Every Arby's Sauce, Ranked

If you're craving a roast beef sandwich, there's no better fast food joint to stop by than Arby's. It's a favorite of celebrity chef Alton Brown's for the nostalgia factor, specifically the roast beef sandwiches. With legendary portions of meat on its sandwiches (this secret menu item has nine types of meat on it), the carnivorous offerings of Arby's tend to overshadow some of the more nuanced items on the menu. But if you're a true flavor afficionado, don't overlook the selection of sauces at the chain. From classics like ketchup, barbecue, and ranch to some only offered at Arby's, there are plenty to choose from when you order.

But with so many choices, it can be hard to make just one selection. Fortunately, Arby's doesn't charge for sauces, so you're free to try as many as you want. We sampled all of the sauces offered at Arby's to see which were the best. The top choices added a lot of flavor but were versatile enough to use on sandwiches or wraps and with chicken tenders and sides. A few were clear winners on certain menu items but didn't pair well with everything, which knocked them down a bit in our rankings. Our top pick worked with everything, is a favorite that we can't get anywhere else, and comes in large enough containers that we can enjoy it at home.

The Arby's ranch was our least favorite of the sauces, mostly because it didn't add a lot to any of the sides or sandwiches that we tried it with. It was pretty creamy and without the strong herby flavor that we'd expect from ranch. Our favorite ranch sauces have a little bit more zest to them that this one was lacking. If you like a really creamy ranch with a strong buttermilk flavor, you'll enjoy this one. But for our chicken, sandwiches, and even our fries, we wanted something with a bit more kick.

We would use this as an add-in to customize other sauces. You can mix a little bit in with the buffalo sauce to tame the heat or create a creamier ranch-barbecue hybrid. Arby's offers most sauces as free additions to your order. So, go ahead and play around with this sauce. Just don't expect it to add a lot of flavor on its own.

You can get cheddar cheese sauce added to any meal and it's one of the most popular for the classic Arby's melt. But as a sauce for other menu items, it's not the greatest for flavor or texture. It has a strong cheese flavor that pairs well with savory meat, but doesn't add the zing that we like for fries. It is also much thicker than any of the other Arby's sauces.

This one isn't on the regular sauce menu, but you can ask for a side of cheese to add to any order. Extra cups of cheddar sauce cost around 50 cents, but they're worth it if you load up your sandwich with plenty of meat. Arby's cooks its roast beef by slow roasting and using lots of basting liquid, so this sauce works right alongside the super tender meat.

It comes on the Beef 'n Cheddar sandwiches, where it provides a nice pairing with ranch as well as the huge stack of meat. You can also enjoy this sauce on the limited-time Fish 'n Cheddar. While not one of the regular menu items, this new take on an Arby's sandwich definitely puts a twist on a classic. While the sauce works well on these sandwiches, it's not great for dipping, which ultimately puts it lower on our list.

Marinara sauce comes as a recommended option with the mozzarella stick side. This is another sauce that tasted just as expected, with a strong tomato base and plenty of savory Italian seasonings to add flavor. The only thing that would make this sauce better is if it came warmed in a different type of container. The plastic dipping tub doesn't do well in the microwave, so we recommend keeping this one at room temperature or putting it on a separate plate.

It's a great pairing for the mozzarella sticks and decent with fries, but it's not a very unique option on the Arby's menu. You can find similar marinara sauce at most places that serve mozzarella sticks. While this sauce is good, it didn't stand out a lot.

If you want to experiment with adding marinara to other Arby's dishes, just ask for a sauce tub on the side. It doesn't add to the cost of your meal, so you may as well give it a go.

The Bronco berry sauce is the perfect way to add a little sweetness to the spicy jalapeño bites. It's very sweet and reminded us more of fruit jelly than of actual fresh berries. But as long as you know that you're getting a sauce heavy on sugary taste, you'll be happy with this option.

The consistency was also different from other sauces at Arby's. It reminded us of a thin glaze or a sweet and sour sauce, although the flavor profile is anything but sour. There's a hint of heat from the sauce, but the overwhelming experience that we took from this option was sweet, sweet, sweet.

This flavor makes it ideal for jalapeño bites, which introduce spiciness and a melted cream cheese filling. This side and sauce combo works well to keep all flavors balanced. But you can also add it to sandwiches for an interesting flavor combo. It wasn't our favorite sauce for dipping fries, which is what pushed it a bit lower on the list than we expected. However, when we considered versatility, it just couldn't compare to some of the other tasty options.

When we tried all of the sauces, it was a toss-up between the kick from the buffalo and some of the other sauces in the middle of the pack. For buffalo sauce lovers, this is a good balance of spice with a creamy base that cools off any extra heat. You'll get the initial flavor burst, then it cools into a tamer sauce. It was a little bit spicier than some buffalo sauces we've tried, but the heat didn't linger. Don't be intimidated or think that this sauce is too hot to handle, especially if you pair it with fries or potato cakes.

This was one of our favorite sauces to enjoy with chicken tenders. You can slather it over the top or use it as a dipping sauce. If you're worried about it being too spicy, stick with the dipping sauce. Fortunately, it comes in a large enough container that you can dunk your chicken tenders right in. 

Ketchup is a classic sauce that can be used for everything from sandwiches to fries to wraps. It's popular on potato cakes as well as breakfast sandwiches. We generally don't put it on Arby's signature roast beef sandwiches, only because there are plenty of other sauces that are better. But if you're a ketchup lover, you'll be happy with this sauce. It's also one of the most versatile options on the menu.

The Arby's version tastes like most that we've had at other restaurants. It didn't stand out from the pack but is still a solid choice, especially when it comes to fries, potato cakes, and other sides. The packets are a bit smaller than the oversized ones we've gotten from other fast food chains. The ketchup only comes in packets rather than a dippable option, so make sure that you have a plate to put it on for dipping. Fortunately, you can get as many as you want without paying extra for your meal. So, if you love to drench your fries in ketchup, ask for at least three packets with a standard side order or meal.

We have to admit that our taste buds get really excited for honey mustard, so we went into this test expecting this particular sauce to end up toward the top of our list. Fortunately, it did not disappoint, and the tangy mustard tempered by a hint of sweet honey hit all the right notes. You can use honey mustard as a dip for fries or potato cakes, but it really shines with the chicken tenders. It also makes an unexpectedly delicious pairing with Arby's curly fries. They have a little bit of a kick that adds another layer to the mustardy zing and sweet honey.

The Arby's wrap comes with honey mustard in it, but you can also order the sauce separately for any other dish. If you want a little extra tang, try it on a roast beef sandwich. We wouldn't recommend pairing this with other sauces because this one already has a pretty big personality. But since it doesn't cost anything extra to add to your order, you can always give it a try as a dipping sauce for a sandwich or side.

For a classic barbecue taste, dip your chicken tenders or fries in this classic choice. It combines a vinegary bite with savory tomato-based barbecue. This thick sauce is better for dipping than pouring, although we'd happily enjoy it slathered on most of Arby's sandwiches as well.

The tangy barbecue has a good balance of sweet molasses and tangy vinegar flavor. It also has hints of smokiness that we really enjoyed. Arby's is known for its meaty sandwiches, and barbecue is the perfect complement. This sauce is included with a side order of chicken tenders, but you can also get an even smokier version on the Smokehouse Brisket sandwich. This is a personal favorite menu item, in no small part thanks to the tasty sauce. 

Because it works well with so many menu items, this sauce ended up pretty high in our rankings. Not only is it delicious, but it's also a versatile and reliable choice. You can put it on just about any type of dish from Arby's and enjoy. We haven't tried it on any of the desserts, so we can't say for sure if it works or not, but it wouldn't surprise us to find that this gem of a sauce could pull it off.

The Arby's horsey sauce was a surprise favorite among all of our testers, who all said that it had just the right amount of horseradish zing to wake up the taste buds without overpowering the sides or sandwiches that it was on. There is definitely an initial kick from this horseradishy sauce, but it's not too spicy for most, thanks to the creamy base. There is also a strong vinegar tang, which we especially liked on the roast beef sandwich. The sauce also managed to taste the tiniest bit sweet, hitting all of the flavor notes that we like at once.

You can get horsey sauce at the restaurant or in larger containers at the grocery store. This should have been our first clue that this sauce is a fan favorite, but it took us actually trying the sauce to see what all the hype was about. It's considered by many to be a legendary fast food sauce, not just at Arby's but among similar chains around the country.

Our only complaint was that this sauce comes in packets, which made using it as a dipping sauce a little bit more difficult. Fortunately, you can get as many packets as you want, so feel free to load up your fries or sandwiches with this tasty sauce.

We can see why Arby's put its name on this sauce and why it's one of the most well-known and recognizable of the chain's condiments. It has the rich tomato base of ketchup, with just enough salt and a little extra tang from vinegar. Garlic and onions also add a ton of savory flavor to the recipe. It is similar to barbecue in that it is full of flavor, but it is a bit more salty and sweet rather than rich. This was definitely the most versatile sauce on the menu, working alongside all of the sides that we tried, plus the sandwiches. You can even put it on burgers, gyros, and other menu items.

It comes in packets the same size as the horsey sauce, so we recommend having a plate handy if you want to use it for dipping. But like the horsey sauce, you can get it at the restaurant for your sandwich or sides and in larger containers at the grocery store. Arby's recommends pairing it with pork, steak, and even chicken wings as a delicious addition.

To get the full effect, we sampled the basic Arby's sauces with chicken tenders, fries, mozzarella sticks, and our new favorite side, potato cakes. We also put a dab of each on a sandwich (Arby's roast beef, of course) to see how they worked on other menu items.

During our test, there wasn't a sauce we outright disliked, so we had to look closer at how versatile the sauces were and how likely we were to get them again with our Arby's order. A few, such as the marina and cheddar cheese sauce, worked really well with particular menu items but didn't have a lot of appeal beyond that very specific use. Some sauces, like the buffalo, ketchup, and honey mustard, were good but nothing out of the ordinary. If you prefer those types of sauces in general, you'll be happy with Arby's versions. Our favorites ended up being sauces that tasted great, could be used on a variety of menu items, and were unique to Arby's. Not surprisingly, our top choices are also customer favorites that have been so popular they ended up in larger containers on grocery store shelves so that Arby's fans could take them home.