Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce Recipe: A Flavorful Addition to the Fourth of July BBQ

Subway announced that they would no longer offer their famous signature sweet onion sauce, which caused an upset amongst many people. The good news is that this one is the closest it can get to Subway’s sweet onion sauce recipe.

Admittedly, the long list of ingredients might scare you away at first. Regardless of the ingredients list, once you pair it with a delicious sandwich (preferably turkey or chicken) or use it as a salad spread or a salad dressing, you will see that it’s worth it.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce Recipe: A Flavorful Addition to the Fourth of July BBQ
• Comments

Ingredients

• Granulated sugar — ⅔ cup
• Red wine vinegar — 1 ½ tbsp.
• White vinegar — 6 tbsp.
• Onion juice — 1 tsp.
• Dried minced onion — 1 tbsp.
• Dijon mustard — 2 ½ tsp.
• Poppy seeds — 1 tsp.
• Celery salt — ¾ tsp.
• Salt — ½ tsp.
• Paprika powder — ⅓ tsp.
• Black pepper — ¼ tsp.
• Garlic powder — ¼ tsp.
• Onion powder — ½ tsp.
• Dry mustard powder — 2 ½ tsp.
• Cornstarch — 1 tbsp.
• Sesame oil — 1 ½ tsp.
• Cold water — ½ cup

Instructions

1. Whisk together the ingredients in a large saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil, all the while constantly stirring.

3. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until thickened, which should take approximately five minutes.

4. Remove from the heat, cover, and chill overnight.

5. Transfer to a jar with a strong lid, where it will last for a month.

Substitutions

• Granulated sugar — While Subway’s sweet onion sauce recipe traditionally calls for granulated sugar, dark brown sugar worked wonders for me, providing a deeper flavor.

• Cornstarch — Subway’s sweet onion sauce recipe specifically calls for cornstarch, but arrowroot powder works great as well, and the same goes for potato starch and all-purpose flour as well. While you can substitute arrowroot powder for cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio, you should use a 2:1 ratio for the other substitutes. 

• Sesame oil — Subway’s sweet onion sauce famously boasts a unique, specific flavor profile, and sesame oil is the key to that. While you can substitute sesame oil with both olive oil and soy sauce, the flavor is simply not the same.

Variations

• Spicy — It’s Subway’s sweet onion sauce, so it would only make sense that this copycat recipe doesn’t come with lots of heat. Well, you could easily fix that. Make sure to go with a hotter paprika powder, as different alternatives are available. You could also substitute cayenne pepper powder for paprika powder, which would increase the heat.

• Earthy — Subway’s sweet onion sauce recipe boasts a fairly long list of ingredients, but why not add various herbs to give your sweet onion sauce a unique twist? Chopped fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme are the usuals.

Equipment

• Measuring cup

• Measuring spoons

• Large saucepan

• Jar, with a lid

• Whisk

Storage

• Once removed from heat, you should refrigerate your sweet onion sauce overnight before serving.

• After serving, transfer the sauce to a jar with a strong seal. Store in a dark, cool place. Your sweet onion sauce will last for a month.

Pro Tips

• Adjust — Adjusting is the key when it comes to sauces, and Subway’s sweet onion sauce recipe is not an exception. You will be using many ingredients with various flavor profiles, so feel free to adjust according to your taste. Decrease the sweetness or increase the heat, it’s all up to you.

• The jar — Although this should probably go without saying, make sure to wash, rinse, and clean the jar you will be using before getting to work. Make sure to test the lid while you’re at it.