My copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce recipe is the perfect dipping sauce for your chicken nuggets. This homemade version has all of the familiar flavors without having to go through the drive-thru. You can make this sauce in about 10 minutes and keep it for up to 2 weeks.

 

Have you even gone through the drive-thru at McDonalds, ordered chicken nuggets with sauce, gotten home only to find out they didn’t give you any sweet and sour sauce? This has happened to us on more than one occasion so I decided to set out to create a copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce to make at home.

To get the signature sweet and tangy flavor, I used a similar base to my homemade duck sauce recipe with a few alterations to get closer to that classic McDonald’s flavor. No you won’t have to worry about missing the sauce packets again.

Want more copycat McDonald dipping sauce recipes? Try this McDonalds breakfast sauce, McDonalds hot mustard sauce

Why you should make this copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce

• Fantastic flavor. After some trial and error, I think this tastes pretty darn close to the real thing.
• Easy to make. You can prepare then in about 10 minutes.
• You are in control. A great thing about cooking at home is that you are in charge of the ingredients.

Ingredients for chicken nugget sauce

Have you wondered what McDonald’s sweet sour sauce is made of? There is a good chance you might already have some of these ingredients in your pantry.

• Apricot preserves
• Peach preserves
• Light corn syrup
• White vinegar
• Ground mustard powder
• Soy sauce
• Corn starch
• Garlic powder

How to make copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce

This sauce recipe is simple to prepare. Scroll to the bottom for the complete recipe and ingredients.

1. Place the apricot and peach preserves, corn syrup, vinegar, ground mustard, garlic powder, and soy sauce in a blender or food processor. Pulse to blend.

2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together the corn starch and water. Slowly pour into the sauce mixture while whisking. Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes until it starts to slightly thicken.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool before serving.

Heather’s recipe tips and variations

• Blend for smoother texture. I recommend blending the ingredients to break up any of the fruit in the preserves.
• Warm on medium-low heat. You have to be careful not to burn the sauce.
• Let the sauce cool. The sweet and sour sauce will continue to thick when it cools.
• Add a little heat. If you like your sauce spicy, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce.
• Double the recipe. If you are feeding a crowd or just want to have some leftover, you can easily double the recipe.

How to serve chicken nugget sauce

While this sauce is the perfect match with chicken nuggets, it also pairs well with other things like french fries, egg rolls, fried shrimp, chicken wings, and more.

Storage

Keep this copycat McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.

Common questions

McDonald’s inspired homemade recipes

If you want to try making some more copycat recipes at home. Here are a few more McDonald’s favorites:

• Copycat McDonald’s sausage burrito
• Copycat McDonald’s Egg McMuffin
• Copycat McDonald’s steak egg and cheese bagel

More easy copycat recipes

• Taco Bell quesadilla sauce
• Wingstop ranch recipe
• Zaxbys Zax sauce
• Bloomin Onion sauce
• Arbys Red Ranch
• Burger King Zesty sauce