Name: Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar); 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 tablespoons honey; 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

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If you love Popeyes sweet heat sauce but don't like eating at fast food restaurants all the time just to get a taste of it, you are going to love this Popeyes sweet heat sauce recipe.

With just 6 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time, you can make this deliciously easy copycat Popeyes sweet heat sauce recipe that pairs well with just about anything.

Table of Contents

Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
Tips
What to Serve With Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce
FAQs
More Saucy Recipes
Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce

Why This Recipe Works

You will love this sauce because it's super easy and quick to make, and it's so versatile that you can use it to give a flavor boost to just about any meal.

Using only 6 ingredients, you can have this sauce ready to go in under 5 minutes. Simply toss the ingredients into a small bowl and give it a good whisk.

There are so many different ways you can use this copycat Popeyes sweet heat sauce. Use it for dipping, spreading, marinating, or adding a dollop to any sauce or soup for a flavor boost.

Ingredients

Vinegar:

For this Popeyes sweet heat sauce recipe, you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. However, if you need to substitute, think about the dish you are serving and base your substitution on that. For instance, if you are making an Asian-inspired meal, rice vinegar would be a good substitution as it will complement those flavors better.

Sugar:

To give your sauce some added flavor, use muscovado or dark brown sugar. The molasses in those kinds of sugar will give your sauce that extra smokey-rich goodness. Coconut sugar is a great substitution if you don't have raw or brown sugar. White sugar isn't an ideal substitution, but it will work in a pinch.

Seasonings:

You can add, remove, or replace any seasonings you like. Add more cayenne, paprika, and red pepper flakes to increase the heat factor in your sauce. A dash of Worcestershire, soy sauce, sriracha, or Lousiana hot sauce will give your sauce a more robust flavor.

Tips

If you are using this as a marinade, add some lime juice, especially if you are using it with fish. The citrus will help tenderize the meat.

What to Serve With Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce

There are so many ways you can serve this Popeyes sweet heat sauce, you will never run out of ways to use it.

Try using it as a wing sauce, on your crispy turkey burger, or for dipping your avocado fries, egg rolls, or coconut shrimp.

You can use it as a marinade for haddock, halibut, or mahi mahi when making fish tacos. Marinate your chicken for Pad Thai or Mongolian chicken or some tofu to give your tofu curry some zing.

FAQs

How long can Popeyes sweet heat sauce leftovers be stored?

This Popeyes Sweet heat sauce recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days in an airtight container, although it tastes its best within the first two days.

Is Popeyes sweet heat sauce gluten-free? Vegan?

This Popeyes sweet heat sauce recipe is gluten-free. Due to the honey in the recipe, it is not vegan. To make it vegan-friendly, simply substitute the honey for more sugar, molasses, maple syrup, or date syrup.

Can I increase the spice level on this recipe?

You can absolutely adjust the spice levels either way to suit your personal tastes. If you want to add more spice to the recipe, simply up the amount of cayenne, paprika, or red chili flakes you are adding to your sauce. You can also decrease the spice level if you are particularly sensitive to spice and just add a small pinch at a time and keep tasting your sauce until you reach your desired amount of spiciness.

More Saucy Recipes

If you love the simplicity of this saucy recipe and how easy it is to use with virtually any meal, take a look at these versatile and easy recipes.