This Is The Closest Copycat For McDonald's Sweet 'N Sour Sauce You'll Find At The Grocery Store

The Sweet 'N Sour sauce is one of the most iconic and beloved McDonald's dipping sauces. It's the classic companion to chicken nuggets, goes really well with fries, and has a perfectly balanced flavor that we crave over and over again. Who hasn't attempted to stock up on the sauce packets? But instead of eternally chasing those packets, it's a better idea to chase the flavor — Ken's Steak House Sweet N' Sour Sauce happens to be the near-identical grocery store copycat of the famous sauce.

The two sauces have similar ingredient lists, both listing high fructose corn syrup as the very first ingredient, followed by water. The sourness in the sauce comes from vinegar in both brands, and the signature sweetness comes from apricots — or in the case of McDonald's sauce, apricots and/or peaches. This source of sweetness is the key flavor note that makes the two sauces so alike. Copycat recipes online commonly use ketchup (like our homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe) or pineapple juice, because those two ingredients are more convenient and easily accessible for the average home cook than apricot or peach concentrate. The distinct fruitiness of apricots definitely comes through in Ken's sauce, which is why customers associate it with Mickey D's Sweet 'N Sour dip.

Despite the similar flavor profiles, there are inevitably some differences between the two sauces. McDonald's prioritizes the fruity sweetness, with apricots and/or peaches ranking third on the ingredient list, before distilled vinegar. Ken's Sweet & Sour Sauce, on the other hand, contains less than 2% of apricot concentrate, appearing as the seventh ingredient. Both distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar are listed before the concentrate. For the sharpness, McDonald's goes for sherry wine, while Ken's uses mustard flour. For the bright red-orange color, both brands use paprika, but McDonald's supplements it with caramel coloring, and Ken's opts for turmeric instead.

A very significant difference between the two sauces is the fact that Ken's is labeled as gluten-free, making it safe for people with gluten intolerance. McDonald's sauce contains wheat, so it's not gluten-free. Ken's Sweet & Sour Sauce is available in one- or two-ounce packets and a massive gallon container — admittedly, we could use something in between, but it's better than nothing. The sauce has a shelf life of five months, can be stored at room temperature, and shouldn't be frozen.