For those not in the know, Raising Cane’s is an American fast-food restaurant chain that started in Louisiana. It sells chicken tenders, among many other southern staples. It takes particular pride in its Raising Canes sauce, which is made in-house. We might never know the secret Raising Cane’s sauce ingredients, but by making an educated guess, I’ve created a homemade Cane’s sauce that tastes just as good.
Watch the Raising Cane’s sauce video
What is Raising Cane’s sauce
To the untrained eye, Raising Cane’s dipping sauce looks similar to Thousand Island dressing. This creamy, tangy sauce uses similar base ingredients (ketchup and mayonnaise) and produces the same salmon color. The restaurant describes it as “tangy with a little bit of spice,” which largely comes from the tomatoes and extra spices. Whether served with spicy fried chicken or garlic-infused Texas Toast, Canes sauce’s mild flavor can complement basically anything.
How to make Cane’s sauce
Place all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Once fully mixed, it will have turned salmon-colored. Place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. That way, the flavors will have time to meld together and give the Cane’s sauce a greater depth of flavor.
Ketchup: You can use store-bought or homemade; they both work fine. Mayonnaise: You can use store-bought or homemade. It’s best to use regular, not flavored, mayo. Worcestershire sauce: This can be found at most grocery stores. You can use balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, or fish sauce in a pinch. Spices: I use garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. You can also add cayenne pepper, onion powder, Cajun spice, creole seasoning, or even a few drops of lemon juice.
Why does Cane’s sauce taste better overnight?
It’s perfectly fine to enjoy the sauce after just 6 hours, but giving it up to 24 hours allows the flavors to meld for that irresistible taste of Cane’s sauce. So, I recommend making it the day before you plan to serve it for a better overall experience.
How to use
There are plenty of ways how to make Cane’s sauce a staple of your condiment rotation:
Serve with chicken: As is most popular, you can dip homemade chicken tenders (from scratch or from frozen) into Cane’s sauce. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy chicken fingers or chicken nuggets. Enjoy as a dipping sauce: Cane’s sauce is great for dipping. Try it with French fries, sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, eggplant fries, and even rounds of crispy fried squash. Use as a condiment: Add it to your favorite recipes for burgers, sandwiches, and dishes with chicken, beef, fish, and more. Just use it in place of the traditional mayo and/or ketchup.
Traditionally, southern fried food is always served with some sweet tea. So, whatever you’re serving my Raising Canes sauce recipe with, I suggest washing it down with a peach iced tea, my blackberry Earl Grey iced tea, or even a glass of cold brew tea from your own favorite blend. If you try this copycat Raising Cane’s sauce recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
