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.
Amazing (uh-mayh-zyng)
Did somebody say ranch dressing? That’s what I read in her article, but there’s not a speck of it in her recipe! How’s it compare then, if that was the original recipe? No rating as I haven’t tried it yet. Just curious about this.
This recipe was for Chick Fil A sauce, not Chick Fil A ranch sauce.
Amazing!! Bonus was that I could make this egg and dairy-free by using vegan mayo! Kids keep coming back for more of this sauce!!!
I am glad it worked for you!
Delicious sauce (could be thicker), but not even close to the original. Would be a 4 star for the sauce as a stand-alone, but only a 2.5 to 3 star, since it’s supposed to be a copycat and completely misses the mark.
Thank you for your feedback. Can you share what you used for your bbq sauce and mustard?
When I was a teenager (before 1964) every drive-in restaurant had a fried chicken filet sandwich on its menu. The first fried chicken sandwich was probably eaten while leaning on a plow about 1650.
Not sure what kind of imaginary milestone he’s claiming, but it’s ridiculous.
Followed the recipe and did not taste anything like Chik-Fil-a sauce. I even have a few packs to compare. This recipe tasted way too mustardy and more liquidy then the original.
Maybe i used the wrong mustard and bbq? I used sweet baby rays BBQ, Gulden’s yellow mustard and Gulden’s brown mustard. I will have to try the Dijon brand. Maybe it’s vastly different?
I think it is the type of mustard and BBQ sauce that is used matters a great deal. I would use a Heinz brand because they use Heinz in the store. So I would use Heinz honey mustard and Heinz BBQ.
TASTE THE EXACT SAME I LOVE IT
Soooooo good I used white vinegar instead of lemon juice the best EVER
Thank you so so much for this recipe! I made this Chick-Fil-A sauce and I honestly think it was better than the original, but they tasted super similar. I totally would make this sauce again. Also, I filmed a video comparing this sauce to the original Chick-Fil-A sauce. If you wanna watch, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJd6XrXi7KY&t=31s
Thanks again for this awesome copy cat recipe!
It is really sweet when you make it. I recommend adding a little white distilled or apple cider vinegar to get the zing you get from Chick-fil-A.
I was looking at the recipe thinking that the honey would make it sweeter than the real stuff. Probably depends what kind of BBQ sauce you use, too, since there are so many different kinds that range from sweet to sour.
I replaced the mayo for Marie’s cole slaw sauce and for me it really tastes like the original sauce.it added a perfect amount of tang
Great idea! Can’t wait to try your way, thanks for sharing!
This might work but I made it just as the recipe called for and no one in my family thought it tasted ANYTHING like the original sauce. It’s not bad, but it’s NOT Chik-full-A!
I am very sorry that you didn’t enjoy the recipe Chef Ninja.
Looking for popcorn chicken recipe from Chick Fil A.
Thank you for your request. I am sorry I do not have this one just yet.
Delicous
Did you use the original recipe or the one that used the Marie’s sauce ??
I am hosting a party with 42 children in attendance, is there a large batch recipe?
You could easily triple the recipe, and it would work fine.
I can make a gallon for $100
What would you do with a gallon of that sauce?
You better find a different place to shop. I could make a gallon for well under $100
The kids begged for more!
Big time favorite!!
I love this sauce, so glad I can make it at home now!
I need to try this! My kids will surely love this!
Such a good sauce, especially for chicken fingers!
I’ve made these before, they’re my favorite!