Flying Dutchman Burger with Homemade Big Mac-Style Sauce

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🍔 High-Protein · Low-Carb

Flying Dutchman Burger with Homemade Big Mac-Style Sauce

The bunless, protein-packed copycat of the famous secret-menu burger — juicy smash patties and melty cheese stacked between caramelized onion “buns,” with a homemade special sauce. Zero bun, all flavor.

⏱ 30 minutes 💪 High-protein 🧅 Onion “buns” 🥫 Homemade sauce
Why It Works

All the burger, none of the bun

I first tried a Flying Dutchman on a whim — it’s the famous secret-menu order: just patties and cheese, no bun. Then I saw the version where you wrap the whole thing in thick caramelized onion “buns,” and it was over for me. It’s a high-protein, low-carb burger that eats like pure indulgence, and the homemade Big Mac-style sauce ties it all together.

The onion “buns” are the magic. Thick rounds of onion, cooked low and slow until they’re deeply golden, sweet, and jammy, do everything a bun should — they hold the stack, add flavor, and look absolutely unreal — with basically none of the carbs.

Flying Dutchman burger: double smash beef patties with melty cheese and special sauce between two caramelized onion buns
Double smash patties, melty cheese, and special sauce stacked between caramelized onion “buns.”

Here’s why it’s worth making at home:

💪 Genuinely high-protein, low-carb. Two smash patties and double cheese put a single burger at around 38g of protein with only the few carbs from the onion and sauce — a satisfying meal that fits high-protein and keto eating.
🧅 The onion “buns” are unreal. Slow-cooked until sweet and golden, they add so much flavor that you genuinely don’t miss the bread. They’re the whole personality of this burger.
🥫 That special sauce. A quick homemade Big Mac-style sauce — tangy, creamy, a little sweet — takes five minutes and makes the whole thing taste like the drive-thru, only better.

📌 Save this high-protein burger

The Recipe

Flying Dutchman Burger

Makes 4 burgers. Check the scaler for a crowd, the macros, or the smash tips for perfect crispy edges.

Kitchen Guide 101 · High-Protein
Flying Dutchman Burger with Big Mac-Style Sauce
⏱ 10 min prep 🔥 20 min cook ⏲ 30 min total 🍔 4 burgers ✅ Easy
🥫 Big Mac-style sauce
🧅 Caramelized onion “buns”
🍔 Smash patties
📋 Method
1
Make the sauce. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and chill while you cook everything else.
2
Cook the onion “buns.” Slice the onions into thick ¾-inch rounds, keeping the rings together, and pin each with a toothpick. Cook in butter over medium-low, turning gently, for 15–20 minutes (or roast at 400°F/200°C for ~25 minutes) until deeply golden and tender. Season and set aside.
3
Shape the beef into 8 loose balls (about 3 oz each). Don’t pack them tight — loose beef smashes into crispier edges.
4
Smash & sear. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle until screaming hot. Add the beef balls and smash them thin with a press (parchment on top). Cook 2 minutes until deeply crusty, season, flip, top each with a slice of cheese, and cook 1 minute more.
5
Stack. Layer two cheesy patties together for each burger so the cheese melts them into one.
6
Build it. Onion round → special sauce → double patty stack → more sauce → onion round. Pin with a skewer and serve hot.
💡 Chef’s tip: A screaming-hot pan and real pressure on the smash are what create those crispy, lacy browned edges. Cook ground beef to 160°F (71°C) for safety.
Kitchen Guide 101

Save it to your phone or print it for the kitchen ✨

The Macros

Approximate macros per burger

For one burger as written — two smash patties, two slices of cheese, onion “buns,” and sauce:

~38gProtein
~650Calories
~50gFat
~10gCarbs
📊 A note on the numbers: These are estimates and shift with your beef, cheese, and how much sauce you use. To lighten it up: use leaner beef (90/10), light mayo in the sauce, and one cheese slice per burger instead of two.

This is general food information, not medical or nutrition advice. For guidance tailored to your goals, check with a registered dietitian or your doctor.

Scale It

Cooking for a crowd?

Tap how many burgers you’re making — the amounts update instantly.

2 burgers
Ground beef (80/20)¾ lb
American cheese4 slices
Large onions2
Mayo (sauce base)¼ cup
4 burgers ★
Ground beef (80/20)1½ lb
American cheese8 slices
Large onions4
Mayo (sauce base)½ cup
6 burgers · party batch
Ground beef (80/20)2¼ lb
American cheese12 slices
Large onions6
Mayo (sauce base)¾ cup
🍳 Batch tip: Don’t crowd the pan — smash the patties in batches so they sear instead of steam. Caramelize the onions first and keep them warm while you cook the beef.
Switch It Up

5 ways to make it yours

Same core burger, different spin. Tap a tab.

🍔 Classic Flying Dutchman
The version above — double smash patties, double cheese, caramelized onion buns, and special sauce. High-protein, low-carb, and completely satisfying.
💡 Let the cheese melt over both patties before you stack for the meltiest bite.
🧅 Animal-Style
Go all in: spread a little mustard on the patties as they sear (it crisps into the crust), then add extra caramelized onions, chopped pickles, and a double hit of sauce. Messy, tangy, and iconic.
💡 Mustard-searing is the classic trick that gives that unmistakable flavor.
🌶️ Spicy
Stir sriracha or a spoon of chipotle into the sauce, and add sliced jalapeños or pepper jack cheese. The heat cuts right through the rich beef and cheese.
💡 A pinch of cayenne in the beef seasoning builds heat from the inside out.
🥬 Lettuce-Wrap
Prefer something lighter and even quicker? Swap the onion buns for crisp iceberg or butter lettuce cups. Still low-carb, extra fresh, and no onion-cooking required.
💡 Double up the lettuce leaves so the wrap holds all that sauce.
🍞 Bunned
Not counting carbs? Serve the same patties, cheese, and sauce on a toasted brioche bun or a low-carb bun. All the flavor of the copycat in a more classic handheld form.
💡 Toast the bun in the beef fat left in the pan for extra flavor.
Smash Tips

How to nail smash patties

🔥 Get the pan screaming hot

Cast iron or a griddle, preheated until it’s just smoking. A hot surface is what gives you that deep, crispy crust the instant the beef hits it.

💪 Smash hard & fast

Press the ball thin within the first 30 seconds. After that the crust sets and it won’t flatten. Use parchment so the press doesn’t stick.

🚫 Don’t move it

Leave the patty alone until you flip. Fighting the urge to nudge it is what lets that lacy, browned crust form properly.

🧂 Season after smashing

Salt the patty after you smash it, not before. Salting raw beef too early can draw out moisture and firm up the texture.

🧀 Melt the cheese with steam

Add cheese right after the flip and cover the pan for a few seconds. A little trapped steam melts it perfectly over the edges.

🌡️ Cook it through

Smash patties are thin and cook fast. For food safety, take ground beef to 160°F (71°C).

The Gear

Tools that make it easy

You don’t need much for great smash burgers — but these three make it foolproof.

🍳 Cast-iron skillet

Holds fierce, even heat — the single most important thing for a deep, crispy smash-burger crust.

Shop cast-iron skillets

🍔 Burger press

Gets each patty evenly thin in one press, so they cook at the same rate and build maximum crust.

Shop burger presses

🥄 Stiff metal spatula

A sharp, sturdy edge scrapes up every bit of that crispy crust without leaving it stuck to the pan.

Shop metal spatulas

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FAQ

Your questions, answered

What is a Flying Dutchman burger?+
The Flying Dutchman is a well-known fast-food secret-menu order: two beef patties with two slices of melted cheese and nothing else — no bun and no vegetables. This homemade version keeps that low-carb, high-protein spirit but stacks the patties and cheese between thick caramelized onion “buns” and adds a homemade special sauce for extra flavor.
What is in Big Mac-style special sauce?+
This copycat special sauce is a simple mix of mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, a little ketchup, white vinegar, and onion, garlic, and paprika powders. Whisk it together and chill it for a few minutes so the flavors come together. It is tangy, creamy, and slightly sweet, just like the drive-thru version.
Is this burger keto and low-carb?+
Yes. Skipping the bun removes most of the carbs, so the only carbs come from the onion and a small amount from the sauce, landing around 10 grams per burger. That fits most low-carb and keto plans. For even fewer carbs, use lettuce wraps instead of onion buns and a no-sugar-added ketchup in the sauce.
How do you make caramelized onion buns that hold together?+
Slice very large onions into thick rounds, about three-quarters of an inch, keeping the rings together, and push a toothpick through each round to hold it. Cook them low and slow in butter, or roast them, until they are deeply golden and tender but not falling apart. The toothpick keeps the rings intact while cooking and while you build and eat the burger.
How do I get crispy smash burger edges?+
Start with a screaming-hot cast-iron pan and loosely formed beef balls. Smash each ball thin within the first 30 seconds, before the crust sets, and then leave it alone until you flip. Season after smashing, not before, and use a stiff metal spatula to scrape up the browned crust cleanly. High heat plus firm pressure is the whole secret.
Can I make it with regular buns?+
Absolutely. If you are not watching carbs, serve the same patties, cheese, and special sauce on a toasted brioche bun or a low-carb bun. Toasting the bun in the beef fat left in the pan adds even more flavor. You will lose the low-carb benefit but keep all the copycat taste.

🍔 Save it and fire up the pan

Pin this Flying Dutchman burger so it’s ready next time you want a high-protein, low-carb dinner that tastes like a treat — then grab the recipe card and get smashing.

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