Craft Your Own Unique McDonald's Burger With One Little Tip

There are times when McDonald's burgers seem a little sad. They're delicious in a fast food sort of way, but employees don't always put a lot of love into the presentation. The burgers can appear slapped together, with the bun barely clinging to the insides, and on occasion, they're even missing ingredients. Some of us put up with these less-than-gourmet burgers for their convenience and nostalgia. But not everyone. Customers have created a whole McDonald's secret menu and you can order a better McDonald's burger with all kinds of tips found online. Among them is one super easy move that'll totally change your burger experience: Ask for one of McDonald's dipping sauces in addition to your burger order and use it as a condiment.

Most of McDonald's basic burgers come with just ketchup and mustard. That limited range of flavors becomes a whole lot more interesting when you crack open a packet of McDonald's dipping sauce (which we've ranked here for your convenience). Customers can transform a Double Cheeseburger with Tangy BBQ sauce, or turn a Big Mac into a totally different sandwich by substituting the Mac Sauce with Sweet 'n' Sour. Others use Tartar Sauce to switch up the flavors in the Big Mac and dress up other burgers like the McDouble. Two important things to remember: Order your burger plain if you don't want ketchup and mustard, and be prepared to pay for the extra dipping sauces. McDonald's charges 25 to 40 cents per extra sauce packet (the cost seems to vary by location).

Have you heard of the Poor Man's Big Mac? Fans craft their take on the iconic McDonald's burger by adding Mac Sauce to two Double Cheeseburgers. And they're adding Mac Sauce to everything else, too: Customers say it goes great on a cheeseburger with triple cheese and really dresses up a Spicy McChicken. They're using other specialty sauces to make new flavor combinations, too, like the Big Arch Sauce (read our review here) on a Big Mac. Some people also add McDonald's recently released Creamy Chili Dip for an element of gentle heat.

If you're really looking to transform your burger, don't limit yourself to just one kind of sauce upgrade. Fans have created a whole list of saucy mix-and-match combos. Mix Sweet 'n' Sour sauce with a mayonnaise packet for a tangy twist, or Spicy Buffalo and Ranch for a different kind of zesty heat. Customers say they've made a perfect copycat of Chick-fil-A style sauce by combining McDonald's Honey Mustard, Tangy BBQ, and Ranch sauces. Or keep it simple with just a few packets of ketchup and mayo: Combine two parts ketchup with one part mayonnaise for a Utah-style fry sauce that takes your burger up a notch.