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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.

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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
    4.7 from 99 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
    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
    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
    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

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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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