Let’s be honest – I don’t go to Chick-fil-A for the chicken. I go for the SAUCE.
And I’m not just talking about Chick-fil-A. You know that feeling when you’re scraping the bottom of that little plastic dipping cup with a french fry, trying to get every last drop? Yeah, that’s me. Every. Single. Time.
For years I was that person who asked for extra sauce and then felt personally victimized when they only gave me one. So I did what any sauce-obsessed person would do – I learned how to make them all at home.
Why pay $1 extra for sauce when you can make a whole jar of it in your kitchen for pennies? And the best part? You can actually DROWN your food in it without anyone judging you.
So I rounded up my 5 all-time favorite copycat dipping sauce recipes – the ones I make on repeat, the ones my friends beg me for, the ones that taste just like the real thing. Maybe even better.
Get your nuggets, fries, and onion rings ready. Things are about to get saucy.
Copycat Sauces Worth Making At Home
Each one below copies a restaurant sauce you know. You get the full ingredient list and the video I used to make it. Most of them mix up in one bowl in a few minutes.
Raising Cane’s Sauce
Raising Cane’s Sauce is the peppery pink sauce that comes with the chicken fingers at Raising Cane’s, and this home version comes together in one bowl in a couple of minutes. I picked this recipe because the chef in its YouTube video says he tested the amounts about fifty times. He says to let it rest in the fridge a couple of hours, better overnight, because it tastes more like the real thing the next day. Fresh cracked pepper matters here, so skip the pre-ground stuff.
I made the sauce and let it sit overnight, and the next day it tasted much more like the real one. The batch makes about 3/4 cup, enough for tenders tonight and wraps tomorrow. I use it as a dip and as a drizzle. In the comments under the video, someone who says they made the sauce by hand at an early Cane’s says to use a little more ketchup, close to 10 parts mayo to 9 parts ketchup, for the right color. Another says garlic salt, not garlic powder, is closer to what they used.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
SaveChick-fil-A Sauce
Chick-fil-A Sauce is the sweet, smoky, mustardy dip you get with nuggets and chicken sandwiches, and this copy stirs together in a couple of minutes with no cooking. What got me was the comments under its video on YouTube. People say it tastes just like the real thing, and the ones who made it right away said so too. The sauce makes about 2/3 cup and keeps about a week in the fridge, covered.
This sauce is handy on Sundays, when Chick-fil-A is closed. The second time I used a little less honey and a little less lemon, and I liked it that way. Some people leave the lemon out because it tastes a little sour to them. I keep a jar for homemade nuggets and chicken sandwiches, so I don’t buy the bottles anymore.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
SaveFry Sauce
Fry Sauce is the pink mayo and ketchup dip people in Utah and nearby states eat with their fries, and this home version adds smoked paprika, garlic and a little cayenne. Its video has over 3 million views on YouTube, which is why I tried it, and it takes about five minutes with things already in the fridge. You mix it all in one bowl until the color is even.
The sauce makes about a cup, and on homemade fries it is sweet, savory and tangy all at once. I found it hard to mess up. Plenty of people who made it without the Worcestershire and vinegar still loved it. Pickle juice in place of the vinegar is a common swap. Cajun seasoning or a few drops of hot sauce also work in place of the cayenne. Someone who says they worked at Arctic Circle, the Utah chain known for fry sauce, says theirs was just mayo, ketchup and mustard with a little paprika and garlic.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup full-fat mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or pickle brine)
- salt to taste
SaveSweet and Sour Sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce is the bright red dip from Chinese takeout, and this home version takes about five minutes in a small pot. There is no ketchup in it, and that is the reason I made it. In the comments under its video on YouTube, people who used to get it from takeout say that is why it finally tastes right. Someone who says they cooked in a Chinese restaurant says they never used ketchup either. The sauce is done once it thickens and turns clear.
The catch is not to let the sauce boil too long, or it turns thin and watery, so I take the pot off the heat as soon as the sauce thickens. Two drops of red gel food coloring give it that takeout color. One batch makes about a cup. Arrowroot, potato or tapioca starch work in place of cornstarch, but flour does not. One cook with diabetes used a sugar substitute and said it still came out well. I use it for egg rolls and crab rangoon, and I also pour it over sweet and sour chicken or fried rice.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 tsp cornstarch (or tapioca or arrowroot)
- pinch salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 drops red gel food coloring
SaveBig Mac Sauce
Big Mac Sauce is the creamy, tangy sauce from the Big Mac, and this home copy starts with mayo and sweet relish, with no ketchup in it. The ingredient list came from a McDonald’s chef and the amounts were worked out to match. The comments under its video on YouTube say it is the closest Big Mac sauce people have ever made, and that was enough reason for me to make it.
The sauce is a no-cook mix in one bowl that goes in the fridge, and it tastes even better after a night there. One batch makes enough for four or five burgers, or a good bowl for dipping fries. If you do not have sweet relish, chopped sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles work, and a little pickle juice plus extra vinegar adds more tang. One cook added a pinch of salt and a pinch of MSG and said it got even closer.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
SaveAnswers To Common Questions
I get the same questions every time I bring out a few sauces, so here are the plain answers.
How Long Do Homemade Dipping Sauces Keep?
I keep mine covered in the fridge and use them within about a week. That is my habit for any sauce made with mayo. I put them right back in the fridge after dinner, I use a clean spoon each time, and I toss anything that smells off or has sat out too long.
What Is Really In The Restaurant Sauces?
Chick-fil-A lists soybean oil, sugar, vinegar, yellow mustard, egg yolk, tomato paste, lemon and a smoky flavor, with no honey or bottled barbecue sauce named on the label. McDonald’s lists sweet relish, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika for Big Mac Sauce, with no ketchup. Raising Cane’s keeps its sauce recipe a secret, so the home copy above is a best guess.
Do I Really Need To Let The Sauce Rest?
For the creamy mayo sauces, yes. A few hours to a night in the fridge lets the garlic and pepper soften into the mayo, and both the Cane’s and Big Mac copies taste closer to the restaurant version the next day. Sweet and sour is different. It is ready once it thickens and cools.
What Can I Use These Sauces On Besides Chicken?
I use Cane’s on fries, burgers and chicken wraps, fry sauce on fries and burgers, Chick-fil-A sauce on nuggets and sandwiches, sweet and sour on egg rolls, crab rangoon, fried rice or a pork and rice bowl, and Big Mac sauce on burgers or as a fry dip.
I keep one of these made at all times now, because the cup from the drive-thru never holds enough. Make a double batch if you know you will run out, and keep it cold until you need it.
