Sweet and Sour sauce is a staple of Chicken McNuggets at McDonald’s, and is widely regarded by McDonald’s customers as being one of the best dipping sauces that the restaurant sells.
However, you may wonder which brand of sauce McDonald’s uses, or what ingredients are in it? If you’d like to find out, keep reading this article to see what I learned about this topic!
Key Takeaways
What Is Mcdonald’s Sweet And Sour Sauce In 2022?
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce is made by McDonald’s and features apricot and/ or peach puree concentrate to add sweetness, but it’s balanced with the dried chili peppers for a bit of heat as of 2022. The sauce is dairy-free and also vegan-friendly, however, it’s not gluten-free so you should avoid it if you have wheat allergies.
If you’d like to learn more about what’s in McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce, what brand the sauce is, can you purchase the sauce and more, keep reading this article for more facts!
What’s in McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce?
There are several ingredients in McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce, including the following:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Apricot puree and/or peach puree concentrate
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Salt
- Modified food starch
- Sherry wine powder
- Dextrose
- Xanthan gum
- Cellulose gum
- Garlic powder
- Natural flavors
- Sodium benzoate
- Spice
- Soybean oil
- Onion powder
- Caramel color
- Extract of paprika
- Dried chili peppers
Customers should also note that some of the ingredients in McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce contain wheat and genuine soy.
What Brand is McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce?
McDonald’s makes their own Sweet and Sour sauce, meaning it’s a house brand that’s made by one of their suppliers and distributed to McDonald’s locations.
Can You Buy McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce?
Unfortunately, you cannot buy McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce in grocery stores or retail stores since it’s not a product offered publicly.
However, you can purchase more Sweet and Sour sauces inside of McDonald’s, but it’s going to cost you $0.25 per additional container.
You’ll also not be able to purchase too many while you’re in McDonald’s since oftentimes limits are placed on how many extra sauce containers a person can buy, as the sauces are intended to be used as a dip for mcDonald’s meals.
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Nutritional Information
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce contains 50 calories per container and also contains 11 grams of carbohydrates.
Further, there is 160 mg of sodium in one sauce container, and 10 grams of sugar, so while it’s not horrible for you, McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce is also not good for consuming several containers in one sitting.
Is McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Gluten-Free?
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce is not gluten-free since it contains wheat. Therefore, if you have Celiac disease or a gluten/wheat intolerance, you should avoid the Sweet and Sour sauce to not upset your stomach or cause any other harmful symptoms.
Is McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Dairy-Free?
Sweet and Sour sauce at McDonald’s is dairy-free, making it a nice dipping sauce for those with lactose intolerance, and it’s even tasty to use as a spread on McDonald’s chicken sandwiches!
Is McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Vegan?
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce is considered vegan since there are no animal-based ingredients in the sauce, which are listed above for your reference.
Unfortunately, though, if you live within the United States, there are not that many vegan options at McDonald’s, meaning the sweet and sour sauce might not be pairable with the non-meat items that are offered.
Does McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?
If you have an open container of Sweet and Sour sauce, you should put it in the refrigerator to ensure it stays fresh, and place it inside a plastic Ziploc to keep it from drying out.
However, if you have an unopened McDonald’s Sweet and Sour, you don’t need to place it in the refrigerator since it’s still sealed in the container and has a prolonged shelf life.
Does McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Expire?
Sweet and Sour sauce will expire, but not for quite a long time, as the general rule of thumb is to toss any unopened sauce that’s over six months old for quality purposes.
Furthermore, the longer the sauce sits without being used, the more likely the ingredients will start to break down. Therefore, it’s best not to keep unopened sauces for extended periods.
Is McDonald’s Sweet and Sour Sauce Good?
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce is considered one of the best sweet and sour sauces from a fast-food restaurant.
The sauce uses the apricot/peach puree concentrate which balances out the sweet with the more bitter ingredients, and it’s generally paired with chicken nuggets.
Additionally, the chili peppers that are in the sauce also give you some heat for your chicken nuggets, but it’s not so overpowering that it will leave you wishing you had a glass of milk nearby.
The heat does linger a bit once you’ve consumed the container, though, so some people may be more sensitive to the amount of heat within the sauce.
On top of that, the thickness of the sauce is perfect because it’s not runny to where it’ll fall off the food you’re dipping into it, but it’s also not too thick where it’ll get caught in your throat or have a clumpy texture.
To know more, you might also see our posts on McDonald’s ketchup, McDonald’s mustard, and McDonald’s mayonnaise.
Conclusion
McDonald’s Sweet and Sour sauce is a very good dipping sauce, but it’s not available in stores since it’s a house brand made specifically for McDonald’s restaurants. However, you can ask to buy additional containers for $0.25, although limits may apply on how many you can purchase.