Copycat Zaxby's Zax Sauce Recipe

What's your favorite sauce for burgers and fries? Many would say ketchup, but others opt for mayonnaise –- yes, even as a fry dip, mayo has many fans. To get that perfect combo of tangy and creamy, one might mix the two together to create the optimal fry sauce. This same type of condiment has also been adopted by the Georgia-based fast food chain Zaxby's where it goes by the name of Zax sauce.

Whatever you want to call it, Zax sauce, which is here recreated for DIYers in a recipe by developer Erin Johnson, is creamy, tangy, and a little bit peppery, with some pungency from a sprinkling of garlic powder. It can also be spicy, too since as Johnson says, "If you want to add heat, add cayenne to your liking."

Zax sauce is surprisingly versatile, as well. Johnson tells us "This sauce is good as a dip for chicken and fries," but goes on to say it's "also good on burgers, sandwiches, and as a salad dressing."

While the word "mayochup" may not have risen quite as high in the pantheon of portmanteau words as "frappuccino" or "turducken," it still makes a convenient two-syllable way to convey the concept of mayonnaise mixed with ketchup. That's exactly what we're making here, as we simply stir the mayonnaise into the ketchup (or vice-versa if you prefer doing things in alphabetical order).

As the final step in sauce making, stir in the dry spices. You can start slathering this Zax(ish) sauce on stuff right away, or you could hold off on using it for a bit in order to let the flavors deepen. This is Johnson's preference as she tells us "Once made, I like to let this sit in the fridge overnight before using, but that's optional." She also notes that the sauce, when stored in a jar or other lidded container, will last for about a week in the refrigerator, so you should plan to use it up by then.