What Does Big Mac Sauce Taste Like? (Ingredients + Other FAQs)

The Big Mac and its sauce are one of the iconic mainstays of the fast-food world. Also known as the “special sauce,” it has pleased palates for half a century.

What exactly does the Big Mac taste like that it should be famous for so long? Is it so unique that nothing can come close to it? I’ve looked into everything you need to know about the matter!

What Does The Big Mac Sauce Taste Like In [currentyear]?

Creamy, sweet with a sour kick, and a bit of mustard are terms used to describe the complex taste of the Big Mac sauce as of [currentyear]. The taste is nearly similar to the Thousand Island dressing but lacks the tomato as an ingredient. The sauce contains inordinately high levels of sodium, cholesterol, and sugars.

Stay on to find out more about what the Big Mac sauce pairs with best, where you can buy it, and how healthy it is!

What Does The Big Mac Sauce Taste Like?

The Big Mac sauce is creamy in consistency, with a subtle contrast of sweet and sour, enhanced by salt.

Also, there is an interplay of flavorful herbs and spices so delicate that it is impossible to tell where one ends, and the other begins.

Moreover, it is a sauce built to moisturize without being soggy and stick as a dip without being runny.

While it is possible to be objective about the sauce’s taste, the exact is highly subjective, and the nuances will come out differently for different people.

Why Does The Big Mac Sauce Taste The Way It Does?

The Big Mac sauce taste comes down to the ingredients used, and people will declare the most dominant element to whose flavor they are most sensitive.

Still, Big Mac’s sauce creaminess comes from the mayonnaise, while mustard and yellow mustard add both color and an angle of flavor.

However, the addictive tangy kick comes from the white wine vinegar.

Moreover, the garlic and onion powder condiments help enhance the flavor of whatever food the sauce is eaten with.

Additionally, the sweetness comes from the sugars in the sweet pickles and the prepared yellow mustard.

Finally, there is more sweetness in the glucose-fructose and the sweet pickles, and the sweet pickles are also responsible for whatever saltiness your taste in the sauce.

How Is The Big Mac Sauce Made?

The Big Mac sauce was once touted as the secret sauce, but that is long past, if it ever was. Today, both ingredients and recipes are public knowledge and easily accessible.

Moreover, here is a simplified recipe and list of ingredients for the sauce:

  • Paprika
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard
  • Sweet pickle relish (sugar, glucose-fructose, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, xantham gum, potassium sorbate, etc.)
  • Prepared yellow mustard (water, vinegar, mustard seed, salt, bran mustard, sugar caramel, turmeric, spices)
  • White wine vinegar
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder

Then, all these ingredients are whisked together and served chilled.

What Other Sauces Taste Like The Big Mac Sauce?

What Other Sauces Taste Like The Big Mac Sauce? McDonald's

Walmart’s Great Value Sauce comes closest to the Big Mac sauce in taste that some people have declared it a knock-off.

Still, other sauces with a similar taste include Hellman’s Condiment Classic Burger Sauce and Bramwells Chunky Burger Sauce.

Moreover, Thousand Island dressing has been mistaken for the Big Mac sauce because of the closeness in taste.

However, the two are vastly different since tomatoes are indispensable to the Thousand Islands dressing, unlike the Big Mac sauce.

What Does The Big Mac Sauce Best Go With?

The Big Mac sauce was designed for the Big Mac burger at McDonald’s. However, it goes well with any other burger.

For example, the sauce pairs well with shrimp, French fries, fried fish, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and dressing for salads.

What Other Sauces Can You Get From McDonald’s?

McDonald’s has an array of dipping sauces in addition to the Big Mac sauce. For example, here are some of the other sauces offered by McDonald’s:

  • Tangy barbecue sauce
  • Spicy Buffalo sauce
  • Creamy Ranch sauce
  • Honey Mustard sauce
  • Sweet and Sour sauce
  • Tartar sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Mayonnaise

Where Can I Get The Big Mac Sauce?

You will always get a generous serving of the Big Mac sauce with your Big Mac order at McDonald’s. Otherwise, McDonald’s won’t sell you the Big Mac sauce alone.

Fortunately, most grocery stores stock and sell the Big Mac sauce, and they include the following:

  • Walmart
  • Aldi
  • Kroger
  • Target
  • Meijer
  • Amazon

Also, you can use one of the many online recipes to try a create an imitation of your own, though perfect results are not guaranteed.

Is The Big Mac Sauce Healthy?

The Big Mac sauce is delicious, no doubt, but it is not healthy.

For example, each serving has 90 calories which requires a period of intense activity to burn off. For instance, you need to walk for at least 25 minutes or swim for at least eight minutes.

Also, each serving of the Big Mac sauce contains 10mg of cholesterol, 90mg of sodium, and 1g of sugar. That said, these elements play an undeniable role in lifestyle diseases.

Moreover, the Big Mac sauce contains possible allergens like eggs, gluten, mustard, and soybeans that you need to watch out for.

Is The Big Mac Sauce Recipe Secret?

Once, the Big Mac sauce was known as the secret sauce. However, the sauce ingredients are now public knowledge, published online.

Still, the exact recipe that yields the sauce is yet to be made public by McDonald’s.

To learn more, you can also read our posts on biggest McDonald’s burger, where to buy Big Mac sauce, and what is Big Mac sauce.

Conclusion

For over 50 years, McDonald’s customers have been able to enjoy what was originally a secret sauce but is not anymore.

Still, they can enjoy the Big Mac sauce with their Big Mac burgers or any other food it can go with, as long as they do it in moderation.

Photo of author

Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

Leave a Comment