Copycat McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce Recipe
McDonald's introduced its Special Edition Gold Sauce in September 2025, promoting it as a complement to the new Gold McCrispy Sandwich as well as other offerings like the BTS Happy Meal. Inspired by South Carolina gold BBQ sauce, this condiment has the same signature color from a base of yellow mustard as well as sweet, smoky, and tangy notes, though the McDonald's version is a bit thicker and contains more sugar than some Carolina varieties.
McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce is only available for a limited time, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it longer. Recipe Developer Michelle Bottalico has created a copycat version of this delicious sauce you can make at home whenever the craving hits. It couldn't be easier. Just put all of the ingredients in a saucepan, whisk them up, and simmer for a few minutes. There's magic in this simplicity, because the gentle heating and the choice of ingredients create a complex combination of flavors that's just irresistible.
You can follow McDonald's lead and serve the sauce with crispy chicken, or use it as a BBQ sauce for grilled meats. But that's not the only way you can enjoy it, because this sauce goes well with everything. It's good slathered on burgers and used as a dipping sauce for fries and fried appetizers like zucchini sticks or cheese balls. It's even delicious on veggie dishes like coleslaw. Store the sauce in the fridge for 2 weeks, if it lasts that long.
Gather your copycat McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce ingredients
For this recipe, you will first need yellow mustard. The sweeteners needed are honey and brown sugar, and the acidic component is apple cider vinegar. Gather tomato paste, hot sauce, and liquid smoke as well. Finally, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper are the spices the recipe calls for.
Step 1: Add the ingredients to a pan
Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.
Step 2: Whisk the sauce
Whisk well to combine.
Step 3: Bring to a simmer
Heat on medium low, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a bare simmer with just a few small bubbles gently breaking the surface. Do not let it boil.
Step 4: Cook the sauce
Let cook for 4-5 minutes, whisking frequently, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Step 5: Let cool
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely, for about 30 minutes.
Step 6: Transfer to a container
Transfer the sauce to a jar or container and cover.
Step 7: Serve the copycat McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce
Refrigerate the sauce overnight before serving for the best flavor. The sauce will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.
What can I serve with this sauce?
Copycat McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce Recipe
Our easy copycat McDonald's Special Edition Gold Sauce gets its signature color from a base of yellow mustard and has sweet, smoky, and tangy notes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow mustard
- 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 9 drops liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Whisk well to combine.
- Heat on medium low, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a bare simmer with just a few small bubbles gently breaking the surface. Do not let it boil.
- Let cook for 4-5 minutes, whisking frequently, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely, for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce to a jar or container and cover.
- Refrigerate the sauce overnight before serving for the best flavor. The sauce will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 173 |
| Total Fat | 2.2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 38.5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.1 g |
| Total Sugars | 33.7 g |
| Sodium | 785.2 mg |
| Protein | 3.0 g |
How can I customize this copycat McDonald's Gold Sauce recipe?
One way you can customize McDonald's Gold Sauce is to switch up the mustard. While yellow mustard is preferred, you can use your favorite mustard to make your own unique version if desired, though the classic flavor will be altered. Think Dijon or spicy mustard for more of a kick, or whole grain mustard for texture. You can also experiment with other sweeteners in BBQ sauce. This recipe contains honey and brown sugar, but molasses, agave, or maple syrup would add their own special notes. You could sub ketchup for the tomato paste if that's easier, and use a little less sugar.
If you're not a fan of heat, feel free to leave the hot sauce out. If you'd like to dial the heat up, on the other hand, you can use more hot sauce, cayenne, or red pepper flakes. Liquid smoke is an important ingredient that's part of the famous McDonald's smoky flavor. Adding a few drops mimics the flavor of cooking food with wood. While it's not an exact match, you can use substitutes for liquid smoke like smoked paprika or chipotle powder, which is also smoked. Even the liquid in a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce will give your sauce that smoky touch (and some extra heat along with it). Finally, in addition to the spices in this recipe, you could add others like onion powder, honey powder, celery seed, or cumin if desired.
What are the different kinds of BBQ sauces?
Tomato-based BBQ sauces contain ingredients like tomato paste or ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, and spices. Memphis BBQ sauce is thinner and has a deeper flavor from molasses, Kansas City BBQ sauce is thicker, and St. Louis BBQ sauce is tangier. Texas BBQ sauce isn't sweet like the others — chile pepper or hot sauce makes it spicy.
A simple vinegar-based BBQ sauce is probably the oldest sauce in the country and comes from Eastern North Carolina. It's made from vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt. The BBQ sauce from Piedmont or Lexington in Western North Carolina is similar but contains ketchup and brown sugar. South Carolina is known for its gold BBQ sauce made with yellow mustard, which is responsible for the hue, and sometimes may not contain ketchup or tomato paste at all, and McDonald's Gold Sauce is closest to this. Vinegar is key, and while some versions are sweet, not all of them contain sugar.
There are additional, less common varieties. For instance, Alabama white sauce is unique. It's white and creamy from mayonnaise and flavored with vinegar, horseradish, and spices like cayenne and black pepper. Some BBQ sauces use fruit like mangoes or cherries — Georgia peach BBQ sauce gets natural sweetness from peaches. Bourbon BBQ sauce is heavy on the bourbon, which cooks out, leaving oak and vanilla notes in the sauce. In Florida, you can find BBQ sauces with tropical Caribbean notes or Cuban influences.