McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce Recipe: Copycat Recipes to Make Your Own

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McDonald’s locations across the United States are offering Szechuan sauce today. But there’s a limited supply to this one-day-only-special, and some places only have 20 packets at an entire restaurant. Many people, unfortunately, will be left without the Szechuan sauce. However, a few people have come up with recipes that might help you fill in that missing place in your heart if you aren’t able to try Szechuan sauce today.

(See a full list of every McDonald’s location that will carry Szechuan sauce in Heavy’s story here.) 

No one has an exact recipe for the Szechuan sauce from McDonald’s, but quite a few people have tried to copy it.

Copycat Recipe by “Binging with Babish”

Here’s a Szechuan sauce recipe attempt by Redditor OliverBabish, by said he was too young when the Szechuan sauce was released to know what it tasted like. He made the video shortly after Rick and Morty Season 3 premiered, because he wanted to experience the taste of Szechuan sauce himself. This was one of the most popular recipes shared right after the premiere. He made three versions in this video, one that was authentic and spicy, one from a Redditor trying to recreate the McDonald’s version, and one which was just his theory of a basic sauce: mixing sweet and sour sauce with BBQ sauce.

However, he followed up later with a new recipe. This time, he tasted the actual McDonald’s Szechuan sauce, saw a photo of McDonald’s recipe, and then copied the recipe as best he could. Here’s what he put together:

Redditor Xeropoint’s Copycat Recipe

Redditor Xerpoint shared a copycat recipe for McDonald’s Szechuan sauce too. He commented that he and his dad came up with the recipe several years ago. His dad operated restaurants for 18 years and loves creating recipes. (Note: The first video above also recreates this recipe, but you can read all the details about the ingredients and instructions here below.)

Mince 6 cloves of Garlic and heat them in a skillet

Add 4 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Add soy sauce to taste (regular, not low sodium)

Add 2 tablespoons Plum Sake

Boil off the alcohol

3 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Add 2 tablespoon brown sugar

Add 2 tablespoons white sugar

Red pepper flakes to taste

Minced Ginger to taste

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

“The brown sugar helps it keep the proper consistency, so it’s important to use it. Don’t use all white sugar, but you can use all brown. Play around with the recipe to your taste. Might want more or less balsamic vinegar. Might want more or more Plum Sake. I’d definitely recommend you make it several times to figure out your own flavor.”

Szechuan Sauce for Beginners

This recipe is geared for beginners, rather than attempting to be a copycat of McDonald’s:

Recipe by Evie in Peru:

According to Evie in Peru at Food.com, you can make a Szechuan sauce by combining the following:

• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced and peeled ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup canned low sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon asian chili-garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Read Food.com’s complete recipe and instructions here for the full instructions, along with reviews and advice from readers. (Note: She doesn’t say anything in her post about McDonald’s sauce, so she’s likely not attempting a copycat. She added the recipe in 2005.)

Which recipe are you going to try first?