It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when the craving hit—that unmistakable desire for a Chick-fil-A sandwich slathered in their iconic sauce. As any fan knows, Sunday is the one day when all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed, leaving me with no way to satisfy my craving. Determined not to wait until Monday, I raided my refrigerator and started experimenting. After several attempts (and numerous taste tests from willing family members), I created this copycat sauce that we all agreed was practically indistinguishable from the original—maybe even better!
Table of Contents
Why This Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce Works
Chick-fil-A Sauce has achieved cult status for its perfect blend of sweet honey, tangy mustards, creamy mayonnaise, and smoky barbecue sauce. This homemade version captures every signature flavor note while using simple pantry ingredients. The key lies in the precise ratios that balance the sweetness of honey, the tang of two types of mustard, the richness of mayonnaise, and the smokiness of quality barbecue sauce. This homemade Chick-fil-A sauce is perfect on a chicken sandwich or to dunk french fries into.
- Stays fresh in your refrigerator for up to 10 days
- Combines all the signature flavor notes of the original
- Uses simple pantry ingredients you likely already have
- Contains no artificial preservatives or corn syrup
- Can be adjusted to your exact taste preference
- Takes just 5 minutes to prepare
Chick-fil-A Sauce Ingredients – What Chick-fil-A Sauce is made of
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Honey – Make sure you use one that is real honey; you want the natural flavor of the honey for this recipe
- Yellow mustard – Use Heinz brand
- Dijon mustard – this will give your sauce some zip to it, the distilled vinegar in this helps the flavor come through.
- Mayonnaise – I personally like Duke’s or Hellman’s; you can use the mayo that you have on hand.
- Barbecue Sauce – I recommend Heinz BBQ Sauce. If you can’t find this, choose a BBQ sauce with hickory flavoring. If you can not find Heinz, use something that has a natural hickory smoke flavor.
- Lemon juice – If you don’t have fresh, you could use 1/2 of the recommended amount if you want to substitute lemon juice concentrate
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld (though it can be used immediately if necessary).
- Gather your ingredients: Measure out two tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce, and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
- Combine: Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Whisk thoroughly: Blend until completely smooth and no streaks remain, about 30-60 seconds of whisking.
- Taste and adjust: Sample your sauce and adjust the ingredients if needed—add more honey for sweetness, BBQ sauce for smokiness, or mustard for tanginess.
- Transfer: Pour the finished sauce into an airtight container or squeeze bottle.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 10 days in the refrigerator, stirring before each use
- Room Temperature: Can sit out for up to 2 hours safely due to the mayonnaise content
- Freezing: Not recommended as mayonnaise-based sauces separate when frozen and thawed
Love Chick-fil-A? Try these copycat recipes!
- Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich
- Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese
- Frosted Coffee
- Frosted Lemonade
Best Dipping Sauces
- Burger King Zesty Sauce
- Cocktail Sauce
- Cane Sauce Recipe
- Garlic Butter Sauce
- Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp Sauce
- Red Robin Campfire Sauce
- Thai Peanut Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
Be sure to check out more of my copycat restaurant recipes and the best dips and sauces.
Chick-fil-A Sauce – Easy Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce Heinz Classic Original Barbecue Sauce is recommended
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Refrigerate the sauce when not serving.
I need to start making this at home.
Great sauce! Delicious on all sorts of sandwiches!!
My kids could drink this by the gallon ha!
Have you tried making these in an air fryer or a convection oven? Would there be a difference in texture, etc over frying?
I have not tried making nuggets in the air fryer. I would be concerned about them drying out.
What Brand Of Mayo And Dijion Mustard Did U Use??
I most likely used Hellman’s mayo, and for the Dijion usually use Grey Poupon.
Actually, I like this recipe.
Uh… too much barbecue sauce. It ruined the recipe and made my sauce brown. Do I have to use half as much barbecue sauce or another ratio?
Why don’t you add some additional honey mustard? Most people like this ratio. Just curious what type of BBQ sauce did you use?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! My hubby loves the original CFA sauce, and really wanted some today. I found your recipe, and let’s just say he is WELL satisfied!!!
KFC cold slaw .
I really want the honey roasted bbq please.
Would you happen to have The Watkins Bisque recipe from Gaidos in Galveston?
I do not have this recipe, thank you for the suggestion.
Changing the subject, if you could figure out how to make the Hickory Burbon Sauce from Ruby Tuesday you would be my hero. ( not to say your not already)
Thank you for your request. I will keep it in mind.
I have never tried this mustard dip but do you have the recipe for their special sauce? It’s like an orange color..
This is it.
Is there a BBQ sauce that is best for the real flavor of the yellow Chick Fil A sauce? What I use most is a BBQ sauce that is dark brown. It seems to me the overall color might be ruined using my BBQ sauce. Thanks.
I would use the plain Heinz BBQ sauce, as that is likely what Chick Fil A used initially when this happy accident happened.
How about the mayo? I have tried hellmans and it doesn’t taste the same…
I’ve been one to try to pick apart the ingredients in their CFA sauce. It’s pretty unique! I would have never thought there was BBQ sauce in it.
One plus of making it yourself is that you can remove all the preservatives and opt for healthier options, like lite mayo or olive oil based mayo. Thank you, Stephanie!
Have you considered creating their frosted lemonade? I would love that.
I am working on it 😉
I had a craven for this chick fil a sauce but didnt know how to make it but now i make it atleast once a week…THANK YOU
I have always wanted to copy this sauce. THANK YOU!!!
Just had Chick Fil A sandwiches for dinner last night ….love the sauce so was so happy to see
recipe today. Going to make up some sauce tonight. Hope it’s ok to mix in a small bowl instead of a small box…..lol
Really enjoy and appreciate your recipes. Thanks so much!
I personally love this sauce!
Chuckling at Barbara’s comment about bowl vs. “box!” I had the same thought….Stephanie is just too busy!!! ;o)
Thank you for correcting my text. I have made the change.
It was a small bowl, not a small box. Thank you for noting this for me. I am obviously not using an editor as I should be 😉
HI Stephanie! This is a sauce that I’ve been making at home for years, basically the same ingredients as you. Then a couple of weeks ago, I stopped and got a piece of KFC golden bbq sauce on a chicken thigh and BAM its pretty darn close, also. Then stopped and got a chicken sandwich at Chick Fillet and DOUBLE BAM, there it was again. Great minds think alike. Thanks for all of your posts on your blog, love it!!!………….e
I don’t know why more restaurants do not serve a similar sauce. It’s so tasty. Thank you for sharing about the KFC sauce. I will have to check it out.