What To Do If You're Seriously Missing McDonald's Szechuan Sauce
If you've never had a taste of McDonald's famous Szechuan Sauce then you truly missed out. We say this in the past tense because unfortunately, the famed Chicken McNuggets dipping sauce isn't a regular mainstay on the menu. In fact, once it was debuted in 1998 to promote the Disney film "Mulan," the sauce has only made an appearance half a dozen times or so in the past 24 years (via Eat This, Not That!). The last time it was made available — earlier this year actually in March (via Twitter) — the rare dipping sauce was only around for a couple of weeks before customers exercised the supply completely dry (via The Fast Food Post). This isn't surprisingly though, considering they're one of the fast-food chain's most popular food items.
Still though, if you can't get that Szechuan Sauce taste out of your mind, we feel for you. Thankfully, the internet has our back and there are multiple solutions to help fulfill those saucy dreams.
Make your own Szechuan Sauce at home
If you're seriously missing McDonald's Szechuan Sauce then why not make your own? Yes, there are recipes out there where you can whip up your own supply, including Mashed's very own Szechuan Sauce copycat recipe. According to The Food XP's recipe, it takes about 40 minutes to concoct your own Szechuan Sauce from scratch. All you'll need is some ginger paste, garlic, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, granulated sugar, cornstarch, ground Szechuan peppercorns, coriander, black ground pepper, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, and lime juice. A little heating up and simmering later and you'll be dunkin' those nuggets in sweet Szechuan Sauce.
Not up for making your own? The best thing you can do then is sign some petitions to encourage McDonald's. According to Tasting Table, over 20,000 Szechuan Sauce fans signed a petition in 2017 after an episode of the cartoon "Ricky & Morty," where the characters proclaimed their mission to bring the rare sauce back. It actually worked. Just several months later, McDonald's announced on Twitter that it would bring the sauce back for one special occasion day across 600 of its locations — though, many would argue that went horribly wrong. But hey, a little begging and pleading can actually go a long way.