11 Underrated Sauces For Dipping Your French Fries
There's something so satisfactory about a good French fry. Not to mention that there are so many fries to pick from. Whether you prefer truffle fries, shoestring fries, steak fries, wedge-cut, crinkle-cut, or anything in between, these dipping sauces will enhance your fries to the next level. While there are some obvious choices to dip your fries in, such as ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, ranch, and gravy, this list offers some underrated choices to dunk your fried potato pieces in.
Take a break from the ordinary. From herby chimichurri to tangy tzatziki, there are plenty of unique sauces to try with fries. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you could do a dipping sauce potluck where you have all the options laid out buffet-style. Even better, put out different dipping sauces and different types of fries so you can truly mix and match to see what combinations go best together. Is it a science or is it a personal preference? It's all about having fun and enjoying every bite. Skip the ketchup next time and opt for one of these tantalizing, underrated dipping sauces with your French fries, instead. While we offer various kinds of fries to pair the sauce with as well as toppings to potentially elevate each dish, test it out and see for yourself. There's an entire universe of untapped fry flavor out there for you to explore. You might just find a new life-long favorite. Let the games begin.
Alfredo
Thanks to its similarity to ranch dressing, Alfredo sauce makes a logical alternative choice to dip your fries in. It's a little thinner and more liquidy than ranch, but the creamy nature makes it a great swap. Depending on the recipe, it can taste garlicky, peppery, and cheesy. It's a classic for pasta dishes thanks to its decadent creaminess and is often paired with penne pasta or fettuccine. Alfredo sauce is usually made with butter, heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and a touch of parsley. You can make it at home or find jarred versions at the grocery store or online. It'll add an indulgent touch to your fries.
You could add chicken or shrimp to your fries and Alfredo to give it a little bit of protein. To imitate fettuccine, you could do a shoestring fry or standard cut fry. Pour the Alfredo sauce on your fries and then top with more chopped parsley, Parmesan cheese, and fresh cracked pepper. Keep it simple with a basic Alfredo or get creative with additional toppings such as fried garlic slices, chives, breaded chicken, bacon, shrimp, salmon, or mozzarella. TikTok has a bunch of recipes using Alfredo sauce and French fries, so you can get a little inspiration from there if you want to mix it up.
Au poivre sauce
Step aside ketchup and mustard, there's a new best fry dipping sauce in town. Celebrity chef David Chang loves to dip his fries in au poivre sauce. In fact, he mentioned in his Instagram video that he thinks it is the best sauce to plunge your fries in. Give it a shot and see if you agree. The au poivre sauce is part of steak au poivre, which is a pan-seared steak dish made with heavy cream, butter, thyme, parsley, and loads of whole peppercorns or coarsely ground black pepper.
It's often cooked with cognac to give it flavor, but you could substitute it for a liquor of your choice such as rum, bourbon, whiskey, or whatever you have on hand. You may omit the alcohol altogether or add a splash of beef broth to boost the taste — and this sauce is best made from scratch. You likely won't find it ready-made in the store, but it could be worth a shot if you do. Au poivre sauce pairs well with a chunky fry such as standard-cut fries, bistro fries, or even crinkle-cut. Au poivre sauce can range from thick and creamy to a more watery broth; you'll want a French fry that can take the liquid nature of the sauce without deteriorating and getting soggy. Nobody wants that.
Hollandaise
You may know hollandaise sauce as a breakfast staple that's part of eggs Benedict. It's usually served in restaurants and cafes for breakfast or brunch. Eggs Benedict comes slathered and dripping with hollandaise on a perfectly poached egg with Canadian bacon or bacon and a toasted English muffin. Made with eggs, salt, and melted butter, hollandaise sauce is a savory delight to pair with fries. We think it deserves to be more than a brunch sauce. It's rich and creamy and makes a fantastic dip to give fries an air of luxury. While this contains dairy from the butter, it's unlike other creamy sauces like Alfredo, ranch, and sour cream: It's the eggs that give this sauce zest.
If you're physically dipping the fries, it would pair well with a fry you can grab onto such as waffle fries, standard fries, steak fries, or even curly fries. However, if you're inclined to pour it on top of the fries like you would drench an eggs Benedict, you can really mix it up. Try home fries or wedge fries, pour the hollandaise, and eat with a fork. Add extra oomph and top with bacon and fresh cracked pepper.
Marinara
If you like ketchup with your fries, you'll probably love this. Ketchup and marinara are both tomato-based sauces, so it's not too far out of a concept to plunge your fries into either of them. Marinara is a comforting essential for pasta, pizza, and mozzarella sticks, so why not add potato sticks in the form of fries to the mix? Marinara is a classic red sauce made with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. You'll often see it with red pepper flakes to add a little spicy kick or herbs like parsley, oregano, or basil.
You can dunk your fries into the marinara by itself or create a full fry-based dish out of it like with meatball marinara fries. Even Frank's RedHot has its own version of meatball marinara-loaded fries. Get your fries of choice, add the marinara and meatballs, then heat up in a pan or in the oven. Top with fresh Parmesan or mozzarella, basil, and pepper. If you're not looking to prepare an entire meal out of it, simply warm up your side of marinara, top with fresh cracked pepper and red pepper flakes, and then dip away. It doesn't have to be comprehensive. You could use a thick-cut fry like steak fries or bistro fries to imitate the size of mozzarella sticks.
Peanut sauce
When it comes to peanut sauce, there are many iterations that you can pick from. There's the satay sauce that's often paired with skewered meat that originated in Indonesia. Satay sauce might have roasted peanuts or peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, tamarind paste, and other spices. There's this spicy peanut sauce recipe if you'd like something slightly spicy. In the Netherlands, the peanut sauce called pindasaus is often a first choice served with fries. It, too, was inspired by the Indonesian satay sauce, so it contains mainly the same ingredients. Of course, there might be some variations depending on the person or restaurant serving it.
When you buy fries in the Netherlands, they'll offer pindasaus in the same breath as standard dipping sauces like mustard and mayo. It's quite good, especially with the crispness of Dutch double-fried fries. They par fry it once then when you order they fry it again. You truly could use any peanut sauce to dip your fries in. Dunk or drizzle your fries in peanut sauce and top with crushed peanuts. Add red pepper flakes for a hint of spiciness. Give it a shot and see if you like it.
Chimichurri
You'll often find this vibrant green sauce paired as a condiment for grilled meat. However, we are gathered here today because chimichurri is one of the best dipping sauces to pair with fries to enhance the taste. Originating in Argentina and Uruguay, chimichurri is made with parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Although, it's safe to say that people make it differently based on where they're from and what ingredients they have on hand. You will also see fresh chimichurri with cilantro, chives, red chili pepper, or other ingredients.
Bring a sprinkle of South America to your French fries. French fries often come with parsley or some type of green herb so this herbaceous and aromatic condiment can add something extra to your fries. Chimichurri would go hand in hand with garlic, Parmesan, and parsley fries. Since chimichurri is made with herbs instead of cream such as Alfredo sauce or ranch, it's ideal if you're looking for a not-so-heavy dipping sauce. It's lighter and can be used as a sauce to either dip or top your fries. Make it a meal with chimichurri, fries, and grilled flank steak, chicken, or halibut.
Sour cream
Next time you have French fries, consider dipping them in sour cream. We plunge chips into sour cream dips all the time, and it's standard practice to top baked potatoes with it. It's not a new concept to pair potatoes with this tangy cream, however, fries aren't often served with sour cream itself. A basic sour cream has a twangy bite. Fry shops like Potato Corner offer sour cream as a flavoring option, but it's not widely practiced. Try fries with sour cream as a blank canvas, or create your own add-ins. The options are endless. Try combinations such as cilantro and lime, onion and chive, or cheddar and garlic. You could even mix other sauces into the sour cream such as buffalo sauce or a ranch packet.
Create your own spin on a baked potato by swapping it for fries. Instead of a baked potato bar, it would be a fun date night or family meal to set aside a bunch of toppings so that people can top their own fries. Load your fries with baked potato classics such as sour cream, bacon, chives, and cheddar cheese, but you can also include other toppings like jalapeño, roasted corn, pepperoni, chili, cilantro, and more. People can pick, decorate, and dip their fries as they see fit.
Hummus
Use just about any type of fry with your hummus: matchstick, waffle, wedge-cut, you name it. Hummus is made with chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon, olive oil, spices, and herbs. Hummus tends to be on the thicker side, so you won't run into any issues with soggy fries. You'll often see hummus served up with fresh veggie sticks like carrots or celery, so a sweet potato fry would be a scrumptious pairing. After all, potatoes and sweet potatoes are vegetables, right? Hummus and fries are basically just beans with vegetables. It's like a salad. Alright, that's a stretch. Wondering how to make hummus? It's not too difficult, and you can make your own variations to boot. You could use canned garbanzo beans rather than boiling and cooking them from scratch if you're in a quick pinch.
Hummus has a creamy, nutty, earthy taste, which might change depending on if you add anything to it. In stores, you'll find hummus options like garlic hummus, roasted pine nut, jalapeño, red pepper, artichoke, and spinach, just to give you some ideas. Dip your fries in a classic hummus or flavor it up to your liking. To loosen the texture, add olive oil or extra tahini.
Pesto
In its purest form, you'll often find pesto made with basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, grated Parmesan, and salt. There are also versions with walnuts, pecorino cheese, lemon juice, spinach, pepper, or other deviations. Whether you grind your pesto by hand in a mortar and pestle or use a food processor, there are a few tips and tricks to consider when making the best pesto. This green condiment is also easily accessible in plenty of grocery stores if you're not in the mood to make it from scratch. It often comes in a jar in the refrigerated section but could be on the shelf if it's shelf-stable.
Pesto is nutty thanks to the pine nuts, garlicky thanks to the garlic, and savory thanks to the saltiness of the Parmesan. Many fries in restaurants already come with garlic and Parmesan, so the addition of pine nuts isn't too kooky of a concept. To make it at home, simply dip your fries in pesto or create a loaded version with pesto and then top with chopped basil, spinach, or arugula, shredded Parmesan or pecorino cheese, chopped pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds.
Tzatziki
Give your fries a Mediterranean spin. Tzatziki is a herby and tangy Greek staple often served on the side to dip meat or vegetables in or included in sandwiches or gyros wraps. When ordering gyros, they often come with pita bread, tomato, onion, feta, fries, and tzatziki, so it's not a strange thought to pair fries solely with tzatziki. The combination already exists and for good reason — it's delicious. Tzatziki sauce is a savory sauce usually made with yogurt, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, mint, salt, and pepper. Sometimes you'll see fresh dill and fresh mint, sometimes dried, sometimes one over the other, or even parsley and thyme, but usually dill at the very least.
While it is dairy-based thanks to the yogurt, it leans toward the refreshing side because of the coolness of the cucumber. It's not as heavy as other dairy-based sauces like hollandaise, Alfredo, or ranch. Pair your tzatziki with regular fries, wedge fries, steak fries, or whatever calls to you. Since tzatziki is often served with vegetables or as a dip for them, try it with sweet potato fries. Tzatziki is ranch-esque with its texture and thickness, so you can combine it with any type of fry that you'd dunk into ranch dressing.
Teriyaki
Dunk your fries in teriyaki for a kick of flavor. It's the best of both worlds since it's a heavenly mixture of sweet and savory thanks to the blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Some versions include sesame seeds, scallions, red pepper flakes, honey, or mirin. Try this teriyaki sauce recipe if you need a good starting point to try making it at home — but it's also available bottled in most grocery stores. You'll find versions that lean more toward the sweet side, spicy side, or somewhere in between. It's usually noted on the bottle.
Teriyaki is more of a liquid sauce compared to the thickness of hummus, ranch, or ketchup. It can act as a glaze or dressing for your fries if you prep your fries and then toss in teriyaki sauce. If you try this version, use a thicker-cut French fry that can hold up its texture such as wedge fries, steak fries, or even waffle fries. If you're more inclined to dip your fries, you can use any type of fry since you control how long they stay in the liquid. Add grilled beef, chicken, salmon, or tofu for protein.