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Vegan Big Mac sliders give a compassionate spin to that old fast food stand-by. Make this hearty lunch or dinner on the grill or in a skillet. The burgers are topped with a dairy-free special sauce.
I distinctly remember being at the end of 15 – my driver’s license a breath away. Along with the ability to drive myself to play practice and school dances, one of the things I was most excited about was getting fast food whenever I wanted.
No need to ask the adult driving if we could swing through for a meal in a paper sack. I could roll up to whatever fast food place I desired, and place my order through a speaker.
I wasn’t a big McDonald’s fan. Tacos were my passion. However, every once in a while a group of us would end up at the 1950’s-style McDonald’s to hang out and play their jukebox.
Meanwhile, in another part of the state…
At the same time, unbeknownst to me, a teenage David was living in another part of the state, making sandwiches at McDonald’s. For a little over $3/hour, he flipped burgers and loaded them up with ketchup, mayo, and special sauce from a caulking gun.
Even by the time we met many years later, he still had a soft spot for the place, including their signature sandwich, the Big Mac.
My fifteen-year-old self would be astonished that it’s now been over a decade since we’ve last pulled in dinner through a driver’s side window. For obvious reasons, as vegans most fast food places don’t hold a lot of draw.
(Want to learn more? I highly recommend Fast Food Nation.)
Vegan Big Mac Sliders
However, it was a blast from the past last night, stacking vegan Big Mac-style burgers in the kitchen using Gardein beefless sliders.
The sliders come with four miniature burgers and buns to match. As I piled every layer in the tower, I held my breath in a way that is usually reserved for Jenga.
Hearkening back to his McDonald’s days, David minced the onion as small as he could manage. It reminded me of being a child again, watching as my onion-averse cousin meticulously picked each and every one off of her burger.
He also cut a ¼ inch off of two of the bottom buns, so that the middle layer wouldn’t overwhelm.
I’ve gotten vegan Big Mac’s at Madeleine Bistro (before they closed), Doomies, and M Café. However, I especially liked how this slider version was a very manageable size for my appetite.
Even with two patties and 3 buns, it is just the right size to serve with a side of fries.
I baked my own fries using hand cut Russet potatoes and a healthy squeeze of ketchup.
It was all there in vegan form – the sweet and tangy special sauce, onions, pickles, lettuce, burgers, and buns aplenty.
Mini Macs: Vegan Big Mac Sliders
Ingredients
Special Sauce
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise I used Vegenaise
- 1 Tablespoon French dressing I used Annie's
- 3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
Mini Macs
- 1 package Gardein beefless sliders
- 2 squares non-dairy cheese I used Chao tomato cayenne
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil if cooking on stove top
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons minced onion
- 1/4 cup lettuce chopped small
- 4 pickle slices
Instructions
To make special sauce
- In a bowl, combine eggless mayonaise, French dressing, sweet pickle relish, apple cider vinegar, and minced onion. Refrigerate for several hours, so that the flavors can meld. There will be plenty of extra. Serve any additional sauce on the side, so that people can drizzle it on their burgers while they eat.
To make the Mini Macs
- Start by thawing the burgers. Leave them on the counter to thaw or use the thaw function on the microwave. While the buns are still partially frozen, slice a quarter inch off of 2 bottom buns. That will be the middle bun in the Mini Mac.
- Slice the cheese down to an appropriate size for the burger. Use one of the buns as a guide against a piece of cheese to know how small to cut it. Set the cheese aside for later.
- To grill the burgers, heat outdoor grill to 400 degrees. Grill on each side for 2-3 minutes, until the burgers get nice grill marks. Put the buns on the grill with the cut side down and grill for a couple of minutes until toasty. Remove from grill.
- To cook burgers on stove top, put vegetable oil in a warm non-stick skillet. Cook patties for a minute and a half on each side. In last minute of cooking, place buns in pan and cook for 30 seconds on each side.
- Assemble the burgers in the following order, starting with the bottom up: bottom bun, a spoonful of special sauce, a pinch of onion, a pinch of lettuce, non-dairy cheese, burger patty, middle bun, a spoonful of special sauce, a pinch of onion, a pinch of lettuce, 2 pickle slices, burger patty, and top bun. Repeat with second sandwich.
Jaclyn says
The sandwiches look great! What’s even awesomer? The “Praise Seitan” shirt! Love it!
Thanks for the recipes!
Love the Blog!
–Jaclyn
Cadry says
Thanks for the nice comment, Jaclyn! David has had that shirt for years now. It’s a longtime favorite from Herbivore Clothing.
Veganopoulous says
yum! It’s funny, I never ever liked the Big Macs before I was vegan, but always love the vegan versions 🙂
Cadry says
I love it when it works out like that! David wasn’t really into dairy cheese. He loves nut-based cheeses like Miyoko’s so much more than he ever did the dairy version.
Susan says
I don’t think I have ever had a vegan big mac. These look like just the right size!
Cadry says
Yes, with two full-sized burgers it really can get to be a lot! It’s nice to have little mini burgers, so you still get the experience without leaving half of a sandwich behind.
johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
those burgers look gorgeous – I remember enjoying Big Macs as a child but it is a long long time since I had one – these days we have enough good veg burger options that I don’t miss them but I would love one of these for old time sake (I had three siblings who worked at Maccas so it was part of my childhood)
Cadry says
Yes, I can’t say that I miss Big Macs at all. However, it was still a fun sense memory to re-live in vegan form.
Shell says
Cad, this is a really fun idea. I’ve never had a real Big Mac, but would love to try your version. The fries look great, too!
Cadry says
Thanks, Shell! I’m surprised that you’ve never had a Big Mac. And yes, I love those baked fries. We make them at least once a week.
Bianca says
YAY!! I haven’t had these yet, but I’ve the chick’n ones. So good! LOVE Gardein and Chao!
Cadry says
Yes, the chick’n ones are so good! I hesitated for a long while, because I wasn’t sure how good a frozen bun would be. They are really tasty, and I love it that I don’t have to make a special trip for buns. Everything is right there in the freezer.
lysette says
All Hail – Praise Seitan! I couldn’t wait to get a car so I could drive around -or park- listening to music as loud as I wanted. Such a sweet memory Cadry 🙂 down to three bucks an hour and the condiment caulking gun!
Cadry says
Thanks, Lysette! Those first tastes of freedom are sweet when you finally own your space.
Becky Striepe says
Miniature food just plain tastes better than regular-sized food.
Cadry says
Agreed! You’ve got to love cute food.