When I say this is “all-purpose dipping sauce”, I mean it: You can use it as a dip for fries, jalapeno poppers, chicken tenders, quesadillas, chicken wings or sandwiches, drizzled on sushi bowls, sushi rolls, hot dogs, BBQ, and so much more.

Everyone needs a go-to sauce recipe that goes with, well, everything. Do you have yours?

A few years ago, I visited a friend in Kansas City. One day, he brought us to nearby Lawrence, Kansas, to one of his favorite restaurants: The Burger Stand. They had the most delicious fries, served with a wide variety of homemade dipping sauces.

We’re talking unique sauce options like avocado ranch, chipotle-cocoa ketchup, citrus-garlic aioli, and  marshmallow cream sauce to dip your sweet potato fries in. Yum.

Although I don’t recall the exact dipping sauces we tried, this restaurant stands out in my mind because of them.

The point is, I really like sauces.

I think a good sauce can make an otherwise bland dish unforgettable.

This particular sauce can do just that. It can practically fix a bad meal, and can make an already good meal even better.

The Sauce You Didn’t Know You Needed

This sauce is a twist on the southern favorite, comeback sauce.

From what I understand, there are many variations of comeback sauce. I deviated slightly from the original recipe I was following, so this may or may not taste like the original. I really wouldn’t know.

All I can speak for is how it tastes.

• Tangy
• Creamy
• Tomato-y
• Slightly sweet
• Slightly spicy

It’s made from a variety of pantry stables, pictured above. Aside from chili sauce, I had all the ingredients stocked in my fridge and pantry.

If you have a well-stocked kitchen, you won’t have to spend much money at all to make this sauce.

As far as the recipe goes, you can adapt it to your liking. Follow the recipe below and feel free to add a bit more sugar if you like a sweeter sauce, a bit more sriracha sauce if you like a spicy sauce, etc.

Taste as you go and tweak to your liking.

Uses For All-Purpose Dipping Sauce

I’m calling this all-purpose dipping sauce, because that’s really what it is. Use it:

• As a burger sauce
• As a sauce on club sandwiches, patty melts or these mini chicken and waffle sandwiches
• As a dip for green bean fries, French fries, carrot fries or polenta fries
• As a dip for fried pickles (see photo above)
• As a dip for chicken strips or chicken nuggets
• As a dip for other fried foods
• As a dressing for wedge salad (this sauce tastes similar to Thousand Island dressing)

No matter how you choose to use this sauce, I hope you enjoy it! Please share additional ideas, below.