The Best McDonald's Menu Items To Try With Its Limited Edition Gold Dipping Sauce

Picture it: a McDonald's cheeseburger dripping in gold. While this image may seem absurd, it is much more attainable than you might think (well, for a limited time at least). The iconic fast food chain known for its delicious fries, extra crispy Sprite, and tasty burgers has released a new limited edition sauce. The Special Edition Gold Sauce is available at participating McDonald's locations across the United States starting on September 3, 2025. It is a creamy take on South Carolina barbecue sauce  with a mustard and vinegar base. Sweet, smoky, and tangy, the condiment has garnered comparisons to Chick-fil-A's beloved Chick-fil-A sauce, a comparison that is aided by the chicken-centric Gold Sauce menu, which includes a chicken snack wrap and two different McCrispy sandwiches. You can also buy packets of the sauce to use on menu items of your choosing. 

Perhaps the most obvious pairing (outside of the items featured on the Gold Sauce menu) is McDonald's famous McNuggets. The mellow, crisp taste of chicken nuggets is the perfect palette for most any condiment — and Gold Sauce is no exception. You can also order the sauce with McCrispy Strips if you want something more substantial. The more savory, meaty taste of McCrispy Strips contrast well with the sweet, tangy sauce. 

Another great choice? French fries. The chain's hot, salty, perfectly crunchy, and fries (which contain more ingredients than you might think) will balance well with the sweetness of McDonald's Gold Sauce. It is perhaps the best thing to order if you truly want to highlight the condiment's unique flavor without the noise of toppings, other sauces, and seasonings. Of course, these items may seem a bit obvious to order alongside Gold Sauce, so let's dig in to some less conventional but equally tasty pairings.

All of the items on the Special Edition Gold line of McDonald's items have one thing in common: chicken. With this in mind, let's expand this sauce's dipping potential beyond the basic poultry. The barbecue-inspired, creamy sauce does work well with chicken, but it would also make a great addition to a burger. You can order a pack of the sauce on the side to dip your cheeseburger in. Or, if you're not in a dipping mood, you can order your burger with the sauce. If this is the case, you might want to skip the ketchup and mustard, especially if you want the Gold Sauce to shine. This sauce would work particularly well on a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, which has a meaty substantial base that will hold up well against a sweet and tangy pop of flavor. 

Now, if you're in the mood for something really unorthodox, you can also try this sauce with some items off of the breakfast menu. Its sweet, slightly smoky flavor would work great with a McGriddle sandwich, which features syrup-infused pancake buns. The maple flavor of the griddle cakes would complement the sweetness of the Gold Sauce, while the smokiness pairs nicely with the savory, meaty bacon and sausage, making it an unconventional but delicious addition to your next breakfast. But don't let these suggestions limit you. You can add this sauce to most anything on the menu (if you're brave enough).