Get your Arby’s Roast Beef fix without leaving home! With this Copycat Arby’s Sauce Recipe you can make your own version of the fast food favorite!
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Homemade Arby’s Roastbeef Sandwich
I can’t tell you how many recipes I have stockpiled that have yet to be shared. This Arby’s Sauce Recipe is one of those that almost fell through the cracks.
I worked on this copycat recipe almost a year ago then got distracted.
Last week while grocery shopping I had the deli clerk shave some roast beef for me. I thought to myself how great the roast beef would taste on a soft bun, almost like an Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich.
If only I had the Arby’s Sauce. Then I had a flashback to a year ago when I made several batches of sauce until I got it right. Better late than never!
This sauce is great on a roast beef sandwich, but it would allow be wonderful served alongside these Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Secret Fry Sauce Recipe, Healthy Chicken Fingers, Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf or Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets.
Copycat Arby's Sauce
Get your Arby’s Roast Beef fix without leaving home! With this Copycat Arby’s Sauce Recipe you can make your own version of the fast food favorite!
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Organic Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 4-6 Tablespoons Filtered Water*
- 4-5 Drops Tabasco or Crystal Hot Sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar**
- 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Heat over medium/low for 20 minutes. Stir frequently, especially the last 10 minutes.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
- Use within 1-2 weeks.
Roast Beef Sandwiches
- Lightly butter the inside of a soft bun (I used King's Hawaiian Sandwich Buns). Grill, butter side down, in a large fry pan over medium heat until lightly golden brown on the inside.
- Heat shaved deli roast beef in pan until just warm. Do not over cook.
- Fill grilled bun with warm roast beef. Top with Arby's Sauce and bun top.
- I bought the Arby's Seasoned Curly Fries in the frozen food section of my grocery store. Cook according to package instructions.
Notes
*Arby's Sauce has a distinct consistency. Add enough water to achieve the pourable sauce. The sauce will thicken a little when cooled.
**Maple syrup or honey can replace the brown sugar. I prefer maple syrup.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 54Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 593mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 0gSugar 12gProtein 0g
Nutritional information on WonkyWonderful is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Why did I have to make my own Arby’s Sauce Recipe at home?
Well, I think Arby’s frowns upon me walking into their establishment to fill my purse with packets of sauce.
Now I don’t have to do that. Not that I ever did. Oh, no. I would never!
This sauce is close to the real thing.
I think Arby’s Sauce is all about the consistency. The flavor IS important. But you need to achieve that ‘dripping off the sandwich’ consistency.
So skip the fast food joint and dine at home. Where the fries are HOT and the sandwich is FRESH!
Dude, this is amazing! I totally need to make this…and soon. I’ve got a million different sandwiches I want to slather with this stuff. Thanks! 🙂
Haha, thanks David! I get pretty excited about sandwiches too 😀
Try it on homemade chicken tenders. OMG, I love it! Besides it is a barbeque sauce so basically it can go on more than just sandwiches.
Mmmmm, now I’m craving chicken tenders 🙂
Wow this is SUPER awesome! Can’t believe you cracked the code!!! Whipeeeee!
Hahaha, thanks Chris! I do love a good Arby’s Roast Beef. I don’t know why it took me so long to attempt a homemade version.
I will be making this tomorrow and I can’t wait to try it. All of the local Arby’s have closed by me and I have to drive an hour to get to the closest one, so I don’t get to have Arby’s very often. Not to mention, they are really stingy about giving out sauce packets. They’ll only give you one per sandwich and when I ask for another packet, they give an attitude.
Haha, I can’t believe they are flippin you attitude over sauce! Enjoy this homemade version 🙂
not to mention expensive also now a day
Just got done making this sauce, and WOW! Thank you Nicole, James.
Thanks James! Glad you like it 🙂
I’m making this as we speak. Can’t wait to try it!
Awesome! Hope you loved it!
Wow, I’m really impressed by this! I did an internet search for “Arby’s sauce recipe” and came across yours. I love Arby’s sauce but haven’t enjoyed it in years since I took HFCS out of my diet and started eating organically. I made your sauce tonight and it was amazing! Thanks!
Awesome! I’m so glad you like it!
I’m not sure if I did it right…mine has a strong apple cider vinegar flavor. Is that how yours was?
It does have a bit of a vinegar tang. If you prefer less of a vinegar flavor, you can definitely use less in the next batch.
Okay! Thank you!
Just made the sauce and it’s amazing !!! Thank You !
Awesome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
How about the Arby’s Horsey Sauce to go with it! I love the combo of flavors!
Yep, I need to work on that horsey sauce. Although, I imagine horseradish mixed with mayo would be a good start 🙂
what is onion powder campaignlcon or what do you mean?
Hi Terri! The recipe should just list onion powder which can be located in the dried spice area of your grocery store. I’m not sure what campaignlcon, I’m not seeing that. It must be some sort of technical glitch. Thanks!
LOL! When you copy and paste the recipe, it will add the words campaignlcon behind things… I reckon it’s embedded in the web page. I always see that when I copy and paste to Microsoft Word to save recipes for future use.
Yeah, technology. I have a love/hate relationship with it 😀
I just made the sauce following the recipe to the dot, and while I cannot say that the result tasted quite like Arby’s sauce (it was too sweet for me), it certainly was several notches above household ketchup. I enjoyed making and devouring it. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you liked it…sad it wasn’t what you expected. Thanks for your feedback though 🙂
I have to agree with Wes. The sauce is delicious, but it seems just a bit too sweet for me. Also, it doesn’t make a lot for slaving over the stove for 20 minutes =/ I’ll try it again with a little less sugar. Do you think there’s a way to double the recipe without extending the cooking time? Thanks!
If you do decide to double the recipe it will need a little more cooking time. Feel free to decrease the brown sugar to fit your tastes. Have a great day!
Living in Australia I’ve never had the opportunity to taste that, but my god, it’s fantastic! Glad I found my way here! I can’t eat my Lamb burger without this anymore haha.
Haha! Glad to hear it! And… the sauce is the best thing about Arby’s anyway 🙂
I am making this for my hubby.. he loves Arby’s sauce.. but I have to disagree with what you said, about it being “the best thing about Arby’s”.. nothing tops their jamocha shakes lol 😁👍👍
Oh yes, those shakes are awesome!
I just made this and I have to say it is perfection! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! I’m glad you love it 🙂
Do you have an Arby’s sliced roast beef recipe? Mom loves Arby’s Roast Beef, but it’s several town away. Thanks!
I don’t have a recipe for the roast beef. I buy deli roast beef at the store because that is most like the Arby’s sandwiches. Plus, to get the super thin slices at home I would need a meat slicer.
First, thank you for taking the time to try to crack this recipe. I think you came pretty close! I agree with some of the other commentators; this sauce is way too vinegar tough! And I love vinegar based anything. I think the Ketchup you use plays a big part in it. Most of them have a high sugar content, and all of them contain vinegar already. Add in the Tabasco, and there is another hard hit of vinegar.
I used Heinz Ketchup, because that is what I had on hand. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly as written. I had to toss the first batch due to the strong vinegar punch. The second batch, I replaced 1/2 the brown sugar with honey, used 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and use a pinch of cayenne in place of the Tabasco sauce. It’s not bad. I do not feel that either recipe is dead on, but it’s a great substitute once you get the vinegar under control.
Good changes. Thanks for the feedback!
Oooooooh my GOD!!! This is friggin unbeLIEVEable!!! U nailed it!! Thank u!!!!!!❤❤❤❤
Thanks! Glad you liked it 🙂
Amazing
This was legit!!! Thank you!!!!
Awesome!
Taste great but not the same. To sweet to be arbys.
Our Arby’s had a huge customer appreciation day yesterday. We ordered 12 of the classic roast beef sandwiches because they were on sale for only 1.29 yesterday only. To our dismay, they were out of Arby’s Sauce! Your recipe saved the day!!!! Not all heroes wear capes. Thank you so much. 5 stars on this, it was perfect!
No sauce!!! What the 😆 I’m glad this recipe helped you out.
Sadly, I just made this and it tastes nothing like Arby’s sauce, like not even close and I followed directions to a t.
So an even easier way and hubby says it taste just like Arby’s sauce. Catalina dressing and Heinz 57. Equal parts mix up and waaalaahhh. Simple easy and tasty. SO he says.
Weird, never heard of that one. Now I’m curious if it does in fact taste like Arbys Sauce 😀
BS!
Andrea, I think your husband may be on to something. I’m eating Arby’s Sauce rn and the moment I read Heinz 57- it clicked in my mind and taste buds!! Can’t speak on the dressing bc it isn’t in my flavor memories.
I agree… this recipe is a failure in the Arby’s sauce pursuit of happiness..
I added a splash of Worcestershire and cut back to 1 T. of brown sugar and this was pretty close to the real thing.
Thanks for the tips 🙂
This sauce was just ok. The ketchup taste was a lot stronger than Arby’s
It’s pretty close but I agree, the ketchup was still to sweet so I skipped the water, instead added more apple cider vinegar and extra Crystals hot sauce (any hot will probably work?) and ended up with a nippy, not as sweet Arbys sauce. Thank you for the recipe! FredG Bon Appetit
Awesome, thanks for the tips.
I agree, sadly. This recipe is a delicious BBQ sauce so there’s nothing wrong with that! But I have some Arby’s Sauce packets and in a side-by-side this tastes nothing like it. The real thing has “something.” But what? I’m on a quest.
Darn, I may have to rework this recipe since I made it so long ago. I’ll have to make a trip to Arby’s first.
So I had these on hand so I had to try it. It tasted SIMILAR to me but I was using Kraft and Walmart H57 knock off, so it was missing the umami and depth of flavor I love in their sauce. I added Worcestershire to taste which also thinned it out and it was INCREDIBLY close and I am known to HOARD packets I don’t use so any time I have roast beef I can use it. Will totally do it again. Also, if you know anything about ketchup they are not all even remotely created equal so how a recipe tastes with one it will taste different with another brand, so go easy folks. lol
Thanks for the tips. And yes, you are totally right…all ketchups do taste different 🙂
To be honest I added a splash of Worcestershire a touch more vinegar and a 1/4 tsp of ground clove. I also had leftover sauce packets to compare.
I’ve not had Arby’s in years but I was craving a roast beef sandwich. It’s not bad but I think it taste closer to their red ranch than their Arby’s sauce. Little too sweet for the sauce. But, it did taste great with fresh bakery onion rolls, roast beef and cheddar. I did add W sauce like another review mentioned and added about 8 tablespoons of water and it was still a bit thick. Not bad though.
I didn’t try the clove, but I did add the Worcestershire and a splash more of the vinegar. Made a huge difference. I also used cayenne pepper instead of Tabasco, since it was all I had on hand.
Followed directions… this is NOT even close to Arby’s Sauce. It’s watered down ketchup. Not even close. This is an epic fail. Don’t bother. A waste of all my ingredients. As a sauce, I suppose it’s ok…but, Arby’s sauce, it ain’t.
I haven’t made this, but I can tell already it is missing something. One of the predominant flavors that the Arby’s sauce has is allspice. I believe that is why some people said steak sauce or worcheshire sauce gave the right flavor notes. It is because they both have allspice. Perhaps that might be a flavor to experiment with?
I’m pretty sure I can taste just a bit of cinnamon in Arby’s sauce.
It look so delicious. I want try it. I think this is a great idea for my breakfast. Maybe I will do it tomorrow morning.
Great for a fast food. It is also very easy to do. I think it would be great when used with Coca-Cola.
This recipe missed the mark by an inch. Guys (and gals), add 1 or 2 teaspoons of A1 sauce and it’s pretty damn close to the real thing. It’s close enough for me, I’m eating Arby’s curly fries right now with it and even though it’s been years since I’ve gone to Arby’s this is close enough to what I remember. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I believe clove is the flavor that pops in Arby Sauce. Gonna have to try making a batch.
That’s amazing sauce. I have to try it for my family. Thanks for sharing and love your site.
This may achieve an approximation of the taste. Cut a bit sugar will make it closer!
I love your photos, your recipes, your writing! The time you put into the process shots is so impressive. Love, love, love.
Tried this recipe and she nailed it. Thanks for sharing and love your site
Reduce the amount of vinegar and brown sugar… add black pepper and more hot sauce…. I think that would make it closer to the real brand name thing… it’s too sweet, I cooked longer to reduce the vinegar taste … but yeah the recipe calls for more than my taste… needs more kick
Made these last night! So good! Thanks u so much
Perfect! This was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
This was amazing! I used it on a homemade roast beef sandwich. Now, I can enjoy the Arby’s taste. Thank you!
It was very close and awesomely delicious.. I made the recipe nearly perfect. Thanks for posting it
I just saw this recipe mentioned on Chef Politte’s Facebook site and came right to your website to get the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful sauce. I will be making ANOTHER sandwich shortly!
Quick and simple alternate recipe: mix ketchup and worcestershire sauce (proportions to taste).
Great! I did it so perfect. make my day!
Wonderful! I did it yesterday. Great recipe ever!
I know the post is a little older, but I came across it while figuring out if I could make the sauce to eat with the Arby’s branded frozen curly fries from the grocery store this evening. Solid effort! I just made it in a half batch and, while I haven’t had Arby’s in a while (OK, about 6 years), it’s super close to what I remember. I’m having the fries with French Dip sandwiches tonight, but I’ll bet that if there’s any leftover beef, it’ll probably get tossed onto a roll with the remainder of the sauce batch and keep me from driving across town after having had it and creating a craving.
Looks so delicious, my daughters love this, I will definitely try it your way, thank you for sharing. Looking forward to seeing more recipes. I’ll be back.
I have never been to an Arby’s and sorry but if this is what Arby’s sauce taste like I’ll never go to their restaurant. Too strong with the Apple Cider vinegar at 1 tablespoon. I doubled the onion powder, garlic powder and sea salt which helped but still too strong. Added 1 tablespoon of sesame oil along with one tablespoon of Teriyaki sauce and that made the difference. Not bad. If I make this sauce again I will cut the apple cider vinegar to 1-1/2 tablespoons with just half of the sesame oil and teriyaki sauce. Also double the amount of water.
This recipe is fantastic. I substituted the Apple Cider vinegar with Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce (it’s vegan without anchovies in it) with everything else the same. I believe without a doubt it’s a match to Arby’s 100 percent. The Annie’s sauce has the Apple Cider vinegar already in it. Compare the Apple Cider vinegar with the Annie’s sauce substitute and do a taste test. Use whatever’s best for you but it’s definitely Arby’s sauce.
Does anyone know if this sauce can be frozen
Wow! Making this, and it already tastes like Arby’s Sauce!