McDonald’s Sweet And Sour Sauce Recipe

Who doesn’t love a good copycat recipe? And, who doesn’t love McDonald’s!? I’m so excited about this post. Sharing my version of McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce recipe is pretty cool, I’d say!

This sauce is all about the dipping and dunking that goes along with chicken (or vegetarian) nuggets.

It’s got a real zing to it. Anyone who grew up with this zippy sauce will know precisely what I’m talking about.

I hope you enjoy this totally delicious sauce, it’s been at the top of my list of recipes to figure out for a while now, and now I know!

What is McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce recipe?

It’s a sauce that’s balanced and grounded in apricot and savory flavors. It has a little kick of heat and is the sauce a lot of people grew up dunking into on a visit to McDonald’s. 

Think about burgers, nuggets, fries, and a McDonald’s shake. This sauce lives in the same world as these items. 

It’s got a sort of peach or apricot chutney flavor profile going on. It’s really good and is something I crave every now and then. 

Ingredients you’ll need 

Ok, now that we have clarified what the sauce is, here are a couple of specifics about some of the ingredients you’ll need to make the McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce recipe:

• Apricot jam: use a good quality one if you can find it. Not all apricot jams are made the same. Choose one that is a lovely rich golden color, and that looks pretty thick.
• Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar: definitely do not use strong white vinegar. This will make your sauce inedible, and you will be sad you wasted the other ingredients.
• Mustard: use whichever mustard type and brand you have in the fridge. No need to go out and get anything special. Just not a powdered mustard.
• Garlic: while the traditional recipe uses garlic powder, I prefer to make mine with fresh minced garlic.

Here is your complete list of ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup apricot jam
• 2 TBS maple syrup
• 3 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 TBS water
• 1 tsp minced fresh garlic

How to make McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce

Here’s how to make your very own batch of this iconic sauce:

Step 1:

Place all the ingredients into a small or medium-sized saucepan. Blend them together using an immersion blender.

Step 2:

Simmer the sauce for about 5 – 8 minutes. Keep your eye on the sauce and stir it often.

Step 3:

The sauce will begin to thicken. Keep stirring and allow the sauce to cool. Stir well before serving it.

Tips and tricks to make the perfect sauce

• Use the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on. Where you can use fresh instead of powdered, like with the garlic and the mustard, do it.
• Choose an apricot jam with a nice golden color. This will impact the final result and color of your sauce.
• Use a “gentle” vinegar, for lack of a better description. Avoid those paint stripper-type vinegars. You know, the one that makes your eyes burn just looking at it in the cupboard!

How to store this sweet and sour sauce?

You can keep this sauce between the vinegar and the sugar for a long time if you store it correctly. Vinegar, sugar, and salt, mind you, are excellent preservatives.

You will want to store your sauce in a sterilized glass bottle. The best way to sterilize your bottle is to wash it in soapy water and let it air dry. The lids too. After that, “bake” the jars and their lids at about 200°F for a few hours. This process will help kill any bacteria that may be lurking in the jars.

After that, bottle the good sauce up, allow it to cool, and then refrigerate. This sauce should last for a couple of weeks.

What types of food to dip in this sauce?

Here is a list of potential dipping items for your new sauce! This list is non-exhaustive, of course, but they are just a couple of ideas:

• Sausages and sausage bites
• Meatballs
• Chicken and vegetarian nuggets
• Chicken drumsticks
• Chinese chicken wings
• Grilled or fried halloumi cheese
• Pieces of grilled steak
• Mini fish cakes
• Grilled or fried shrimp
• Wedges of camembert cheese
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Mini sticks with cheese, tomato, and cucumber
• French fries
• Potato wedges

Ways to use this sauce other than a dip

• Spread it across your burger bun before slapping on the patty and slice of cheese
• Mix it with mayonnaise, and rub it on a chicken fillet before baking it in the oven
• Coat a piece of fish in the sauce and bake
• On a sandwich with cold meats and salad
• On a cheese platter

FAQ

Is McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce discontinued?

Nope. That’s the short answer. McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce has not been discontinued at all! It’s alive and cooking, in fact, and very much front and center on their menu.

When did McDonald’s come out with sweet and sour sauce?

McDonald’s launched their sweet and sour sauce in 1998. It’s been around for a while, guys; wow! Some might even say it’s considered vintage.

Is McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce healthy?

So, there is a lot of sugar in McDonald’s version. It’s not the healthiest sauce option out there. 

The quality of ingredients used in this homemade recipe, just in general, is a lot higher than the McDonald’s version. This is owing to the fact that I’ve tried to use whole ingredients that are closest to their natural form, as opposed to powdered versions.

Wrapping it up!

Anyway, what can I say? This is such a classic, and I just love that I get to replicate the original McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce recipe at home. 

I often wait to see if my dinner guests can pick up which famous sauce I’ve replicated. I’d say it’s 80/20. More often than not, people guess which sauce I’ve copied.

Enjoy trying this out for your friends and family, and don’t forget to see if they can guess which sauce you have replicated.