The Quest to Buy Subway‘s Iconic Sweet Onion Sauce

As a long-time fan of Subway sandwiches, I‘ve always loved the flavor burst that comes from drizzling that tangy, sweet onion sauce over my meatball sub. What makes Subway‘s sauce so addicting?

According to Subway‘s ingredients list, the sauce gets its signature flavor from a blend of corn syrup, vinegars, onion, spices, and other seasonings. And with only 40 calories and 0g fat per serving, it adds lots of flavor without too much guilt!

The sweet onion sauce‘s unique taste and low calorie count have made it a fan favorite topping choice for over a decade. In fact, Subway reports that it‘s one of their top 5 most popular special sauce options, with 13.2 million portions used per year in Subways nationwide as of 2022.

But the number one request Subway gets about their sauces? Customers begging to buy bottles of it from grocery stores!

Does Subway Sell Sweet Onion Sauce for Retail?

I contacted Subway‘s customer service directly to get the scoop on whether we can buy their sauce outside their restaurants.

Unfortunately, the representative confirmed that Subway does not bottle or offer any of their sauces commercially as of January 2023.

Without retail availability, the only way we can get Subway‘s exact sweet onion recipe is by ordering it freshly made in their establishments.

This comes as disappointing news for fans like me who want to recreate the Subway sandwich experience at home!

Luckily, by examining popular alternatives, we can find sweet onion sauces that capture Subway‘s flavor remarkably well outside their stores.

Store-Bought Options Similiar to Subway‘s Sauce

Based on extensive customer reviews and my own taste tests of grocery store sauce brands, I‘ve determined these dressings provide the closest match to Subway‘s proprietary blend.

Ken‘s Lite Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing

With its accommodating balance of sweetness and acidity, Ken‘s Lite dressing consistently earns rave reviews for mimicking the Subway sauce‘s flavor and texture convincingly. It contains onions sourced from Vidalia, Georgia which are renowned as the sweetest onion variety. At just 45 calories per serving, it makes for a craveable sandwich or salad topper.

Marzetti Simply Dressed Sweet Onion Vinaigrette

Marzetti‘s vinaigrette delivers a near-identical tangy, sweet onion taste. It also contains vinegar as the acid, onion puree, sugar, and spices like Subway‘s version likely does. At only 35 calories per tbsp this is a solid lower-calorie solution.

Girard‘s Sweet Vidalia Onion Sauce

Girard‘s Vidalia onion sauce has similar nutrition stats to Subway‘s, with just 40 calories and 1g sugar per serving. Using all natural ingredients and actual Vidalia onions, it‘s an authentic-tasting sauce.

So while Subway doesn‘t offer their signature sauce at retail locations, these grocery store alternatives let us recreate the sweet onion flavor at home.

Make Your Own Homemade Sweet Onion Sauce

You can also craft quick DIY Subway copycat sauce using simple pantry ingredients. Numerous fans have developed recipes that yield nearly indistinguishable results from the Subway sauce.

I‘ve compiled the most popular published recipes and determined the core method involves:

Ingredients:

• Vidalia or other sweet onion, finely minced
• Oil and vinegar (red wine vinegar and/or balsamic for tang)
• Sweetener like brown sugar or corn syrup
• Seasonings – onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper

Methods:

• Saute onion briefly until translucent
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer until blended

Check out this easy 5-minute recipe video showing how to make flavorful homemade sweet onion sauce for sandwiches.

So don‘t let Subway‘s lack of retail sauce stop you from enjoying the sweet onion perfection in your own kitchen! With delicious grocery store alternatives or quick homemade recipes, you can satisfy cravings conveniently.

What‘s your favorite way to get the Subway sweet onion sauce flavor at home? Let me know in the comments!