Copycat TGI Friday's Jack Daniels Dipping Sauce Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

reviews & comments

1. malpasso987 REVIEW:
   March 30, 2014

   I used OJ instead, worcestshire, and liquid smoke- came out very good and definately will make again.

2. LV REVIEW:
   November 2, 2013

   Definitely use the lower sodium ingreidnets. I used low sodium soy sauce but not for the teryiyki and it was onthe salty side

3. copycatmaker REVIEW:
   October 22, 2013

   I tried some of the alterations mentioned to see what gets it closest to TGI's version. I tried both pineapple juice and white wine in place of the white grape juice and I think a slightly tart white wine works the best. I also put the red onions and garlic in the food processor and pureed them until really fine. The JD sauce I remember didn't have chunks in it. I didn't try adding soy sauce as someone else mentioned but I will try that next. It's close as I've tried it so far (so close that I might not get it closer so I might live with what I've tried so far).

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4. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
   July 1, 2013

   This is EXACTLY like TGI Fridays!

5. hotlauren1 REVIEW:
   June 29, 2013

   I've seen this recipe several times here but never ventured to try it until now. It's quite close to TGIFriday's if you use the lower sodium teriyaki and soy sauce.

6. Alfred REVIEW:
   July 23, 2012

   Jack Daniels sauce at Friday's has always been one of my favorites. This recipe was right on ....although I did use pineapple juice in place of white grape and I added 2 teaspoons of molasses .....excellent!

7. william REVIEW:
   March 16, 2012

   this is awesome! i love it! i used pineapple juice, and it came out better than tgi friday's. pretty much any whiskey will do, too.my woman aint making soup for dinner anymore!

8. Tina REVIEW:
   October 7, 2010

   Thank you for a nice recipe. I added some honey and it really made it nice and smooth.:D

9. kyoku REVIEW:
   August 10, 2010

   Use as it say's Jack Daniels!It's a brand name so there is only one!

10. N August 9, 2010

    I just want to make sure that I get the correct sauce; So, what kind of Jack Daniel's should I be using?

11. Greg REVIEW:
    April 21, 2010

    Awesome recipe... I was reading previous comments and everyone said it didn't make enough and it was salty so I doubled up the entire recipe. Instead of adding less soy and teriaki I added about 3/4 cup more brown sugar, about 1/4 cup regular sugar and went a little heavier on the onions and added a couple dashes of ceyenne pepper (gives it a great sweet and spicy kick)...My family and friends can't get enough of the stuff. Now I have to make it in bulk and send it out in mason jars :0)

12. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    April 7, 2010

    I have used the recipe for some time and every one who has tasted it has said it's the best, I have made a few changes over the years, one is using white wine instead of the grape juice, in the past if I ever have any left over I frozen it for later user.

13. Frugal Chef REVIEW:
    August 2, 2009

    This recipe is good but more salty than the Friday's original. The soy and teriyaki contribute to the salty taste. Will try using less next time. This is not as sweet as Friday's - possibly add more brown sugar. This mixture does not ever thicken like the orignal. If simmered for 45 minutes it renders down to nothing. About 1/2 way thru the cooking time I added 2 tbsb cornstarch to thicken. Next time about 1 1/2 tbsp should do the trick. Again, it is good but slightly different than the original.

14. Kimi REVIEW:
    April 11, 2009

    This was excellent!! If it's not exactly like TGIF's it's BETTER! I used low sodium soy and low sodium teriyaki sauce after reading earlier comments of being too salty. I also simmered it for an hour and 5 mins.

15. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    February 22, 2009

    It was great, but I did alter it a little. I used pineapple juice instead of white grape and cayenne pepper instead of tabasco sauce. I also added a little soy sauce to counter act the sweetness. I left out the corn starch and just simmered it longer, about 45-60 minutes then put it through a sive so I would not have any onion pieces in the sauce (my daughter wont eat anything that has onions visable). But all and all I thought that it was an excellent recipe, just like the real deal at TGI Fridays. Thanks!

16. Trini REVIEW:
    December 23, 2008

    This is the first recipe I've tried; and I had guests. It was a hit. They could not believe that I made it. So of course I shared the secret. Great! great! Great!!!!

17. gilty REVIEW:
    December 3, 2008

    good - tho must reduce rapidly to start and will burn off the alcohol. I used pineapple juice instead of grape as this has been mentioned in other tgi jack sauce recipes

18. andre REVIEW:
    November 29, 2008

    Its a great sauce, close but not exactly there yet. A good second.

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19. troy July 2, 2008

    I followed the recipe and it did not yield the 2.5 cups. It was also very salty and did not taste like the friday's recipe.

20. Niccko REVIEW:
    March 29, 2008

    I followed the basic instructions above and followed some of the others users ideas. Less soy, little less jack and purple onion. It taistes great and quite comparable to the tgif. Ive had the sauce in Salt lake city and in boise, both sauces were thin and not as thick as normal sauces are. So if yours comes out thin it still taites great. Im giving it a 4, untill i hear from a chef at tgif who knows the ingrediants.

21. Guest Foodie March 8, 2008

    I tried your Jack Daniel Sauce tonight for dinner. I followed the directions exactly as you have them & was it ever delicious! It tasted just like the real thing. My husband liked the smell of it cooking but I did not care for it, but who cares,,,,the taste is what counts!I have tried other recipes & have been very satified. Can't wait to try more. Thanks so much for having your recipes out there for the taking.

22. susan REVIEW:
    November 28, 2007

    My son just drools over TGI Fridays sauce so I decided to try and make it myself. It was a hit. Very simple to make, however the recipe says it makes 2.5 cups. I only ended up with 1 cup of finished sauce.

23. Chef Obrien REVIEW:
    November 10, 2007

    Awesome recipe! I scaled down the brown sugar because it was too sweet, and added slightly more tabasco. I serve this in my restaurant over Sirloin, New York Strip, and Chicken! Customers LOVE it! Great tossed with fried shrimp on the side too!

24. donnab14_98 REVIEW:
    August 26, 2007

    THis sauce is AMAZING!!! Just like at TGIF's. THe secret to this recipe is allowing the sauce to simmer down. It almost needs to carmelize to a syrup, which took me almost one hour set at a slow boil! It is sooo worth the extra effort! Enjoy!

25. kyoku August 26, 2007

    Thanks for the reviews everyone, Cindi can't quite work yours out though, as you say you used 1 cup of sugar because 2 is too sweet , but the recipe only says half a cup ( 1/2 )so you still used too much. Also the recipe only says 1/2 a teaspoon of tobasco not a tablespoon.Not sure if i'm missing something here! as I can't quite work that one out.

26. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    August 21, 2007

    Wow this was great. We went to Friday's for lunch and I wanted more of the Jack Sauce on my grilled chicken for dinner! It was amazing. Although, when I made it, I forgot to put in the Brown Sugar (all of it) and I could not tell the differance between lunch (real) and dinner (fake) sauces. Thanks again!

27. cindi REVIEW:
    August 16, 2007

    I did adjust the recipe, it was too sweet with 2 cup brown sugar, too spicy with 1 tbsp tabasco. I used 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp tabasco. I also added 1 more cup water and then thickened it with a corn starch blend. It was better for our taste that way.

28. lseasley REVIEW:
    July 4, 2007

    I've made this one for some time now. I always have people ask for the recipe. Very good!

29. gudbadguy20 REVIEW:
    April 10, 2007

    i think its really close thats why i gvae it 5, but i think it has too much of a brown sugar taste so i added 1/4 cup more of jack daniel's and 1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup more water and 1/4 more white grape juice. but i think the red wine helped the most blending the flavors together and less sugary. just my opinion on taste. thanks for the recipe.

30. Lucyfur REVIEW:
    March 19, 2007

    This recipe is really close, but here's what I did. Keep in mind I love to experiment with sauces, so I added a few things.Added:- 1 teaspoon white pepper- 2 teaspoons salt- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper for some heat.Also, I added 4 tablespoons of corn starch to help it thicken.I fried up some chicken with egg/cornstarch batter, then drenched it in the sauce, then rolled that in toasted sesame seeds and it was great. Just like the TGI Fridays appetizer, but of course home cookin is always better!

31. momof4 REVIEW:
    December 6, 2006

    this was not great it was really salty I would suggest only using half of the soy add more jack and brown sugar and some molasses it is really good then!!

32. Fri guy November 10, 2006

    There is no JD in the sauce, they only use the name.

33. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    November 2, 2006

    My boyfriend and I loved the sauce. He said it was better than Fridays. I did take the suggestion to use less soy and jack. I will be making a batch of this at my New Years Eye Party!!

34. MommaC REVIEW:
    October 21, 2006

    This is by far the BEST version I have tried. I like to make it in bulk (10cups) in the slow cooker. It's gets nice and thick that way. I used this recipe for the Sunday brunch after my daughter's wedding - cooked a spiral ham in the slow cooker and dumped a quart of sauce over - everyone RAVED!!! The white grape juice - who would of thot. Gives it a nice sweetness. thank you thank you thank you!!!

35. poppy October 9, 2006

    folks, i will soon try to make the j.d. dipping sauce using all suggestions as listed in the reviews. will advise.

36. Buckeye Lady REVIEW:
    September 26, 2006

    Had I not read the reviews I would have panicked when mine didn't thicken. I think the success of this recipe ties to differences in stove temps. and maybe if you use a lid or not. I finally tilted a lid over mine and increased the temp. slightly and it thickened.My question...where is the ginger in this recipe? When I ate this for the first time the waiter at the TGIF in Tulsa told me that the little chunks in the bottom were ginger.

37. elle6245 REVIEW:
    June 28, 2006

    My family loves this sauce! I followed instructions exactly. It reduces quickly near the end, so after 30 minutes, watch & stir it carefully to avoid burning. My husband travels & eats at TGI Friday's regularly, and he was so impressed with this sauce.

38. ClarinetMom REVIEW:
    March 2, 2006

    I was skeptical at the "accomplished" cooks not being able to make this, but thickening is not only accomplished by reducing. I agree with carmelizing the onions. The directions on this recipe stink!If you have had Fridays sauce you'd know that the onions are precooked! I made them, then the sauce and added a bit more Jack and a little less soy (I used reduced salt) reduced the sauce for about 15 mins then added the onions and reduced the rest of the way. It's a bit of work but well worth it (unless you are an accomplished cook) I'm just a Mom.

39. Doopy REVIEW:
    February 24, 2006

    The sauce turned out great, my son said it was the best steak he'd ever had! I made it with flat iron steaks from the grill. Next time that I make it, I will reduce the amount of brown sugar by a tad because it was just a little bit too sweet for my taste, but very close to the real deal at TGIFridays. Thank you, good job!

40. Guest Foodie REVIEW:
    January 9, 2006

    Made this last night and it was great. Made 2.5 cups. Added cornstarch to thicken. Maybe next time I won't use as much Jack Daniels, used only 1/2 cup but it was still strong. You must use the purple onion as it has a great flavor and holds up better than white onion. Will use again and again and again.

41. Mister LJ REVIEW:
    December 31, 2005

    This is as good as it gets. You will think you are at TGIF. Try it, you'll love it

42. ydenault REVIEW:
    July 21, 2005

    Outstanding!!! I made it this evening and it is wonderful. I did add about 2 tablespoons of worsteshire sauce to it to take the sweetness down a notch...and it is identical to the TGI Friday's version I think. We are grilling it on chicken... yum! Thanks for the recipe!

43. thenosenose REVIEW:
    March 23, 2005

    Okay, this sauce is so wrong! I dont want to bust anyones bubble but you are wrong with it. I am almost legally blind,deaf and the only thing that works is my nose. so, the point is..Use Molasses,Teriyaki sauce,reg onions to taste. Mix according to your own taste. The only thing that works on me is my taste buds so try it and you will be happy!

44. ron0944 REVIEW:
    February 23, 2005

    I'm just putting a 3 rating in because I haven't tried this one yet, but it looks like it is missing the molassus. That might be why the one rater said it was too thin. I did buy a bag of this great sauce from a local Friday's restaurant which I hope to find the closest recipe to match. I'll try this one soon when I get in the mood to make all of the mess. thanks

45. starkey820 REVIEW:
    January 3, 2005

    My family loves this and says it is the closest thing to the real one! I now make a double batch so we can have some on hand.

46. dpanders REVIEW:
    May 30, 2004

    Do not waste your money on the ingredients for this recipe. There is something terriby wrong with it - I wish I had a clue as to what is wrong. I am a rather accomplished cook, and ended up (twice) with a salty, thin soup with chunks of onion, not the thick, rich sauce I had at Friday's. The first batch I kept trying to reduce for nearly two hours, until it finally burned to the saucepan, but never thickened. With the second batch, I tried adding arrowroot, also with no success. At that point, I decided it would be better to make some Lynchburg Lemonade!

47. polender REVIEW:
    February 21, 2004

    This is the second recipe for the TGIF dipping sauce I've tried off the net. Both have been terrible. Both my wife and I are accomplished cooks who love to experiment. Our suggestion is that you try something else.