10 Best Dipping Sauces Your Fried Cheese Curds Can't Do Without

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Cheese curds are perhaps one of the world's most fun-to-eat foods, producing a delectable squeak (a sign of a fresh curd) as your teeth bite through them. They're also a good conversation starter if your dining companions aren't aware that they're the very first stage of solid cheese in the cheese-making process, separated from the liquid whey. But fried cheese curds, with their crispy batter, take all this appeal to the next level. They're squeaky little nuggets of perfect decadence made even better by your choice of dipping sauce — and oh, the choices you have.

Culver's is perhaps the gold standard when it comes to fried cheese curds (no other store-bought brand besides Trader Joe's can really compare), and the chain offers a dozen dipping sauces for its famous Wisconsin-style side, providing a clue to just how versatile these little guys can get. While some foods take better to a sauce that leans specifically cheesy, sweet, savory, or spicy, fried cheese curds are equal opportunists. From the classic to the creative, here are 10 sauces you must employ the next time you grab an order (or 10) of these babies from one of the fast food chains you can order fried cheese curds from, or fry up some yourself at home.

One of the most perfect food pairings out there is cheese and honey, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that honey mustard is a must-try dipping sauce for your next batch of fried cheese curds. Plus, there's a historical precedent. The ancient Romans drizzled their fried cheese curd dish with honey and seeds, taking advantage of the gustatory delight that happens when "salty and tangy" meets "sweet." In the case of honey mustard, the extra tang further elevates the experience.

A store-bought honey mustard could be perfectly sufficient for your fried cheese curd dip, but making your own is so easy that you may as well give it a go. A creamy, simple one involves only mayo, honey, mustard, and lemon juice. For a mayo-free version, omit the creamy stuff and use an oil for fat and flavor (olive or avocado, for instance). For extra acidity, add some apple cider vinegar. Mix, chill, dunk those fried cheese curds inside, and enjoy the flavors.

If you're one of those types who thinks a squirt of 'chup makes everything taste better (especially if that "something" comes wrapped in a batter), your instincts alone will probably have you dipping your fried cheese curds into it. Basic but unbeatable for its gustatory complexity, ketchup is the perfect blend of flavors that make the tongue happy. Not only is it a little sour and a little sweet, it's also full of umami thanks to its tomato base.

You can whip up an extra-flavorful version with umami-boosting ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, and miso, or opt for a spicy ketchup to add a refreshing kick to your curds. To harness the power of spice and umami, simply add a tablespoon or so of hot sauce to a small dish of ketchup (regular or your umami-bomb version), and perhaps a little chili powder for a hit of smoky flavor.

Along with ketchup, ranch dressing is a general crowd-pleaser of a dip, offering its flavorful services to everything from salads to french fries. When a platter of fried cheese curds hits the table, folks who know what's up will have a ramekin of ranch sitting right there with them. Tangy, savory, and creamy, often with a pop of herbiness from dill and the pungency of garlic powder, ranch manages to complement the fried cheese curd's unique flavor profile without competing.

Store-bought ranch dressings range from classic to buttermilk to Buffalo-style and beyond, and pretty much any one of them has something to offer a fried cheese curd. The buttermilk variety comes with a tempting added tartness. Make it yourself with fresh herbs, including chives, for even more tastiness. For a smoky kick, try a chipotle ranch to zhuzh up the mild sweetness of a fried cheese curd. If extra spice appeals, add a few tablespoons of sriracha to the recipe (or to whatever bottled variety you're using).

If your instinctual response to the question "What goes great with fried cheese curds?" is "More cheese, of course," you're likely one of the reasons Culver's includes Wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce as one of many dip options for its own fried cheese curds. If the idea of so much cheese at once is distressing to you, skip to the next recommendation. Otherwise, avail yourself of the surprising versatility a cheese sauce provides.

You can easily concoct a homemade version of Culver's cheese sauce yourself with just sharp cheddar, some whole milk, flour, butter, and salt. Up the fast-food-cheese-sauce factor slightly by adding in a couple of slices of American cheese (yes, the kind that says "cheese product" on the label). Conversely, if your favorite recipe for this indulgent dip calls for cream, you can actually give cheese sauce a lighter finish by swapping in cauliflower for it. Beyond that, play with cheeses to find one you love — Gruyère, fontina, etc. — as a dipping sauce for your squeaky little snacks.

To simply say that barbecue sauce makes a great dip for fried cheese curds isn't the most helpful of statements. There are roughly eight regional barbecue sauce variations in the United States, from the tomato-less, vinegary concoctions of Eastern Carolina to the every-flavor-under-the-sun approach of Kansas City. Some might opine that a dipping sauce for a fried treat should be viscous and robust, not the more watery mop sauce loved by barbecue pitmasters, but it's really your choice. Flavor is subjective, after all.

You can't go wrong with something thick and sweet like Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (another choice at Culver's for your fried cheese curds' dipping sauce). But no one will stop you from whipping up an Eastern Carolina-style contender and dipping your cheese curds into that. Sweetness, spice, and acidity (sans tomatoes, remember) never did a fried cheese curd any harm. All it takes is equal parts white and apple cider vinegars, a little Tabasco, brown sugar, and as much cayenne pepper as you want. Shake it all together, et voila.

Another classic pairing for the fried cheese curd is one you've likely dipped its cousin, the mozzarella stick, into more than once. Marinara sauce brings the same savory umami that ketchup does, this time without the tang of vinegar. Along with the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, marinara offers the pungency of garlic and the toothsome flavors of herbs like oregano and parsley. It may not be the most glamorous dipping sauce for fried cheese curds, but it's iconic for a reason: it's so yummy there probably won't be any left over.

As Chowhound learned in a chat with Chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr., there's a strong argument for the humble marinara sauce – olive oil, garlic, Italian tomatoes, a soupçon of red pepper, and a half-hour cook are all you need. Or, if you're making your own fried cheese curds and don't feel like adding marinara-making to the list of tasks, you might pick up a jar of Mezzetta's marinara sauce, Carbone, or the ever popular Rao's; these were our top picks when we ranked 14 popular store-bought marinara sauces.

No, we didn't put this one on the list to be funny. Caramel sauce, that go-to topping for sundaes, pancakes, and popcorn, has a place in savory town, too. You might find it on a cheeseboard alongside some brie (or as a glaze for wings or roasted pork). And if you stop into Buffalo Wild Wings and order up some fried cheese curds, your server just might suggest a side of caramel sauce for dipping.

You'll find rave reviews for this super-sweet and savory pairing tucked away in a Reddit post or two dedicated to the cheese curds at the ol' BWW. Wild Wings servers in the know liken the combination to carnival funnel cakes (think warm, fried, and sweet), and at least one Redditor agrees with that comparison. Some folks take it even further and top theirs with sugar and cinnamon. Altogether, it sounds like one of those perfect, fateful culinary discoveries, like dipping fries in a Wendy's Frosty.

We know that when it comes to fried cheese curds, spicy pairs nicely and sweet is uber neat, so blending the two into a "swicy" dipping sauce is the next logical step. Hot pepper jelly is the perfect vessel for this combo of flavors. A fairly simple blend of sugar, pectin, bell peppers, jalapeños or serranos, and apple cider vinegar makes for a happily busy set of taste buds, especially when partnered with the gooey, battered goodness of fried cheese curds.

Making your own hot pepper jelly allows you to temper the heat level to your own preference by modulating how many hot peppers you include; the same goes for the sugar. If you don't like the little bits of minced peppers floating in your jelly, you can always puree them first to smooth things out. Alternatively, if you've no interest in canning, you could always mix up some Jezebel sauce, which also goes great with cheese and crackers. And if you'd just prefer someone else to do the work, there are brands galore of hot pepper jelly in stores or online, like Terrapin Ridge Farms Hot Pepper Raspberry Preserves.

The exact origins of spicy mayo are debatable, but the iteration known and loved in the United States started life in a sushi restaurant – most likely an American one, as this condiment isn't a traditional sushi option in Japan. Typically consisting of mayo, sriracha, garlic powder, and lemon juice, spicy mayo offers a little bit of a tang, a little bit of a kick (or a lot — your call), and a wallop of complementary creaminess that pairs beautifully with fried cheese curds.

There are other versions of the condiment besides the sriracha'd one so common in sushi restaurants. You could get your spice from Calabrian chili paste instead, resulting in a dipping sauce with a bit more fruity smokiness to it. Calabrian chilis are moderately spicy at around 25,000 to 40,000 Scoville units (compared to a jalapeño's 2,500 to 8,000), so try 2 teaspoons of paste per ⅔ cup or so of mayo first to see how that does you. Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce is another potential spicer-upper, as is Korean gochujang. Whichever you choose, you'll have some tasty fusion fun when you dip your fried cheese curds into it.

Much like the old Vanessa Williams song, we (debatably) went and saved the best for last — if, that is, you're a fan of applesauce. No, it wouldn't be the first dipping sauce for fried cheese curds that comes to mind, but considering that cheese itself can go well with fruity jams, and that we've already established that sweet stuff has a place on a fried cheese curd, this makes sense.

Whereas dipping a fried cheese curd into caramel sauce yields a funnel cake-like result, dipping said curd into applesauce offers something reminiscent of a cheesy latke. The curd's mild sweetness corresponds to the sweetness of ricotta, and the fried batter sends visions of a fried latke's crispy edges dancing through your head. If you're uncertain about dipping your cheesy squeakers into applesauce, just remember that experimentation costs you nothing but the price of a jar of Mott's, or what have you, and that it might just become your favorite new dipping sauce for fried cheese curds.