McDonald's Is Adding 2 New Sweet And Spicy Sauces To The Menu

Whether you're dipping fries, nuggets, or anything in between, a good sauce can make or break your McDonald's meal experience. And on October 9, 2023, the chain is making it easier to further your sauce obsession and make each meal even happier by introducing two brand new sauce flavors: Sweet & Spicy Jam and Mambo sauce.

Sweet & Spicy Jam is, as the name suggests, a blend of spicy Szechuan peppercorn and cayenne pepper with a jam-like consistency. The spice is tamed by the sweet jelly base and a hint of tangy apple cider vinegar. This is the first breakfast-focused sauce offered by McDonald's, providing a nice change of pace from their usual sauce fare. As such, it's recommended to pair this hot jammy sauce with items from the McDonald's morning menu, such as the hash browns or the various McMuffins, biscuits, and McGriddles on the menu. Of course, if you miss the breakfast window, the sauce will still be available throughout the rest of the day to try with McNuggets or fries instead.

The second new addition to the lineup, Mambo sauce, is something of a cross between ketchup and barbecue sauce. Made from a tomato base, the sauce is sweet and spicy and has a tart vinegar kick. Mambo sauce pairs well with anything on the McDonald's menu that you would typically eat with either ketchup or barbecue sauce. Both new flavors will be available for a limited time, while supplies last. 

The sauces are meant to be craveable complements to the McDonald's favorites we all know and love, as well as a move by the company to connect with customers on a deeper level. "We get inspiration for the food our fans love by exploring the incredible tastes and flavors found in communities across the country," McDonald's Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan said in a press release. "Sweet & Spicy Jam and Mambo Sauce live at the intersection of flavor and culture – pulling from decades of rich food history and tradition in local restaurants and home kitchens, and bringing the delicious spice, sweetness and kick of heat we know today's customers are craving," they added.

McDonald's Mambo sauce takes its inspiration from a regional sauce of the same name that is beloved in both Washington D.C. and Chicago. The condiment (also commonly known as Mumbo sauce) has a somewhat debated history with both cities laying cultural claim to the sweet and spicy sauce. 

To highlight the cultural significance of the regional sauce in both cities, McDonald's is pairing the release of the sauce with a social media campaign featuring popular food influencers as well as a documentary on its YouTube channel showcasing the roots of the sauce as a local favorite before it became a nationwide fast-food offering.