Cane’s Sauce

“Chicken chicken chicken! What combo you pickin’?” If you’ve ever been to a Raising Cane’s, it’s likely your ears have been gifted with one of their many poultry rhymes. After living in Baton Rouge (where Raising Cane’s was founded on LSU’s campus) for seven years, I’ve ordered my fair share of combos. And with every single order, I ask for extra sauce, please. 

Cane’s sauce is a perfectly balanced, creamy, tangy, and peppery sauce, similar to a remoulade. For those of us who live farther away from a Cane’s or simply just love the sauce so much, here’s how to make a copycat version at home.

While the official recipe for Cane’s sauce is top secret, many former employees and Cane’s enthusiasts have tried to crack the recipe. After testing many variations across the internet, I’m happy to have created a recipe that tastes indistinguishable next to the original Cane’s sauce. The trick? Using coarse black pepper and a non-negotiable overnight rest. Without the two, it’s not Cane’s!

While Cane’s official recipe is a restaurant secret, Cane’s sauce ingredients have been discovered to consist of the following: 

• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Worcestershire 
• Coarse black pepper
• Garlic powder

This sauce is as easy as mixing mayo and ketchup together. However, there are two key elements for getting Cane’s sauce right. 

1. Let it rest. Cane’s does not use their sauce unless it has rested for a minimum of 24 hours. This is where many homemade sauces go wrong. Skipping the rest time results in a sauce that tastes mostly like ketchup. The wait is worth it. This recipe only calls for an overnight rest, but 24 hours is ideal: It allows the ingredients to mingle and results in the quintessential Cane’s sauce flavor. 
2. Use coarse, freshly cracked black pepper. One of the best parts of Cane’s sauce is its pepperiness. That is achieved by using a coarse grind of black pepper for bolder flavor. Grinding peppercorns fresh at home is ideal. Otherwise, store-bought coarsely ground black pepper will do the trick.

Cane’s sauce should be stored covered in the refrigerator. If using store-bought mayonnaise and ketchup with preservatives, your homemade Cane’s sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. If using Paleo or homemade mayo and ketchup, the sauce should be used within seven days.