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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce

    Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce

    Published Aug 6, 2020 by Lauren Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

     13.7K   
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    Don't be overwhelmed by the large ingredient list, this sweet onion sauce takes less than 15 minutes of work for a condiment that lasts almost forever. It's a great addition to anyone's sandwiches and it couldn't be easier to make. It's just a bonus that it doesn't have any funny preservatives. This recipe was created by trialing and taking bits from both this and this recipe. The recipe from The Spice Guru made an incredible base recipe, though it was too sweet and too salty - the changes have improved on their already very strong recipe.

    This recipe is part of a series recreating all the best recipes from Subway. You can find this mega-post here.

    A jar of sweet onion sauce with 3 onions and parsley in the background
    Jump to:
    • Equipment Needed
    • Sweet Onion Sauce Ingredients
    • Other Sauce Recipes
    • πŸ“– Recipe

    Equipment Needed

    Usually I have some recommendations on how to you can make recipes easier with my favourite kitchen tools, but for this, all you really need is a pot (small in size is fine) and a whisk. For a bit of an easier time, a garlic press is recommended, but you can use a cheese grater for grated onion if you don't have a garlic press or juicer to extract onion juice.

    The only hard part about this recipe is being able to wait for it to reach optimal flavour during the 6 hour rest time. It smells amazing when you're making it but trust me, you want to let it rest for the best taste.

    Sweet Onion Sauce Ingredients

    With a whopping 17 ingredients, this recipe may seem overwhelming, but there's only one ingredient found outside a spice cabinet or pantry. The less common ingredients like sesame oil and poppyseeds may not be in every household, but they last forever.

    The only non-shelf stable ingredient is onion juice, which comes from taking an onion through a juicer (or preferably a garlic press) to get the flavour but not the texture. As mentioned above, you can grate the onion instead if you don't mind a slightly stronger and milled onion taste/texture.

    Other Sauce Recipes

    • Donair Sauce
    • Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
    • Subway Mayonnaise
    • Subway Chipotle Southwest Sauce
    • Zero Waste Pesto
    • White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - Subway Copycat
    • 5 Minute Copycat Subway Mayonnaise
    • Italian Herb and Cheese Bread Subway Copycat
    • Subway Chipotle Southwest Sauce

    Have you tried this recipe? Leave me a 5 ⭐️ rating in the recipe card! I love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!

    πŸ“– Recipe

    A jar of sweet onion sauce with 3 onions and parsley in the background

    Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    A perfect recreation of Subway's sweet onion sauce
    4.75 from 231 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Resting Time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 42kcal
    Author: Lauren

    Ingredients

    • β…” cup sugar granulated
    • Β½ cup cold water
    • 6 tablespoon vinegar white or distilled
    • 1 Β½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
    • 1 tablespoon minced onion flakes
    • 2 Β½ teaspoon dijon mustard
    • 2 Β½ tsp mustard powder
    • ΒΎ teaspoon celery salt
    • ΒΎ teaspoon fresh onion juice use a garlic press to juice
    • 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
    • Β½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ΒΌ teaspoon garlic powder
    • Β½ teaspoon salt
    • β…“ teaspoon paprika
    • ΒΌ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 - 2 drops sesame oil

    Instructions

    • In a small pot, whisk together all ingredients over medium high heat - allow to bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
    • Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring until thickened - around 5 minutes.
    • Allow to cool in the refrigerator overnight.
    • This sauce keeps indefinitely if stored in a sealed jar in the fridge.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @MaritimeGlutton or tag #maritimeglutton!

    « White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies - Subway Copycat
    Subway Chipotle Southwest Sauce »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth Sachs

      February 16, 2021 at 8:16 pm

      5 stars
      I LOVE their sweet onion sauce. So glad I now have the recipe to use at home!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        February 16, 2021 at 8:33 pm

        Thank you so much, Beth! I hope you love it πŸ™‚

        Reply
      • Mai

        April 17, 2021 at 1:57 pm

        5 stars
        Interesting to know what's in the Subway sweet onion sauce.

        Reply
        • Maritime Glutton

          April 17, 2021 at 2:23 pm

          It's so easy to make! Hope you love it, Mai!

          Reply
    2. Beth

      February 16, 2021 at 8:41 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious and flavorful! I can’t wait to give this a try! My hubby is going to love this recipe!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        February 16, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        Thank you Beth! I hope you and your husband love it <3!

        Reply
      • Megan

        February 08, 2023 at 6:31 pm

        Thank you for this recipe! Seriously life changing for me πŸ™

        Reply
    3. Gita

      February 16, 2021 at 8:48 pm

      5 stars
      This is great! We're always trying to replicate our beloved restaurant sauces and seasonings, so we'll definitely be trying this one out!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        February 16, 2021 at 9:15 pm

        Thank you so much, Gita! I hope you love it

        Reply
    4. Jenn

      February 16, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      The sweet onion sauce was always my favorite part of a sub - I'm so excited to be able to make this at home now that there's no Subway near me! Yay!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        February 16, 2021 at 9:16 pm

        I have up fast food this year so I totally relate Jenn! I hope you love it πŸ™‚

        Reply
        • Carole A Dennis

          March 01, 2023 at 9:21 pm

          Thank you so much for the recipe. I love the sweet onion sauce and am total bummed they have replaced it with teriyaki sweet onion sauce. Total ruined my tuna sandwich. Will try this soon and will give a rating then.

          Reply
    5. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      February 16, 2021 at 9:04 pm

      5 stars
      Love how easy this recipe is. It’s perfect for our family!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        February 16, 2021 at 9:17 pm

        Thank you so much Shadi! It’s amazing how easy it is.

        Reply
    6. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      February 16, 2021 at 9:05 pm

      5 stars
      My family is going to love this, thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
    7. Danielle Wolter

      March 04, 2021 at 11:30 am

      5 stars
      This sounds delicious! It's so easy and everyone is going to love it!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        March 04, 2021 at 3:26 pm

        Thank you so much, Danielle! Hope you love it

        Reply
    8. Whitney

      March 17, 2021 at 2:16 am

      5 stars
      I don't mind all the ingredients because this is such a good sauce! Perfect for a juicy burger off the grill!

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        March 19, 2021 at 3:10 pm

        Thank you so much Whitney! I'm so glad you liked it πŸ™‚

        Reply
    9. WILLIAM COUSERT

      April 10, 2021 at 11:22 pm

      5 stars
      Does anyone know if there are any close copies to Subway's Sweet Onion Sauce that are available in your local grocery store?

      Reply
      • Maritime Glutton

        April 11, 2021 at 4:27 pm

        Hi William! The closest I've tried is Renees Sweet Onion Vinaigrette, but I still prefer this version πŸ™‚ If I'm feeling lazy it's an okay substitute though!

        Reply
        • K.M

          December 09, 2022 at 9:18 am

          Also. Ken's steakhouse brand has a sweet Vandalia onion sauce that tastes pretty close but has chunks on onion in it

          Reply
    10. Terry

      October 26, 2021 at 12:08 am

      Wow, all these comments on how it looks great but no one has tried it? Looking for some solid comments on how this recipe tastes.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        November 03, 2021 at 3:33 pm

        I love it and find it almost identical! I quite fast food this year for a resolution and have used this a few times to itch the craving. Would love to hear from you if you make it πŸ™‚

        Reply
      • Darian

        March 23, 2022 at 10:12 pm

        4 stars
        Terry, it's a decent copycat. I can taste some similarities. I think what also helps is a bit of lemon or lime juice.

        Reply
        • Lauren

          April 01, 2022 at 10:07 am

          Thanks so much for the feedback Darian πŸ™‚

          Reply
    11. DispatchMinion

      November 07, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      I am going to make this my next day off! What volume of liquid is there at the end so I know what size squeeze bottle to get?

      Reply
      • Lauren

        November 10, 2021 at 12:49 pm

        It will depend how much you reduce the sauce πŸ™‚ I used a 7.8 ounce squeeze bottle and there was a bit of head space πŸ™‚

        Reply
    12. Blake

      November 20, 2021 at 2:42 am

      5 stars
      Amazing recipie! Very quick and easy. If it seems too thin just simmer longer. It tastes just like subways. I use it as a base for sauce and marinades. Add lime juice for a Mexican twist or sriracha for some spice!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        November 20, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        I'm so glad you liked it, Blake πŸ™‚

        Reply
    13. Ben

      January 28, 2022 at 7:35 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for putting the time in to make this recipe, I can't wait to keep a bottle of this stuff handy! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Lauren

        January 29, 2022 at 1:24 pm

        Can’t wait for you to try it! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    14. TK

      February 02, 2022 at 10:30 pm

      Do you use regular onions, red onions, or sweet maui onions?

      Reply
      • Lauren

        February 06, 2022 at 8:19 am

        Hi Treevis! I’d recommend white, yellow or sweet onions πŸ™‚

        Reply
    15. Mike

      March 12, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      Tastes like crap

      Reply
      • Lauren

        March 15, 2022 at 5:24 pm

        Hi Mike - can you tell me what the issue is so I can maybe help you troubleshoot? πŸ™‚

        Reply
    16. Janice

      March 15, 2022 at 2:15 am

      3 stars
      This is mustard sauce. Not sweet onion.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        March 15, 2022 at 5:26 pm

        Hi Janice! This is definitely sweet onion sauce but feel free to reduce or leave out the mustard powder if you find it overpowering πŸ™‚

        Reply
    17. Diana

      May 05, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      3 stars
      I was very excited when I saw this but was worried with how much vinegar was going in because the original recipe doesn't have any taste of vinegar in it to me. I made it anyway in the hopes that the other flavors/cooking would remove the taste. But the vinegar taste remained and it powerful.

      Any recommendations? Should I do half the amount of the vinegar and see if that makes a difference? Has anyone else had this experience?

      Reply
      • Lauren

        May 08, 2022 at 10:20 pm

        Hi Diana! The third ingredient in Subway's sauce on their website is corn vinegar! There definitely is vinegar and quite a bit of it compared to other ingredients. If you find it's too strong, check out the kind of vinegar you're using - maybe you just aren't a fan of overly vinegary foods. Maybe try reducing the vinegar by about 25% and replacing that with water.

        Hope you find a way to make it work for your tastebuds πŸ™‚

        Reply
    18. Troy Eakin

      May 23, 2022 at 2:23 am

      5 stars
      How can I rate this 10 STARS???
      bless your heart for sharing this!!!
      I thank you, my son thanks you, my mom thanks you and several of my friends who has tried it thank you.
      I want to thank you AGAIN!
      This is so good! I've always enjoyed a good sandwich and use to enjoy subway until they started using a certain pink hair soccer person on their commercials. Any company that uses a person who kneels during our country's NATIONAL ANTHEM to promote their products I will do all I can not to buy anything from them so it's been a long time since I've had sweet onion sauce.
      Thank you again for sharing.
      Within a week I've made this 3 times.
      People if you like sweet onion sauce look no further..
      I even put it on a pulled pork sandwich!
      French fries and chicken wings may be next!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        May 30, 2022 at 3:16 pm

        So glad you and the taste-testers liked it, Troy! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    19. Kaoutar

      June 11, 2022 at 9:03 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this recipe for the first time and this recipe is EXACTLY like the sweet onion at Subway. I didn’t do a side by side taste test but I’m usually very picky about my sauces and this one is GOOD! I’m gonna make this 100 more times. So delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        June 21, 2022 at 9:53 pm

        Thank you so much for the feedback Kaoutar! I'm so glad to hear you liked it πŸ™‚

        Reply
    20. Patti

      July 05, 2022 at 11:16 pm

      5 stars
      This is a lifesaver it’s the only sauce anyone in our family added to our subs Now that Subway has changed the ingredients and added teriyaki to the sweet onion sauce we haven’t been back! Made your recipe and everyone was so impressed (family picnic of 12-15) everyone voted definitely 5 stars. I did substitute Splenda for white sugar and can’t seem to find how to recalculate the nutrition facts any suggestions

      Reply
    21. Robin

      July 09, 2022 at 10:47 pm

      Very nice alternative to the original. Thanks for sharing 5 stars

      Reply
    22. Renee

      August 09, 2022 at 6:41 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome sauce! I used to love roast beef sandwiches with sweet onion sauce, and subway stopped serving roast beef. But now I can get a sandwich from anywhere, and use this amazing sauce to make it perfect! My husband wants to try it on lots of other things - spring rolls, etc. I didn't have the celery salt or poppy seeds, and it was still fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        August 15, 2022 at 2:34 pm

        I'm so glad you loved it, Renee πŸ™‚ Thank you for the kind feedback!

        Reply
    23. Tracie Oliver

      August 17, 2022 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      We love love it! My husband and I love Subway sweet onion sauce! We get the same sandwich every time we go.
      Chicken Teriyaki with sweet onion sauce... so one day, I was looking up copycat recipes online. I saw this one, made it last night.. made chicken sandwiches with all the trimmings with this sauce..My husband's exact words...
      Well, there's no sense in going to Subway anymore! His comment made my heart smile! This copycat recipe came as close as you can get, if not, spot on! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Lauren

        August 17, 2022 at 10:39 pm

        This is such a wonderful comment Tracie - thank you so much for sharing with me <3

        Reply
    24. Maxine Jeffreys

      August 21, 2022 at 8:21 pm

      Can you double or triple this recipe?

      Reply
      • Lauren

        August 22, 2022 at 11:07 am

        You can! Just double/triple all ingredients and follow the recipe!

        Reply
    25. Maxine Jeffreys

      August 21, 2022 at 8:23 pm

      5 stars
      I haven’t made it yet but if it keeps indefinitely why not make more.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        August 22, 2022 at 11:07 am

        I find this a good amount πŸ™‚ You're welcome to make more, but like most foods, even if it doesn't go bad it's the best when it's fresh. It's easy to make so I make it fresh when I want it!

        Reply
    26. Rachel

      October 14, 2022 at 11:28 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is so good, my hubby and I love it so much thanks heaps

      Reply
      • Lauren

        November 07, 2022 at 10:39 pm

        So glad to hear you and the hubby approve! Thanks for the comment Rachel πŸ™‚

        Reply
    27. sinchsw

      November 29, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      5 stars
      You nailed it, Lauren. Made this today and was lucky to have all of the ingredients on hand.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        December 06, 2022 at 6:15 pm

        I'm so happy to hear that - thank you for the feedback!

        Reply
    28. Jay

      December 22, 2022 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      I love soccer sweet onion sauce subway

      Reply
    29. Emma Forman

      February 07, 2023 at 1:00 am

      3 stars
      I'm not sure why, but mine turned out too thick and has a bitter after taste, I don't like it. But I thought maybe I burnt the sugar? Like bitter toffee

      Reply
      • Lauren

        February 13, 2023 at 12:49 pm

        Hey Emma, it definitely sounds like you may have burnt it. You really just want to cook it long enough to melt the sugar and incorporate everything πŸ™‚

        Reply
        • Emma Francis-forman

          February 23, 2023 at 2:52 pm

          5 stars
          I done a side by side test with the subway sauce and your recipe
          It's the same, everyone at home agrees
          Your amazing, I can't wait to try more of your recipes, I'm sure they'll be tasty

          Reply
          • Lauren

            March 16, 2023 at 2:53 pm

            Thank you for the kind words Emma! I'm so glad to hear it was a hit πŸ™‚

            Reply
    30. Ashley

      February 11, 2023 at 3:38 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and easy to make! I would definitely recommend this recipe.

      Reply
    31. Evelyn Jepson

      March 11, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      Now that I have all the ingredients, am going to make it today..that was the sauce that my husband loved, and they discontinued it in favor of another sauce...I bought bottles at Walmart for $1.97 just for this purpose, as I make sub sandwiches for our sunday lunch...

      Reply
    32. Mags

      March 23, 2023 at 6:49 am

      5 stars
      I am roughly one year deprived of The Sauce since Subway foolishly discontinued it last year and just now, a few minutes ago, I taste-tested my first batch of this recipe. I made some minor changes (didn't want to buy mustard powder so i just stirred in like half a teaspoon of regular-ol-mustard, didn't have a way to juice the onion or any flakes so I just... grated some onion on the roughest side of my cheese grater, a task I recommend doing with your eyes closed) and THIS. THIS IS THE STUFF! Thank you, wonderful stranger. This is getting a dedicated squeeze bottle in the fridge.

      Reply
      • Lauren

        March 27, 2023 at 2:20 pm

        I'm so happy to hear that, Mags! Thank you for the kind review πŸ™‚

        Reply

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    Welcome to Maritime Glutton, I'm Lauren and I'm the face creating recipes around here. I'm passionate about supporting local, eating great food and finding new ways to cut back on food waste and save money. Learn more about me here.

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