Shake Shack Sauce (Copycat) is the legendary burger chain’s tangy, creamy sauce that’s perfect on burgers and sandwiches or for dipping!
Dine in tonight with a favorite takeout Copycat Recipe with some fries (like KFC Original Chicken) and enhance your dining experience by including this spot-on Shake Shack Sauce!
SHAKE SHACK SAUCE
One of the keys to success in fast food is developing your own secret sauce. Nailing a sauce that generates a loyal following, whether it’s Chick-Fil-A’s Honey Mustard or In-N-Out’s Burger Spread, to make it big and inspire lines out the door, you have to have a closely guarded sauce that stands out.
Shake Shack tapped into that secret to making it big, and developed their own spread when they decided to make the leap from hot dog cart to making a debut on the burger joint scene. Tourists come from all over to their flagship location to get a taste of this unique Shack Sauce.
Surprisingly though, Shake Shack hasn’t been as close to the chest with their recipes. Their instagram is always filled with peeks behind the curtain and trivia. They even came out with a cookbook that spills fan stories, fun facts, and 70 recipes (though they admit they don’t give away the real sauce recipe!)
What sets the Shack Sauce apart compared to a lot of other burger spreads is the use of mustard and only a bit of ketchup. Most iconic sauces like Fry Sauce and Special Sauce are more a mayo-ketchup blend that ends up being on the sweet side.
They also use some dill pickle in their sauce to give it a tang and cayenne pepper for just a hint of heat. Of all the Sauces here, this one stands out as a well-rounded creamy blend of sweet, savory, tangy, sour, and spice. A true delight for all your tastebuds.
A tip to make this the most spot on recipe, get picky with ingredients. Use Heinz ketchup and Hellman’s mayonnaise. While using other brands will still make a delicious sauce, you want to use the highest quality ingredients for the best possible sauce.
If you want to act like a Shake Shack insider, serve this sauce on a bed of crinkle cut fries, their special cheese sauce (bonus recipe below!) and melted American cheese. Shack Sauce and Fries is one of their most popular secret menu items. Add some bacon for an even more indulgent snack.
DELICIOUS EASY CHEESEBURGER RECIPES
Big Mac Sloppy Joes (w/ Secret Sauce!)
Western Bacon Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes (Copycat)
Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
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WHAT TO SERVE SHAKE SHACK SAUCE ON
This sauce is so good, you don’t want to make variations on it. Instead use it in other recipes that call for a special sauce or spread.
- Cheeseburger Casserole: Our cheeseburger casserole is modeled after the Big Mac but instead swap out the Shack Sauce to make a dish that Shake Shack wishes they had on their menu!
- Chicken Strips: Use this as a dipping sauce for our Crispy Chicken Strips and serve them up for game day!
- Meatloaf: Make kid friendly comfort food with our Cheeseburger Meatloaf and brush this sauce on top during the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Burger: Of course you can always grill up the perfect burgers, spread this sauce on the top bun and recreate the Shake Shack Burger with American Cheese, green leaf lettuce, and plum tomatoes.
HOW TO MAKE SHAKE SHACK CHEESE SAUCE
- Dice 1/2 a yellow onion and 1 seeded jalapeño and sauté.
- Mix 2 cups heavy cream with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon white wine.
- Soak onion and pepper in cream mixture for 30 minutes.
- Heat on stove until hot.
- Strain and pour over 2 cups American cheese and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, stir until melted.
- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
POPULAR COPYCAT RECIPES:
Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
Easy Mongolian Beef
KFC Coleslaw (Copycat)
Wendy’s Chili (Copycat)
HOW TO STORE SHAKE SHACK SAUCE
- Serve: Mayo-based sauces like this should be stored in the refrigerator within 2 hours.
- Store: Store Shack Sauce in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Freeze: Since it’s made with mayonnaise, freezing this sauce is not recommended.
Shake Shack Sauce (Copycat)
Shack Shack Sauce (Copycat) is the legendary burger chain's tangy, creamy sauce that's perfect on burgers and sandwiches or for dipping!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 4 slices kosher dill pickle , finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir.
If you want your sauce to have a more smooth texture, you can blend it in the food processor for 5-10 seconds.
- Store in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator.
This looks great! But shack sauce def does not have pickle chunks in it, it is a smooth sauce.
Both husband and I loved. It is now a staple for our hamburgers and fries
We also put it on sandwiches and it’s delicious.
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Nancy.
This recipe is for McDonald’s special sauce, not shack sauce. Shack sauce does not have pickle chunks.
Bless you Sabrina! Tried your SS cheese sauce recipe last night and it came out great! I used half and half instead of heavy cream and it still worked just fine. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Nicole!
If I were to save a few minutes by using dill relish would this ruin anything? And if so how much would you say to use?
I’ve not tested it but it should work. Whatever else is added into the relish might adjust the flavor a bit though.
Somehow I’ve never heard of this sauce but looking at the combo of ingredients it looks like a real winner, gotta try it!
Enjoy!
What?! This looks SO delicious, I know I’m going to love it!
I hope you enjoy it!
That shake shack copycat sauce looks pretty awesome! I normally just like ketchup and mustard on my burgers, but I would definitely try this.
It’s a fun change.
YAY! All of my kids loved this, thank you so much! This was even better than Shake Shack’s!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I am one best follower. I will try it.
Enjoy!