I Asked 6 Chefs for the Best Fast Food Special Sauce, and This Fan-Favorite Dominated

When it comes to fast-food condiments, three classics reign supreme: mustard, mayo, and ketchup. Whether it’s adding tang to a burger, creaminess to a chicken sandwich, or a sweet-savory punch to a pile of fries, these sauces are staples across America’s burger joints, chicken shacks, and fish fry spots. And while asking for ketchup on a Chicago hot dog might ruffle a few feathers, there’s no denying its status as a beloved icon in the condiment world.

Those three classic condiments are welcome at our fast food party, but let’s be real: they’re all pretty much the same at every fast food restaurant. What really makes a restaurant stand out is its signature sauce. McDonald’s secret sauce—featured on its Big Mac—was one of the first on the market. But these days, Ronald has some serious competition from other signature sauces with cult followings, such as Cane’s Sauce, Arby’s Sauce, Zax Sauce, and Culver’s Signature Sauce. (And we can’t forget these unexpected and amazing Chick-Fil-A sauce combos; essentially a DIY signature sauce!)

But which sauce is boss? We rounded up a panel of fast food-loving food pros to spill about their favorites.

Our Panel of Special Sauce-Savvy Chefs

• Jing Gaoa Las Vegas, Nevada-based chef, founder and CEO of Fly By Jingand author of “The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp”
• Dina Deleas Gonsarthe Whippany, New Jersey-based recipe developer behind Dish It Girl and the author of “At the Kitchen Sink”
• Dominic Iannarelli, chef-owner of Prime & Providence in West Des Moines, Iowa
• Kelly Jaggers, the Dallas, Texas-based author of “The Everything® Restaurant Copycat Recipes Cookbook”
• Daniela Savone, a Columbia, South Carolina-based chef, recipe developer and the owner of Italian Gal with a Wooden Spoon, LLC.
• MacKenzie Smitha New Smyrna Beach, Florida-based food blogger and author of “Grilled Cheese Social”

Qualities of the Best Fast Food Special Sauces

Just like many of us have differing opinions about what makes the “perfect” fry or milkshake, opinions vary on what makes a stand-out sauce. Still, after polling a half dozen chefs, they agreed the best signature sauce has the following features:

• Balanced flavor. “I’m always looking for balance in fast food sauces: a mix of spice, savoriness, tanginess, and a touch of sweetness,” says Jing Gao. “There should also be enough acidity to cut through the usually rich fast food,” says Dominic Iannarelli. That said, some sauces rely too much on acidity (via vinegar or mustard) or sweetness (often, from sugar, honey, or corn syrup). “I quickly tire of those flavors,” says Kelly Jaggers.
• A unique twist. Jaggers prefers sauces that have an unexpected element that helps them stand out from the crowd. Think: A hint of heat or punchy herbs and spices that you might not find in other sauces on the market. “A couple of examples are Raising Cane’s Cane’s Sauce, which has a peppery kick, and Zaxby’s Zax Sauce, which gets some of its savory edge from celery seed,” she says.
• The “Goldilocks” consistency. MacKenzie Smith looks for “a sauce that’s the perfect consistency—not too thick and not too thin.” If there are too many thickeners, a sauce can err on the gelatinous side, Jaggers says, “and have an almost jelly-like quality.” And if the sauce congeals or separates from its oil base, Dina Deleasa Gonsar says, “I am out.”
• An appealing aesthetic. Extreme artificial colors are a turnoff for Gonsar, who steers clear of anything that evokes “colored glue” or “neon shades.” Jaggers notes that “naturally occurring colors are far more appealing!”

Beyond that, Iannarelli stresses the importance of the pairing: “The sauce must match the item. Chicken is easy; just about everything goes with it. Beef and fish? Not as much—especially fish,” he says. The rest of your order or the makeup of the menu can help you zero in on your personal best sauce pick.

The Best Fast Food Special Sauce, According to Chefs

In our Allrecipes team’s taste test, Jack in the Box’s Good Good Sauce took home the bronze, Raising Cane’s Cane’s Sauce earned silver, and Zaxby’s Zax Sauce was the gold medal winner. When we asked our chefs to select their all-time favorites, only one of those was even mentioned—while a totally different chain took the top spot.

With 33 percent of the vote, the winning fast food signature sauce is the OG, McDonald’s Special Sauce. Reportedly developed originally in 1968 by Pittsburgh franchisee Jim Delligatti, this creamy sauce was known as “secret sauce” until it was renamed in 1974 as “special sauce.” Essentially a riff on Thousand Island dressing, Iannarelli believes that compared to other signature sauces, this one is “on a different level!”

In Savone’s opinion, the perfect burger is eaten with all of the toppings—cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments. “The inventor of the Big Mac secret sauce knew exactly what they were doing, because it has the just-right ratio of condiments in its base, which gives it just the perfect amount of tanginess. The pickle relish plus the dialed-in proportion of spices” makes this a home run, she explains.

What Ingredients Make McDonald’s Special Sauce So Good?

The exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret from the brand itself, but according to a former McDonald’s chef who shared his secrets on Tiktokthe special sauce recipe features mayo, mustard, and white wine vinegar, plus a pinch each of paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, and white pepper. Surprisingly, the pink sauce uses no ketchup.

For something simpler yet similar, try our Secret Burger Sauce, which fans deem a “staple in [their] house during barbecue season.”

Fast Food Special Sauce Honorable Mentions

There are some other very worthy contenders in the sauce space, according to the experts. Here are the other favorites they believe are worth a dunk:

• Chick-Fil-A Sauce: A blend of barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, honey, mayo, and lemon juice, this chicken chain’s sauce is tangy, smoky, sweet, and savory all at once. Gonsar calls it “a new favorite” and says it reminds her a bit of “McDonald’s special sauce, just slightly sweeter.”
• Cane’s Sauce: Gao adores this chain’s chicken tenders, especially paired with the “tangy and creamy” sauce that has “a hint of spice from the pepper,” she says. No Cane’s near you? No worries—our Copycat Raising Cane’s Sauce tastes just like the real thing.
• Shake Shack Shack Sauce: “This sauce does not get enough recognition,” says Jaggers. She says the pickles blended into the sauce give it “enough tang to brighten the flavor of a savory burger, a BLT, or even a deep-fried mushroom burger, but I always order some on the side for dipping my fries or the chain’s chicken bites, too.” Our Copycat Shack Sauce recipe marries the three big condiments—ketchup, mayo, mustard—with some surprising ingredients.
• Arby’s Sauce: Is it barbecue sauce? Is it ketchup? Is it Heinz 57 steak sauce? Whatever it is, “Arby’s Sauce checks all the boxes for me,” Iannarelli says. It earns bonus points for versatility and for skipping the mayo used by most other signature sauces. It’s tangy and tasty with everything fast food from fries and fish to chicken tenders, roast beef, and of course, the curly fries, he notes. “Plus, the viscosity at room temp works well. Secretly, I think it’s a twist on the old-school French Sauce Robert,” the classic sauce made with cooked onions, reduced white wine, pepper, demi-glace, and brown mustard.
• Taco Bell Chipotle Sauce: Smith considers the creamy chipotle sauce at Taco Bell a must-add. Unlike many other fast food chains that shy away from spice, this one has enough fiery kick to be noticeable but not “ruin your day, if you know what I mean,” she laughs. “I love that it’s the perfect balance of spicy, creamy, and smoky.” Besides drizzling it on her nachos, Smith admits that when her kids don’t finish their fries, “I find myself scraping the little chipotle sauce container clean with their nacho fries! No shame in my sauce-lovin’ game!”

All of this sauce talk has us seriously craving a fry-fest so we can enjoy a dip-a-palooza to put these sauces toe-to-toe again. If you’d like to join us, hit the drive-through or order delivery from your chain of choice, or whip up a batch of our Homemade Crispy Seasoned French Fries, then put our copycat recipes (or your extra to-go cups of sauce) to the test to determine your favorite.