Our Sweet Onion Teriyaki Sauce (Subway Copycat) recipe is designed to taste just like the real thing. If you liked our McDonalds Sweet and Sour Sauce copycat recipe or our McDonald's Tangy Barbecue Sauce (Copycat), then you will love this recipe for Sweet Onion Sauce. Follow our simple instructions to learn how to make this Subway signature sauce right at home. This recipe is kosher, pareve, and has a gluten free variant.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe is Amazing
- Easy to make. This sauce recipe involves mixing the right ingredients together to make a delicious sauce. Minimal cooking which means that it is a snap to put together.
- Ready in less than 10 minutes. Copycat Subway Sweet Onion Teriyaki Sauce takes as long to make as it does to measure out the ingredients and stir. (Less than 10 minutes). So quick to prepare! This is just as quick to make as our Honey Garlic Sauce.
- Soooo tasty. Years ago when I used to frequent Subway I would get this sauce on everything. It's hard to improve on the original but this recipe comes close.
- It's available. Sweet Onion Sauce has been discontinued by Subway and you can't buy it in their stores. This homemade clone recipe is the only way to get it now.
- No preservatives. Some of the store bought onion dressings are full of preservatives and can be quite unhealthy. This condiment is made from scratch and uses only fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
This flavor packed dupe recipe was made by reverse engineering Subway's signature sauce both from memory and from their ingredients list. Most of the ingredients you need are already in your kitchen and that makes this an affordable recipe to make.
- Granulated sugar - this is a sweet sauce and a big part of that sweetness comes from granulated sugar.
- White vinegar - for acidity and balances out the sugar with much needed tartness.
- Teriyaki sauce - gives the Sweet Onion Sauce some body and saltiness and a touch of sweetness.
- Corn starch - thickens the sauce.
- Rice vinegar - adds more acidity but has a lighter and less biting flavor than the white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Salt
- Grated onion - for added sweetness and the little bits of onion add to the flavor of the sauce. This is where the onion flavor of the sauce comes from.
- Tomato paste - to make the flavor a little richer.
- Mustard powder - adds just a little bit of bite to the sauce. If you don't have mustard powder you can substitute Dijon mustard.
- Garlic powder - adds to the depth of flavor.
- Toasted sesame oil - adds to the richness of the flavor profile. Make sure that you use toasted sesame oil and not regular sesame oil...there is a huge difference and the Subway Copycat Sweet Onion Sauce will not taste right with the wrong oil.
- Poppyseeds - adds to the body and texture of the sauce.
- Black pepper - rounds out the flavor profile.
How is sweet onion teriyaki sauce made:
Using a microplane or food processor, grate the onion. This keeps the onion pieces fine enough that the sauce will still have body but it will not be chunky.
Next, put all of the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil while stirring. Keep stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved into the water. When it's done, your kitchen will smell amazing. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Let rest and cool for 1-2 hours before serving. So simple!
Serving Suggestions
Sweet Onion Sauce is not just for subs. Try these fun ideas:
- Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich. Subway originally launched its Sweet Onion Sauce as part of a chicken sandwich. Who are we to argue with perfection. Shred a cooked chicken breast, and mix in enough sauce for your tastes. Scoop the teriyaki chicken onto a kaiser roll, top with our Quick Asian Slaw, and enjoy!
- Baked Salami. Use this Sweet Sweet Onion Sauce as a substitute in our Sweet and Tangy Baked Salami recipe.
- Dipping sauce for egg rolls. Egg rolls and yummy sauces are some of our favorite combinations. Use this recipe as a dipping sauce for our Pastrami Egg Rolls.
- Whole Roast Chicken. Our Easy Whole Roast Chicken recipe is great with this sauce. Brush some of the Sweet Onion Sauce over the skin during the last 30 minutes of baking. Keep some extra sauce on the side to serve along with the chicken.
- Sweet Onion Teriyaki Salmon. Use this sauce in place of the Apricot Glaze in our Glazed Salmon Recipe.
- Salad Dressing. Sweet Onion Sauce becomes a salad dressing very easily. Try substituting this recipe for the dressing in our Easy Cobb Salad Recipe.
- On a hot dog. Similar to a sweet bbq sauce.
Substitutions
- Gluten free variant. Instead of soy sauce, substitute these coconut aminos.
- Leave out the cornstarch. Substitute in tapioca starch or potato starch for corn starch.
- Keto and diabetic friendly. Substitute a sugar free sweetener like stevia or sucralose.
How to store
If you don't have a condiment bottle, I highly recommend picking up a few for sauces like this. Amazon sells these bottles and they make great storage and dispensing vessels for homemade sauces and dressings.
This sauce can also be stored in an airtight plastic container or the condiment bottle. Either option allows the sauce to be stored for up to 30 days in the refrigerator...but we doubt it will last that long 😀
Recipe FAQ
This sauce is made of ingredients found in most salad dressings. Sugar, vinegar, water, spices. What gives this sauce its signature flavor is the grated onion because it is sweet and has just a little bit of bite.
Subway Sweet Onion Sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce similar to a bbq sauce.
This recipe is egg free. In fact, it is also diary free and contains no animal products whatsoever.
Other Subway Copycat Recipes You May Like
Subway Chipotle Southwest Sauce
📖 Recipe
Sweet Onion Teriyaki Sauce (Subway Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- ⅔ cup Water
- ⅓ cup White vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Corn starch
- 2 teaspoon grated onion
- 1 tablespoon Teriyaki sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Dehydrated onion
- ½ teaspoon Tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon Mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ½ teaspoon Poppyseeds
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil stirring constantly.
- Once sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and cool for 1-2 hours.
Notes
- These are some of our favorite ways to enjoy Sweet Onion Sauce:
-
- Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich. Subway originally launched its Sweet Onion Sauce as part of a chicken sandwich. Who are we to argue with perfection. Shred a cooked chicken breast, and mix in enough sauce for your tastes. Scoop the teriyaki chicken onto a kaiser roll, top with our Quick Asian Slaw, and enjoy!
- Baked Salami. Use this Sweet Sweet Onion Sauce as a substitute in our Sweet and Tangy Baked Salami recipe.
- Dipping sauce for egg rolls. Egg rolls and yummy sauces are some of our favorite combinations. Use this recipe as a dipping sauce for our Pastrami Egg Rolls.
- Whole Roast Chicken. Our Easy Whole Roast Chicken recipe is great with this sauce. Brush some of the Sweet Onion Sauce over the skin during the last 30 minutes of baking. Keep some extra sauce on the side to serve along with the chicken.
- On a hot dog. Similar to a sweet bbq sauce.
- Salad Dressing. Sweet Onion Sauce becomes a salad dressing very easily. Try substituting this recipe for the dressing in our Easy Cobb Salad Recipe.
- Sweet Onion Teriyaki Salmon. Use this sauce in place of the Apricot Glaze in our Glazed Salmon Recipe.
Nutrition
Comments
No Comments
Leave a Comment