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    Published: Sep 7, 2021 · Modified: Mar 22, 2023 by Misty · This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.

    The BEST Red Robin Campfire Sauce Copycat

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    Overhead platter of fries with bowl of campfire sauce and text overlay.
    Fry dipping in bowl of Red Robin onion ring sauce with text overlay.

    This Red Robin Campfire Sauce recipe is a spot-on copycat of the one served at Red Robin! Made in less than 5 minutes with just 2 ingredients (NO mayo!), this addicting fry sauce has a tangy, smoky, and slightly sweet flavor that you just can’t. stop. eating. Whether served with fries, onion rings, burgers, or chicken nuggets, it’s the BEST dipping sauce! 

    Bowl of Red Robin dipping sauce surrounded by fries and chicken tenders.
    This Red Robin Campfire Sauce is easy, flavorful, and addicting - just like the original!
    Skip to:
    • 🏅 Why this is the best campfire sauce recipe
    • 🍟 Ingredients you need
    • 🥄 Equipment
    • 🥣 How to make copycat Red Robin campfire sauce
    • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd
    • 🍔 How to serve
    • 🧊 Storage
    • 🙋 Questions and answers
    • 👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & tricks
    • 📖 More simple recipes
    • 👋🏻 Connect with us!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    This may be the most perfect dipping sauce on the planet. Of all the tasty sauces out there, this Red Robin Campfire Sauce copycat recipe is the one that won me over. I'm not ashamed of my obsession.

    It’s also known as Red Robin onion ring sauce, campfire mayo, or fry sauce. No matter what you call it, you’ll be serving it on everything from burgers to french fries to hot dogs in no time.

    For other copycat recipes, try these Crumbl Peanut Butter Cookie Copycat or this Applebee's White Chocolate Maple Blondies!

    🏅 Why this is the best campfire sauce recipe

    There are several other copycat recipes out there for Red Robin dipping sauces, but we found that none of them truly had the same addicting flavor and tang as the original campfire sauce. Instead they tasted like best foods brand mayonnaise masked with barbecue sauce and chipotle powder, which left a very flat, disappointing taste in our mouths (and is NOT like the original). 

    So we went to work! We tested rounds (and more rounds) of this sauce with different ingredients, brands, spices, and ratios until we had the perfect Red Robin Campfire Sauce. You can technically buy Red Robin Campfire Sauce (affiliate), but this homemade version is totally worth it!

    • Tastes like the original 👏
    • 2 ingredients 
    • Fast and easy (just 5 minutes including cleanup!)
    • Tangy and flavorful without a mayo-y aftertaste 
    • Amazing on practically everything (well maybe not everything… but close 😜)
    Bottles of Thousand Island dressing and barbecue sauce on counter.
    This recipe only needs 2 simple ingredients - Thousand Island dressing and barbecue sauce.

    🍟 Ingredients you need

    Many copycat recipes use mayonnaise, ranch dressing, or sour cream as a base, then add chipotle pepper or chili powder, garlic powder, soy sauce, hot sauce, etc. We switch gears completely, keep it to 2 simple ingredients, and find that the taste is much closer to the original flavor.

    Although you can use whatever brands you prefer, we found that the brands below gave us the closest taste to the original Red Robin dipping sauce (This post is not sponsored by these brands. I have included links to view the exact product, but they can be found cheaper at your local grocery store).

    • Thousand Island dressing: We used Ken’s Steakhouse Thousand Island Dressing (affiliate). This dressing adds that tang that so many other recipes were missing, along with a hint of sweet. 
    • Barbecue sauce: Our preferred BBQ sauce is Sweet Baby Rays Hickory and Brown Sugar (affiliate). If you use a different brand, try to choose a smokey bbq sauce with a hickory and brown sugar flavor profile. The original also has a hint of whiskey flavor, which you can find in some BBQ sauces.

    🥄 Equipment

    You just need a bowl, whisk, and standard measuring cups to make this recipe.

    🥣 How to make copycat Red Robin campfire sauce

    In a medium bowl, mix together ½ cup barbecue sauce and ¾ cup thousand island. That's it! Depending on what brands you use, you may need to add a tiny bit of water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. 

    Glass bowl with whisk resting in mixed fry sauce.
    Literally just mix the sauces together and viola! Less than 5 minutes until the best fry sauce ever.

    👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

    This sauce would be AMAZING for a burger bar or grilling party! The recipe makes about 1 ¼ cups. You can easily double, triple, or quadruple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd. 

    🍔 How to serve

    You can dip so many things in this copycat of Red Robin Campfire Sauce! It makes a killer sauce for french fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries, curly fries, or tater tots. You can also serve it with chicken nuggets, as a burger sauce, on hot dogs, on a wrap, or on a crispy chicken sandwich. Yummm!

    🧊 Storage

    You can store this in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container or jar. I suggest storing it in glass or plastic, but avoid aluminum foil as it may taint the flavor.

    It thickens once it is refrigerated, so you may need to loosen the sauce slightly by adding ½ teaspoon of water at a time until it has reached the desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much, since it will water down the flavor.

    I have used up every drop of this sauce every time I make it, so I have not had a need to freeze any. Since I haven't tried it, I cannot say how it would hold.

    Overhead view of platter of french fries and bowl of Red Robin campfire sauce.
    This Red Robin dipping sauce can be used on fries, chicken, burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and more!

    🙋 Questions and answers

    What is Red Robin’s Campfire Sauce made of? 

    To get the taste of Red Robins campfire sauce, you make this recipe with a mixture of Thousand Island dressing and hickory brown sugar barbecue sauce. Easy!

    What does campfire sauce taste like?

    It tastes like a tangy fry sauce with hints of smoky flavor and a touch of sweet. The natural flavor in the bbq sauce shine, while the salad dressing adds that addictive tang. It's amazing!

    Is campfire sauce vegan?

    No, campfire sauce isn’t vegan because the dressing is mayonnaise based, which contains eggs. 

    Does campfire sauce have dairy?

    As far as I know, neither of the two ingredients in this recipe have dairy. I would encourage you to check the ingredient labels of your ingredients to be sure.

    Does it matter what brands of ingredients I use? 

    Yes! Technically you can use any brand you like and you will get a similar sauce, but we found that the specific brands listed in the recipe card gave us the closest taste to the original Red Robin Campfire Sauce. We recommend trying it with the listed brands first.

    👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & tricks

    • Try it with the brands listed in the recipe card for the closest taste to the true Red Robin Campfire Sauce.
    • Avoid storing this sauce with aluminum foil as it may taint the flavor. I suggest storing it in glass or plastic.
    • Try refrigerating it for a few hours to let the flavors deepen before serving.
    • After refrigerating, you may need to loosen the sauce by adding ½ teaspoon of water at a time until it has reached the desired consistency.
    Close view of french fry being dipped into campfire sauce.
    This sauce stores well in the fridge for a week (if you don't finish it all at once).

    📖 More simple recipes

    • This 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Potato Soup is one of our most visited recipes. And for good reason! It’s creamy, flavorful, and so easy to make. 
    • For a simple appetizer, try this 3-Ingredient Cheese Ball with cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and walnuts. Yum!
    • For an easy grilling dinner, make this 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade. Super easy and tastes like a Cracker Barrel Chicken copycat!
    • Another easy but impressive appetizer is Chicken Apple Sausage Bites with maple glaze.
    • This Spicy Honey is just a few ingredients and delicious on almost everything.

    👋🏻 Connect with us!

    If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!

    📋 Recipe

    Fry dipping into bowl of Red Robin Campfire Sauce copycat recipe.

    The BEST Red Robin Campfire Sauce Copycat

    This Red Robin Campfire Sauce recipe is a spot-on copycat of the one served at Red Robin! Made in less than 5 minutes with just 2 ingredients (NO mayo!), this addicting fry sauce has a tangy, smoky, and slightly sweet flavor that you just can’t. stop. eating. Whether served with fries, onion rings, burgers, or chicken nuggets, it’s the BEST dipping sauce! 
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
    Course: Condiment, Dipping Sauce
    Cuisine: American
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1.25 cups
    Calories: 94kcal
    Author: Borrowed Bites

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup thousand island dressing (We prefer Ken's Steakhouse Thousand Island Dressing)
    • ½ cup barbecue sauce (We prefer Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce)
    • Water if needed
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, combine the thousand island dressing and barbecue sauce.
      ¾ cup thousand island dressing, ½ cup barbecue sauce
    • If too thick, add water ½ teaspoon at a time until sauce is desired consistency.
      Water
    • We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.

    Notes

    Tips & Tricks
    • Try it with the brands listed in the recipe card for the closest taste to the true Red Robin Campfire Sauce.
    • Avoid storing this sauce with aluminum foil as it may taint the flavor. I suggest storing it in glass or plastic.
    • Try refrigerating it for a few hours to let the flavors deepen before serving.
    • After refrigerating, you may need to loosen the sauce by adding ½ teaspoon of water at a time until it has reached the desired consistency.
     
    Storage
    Store this in the fridge in a glass or plastic airtight container for up to 1 week. If you need to loosen the sauce after refrigerating, add ½ teaspoon of water at a time until it has reached the desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much, since it will water down the flavor.
     

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    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

    All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.

    Tried this recipe?Leave a rating or pin it for later!

    The products in this recipe may contain ingredients such as sodium benzoate, high fructose corn syrup, egg yolks, soybean oil, lemon juice concentrate, citric acid, potassium sorbate, natural smoke flavor, xanthan gum, caramel coloring, hydrolyzed soy protein, or others. Please check the product labels for full ingredient lists and nutrition information.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lynn says

      February 16, 2023 at 12:29 pm

      5 stars
      Local stores stopped carrying this sauce. So i decided to see if i could find a recipe online because Amazon’s prices were quite high. Almost every recipe I found calls for jalapeños and mayonnaise and I don’t care for either. Then I found your recipe and thought I’d give it a try because I already had the ingredients. It’s seemed to taste pretty good but it was missing something. I read the label from an empty Campfire sauce bottle I had, and one of the ingredients listed was Whiskey. I added 1/2 once and that put the taste way over the top, now it tastes exactly like the real deal. If someone is worried about the alcohol, you can remedy that by simmering it for 10 minutes to remove the alcohol but leaving the whiskey taste

      Reply
      • Misty says

        February 16, 2023 at 6:06 pm

        Great idea! You can also use a barbecue sauce that has whisky in it for that added flavor. Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    2. Kimberly says

      November 30, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      I’ve never found a campfire sauce so close to the original! This is spot on. If my kids are looking for me don’t tell them I’m hiding in the closet eating fries and campfire sauce thank you

      Reply
      • Misty says

        November 30, 2022 at 6:50 pm

        I am so glad you thought so! We sure did a lot of testing to find the right ingredients to make it as close as possible to the original. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

        Reply
    3. Laura says

      October 27, 2021 at 6:53 am

      5 stars
      My most favorite sauces and I never put them together. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Danielle says

        October 27, 2021 at 2:33 pm

        Hope you love it!

        Reply
    4. Spensa says

      September 15, 2021 at 10:04 pm

      5 stars
      I can’t believe this sauce… it’s tastes EXACTLY like Red Robin’s. Guilty admission here… I’ve been cutting up russet potatoes and making French fries just so I can eat this sauce. Ha! Seriously so good. And stupidly easy. It’s this good and only 2 ingredients? Mind blown! Thank you for figuring this recipe out!

      Reply
      • Danielle says

        September 18, 2021 at 12:34 pm

        Thanks for your feedback! We think so too!

        Reply

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    Hi! We are Danielle and Misty: a mom and daughter with a serious passion for seeking out the best recipes to serve again and again to those we love. With a mix of everyday favorites and indulgent weekend fare there is something here for you and yours as you develop your own family traditions.

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