Put a fresh spin on your classic burger by skipping the bun and serving healthy Burger Bowls instead! Packed with flavorful ground beef, french fries, and your favorite burger toppings and drizzled with “special sauce” dressing, a deconstructed burger salad is a deliciously fun way to serve a veggie-forward, low-carb, gluten-free, bun-free version of a classic.
Burger Salad Bowl
This easy burger bowl recipe is a low-carb, protein-packed meal perfect for anyone skipping the bun, whether for health, diet, or personal preference. It’s customizable to fit almost any diet plan, with ingredient swaps to suit your needs. Plus, it includes a homemade burger salad dressing that keeps it flavorful while avoiding hidden carbs and sugars.
What is a Burger Bowl
A burger bowl transforms a classic burger into a bun-free, salad-style dish with seasoned ground beef, fresh veggies, cheese, and signature sauce. Packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich veggies, it’s a filling, gluten-free meal you can easily customize to suit your tastes and dietary needs.
Ingredients for the Best Burger Bowl Recipe
- Lean ground beef: Ground turkey breast, ground chicken, or a plant-based alternative (like crumbled tempeh or seitan) are all great swaps for ground beef. If you have leftover grilled burger patties from last night’s meal, you can chop them up and use them in your salad.
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Paprika
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Dill pickles: You will need diced dill pickles (feel free to use just the pickle juice if you prefer) for the salad dressing and pre-sliced dill pickle chips to arrange around the bowl.
- Yellow mustard: You can use Dijon mustard for a bolder flavor.
- Romaine lettuce: Iceberg lettuce, spring baby greens mixture, baby spinach, and even kale can be good substitutes for romaine lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- Red onion
- Shredded sharp cheddar: You can substitute pre-shredded cheddar cheese for freshly shredded cheddar cheese.
- French fries: I used regular-cut frozen french fries for this cheeseburger bowl recipe, but you can use your favorite type of french fries or make your own Air Fryer French Fries.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make a Burger Bowl
- Heat The Fries: Cook the french fries according to the package instructions and set aside.
- Brown The Beef: Add the ground beef, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika to a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess oil.
- Stir The Burger Sauce: Stir together the mayo, ketchup, diced pickle, mustard, garlic, and onion powder until combined and uniform in color.
- Assemble: Place the lettuce in the center of the serving bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, onion, pickle slices, ground beef, and french fries around the edges. Drizzle with salad dressing.
- Serve: Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Topping Ideas for Your Burger Bowl
Take your burger bowl to the next level and make loaded burger bowls with anything you love. Mix and match to suit your taste, because the best burger toppings can be anything you crave!
- Add Creamy Components: Add some avocado, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or extra cheese to your bowl.
- Create Some Crunch: Bacon, fried onions or crispy shallots can add extra crunch.
- Swap The Sauce: BBQ sauce, Ranch, or Thousand Island dressing can be substituted if you are pressed for time.
- Pick Another Potato: If sweet potatoes are more your style, my air fryer sweet potato fries and are a great way to get your fry fix.
- Other Tasty Toppings: The topping options are endless when you build your own bowl! Try some jalapenos, roasted veggies, fried egg, or add toasted sesame seeds for the similar flavor of sesame seed buns.
Variations of Burger Bowls to Try
Burger bowls are endlessly versatile and can be tailed to suit your tastes. Here are some creative burger bowl ideas to inspire your next meal:
Egg Roll In A Bowl: Packs all the flavor of a classic egg roll without the carbs from the wrapper!
Sub Sandwich in a Bowl: Make a low-carb, keto-friendly meal with your favorite sandwich fillings, minus the bread!
Cheeseburger Salad: It tastes like a Big Mac without the bun.
Vegetarian Burger Bowl: Use a plant-based burger patty or black bean crumble and your favorite veggies. When you ditch the dairy, your bowl can become whole30, paleo, and dairy-free!
Need More Low-Carb Recipes? Try These:
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Burger Bowl
Ingredients
Burger Base:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Salad Dressing:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons diced dill pickles
- ½ tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Salad:
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup halved cherry, or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup pre-sliced dill pickle chips
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 cups cooked frozen french fries I used regular cut, but you can use your favorite type of french fries
Instructions
- Cook the frozen french fries according to the package instructions and set them aside. (This can be done while preparing the other components of the recipe.)3 cups cooked frozen french fries
- In a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat, add the ground beef, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and paprika and cook while stirring often until the ground beef is cooked through and no longer pink. This should take about 5 minutes. Drain any excess oil.1 pound lean ground beef, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, diced dill pickle, mustard, garlic and onion powder to a small bowl. Stir until completely combined and uniform in color.⅓ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons diced dill pickles, ½ tablespoon prepared yellow mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Add the lettuce to a large serving bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, red onion, pickle slices, cooked ground beef, cooked french fries and sharp cheddar cheese around the edges of the lettuce.4 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 1 cup halved cherry, or grape tomatoes, 1 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 cup pre-sliced dill pickle chips, 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the entire salad. Serve immediately.
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