McDonald’s produces a variety of different sauces. Typically, these sauces are free at most locations; you can simply ask for them with your meal.
However, customers typically don’t use all these sauces in one go. Therefore, finding a year-old sauce packet in your glove compartment isn’t odd. To find out if these packets can be safely eaten, keep reading!
Do McDonald’s Sauces Expire?
McDonald’s sauce packets do expire eventually. However, when stored properly, they can last for a year or more in most cases. Some sauces do last longer than others, depending on their ingredients. How you store the sauce will directly affect how long it lasts. Therefore, we don’t recommend storing these in your car.
For information on how long different sauces last, keep reading!
How Long Does It Take For The McDonald’s Sweet & Sour Sauce To Expire?
If the sauce has been continuously refrigerated, it typically stays good for about one year.
However, if you’ve simply kept it in your glove department, how long it lasts depends on the temperature and conditions.
If you live in a more temperate environment, you can expect this sauce to last a few months. Further, places with a pretty even temperature will see these sauces lasting quite a while.
But, if it is particularly cold or hot, this sauce may not last long. If this sauce freezes, it typically doesn’t have the same texture after it thaws.
Therefore, leaving these sauce packets where they may freeze is not recommended. With that, hot temperatures tend to be substantially better for these sauce packets.
For example, they don’t tend to spoil after one hot day. Still, they will not last as long. Additionally, hot temperatures can cause them to explode.
For this reason, we don’t recommend keeping them in hotter areas, either.
How Do You Know If McDonald’s Sauce Is Expired?
All McDonald’s sauces do go bad eventually. When they do go bad, they’ll become inedible. Of course, we don’t recommend ever consuming a sauce that has gone bad.
While it won’t necessarily make you sick, it absolutely can. However, determining if the sauce has gone bad can be a bit more challenging.
Generally, you should notice differences in smell, consistency, and taste. If the sauce looks strange, it is probably no longer good.
Also, if the sauce hasn’t been refrigerated, we suggest being more careful before you eat it. Usually, you’ll be able to tell by the taste, if nothing else.
So, try a bit of the sauce before placing it on a sandwich; this will prevent you from ruining your sandwich with a bad sauce.
How Long Does It Take For Different Sauces To Expire?
All sauces at McDonald’s have different longevity. Therefore, it is best to know the expiration of all the different sauces, as it will help you determine when a particular sauce goes bad.
That said, here is a chart of all the sauces at McDonald’s and their corresponding expiration dates:
McDonald’s Sauce | Expiration Date |
Ketchup | Two months – One year |
BBQ Sauce | Two months – One year |
Mayonnaise | Two months – One year |
Tartar Sauce | Two months – One year |
Creamy Ranch Sauce | Two months – One year |
Sweet N Sour Sauce | One – Two years |
Spicy Buffalo Sauce | One – Two years |
Honey Mustard Sauce | Three – Four years |
Honey | Indefinite |
Should You Refrigerate McDonald’s Sauces?
Preferably, you should store all McDonald’s sauce in the refrigerator. That said, the cool temperatures will help just about every sauce last longer.
Also, putting sauces in the fridge often allows them to last until the end of their expiration period.
For this reason, if you want to keep sauces fresh, put them in the fridge. Additionally, do not just leave them in your car, as the variance in temperature will lead to the sauce going bad sooner.
Practically all McDonald’s sauces do just fine when refrigerated. However, we do not recommend freezing them.
With that, freezing these sauces can change the texture and flavor of the food.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on sauces at McDonald’s, McDonald’s BBQ sauce, and McDonald’s sweet & sour source.
Conclusion
McDonald’s sauces last for a very long time. In fact, many will last for years before they go bad. However, how you store them matters a lot.
They likely won’t last very long if you simply leave sauces in your car.
For this reason, we highly recommend keeping these packets in a cold place, like your fridge, as this storage option will help them last much longer.
However, if you find an old pack in your car, you may need to be cautious about eating it. Often, you’ll notice the sauce is bad due to a change in texture, color, or flavor.