No order of chicken nuggets, fries, mozzarella sticks, or chicken tenders is complete without dipping Sauce. A good sauce helps to elevate your finger food from a simple salty snack to a medley of taste-bud-pleasing serotonin-pumping flavors. It makes fast food more addicting, more satisfying, and, most importantly, more delicious. Every fast food brand seems to understand this, too — because each chain treats its sauces like a sacred part of the menu. A big fast food brand could simply partner with a larger grocery store brand that is revered and has a built-in audience, but they don’t. Instead, they formulate their own sauces and that’s a bigger gamble than it seems. Just like a good sauce can make a meal, a bad sauce can absolutely ruin one.

This got us thinking, who has the best fast food dipping sauce? After much thought, we arrived at the conclusion that there isn’t a specific fast food brand that does sauce better than the competition — just about every brand has hits and misses. So in an effort to separate all of the good stuff from all of the bad, we’ve rounded up all the dipping sauces we could find — sixty two of them! — for an exhaustive blind taste test in search of the very best.

Let’s get dipping.

PART I — Methodology

I knew if I was going to blind taste test sauces, I needed to do so on the perfect canvas — a food that dipping sauces themselves were invented for. That food, my friends, is chicken nuggets. So I hit up McDonald’s and ordered a 40 Piece Chicken Nugget Meal. With 62 different dipping sauces, that means I’d sample multiple sauces on a single nugget (about three per nugg).

Normally when I run a blind taste test, I taste things one by one, but since we collected over 60 sauces… well, that wasn’t going to happen. So instead, I decided to try sauces at random in five waves of 10 (and one wave of 12). This helped me taste sauces faster and spare you from having to scroll through over 120 pictures (one each for the tasting, one each for the ranking).

As I waited in another room, my girlfriend dropped dollops of sauce at random on a piece of parchment paper, called me into the kitchen and I sampled the sauces in six waves. Unfortunately, she forgot to take a picture of the first wave, but don’t hold it against her, she’s not a hardcore professional like me. So you’re just going to have to take my word for it that there were six waves, even though the picture above only shows five. The first wave looked much like the other five waves — like a Bob Ross paint palette on LSD.

Because this was an expansive blind taste test and it took me a while to collect all of these sauces, we choose to skip house-made varieties, like In-N-Out’s Special Sauce or Raising Cane’s Cane’s Sauce. Those sauces aren’t shelf stable and I felt pretty sure testing 62 sauces was going to make me sick anyway, no need to add spoilable ingredients to the mix.

Because we’re running through so many sauces, I’m going to spare you the flowery language (and the list of the contenders) and keep these descriptions short and to the point. Think Hemingway but a lot less talk about war and sex angles to make your penis seem bigger. Point being, these are initial unfiltered snap judgments scored on a 10-point scale. Let’s dive in!

PART II — The Ranking

62. Burger King — Zesty Sauce (Taste 59)

Original Notes:

A straight 0.00!

This is easily the worst sauce I’ve ever tasted. It comes across like a bad mustard — it’s intensely bitter and aside from that has no other perceptible flavor. This is the sort of flavor you usually taste within a larger profile, the sort of bitter kick you get at the end of something like honey mustard. Imagine that kick but it’s the entire flavor of this sauce.

What is this used for?

Rating: 0/10

Bottom Line:

It shouldn’t even exist. I’ve tasted 62 sauces today, you couldn’t pay me to dip my food in this one again.

61. Arby’s — Marinara Sauce (Taste 9)

Original Notes:

I guess this is supposed to be some sort of marinara? There is the faintest hit of tomato here, but mostly this just comes across as sweet. It kind of tastes like Lunchable’s pizza sauce, bland, weak, and cheap.

Rating:

1/10

Bottom Line:

It’s like a pizza paste, a true insult to the very idea of marinara sauce.

60. Popeyes Buttermilk Ranch (Taste 32)

Original Notes:

Is this spoiled? I think this is spoiled. Can shelf-stable ranch become spoiled?

I don’t know, but this tastes straight-up rancid and it has a strange powdery texture to it. Easily the worst ranch sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Rating:

1/10

Bottom Line:

Tastes like ranch that sat out too long in the sun.

59. Jack in The Box — Taco Sauce (Taste 30)

Original Notes:

Why do so many of these taste like Lunchable’s sauces? Imagine the blandest taco sauce you’ve ever tasted but… watered down. It’s like if this brand bought the cheapest “hot sauce” they could find and then cut it with water to save money.

Rating:

1/10

Bottom Line:

It shouldn’t even exist. This doesn’t add flavor to anything, it somehow takes it away.

58. McDonald’s — Hot Mustard (Taste 43)

Original Notes:

No no no no no! Not a fan of whatever the hell this is supposed to be. It’s tangy, dirty, blunt, and bitter. It tastes cheap, like melted-down plastic from the 99-cent store.

Rating:

1/10

Bottom Line:

A bitter and dirty assault on your taste buds.

57. Carl’s Jr —Carl’s Jr. Honey Mustard (Taste 14)

Original Notes:

It doesn’t taste like anything. Are my taste buds fried? Hold on let me drink some lemon water and cleanse my palate… Nope, no flavor here.

There is a hint of bitterness but this is more mouthfeel than anything else. I can’t say I hate it because it doesn’t have enough flavor to latch onto.

Rating: 1/10

Bottom Line:

If you request this sauce with your food, you’ll only be disappointed, unless you’re just looking for something to take away the dryness of your food.

56. Jack in the Box — Creamy Avocado Lime Sauce (Taste 40)

Original Notes:

Why did I take this assignment from my editor?

This shit is fucking bleak… I don’t understand what this sauce is for. It’s strange. There is a prominent citrus note hovering over the whole thing, but yet it’s buttery and a bit savory. It tastes like a bunch of random flavors crashing into each other.

Rating: 1/10

Bottom Line:

There is a lot going on here, but nothing really takes hold. It tastes like someone squeezed lime into mayo.

55. Taco Bell — Fire (Taste 13)

Original Notes:

Bland basic ass hot sauce. Too weak to be considered spicy, to flat to be considered tasty.

Rating: 1.5/10

Bottom Line

It’s fine, it’ll get the job done but I find it hard to believe that whatever you’re eating this with doesn’t have a better flavor. This doesn’t improve anything, it just… changes it.

54. Burger King — Ranch Sauce (Taste 18)

Original Notes:

A ranch with no depth. It doesn’t elevate your food, where normally ranch kicks up a dish, adding a savory dimension this somehow drags flavor down. It’s way too tangy and you can actually taste it disappointing you. I liken it to putting a penny in your mouth when that copper hits your tongue you’d think “Oh this tastes weird” and then immediately, “Why is it in my mouth?”

Rating: 1.5/10

Bottom Line:

You know, like tasting a penny, as one does.

53. Taco Bell — Hot (Taste 21)

Original Notes:

Ugh again with this shit? Who is making this hot sauce? It’s just so, low effort. I get that you can’t put salsa in a packet, but that doesn’t mean you should get away with whatever this is. It’s slightly better than the other bland taco sauces but still lacks flavor. There is a tinge of heat on the backend.

Rating:

2/10

Bottom Line

Barely passable taco sauce.

52. KFC — Honey Mustard (Taste 12)

Original Notes:

Hits you with an initial sweetness that morphs into a tang before landing at a bitter and blunt finish. Nothing special but not horrible.

Rating:

2/10

Bottom Line:

Maybe I’m just not a fan of honey mustard, but this seems to be one of the most overused flavor profiles in all of fast food. And it doesn’t seem like most brands can do it well.

51. Popeyes — Bayou Buffalo (Taste 52)

Original Notes:

Why does it look like acrylic paint?

This one worries me, and flavor-wise, it disappoints. This is buffalo sauce gone wrong. It’s too heavy on the vinegar, and there isn’t enough spice. You can just barely wring out some heat if you strain to taste it.

Rating:

2.5/10

Bottom Line

It’s buffalo sauce if buffalo sauce sucked.

50. Chick-fil-A — Garden Herb Ranch (Taste 33)

Original Notes:

It’s a fine ranch. It’s very tangy and tart not really creamy enough. Aside from the initial tartness, it’s a bit boring and bland though there are some chive and weak parsley notes. It has the flavors it needs to be a good ranch, but there isn’t enough of anything so it just lands kind of bland and flat when it should be rich and savory.

Rating:

2.5/10

Bottom Line

A decent ranch sauce but not as rich as you want it to be.

49.Wendy’s — Honey Mustard (Taste 5)

Original Notes:

Sweet and tangy with a fish sauce-like umami to it. Very savory, well-balanced, and tangy. I’m not totally sold on the bitter finish but it’s a decent sauce.

Rating: 2.5/10

Bottom Line:

Fishy, in a good way, and complex.

48. Burger King Buffalo Sauce (Taste 45)

Original Notes:

A very weak buffalo sauce. There isn’t enough heat here, the primary focus is on the more tangy and sour flavors. It tastes a bit lopsided — there is a lack of balance here which makes it come across as low-effort and cheap. It’s the Jeb Bush of buffalo sauces.

Rating: 3/10

Bottom Line:

A decent but low-effort buffalo sauce.

47. Arby’s — Spicy Buffalo Sauce (Taste 42)

Original Notes:

A buffalo sauce that massively underdelivers on the spicy elements. That seems to be a trend amongst a lot of buffalo sauces. If you can’t bring the heat, just don’t bother. The heat isn’t completely absent but it’s definitely a bit muddled. It tastes like there is too much butter here, the flavor is rich but I’m missing the spice.

Rating: 3/10

Bottom Line:

A buttery well-rounded but weak buffalo sauce.

46. Taco Bell — Mild Sauce (Taste 34)

Original Notes:

The consistency is better but this is yet another bland mildly spicy taco sauce. There is a bit of heat on the backend but ultimately the dominant flavor is akin to chili beans. Like someone took a bowl of chili beans and then watered them down and pumped a bunch of preservatives into them. It’s tame and fit for mass consumption, but who wants that in a taco sauce?

Rating: 3/10

Bottom Line:

A mild and surprisingly earthy taco sauce.

45. Arby’s — Tangy BBQ (Taste 55)

Original Notes:

For BBQ sauce …this isn’t very good. It has that distinct brown sugar and smoke flavor BBQ is known for, with just a hint of tang. It’s nothing special, but at the end of the day, it’s still BBQ sauce. What can I say? Even the most basic of BBQs taste great with chicken.

Rating: 3.5/10

Bottom Line:

You’ve definitely had better BBQ sauce but this gets the job done.

43. Jack in the Box — Jack’s Spicy Good Good Sauce (Taste 60)

Original Notes:

This is an interesting sauce it has a tangy ranch quality to it, a creamy base, and a garlicky finish. It’s good, I just don’t imagine myself reaching for this over something more classic like a BBQ or Buffalo. It tastes like it has the right idea but it just doesn’t stick the landing.

Rating: 3.5/10

Bottom Line:

Savory with a hint of garlic and a small kick of heat. Not quite as good as it sounds.

42. Taco Bell — Diablo Sauce (Taste 7)

Original Notes:

A spicy hot sauce with a black pepper finish. The heat builds up in the back of the throat, it’s pleasing but there is a little too much tomato here. It brings the spice level down on the finish and comes across as a bit too bright for its own good. It sort of tastes like a watery version of Whataburger’s spicy ketchup.

Rating: 4/10

Bottom Line:

A decent hot sauce, but nowhere near as delicious as real salsa.

41. Arby’s — Honey Dijon Mustard (Taste 22)

Original Notes:

Very very interesting. At first, sweetness hits the palate before settling into an earthy flavor that soaks deeply into the tongue. There is a rough-sorta-blunt finish, but it’s not off-putting in any way. It’s on its way to becoming a delicious sauce but it’s missing some key component to balance it out.

Maybe it needs more onion or garlic? Not sure.

Rating: 4/10

Bottom Line:

Complex and interesting, but the flavor hits a wall before and misses the mark of becoming truly good. Still a worthy sauce to dip chicken or fries in.

40. Burger King — Sweet And Sour (Taste 61)

Original Notes:

Okay, this is like a standard sweet-and-sour sauce. A mix of sweetness and some citrus tartness. It’s almost a cheap version of orange chicken sauce with a sour snap at the aftertaste.

Rating: 4/10

Bottom Line

A fine sweet and sour sauce, but I suspect there are better formulations out there.

39. Arby’s Sauce (Taste 41)

Original Notes:

A bit spicy with a bright ketchup flavor and an interesting fruity finish. There is an almost apple-like quality to this. It’s good not great.

Rating: 4/10

Bottom Line:

Interesting, bright, spicy, and a bit fruity. A good sauce.

38. Arby’s — Ranch (Taste 50)

Original Notes:

A great initial flavor, this ranch is buttery and has a nice richness to it, but I’m getting a powdery mouthfeel, like granules of garlic or onion powder. If it weren’t for the weird powdery texture, it would rank much higher.

Rating: 4/10

Bottom Line:

A decent tasting ranch, but it comes across as cheaply made and poorly mixed.

37. Carl’s Jr. Buttermilk Ranch (Taste 46)

Original Notes:

Buttery, savory, and creamy, and a hint of tang on the back end with some onion notes. It has a stale aftertaste that stains the palate in an off-putting way, but it tastes fine overall.

Rating: 4.5/10

Bottom Line:

A very decent ranch sauce. Good enough to get the job done not good enough to truly love.

36. KFC — Buffalo Ranch (Taste 31)

Original Notes:

There is a lot going on here, it’s honey-sweet, with mild hot sauce elements, and a very creamy mouthfeel. A nice amount of heat grows on the aftertaste but it feels a little too unfocused and underdelivers on the heat.

Rating: 5/10

Bottom Line:

Shifting flavors, it’s creamy rich, and savory, with a tinge of heat. If the heat was more pronounced, I’d like this a lot more.

35. Popeyes — Wild Honey Mustard (Taste 48)

Original Notes:

Floral, sweet, and earthy. It tastes almost like a salad dressing, with a weird eggy aftertaste. It tastes too natural for its own good.

Rating: 5/10

Bottom Line:

Good, but I don’t know that you’d want to dip chicken nuggets in it.

34. Arby’s Horsey Sauce (Taste 19)

Original Notes:

Very savory, the consistency is like a thick mayo. There is some nice spice in there, but there is a dirty overtone to the whole thing that makes me like it less the more I have.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bottom Line:

It’s a good sauce but it doesn’t taste like it’s supposed to be paired with chicken. I can see this working with something beefier.

33. McDonald’s — Tangy BBQ (Taste 2)

Original Notes:

A fine BBQ sauce. It’s very generic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It does what you want BBQ sauce to do, it’s just a bit too sweet for me to really love.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bottom Line:

BBQ sauce for those that like their BBQ sweet rather than smokey.

32. Jack In the Box — Black Belt Teriyaki Sauce (Taste 53)

Original Notes:

Soy sauce and sugar. There is a hint of ginger in there, but ultimately this taste like an overly candied teriyaki. It tastes like teriyaki sauce the way those little cola gummies taste like soda — it’s in the ballpark of what it’s supposed to taste like but has too much sugar for its own good.

Rating: 5.5/10

Bottom Line:

A cheap teriyaki sauce. Very sugary and flat compared to the real thing.

31. KFC — Honey BBQ (Taste 23)

Original Notes:

Another very sweet BBQ sauce but it works a little better than Taste 2. Very sugar forward, but in an earthy way that almost comes across as a bit bitter and rich. Very balanced, I prefer more smoke, but it’s hard to dislike this.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bottom Line:

A very good but very sweet BBQ sauce.

30. Wendy — Sweet and Sour (Taste 51)

Original Notes:

Very sweet and citrusy with a hint of spice on the backend. A little more heat would do a lot to make this sauce better, as it stands it’s just very good.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bottom Line:

Bright and sweet with a hint of spice.

29. Burger King — Marinara Sauce (Taste 35)

Original Notes:

There is a surprising amount of depth here. Marinara sauce is a cooked sauce, a shelf-stable version shouldn’t work, but somehow this does. It actually translates as marinara and that alone is worthy of praise. There is a pronounced sense of brightness, it’s a bit sweeter than you expect marinara to be, but it’s also a lot spicier.

Rating: 6.5/10

Bottom Line:

A shelf-stable cheaply made marinara sauce that actually manages to capture some of the magic of actual marinara. It’s like a cheap but decent grocery store brand.

28. McDonald’s — Ranch (Taste 3)

Original Notes:

Tangy, buttery, rich — a solid ranch sauce. It adds this satisfying savory component