REVIEW: McDonald’s BBQ Ranch Burger

McDonald's BBQ Ranch Burger

The McDonald’s McDouble is now more than a dollar.

This price hike makes me as angry as a child whose parent got them the wrong Happy Meal toy. And this anger causes my blood pressure to rise, much like how eating a McDonald’s McDouble does. It’s only 29 cents more, but this is the second time McDonald’s has taken something on their Dollar Menu that I love and increased its price (first one being their Double Cheeseburger).

However, with both cases, McDonald’s replaced the pricer sandwiches with another dollar burger. The McDouble replaced the Double Cheeseburger, and now the BBQ Ranch Burger replaces the McDouble.

The new burger is one of several new additions to McDonald’s revamped Dollar Menu & More…um, Menu. It’s made up of a beef patty topped with a slice of white cheddar, BBQ ranch sauce, and chili lime tortilla strips.

This year, McDonald’s has used that white cheddar as many times as I’ve used a puppy’s tongue to plant wet, warm licks on my neck. It been in their Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger, Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder, and Egg White Delight McMuffin. As for the chili lime tortilla strips, they’re also used in their Southwest Salad and Southwest McWrap. The BBQ ranch sauce is something we haven’t seen before from McDonald’s.

Before trying it, I thought there’s no way this burger with less meat would be as satisfying as the up-down-up-down-left-right-left-right-meat-cheese-bread combo of a McDouble. However…

McDonald's BBQ Ranch Burger Closeup

Holy sweet mother of cellulite!

The McDonald’s BBQ Ranch Burger is a delectable little sandwich that makes me want to dive into a wishing well and collect all those pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters so that I can buy more of this cheap burger. The creamy BBQ ranch sauce is a little sweet, slightly tangy, and a smidge spicy, but a whole lot of delicious. However, it’s the chili lime tortilla strips that make this burger special. They not only add an extra saltiness and tanginess, but they also give the BBQ Ranch Burger a wonderful crunchy texture.

McDonald's BBQ Ranch Burger Super Closeup

To be honest, I was surprised the tortilla strips didn’t end up soggy by the time I got around to eating the burger. I was sure the sauce and heat from beef patty would turn those strips into limps. However, the slice of white cheddar, which doesn’t provide much flavor, isn’t as melty as McDonald’s American cheese so I believe it shielded the tortilla strips from certain soggy doom.

As yummy as it is, I have to say it has a too familiar flavor. The combination of the BBQ ranch sauce and chili lime tortilla strips make it taste somewhat like the McDonald’s Southwest Salad, which I’m quite familiar with because it’s the only salad I buy from the Golden Arches. I also said the same thing about the recent Southwest McWrap.

But overall, I will love this burger with all my heart…until McDonald’s raises its price to $1.29.

(Nutrition Facts – 350 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 680 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, 16 grams of protein.)

Item: McDonald’s BBQ Ranch Burger
Purchased Price: $1.00
Size: N/A
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: A delectable little burger. Creamy BBQ ranch sauce is sweet, tangy, and a little spicy. Chili lime tortilla strips give the burger a little tanginess and a whole lotta crunch. White cheddar helps prevent the tortilla strips from getting soggy. It’s only a dollar.
Cons: White cheddar doesn’t add flavor. Tastes like a McDonald’s Southwest Salad, which is probably fine, you don’t regularly eat the salad. Raising the price of a McDouble. Getting the wrong Happy Meal toy.

11 thoughts to “REVIEW: McDonald’s BBQ Ranch Burger”

  1. Yuck! I just spit mine in the garbage! First of all, yours looks WAY better than mine. Mine looks like someone threw up not it. Second, ketchup, cayenne pepper, and ranch dressing are NOT delectable. Third, why the corn chips? McDonald’s gives me enough gas without adding corn tortilla strips to the mix. I can’t disagree with you more.

    1. Loved this burger with white cheddar cheese. Those tortilla chips give it a crunch of bacon which bacon lovers maybe would like if they closed their eyes and just tasted. But without the calories.

      Like the spicy ranch dressing. But am from New Mexico where we need our daily chili fix.

      Bueno Mc Donald’s!!!

  2. I’m not sure what you were smokin before eating that burger… I never throw out food, even if I only paid a dollar for it. I could only get through 3 bites of it, then tossed it, and savored my fries.

  3. Also wanted a McDouble for my weekly treat, but got this and I ate 1/2 then tossed it. Not crazy anyway about meat that comes with a crunchy texture. Also, what’s with the smokey, cloyingly sweet sauce? Barely noticed the white cheddar cheese.

  4. I liked it. I find your review to be spot-on, accurate. It would probably taste better with their regular, American cheese, instead of the white cheddar, even if it DID mean the tortilla chips would get soggier. Also, whenever I buy this sandwich, I MODIFY it, into a double! I simply order an EVEN AMOUNT of these, such as two, four, or six.. Then, I make doubles, by: taking all contents (meat, cheese, chips, & sauce) from between ONE set of buns, and add it in between the buns of the OTHER one (still with its OWN meat, cheese, chips, & sauce), so that makes it a double.. Twice the meat, cheese, chips & sauce, and with that Southwestern flavor.. And then I have an extra BUN leftover, for toast, or trash, or whatever I choose to DO with that extra bun.

  5. Well I just tried this burger and found it to be very spicy hot.. I had no idea what was on this burger but certainly wasn’t expecting chips and hot sauce. Ehh..

  6. Yowza, that was hot hot hot. Next time I’m saving the strips and scooping out the top bun to avoid the kick. That would salvage this burger for me.

    @Steven- Just throw out the extra bun. Zero nutritional value! It’s bad enough eating one.

  7. I just had my first and last BBQ Ranch Burger. It looked good in the picture however the actual burger didn’t look anything like it. The picture showed the corn chips piled up but I could hardly find them. They were melted into the bun. I couldn’t taste them or any ranch taste. Basically it was just a cheeseburger. It cost a $1 in Paducah KY. The regular cheeseburger is 99 cents so I might as well just get it.

  8. I ordered one that looked comparable to the pictures above but it was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever tasted. Ewww! It tasted like licking vomit off of someone’s nasty feet. Never again! Big Mac for me thank you!

  9. I tried the new BBQ Ranch burger and found it way to spicy for me! I love BBQ sauce and Ranch but this was neither!!! My stomach was still burning an hour later. Will not order again!!!

  10. Terrible. I bought 2 because i figured they were small. I wish I had read the comments on this site. I took one bite almost spit it then crapwd off the sauce. I gagged it down because I was starving but I’m throwing away the other. I wouldn’t offer it to an enemy. Yech! Worst ever.

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