Boom Boom Sauce is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and all-around delicious dipping sauce. It takes less than five minutes to prepare and will be an excellent addition to any meal.
What is Boom Boom Sauce?
Boom Boom Sauce is a creamy sauce made from a combination of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, sriracha, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. It is modeled after a dipping sauce from Sheetz Gas Stations where we used to pick up breakfast on our way to go rock climbing!
It is the second-best dipping sauce for all things fried and crispy - chicken tenders, onion rings, chicken nuggets, french fries - though, I will say, for fried seafood, it is my favorite dipping sauce. (The BEST dipping sauce in my opinion though, is always going to be Raising Cane’s Sauce.)
Boom Boom Sauce is also an amazing spread to put on sandwiches, burgers, and chicken wraps - it kind of works like an aioli or a sweet/spicy mayonnaise.
What does Boom Boom Sauce taste like?
Boom Boom Sauce is a little spicy, a little tangy, and a little sweet. It’s just the perfect balance so that people who like spicy food will love it, but it isn’t overpowering so that people who don’t like spicy food won’t like it. (If you want it REALLY spicy, you can add a pinch of cayenne and kick it up even more.)
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Mayonnaise - We use Blue Plate, Duke's, or Hellmans. Do not use Miracle Whip for this sauce - it will be a completely different taste.
- Ketchup
- Sweet Chili Sauce - This is the key ingredient. The Sweet Chili Sauce is what makes this sauce sweet. We use the chili sauce from Frank’s Red Hot or Thai Kitchen.
- Sriracha Sauce - Sriracha adds just a touch of heat to this sauce. If your family doesn’t like heat, you can cut the amount in half. It really isn’t that spicy though! (If you want it to be even spicier, you can add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.)
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
🍽 Equipment Needed
All you need to make this sauce is a small bowl, a whisk, and something to store the sauce in. We like to use a wide-mouth mason jar.
🥣 How to Make It
Homemade Boom Boom sauce is so easy to make. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, sriracha, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Cover and refrigerate the sauce until you are ready to use it.
This is a great Make-Ahead Sauce
Like most dipping sauces, boom boom sauce just gets better with time, so make it a few hours before you plan on using it.
If you are anything like my husband and like your sauces at room temperature, bring the sauce out about 15 - 20 minutes before you plan on serving it.
This recipe makes a bit less than a pint-size mason jar of sauce, so about 1 cup. We usually measure out a portion or two based on what we are serving and put that in small bowls - then put the rest back in the fridge.
How to Store Boom Boom Sauce
Boom Boom Sauce will last for at least a week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It is made of mostly processed ingredients, so it keeps fairly well. (And that's also why it is so delicious!) Stir before each use.
Recipe Variations
- Use Garlic Chili Sauce instead of Sriracha Sauce for a tasty spin on this fun sauce.
- Make Vegan Boom Boom Sauce by using vegan mayonnaise
- Make Salad Dressing - Thin some boom boom sauce with milk until it is the consistency of dressing. The spice and tang of the sauce with just a little bit of sweetness make for an amazing salad dressing - especially if you make a salad topped with diced bacon and chopped-up chicken tenders. Give it a try - your taste buds will thank you 😉
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Boom Boom sauce is pretty similar to Yum Yum sauce as they are both made with mayonnaise, ketchup, and garlic powder, but Boom Boom sauce is spicer and has a few more things added to it. Boom boom sauce gets most of its flavor from Sriracha sauce and sweet chili sauce, whereas yum yum sauce gets a lot of its flavor from mayonnaise and sugar. To make it easier to remember, Boom Boom = Spicy, Yum Yum = Sweet.
Yes! Boom Boom Sauce is modeled after a sauce sold at Sheetz Gas stations located in North Carolina (and I believe there are a few in surrounding states now.) It cannot be bought at the grocery store yet, but it can be purchased at all Sheetz locations. (They serve so much food at their gas stations that they are basically a grocery store anyway.)
Yes. Whether store-bought or homemade, boom boom sauce should be refrigerated. For store-bought, it is shelf-stable until opened.
✏️ Helpful Tips
- Try to make Boom Boom Sauce a few hours before you need it and let it sit so that the flavors can really mingle together and the sauce will get really flavorful.
- Take out a small amount of sauce before dinner so that when you are ready to eat it, it will be at room temperature. Store the rest in the fridge.
- Dip fried shrimp in boom boom sauce - so good!
Things to Dip in Boom Boom Sauce (Or Smother in It)
Boom Boom Sauce is such a great sauce for dipping almost everything. We love to use it as a burger sauce from time to time, but it is mostly used as a fry sauce or for dipping chicken strips because we are kids at heart. This is such a flavorful sauce so it is great for so many other things as well!
- Fresh Vegetable Platters - We love to serve this sauce with bell peppers (red peppers, green peppers, etc), celery, carrots, and broccoli - we like to offer it alongside ranch dressing on a crudités platter.
- Onion Rings
- Grilled Potatoes
- Oven Baked Fries
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
- Crispy Fried Okra
- Shrimp Tacos or Fried Fish Tacos
Other Delicious Dipping Sauces
Boom Boom Sauce is such a great dipping sauce, but if you don’t want to stop at just one, here are some of our other favorite sauces:
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Boom Boom Sauce
Equipment
- a whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mayonnaise I prefer Blue Plate
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together.¾ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Cover and chill for at least an hour to let flavors develop. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
How to Store Boom Boom Sauce
Boom Boom Sauce will last for at least a week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It is made of mostly processed ingredients, so it keeps fairly well. (And that's also why it is so delicious!) Stir before each use.Recipe Variations
- Use Garlic Chili Sauce instead of Sriracha Sauce for a tasty spin on this fun sauce.
- Make Vegan Boom Boom Sauce by using vegan mayonnaise
- Make Salad Dressing - Thin some boom boom sauce with milk until it is the consistency of dressing. The spice and tang of the sauce with just a little bit of sweetness make for an amazing salad dressing - especially if you make a salad topped with diced bacon and chopped-up chicken tenders. Give it a try - your taste buds will thank you 😉
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
Please let me know what you think about the recipe :)