Table of Contents
- What sauces does Cookout have?
- What is in Cook Out Sauce?
- Why do people argue about Cook Out Sauce?
- Is there a secret honey mustard?
- What is quesadilla sauce?
- Which sauces define the burger styles?
- What is the best sauce for fries and dipping?
- What allergens are in Cook Out sauces?
- Which of the Cookout sauces should you order?
Cook Out sells 13 sauces, from a $0.20 packet of ketchup to a $1.00 cup of cheese sauce, and only one of them gets argued over: Cook Out Sauce. It costs $0.50 and carries 25 calories at the menu board. No recipe has been published, every ingredient list online is a copycat, and the community cannot agree whether it tastes like barbecue, salad dressing or something in between.
What sauces does Cookout have?
Thirteen, listed here with the menu board's price and calories. The menu board figures are typical, vary by store and are not in Cook Out's official nutrition PDF.
| Sauce | Price | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| A1 Sauce | $0.50 | 25 |
| CookOut Sauce | $0.50 | 25 |
| Quesadilla Sauce | $0.50 | 35 |
| Fresh Jalapeno | $0.50 | 50 |
| Cheese Sauce | $1.00 | 100 |
| Ranch | $0.20 | 73 |
| Honey Mustard | $0.20 | 69 |
| Mayo | $0.20 | 57 |
| BBQ Sauce | $0.20 | 29 |
| Ketchup | $0.20 | 19 |
| Mustard | $0.20 | 10 |
| Hot Sauce | $0.20 | 0 |
| Chili Sauce | $0.20 | 0 |
The cheapest are the $0.20 packets, which is also where the calories run lowest: Hot Sauce and Chili Sauce at 0, Mustard at 10 and Ketchup at 19. Ranch is the heaviest packet at 73. The two outliers on price are the 50-cent specialty sauces and the $1.00 cheese sauce.
What is in Cook Out Sauce?
Cook Out has not published the recipe, so every ingredient list online comes from a fan. They fall into two camps. The first is ketchup-based and slow-cooked, built from ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, honey, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, cinnamon, liquid smoke and cayenne. The second is a mayo-based dressing of mayo, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire and pickles.
Neither is verified by Cook Out. At 25 calories on the menu board, Cook Out Sauce is lighter than Ranch (73), Mayo (57) and Honey Mustard (69).
Why do people argue about Cook Out Sauce?
| Source | What they say |
|---|---|
| TikTok reviewer | Tastes like salad dressing and was unappealing |
| Tripadvisor, Myrtle Beach, SC (photo caption) | Their Cook Out sauce is the bomb |
| TikTok reviewer | Dipped white cheddar cheese bites in it and rated the meal 10 out of 10, calling it legendary |
| TikTok creators | Ask whether the secret Cook Out sauce can beat Chick-fil-A sauce |
The split follows what people dip. The 10-out-of-10 review paired it with cheese bites and a full meal, and the salad dressing review judged it on its own.
Is there a secret honey mustard?
TikTok thinks so. One creator calls it a secret-menu request, asking for honey mustard from the back, and asks whether it is worth the hype. Another calls it cheap and one of the best sauces. The menu board lists Honey Mustard openly at $0.20 and 69 calories, and Cook Out sells a Honey Mustard Wrap at 517 calories in its official nutrition guide. A TikTok reviewer ordered the wrap and called it so good.
What is quesadilla sauce?
A separate 50-cent sauce at 35 calories, sold with the quesadillas, and the one with the most copycats after Cook Out Sauce. TikTok recipes describe a creamy, tangy, slightly spicy dip made from mayonnaise, sour cream and pickled jalapeño juice, with paprika, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and cayenne. A variant starts with Chick-fil-A sauce and adds cumin, paprika and chili powder.
Fans ask whether you can order a side of it, and the menu board shows you can. A TikTok reviewer scored one home version 3.7 out of 10 and another creator called it a must-try, and the quesadillas themselves get the praise: a TikTok reviewer scored the beef quesadilla 10 out of 10. See our quesadillas page.
Which sauces define the burger styles?
Cook Out's four burger styles lean on sauces and toppings, and the official calorie figures show what each adds to a plain burger.
| Style | Defining toppings | Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Out Style | Homemade chili, slaw, mustard and onion | +123 cal |
| Steak Style | A1 sauce, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo | +91 cal |
| Out West Style | BBQ sauce, bacon, mayo, pickles and onions | +202 cal |
| Cheddar Style | Cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions and mayo | +233 cal |
Wide Open Country describes the Cook Out Style as the all-the-way burger from eastern North Carolina, dressed with chili, mustard, onion and coleslaw, and a Tripadvisor reviewer who ordered it said it came loaded with chili, onions, slaw and mustard. Another reviewer compared the Steak Style to a Steak 'n Shake burger and called it better. Our burger styles page has the full breakdown.
What is the best sauce for fries and dipping?
Match the sauce to the weight of the food. The lightest dips are Ketchup at 19 calories, BBQ Sauce at 29 and Cook Out Sauce at 25, which suit a 347-calorie Regular Fries. Ranch at 73 and Honey Mustard at 69 suit the chicken strips and wraps, where the creamy coating is the point. Cheese Sauce at $1.00 and 100 calories is the indulgent option for fries.
A Tripadvisor reviewer found the chili good for dipping fries, which is a Cook Out tradition: the Chili Fries and Chili Cheese Fries on our fries page are chili-topped.
What allergens are in Cook Out sauces?
Our allergen chart lists the specialty sauces as containing soy, milk and eggs and notes they may contain emulsifiers, dairy or egg-based ingredients. The mayo-based sauces are the likeliest source. Ask the staff about a specific sauce before ordering.
Which of the Cookout sauces should you order?
Start with Cook Out Sauce at 50 cents, the one sauce people argue about, and dip something salty in it: cheese bites made the one 10-out-of-10 review. Add Honey Mustard for chicken and a $0.20 BBQ packet for fries. Skip the cheese sauce unless the fries are the point.