweet, and creates a to-die-for flavor and texture that you simply can't get with any other condiment. 

Thousand Island dressing is pretty simple: It's basically mayonnaise, onion, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish (plus some lemon juice and seasonings). It's not exactly the same thing as McDonald's Big Mac sauce, but the taste is similar. When you top your burger with Thousand Island dressing, you'll get the substantial smoothness of ketchup, the creaminess of mayo, and the crunch of pickle relish — all three condiments come together to complement the savory, salted beef of your burger. If you don't have any store-bought Thousand Island dressing in your fridge, no worries — your meat sandwich will stay nice and toasty in the minute it'll take you to whip up a homemade batch of the good stuff.

If you're trying to create an at-home Big Mac with your Thousand Island dressing, you'll want to load it up similarly (the Big Mac is iconic for a reason — it's absolutely delicious, and the toppings work together perfectly). The texture of shredded lettuce works nicely with the crunch of the sweet pickles in Thousand Island dressing. To complete your at-home Big Mac-style burger, add a slice of American cheese, then take a minute to throw your bun (cut-side up) under the broiler to get a toasty surface. If you love the sweetness of the pickle relish in Thousand Island dressing, it makes sense to top your burger with a few sweet pickles (FYI, there's a significant flavor difference between sweet pickles and bread and butter pickles). You can also just scoop a bit of extra sweet pickle relish onto your burger, if you prefer.

Creating a Big Mac-style burger at home isn't your only option if you want to complement the dressing. Adding bacon to your burger can also be a great fit — the smoky, umami taste of the cured pork works well with the dressing's balance of richness and piquant savor. If you enjoy your Thousand Island dressing-smothered burger with fries, add a cup of dressing for dipping on the side (you can thank us later).