Just like the rest of the world, Cane’s sauce with its creamy, tangy, peppery, addictive pink sauce has me in a chokehold.
If you’re not particularly into the fast food scene, you probably don’t know about Raising Cane’s. Here’s what you need to know: they sell chicken fingers and only chicken fingers. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. They also have the best crinkle cut fries (the best of all the style of fries), Texas toast, and coleslaw. Not to sound like a sponsored post (this is not a sponsored post) but I am obsessed with Raising Cane’s.
As a chicken finger lover, I love them and their 24 hour marinated chicken cooked-to-order crispy chicken fingers. Don’t get me started on the sauce. It’s made in every store daily and the recipe is top-secret. They don’t sell it, they haven’t published the recipe, and that makes it all the more craveable.
What is Cane’s sauce?
Cane’s sauce is Raising Cane’s super top secret sauce that is served with their chicken fingers. It’s a pretty pink salmon-color sauce that kind of looks like Thousand Island or Russian dressing. What’s in it? No one knows. It’s a true trade secret. Even the general managers (the only ones that are allowed to make it) don’t know what goes in it. They don’t make it from a recipe, they just mix together unlabelled ingredients. Even just mixing unlabelled blends of ingredients need strict non-disclosure documents signed. The seasoning blend is the most secret thing of all.
What is Cane’s sauce made of?
There’s lots of speculation on what Cane’s sauce is made of. Generally, it seems like people agree that it’s a mix of mayo, ketchup, and Worcestershire. There’s also the spices, the aforementioned unlabeled blends. No one is quite sure what’s in that, but people usually guess salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Lemon pepper (the seasoning that you find in the spice aisle) is also mentioned a lot.
Our sauce methodology
I scoured the internet for different recipes of Cane’s sauce and blind taste tested them with Mike, fooling around with ratios and ingredients. I can’t say for certain that our recipe is a perfect copy but I can say it has that signature bite with the creamy, addictive flavor of Cane’s.
How to make Cane’s sauce
- Mix. Measure out all of the ingredients below and mix until smooth.
- Rest. Cover the sauce and let rest in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Enjoy. Give the sauce a stir and dip all the things.
Cane’s Sauce Key Ingredients
- mayo – the extra heavy duty kind, more on this below
- ketchup – Cane’s sauce is a rosy salmon pink hue. Some people say the pink is paprika and some people say ketchup. I think it’s ketchup. The sweetness and tang of ketchup add an unmistakable flavor to Cane’s sauce.
- Worcestershire – Worcestershire wasn’t in my mind when I first tasted Cane’s sauce but after my research and experimenting, Worcestershire is a key ingredient. It adds so much umami and depth, thanks to the fact that Worcestershire is a fermented fish sauce.
- Soy sauce – According to the allergens listed, Cane’s sauce has soy, eggs, and fish (anchovies). Most of the recipes I found online don’t have soy sauce in them, and it’s true that the soy could come from the oil in the mayo, but I suspect there is a touch of soy, so instead of solely using Worcestershire, I went with a mix of soy and worcester.
- Freshly ground coarse black pepper – A huge amount of black pepper is what gives Cane’s sauce its kick. More on that below too.
- Garlic powder – A wee bit of garlic powder adds a background note of warmth and sweetness. Most people agree that garlic powder is in Cane’s sauce.
Extra heavy duty mayo
Almost everyone agrees that mayo is the base of Cane’s sauce. The secret though, is something that people have identified as extra heavy duty mayo, a common ingredient used regularly by the restaurant industry. Essentially, it’s mayo with extra egg yolks in it, which makes it thicker, richer, and more emulsified than regular mayo. It’s sold by restaurant supply stores in giant gallon jugs, so it’s not something that regular people buy.
But, you know what mayo I buy on the regular that is thick and rich and irresistible? Kewpie. If you’re not familiar with Kewpie mayo, I go super in depth here. Essentially it’s a mayo made with only egg yolks instead of whole eggs. It’s extra creamy and extra delicious. Kewpie mayo is the secret to making Cane’s sauce at home.
Fresh black pepper
It’s been argued that the spice comes from cayenne or a Cajun spice mix, but I suspect that Raising Cane’s sources a really quality black pepper and grinds it on the daily.
For me and Mike, we are obsessed with Tellicherry black pepper. Tellicherry peppercorns are the gold standard for black pepper. The berries are deep and complex. When freshly ground, Tellicherry pepper is bold, super flavorful and actually packs a punch. The pepper you use matters, so get the best you can and for sure coarsely grind it, none of that black pepper powder stuff.
If you do go the distance and grind your own pepper, a super basic spice/coffee grinder is pretty cheap and we use ours almost daily. I didn’t think we would when Mike just announced he bought one on Prime Day, but I’m willing to accept I was wrong and I love it so much.
Cane’s Sauce tips and tricks
- Let it rest – The number one thing you need to do for your sauce to taste legit is to let it rest. Make the sauce the day before and let it chill out in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The flavors mingle and coalesce and the result is much more Cane’s sauce after 24 hours compared to trying it fresh right away.
- Kewpie mayo – If you have access to heavy duty mayo, that’s the way to go. For the rest of us, Kewpie mayo is going to give you that distinct creamy, rich base for the backbone of our homemade Cane’s sauce.
- Coarse ground black pepper – The pepper is more important than you think. It’s what gives Cane’s sauce that spicy hit. If you think pepper isn’t spicy, it’s because you’ve been eating sub-par pepper your whole life. If you’re committed, get whole Tellicherry peppercorns, dry toast them until aromatic, let cool, and then coarsely grind before stirring into your sauce.
Alright, that’s all I have to say about Cane’s sauce. Happy sauce making and please let me know if you give this recipe a try and if you think it comes close to the real thing.
Have a saucy day!
xoxo steph
PS – Here are other sauces you might want to try if you’re a dipper like me:
- orange sauce – it’s giving Panda Express and I am here for it.
- duck sauce – duck sauce is constantly aura farming with it’s sweet and sour dip-ability
- sour cream sauce – a creamy, dreamy sauce that coats every nook and cranny
Cane’s Sauce Recipe
Just like the rest of the world, Cane’s sauce with its creamy, tangy, peppery, addictive pink sauce has me in a chokehold.
Serves 4
- 1/2 cup mayo Kewpie mayo preferred
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper coarse ground preferred
- 1 tsp garlic powder
In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients until smooth.
Cover and let rest in the fridge for 24 hours before enjoying with everything.