McDonald's Tangy Barbecue Sauce (Copycat) tastes just like the real thing. Make this signature bbq sauce from scratch right in your kitchen. The perfect topping for burgers, chicken nuggets, and fries. This recipe is kosher, non-dairy, and pareve.

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- Ingredients in McDonald's Tangy BBQ Sauce (Copycat)
- We love McDonald's Tangy Barbecue Sauce (Copycat) because it is...
- How to make McDonald's Tangy BBQ Sauce (Copycat) from scratch
- Recipe Pro Tips
- Recipe FAQ
- Serving suggestions for Homemade McDonald's BBQ Sauce
- Special Equipment Used
- 📖 Recipe
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- 💬 Comments
There is no denying it, McDondald's makes some super tasty condiments. Since most of them are not kosher, we have taken upon ourselves to make copycat recipes recreating the signature flavors from memory. We are told that we got really close to the real thing with our recipe for McDonald's Sweet and Sour Sauce (Copycat). We think we got pretty close here too.
Ingredients in McDonald's Tangy BBQ Sauce (Copycat)
- Ketchup - 6 out of the first 7 ingredients for authentic McDonald's BBQ Sauce are the same as the ingredients for ketchup. Seems like a no brainer to me
- Water - thins out the sauce
- Brown sugar - add sweetness
- Soy sauce - this is one of the "secret ingredients" in the sauce. Most bbq sauces do not contain soy sauce
- Red wine vinegar - this gives the sauce its tanginess
- Garlic powder - traditional barbecue sauce flavoring spice
- Black pepper - for a little bit of a kick
- Liquid smoke - for a true bbq flavor
We love McDonald's Tangy Barbecue Sauce (Copycat) because it is...
- Easy to prepare - mix the ingredients, heat, cool. That's it!
- Kosher - McDonald's sauces are usually not kosher. The actual sauce contains sherry wine powder which is always a problem in kosher recipes. Our recipe eliminates that ingredient.
- Quick to make - Heating takes less than 3 minutes. The longest part is waiting for the sauce to cool.
- Just like the real thing - this recipe uses most of the same ingredients and leaves out the non-kosher items as well as a lot of the preservatives. Taste just like you got it from the drive thru window.
How to make McDonald's Tangy BBQ Sauce (Copycat) from scratch
Step 1 - Combine all of the ingredients
In a medium sized sauce pan, mix together the ketchup, water, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, soy sauce, and liquid smoke.
Step 2 - Heat
Heat the sauce pan on medium/high heat until all of the contents begin to bubble. This should take 1-2 minutes. We like to use a whisk for this since it is designed for fully incorporating ingredients quickly.
Step 3 - Cool
Turn off the flame and cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Recipe Pro Tips
- The reason the ingredients need to boil is so that the brown sugar can melt. If you don't heat long enough, the brown sugar will remain grainy and not fully incorporate. This can really effect the flavor and consistency of the sauce.
- The sauce will begin by bubbling around the edges and then eventually in the middle. When the sauce bubbles up in the middle and starts to rise up, the sugar should be fully melted and can turn off the heat.
Recipe FAQ
Homemade sauces like this are best stored in other sauce containers. Wash out an old ketchup or barbecue sauce bottle and us that for storage. If you can't find one, store in an airtight container. Either method should be good for about 6 months.
They do but it is not certified kosher. This recipe is a copycat recipe which is designed to taste just like the real thing!
You can add 2 teaspoon of corn starch into the ingredients before bringing them to a boil. When the sauce cools, it will be thicker than the base recipe.
Serving suggestions for Homemade McDonald's BBQ Sauce
This copycat sauce recipe is so good you can eat it plain. Most of us will want to enjoy it with something, try it as a:
- Sauce for veggie burgers, hamburgers, or pastrami sandwiches
- Substitute for store bought bbq sauce in our recipes for Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Beef, Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Thighs, or Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Dipping sauce for our recipes for Pastrami Eggrolls or Chicken Nuggets
Special Equipment Used
- Medium sauce pan
- Whisk for stirring
📖 Recipe
McDonald's Tangy BBQ Sauce (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1 cup Water
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Red wine vinegar
- 4 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon Liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a saucepan or pot.
- Heat on medium high heat until the sauce starts to bubble.
- Once the sauce is at full boil, remove from heat.
- Cool in the refrigerator.
Notes
- The reason the ingredients need to boil is so that the brown sugar can melt. If you don't heat long enough, the brown sugar will remain grainy and not fully incorporate. This can really effect the flavor and consistency of the sauce.
- The sauce will begin by bubbling around the edges and then eventually in the middle. When the sauce bubbles up in the middle and starts to rise up, the sugar should be fully melted and can turn off the heat.
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