What's Actually In Red Robin's Signature Fry Seasoning

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Red Robin obviously knows a thing or two about burgers. The restaurant's bottomless steak fries alone are a veritable tractor beam for securing repeat customers. But not to be underestimated is what goes on them — a signature fry topping available for sale at the restaurant and online at Walmart and Amazon, called Red's Original Seasoning. This tasty topper plays a significant role in the Red Robin dining experience as customers liberally sprinkle it on steak fries, garlic fries, steamed broccoli, or anything else they desire.

But what's in it, and why is it so good? To take a peek behind the curtain, you might think, "just read the ingredients' label." Thee label lists salt, cane sugar, sea salt, garlic, onion, tomato, paprika, yeast extract, and natural smoke flavor. But if you only use those spices, you're probably going to be sorely disappointed.

That's because (just as with another spice favorite, Old Bay Seasoning) Red's recipe is top secret. But there's been some pretty good intel over the years. Eagle-eyed fans note that older packaging included these additional spices: black pepper, celery seed, cumin, oregano, and sage, and our guess is that these fall under the generic "spices" moniker on its label today. But you can bet Red Robin didn't give away everything, so we may never know the complete recipe.

One look at those combined lists and you've got a pretty good idea why Red Robin's fry seasoning sets our tongues-a-tingle — it's hitting four of the five main flavor profiles. Salt is doing double duty, while cane sugar handles the sweet. Celery seed, dried tomato, and yeast extract deliver umami, while cumin, oregano, and celery seed bring a resonant touch of bitter. The result is a bold, warming, umami-punch of salty-sweet and smoky savoriness.

Because it's such a balanced blend, it can be used on nearly anything including sprinkling it on popcorn, boosting scrambled eggs or avocado toast, using it as a meat rub, and whipping it into a compound butter. It even gives fried chicken batter a zingy twist.

Since it's Red Robin's proprietary blend, the exact measurements remain a mystery. That said, the blend is similar to a standard Cajun seasoning recipe, paired with a handful of restaurant hacks, added to pump-up the salty, sweet, and umami (namely salt, sugar, celery seed, and yeast extract). Most Cajun seasoning blends use ingredients like: oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper, but they don't generally contain the aforementioned flavor enhancers (nor the cumin, sage, or tomato that Red Robin's blend has). To shortcut it, nab any Cajun seasoning you like and adjust it to taste with a bit of celery salt, sugar, cumin, and sage.

Of course, copycat recipes abound online, and though they provide measurements, many also include basil or other spices not found in the ingredient list while leaving others out, so be careful to tailor your mix for the closest approximation.