McDonald’s announced that they’re bringing back their Szechuan Dipping Sauce starting today. But you can only get it through the app, and only while supplies last, which might only be a few days.
The people at Uproxx taste-tested each of the sauces on both chicken nuggets and fries, and put out a definitive ranking of how they stack up.
Here are the results:
1. Szechuan: If you haven’t had it, it is dominated by sweet notes and isn’t spicy or hot. They say it leans more on “brown sugar and ginger flavors, almost Teriyaki-like, with a smoky after-taste.”
2. Spicy Buffalo: It’s the only actual “hot” sauce McDonald’s currently offers. They describe it as a cayenne pepper-forward flavor, with garlic and onion notes.
3. Sweet N’ Sour: It’s more sweet than sour. They describe it as apricot and plum with a brown sugar after-taste.
4. Hot Mustard: Again, not as “hot” as you may think. Instead, it’s a heavily vinegar-forward flavor, with a sweet garlic finish. They say it’s a step down from the discontinued Honey Mustard sauce, which was sweeter and spicier.
5. Ketchup: Surely EVERYONE has had McDonald’s ketchup. They say it tastes almost exactly like Heinz, but it’s apparently a proprietary recipe.
6. Ranch: They weren’t fans, describing it as a sour-forward “cheap” taste . . . “more an approximation of ranch dressing than actual ranch dressing.”
7. Mustard: It’s a bit boring and doesn’t have the complexity of good mustard. It’s a little bit blunt and bitter, with a vinegar-dominant flavor.
8. Tangy BBQ: They call it, “legitimately,” the worst barbecue sauce they’ve had. It’s heavy on vinegar notes with a sweet tomato-forward flavor. And they add, “There are no traces of smoke here, it’s sugary sweet and bright with a tangy almost sour after taste. Truly the weirdest BBQ sauce ever.”
The last few fall a bit flat, so the site says it’s BAFFLING that they’ve had three superior sauces (Szechuan, Mighty Hot, and Honey Mustard) that are not regularly available, after being discontinued at some point!
