Not Arby's Or Taco Bell — This Chain Has The Best Cheese Sauce Hands Down

Fast food cheese sauce is a guilty pleasure that many foodies love, but they aren't created equal. Chowhound ranked this condiment at several of the country's most popular chains, and it wasn't Taco Bell that took the top spot, a chain with an irresistible nacho cheese sauce that goes with tortilla chips and several other menu items. It also wasn't Arby's, a chain known for roast beef sandwiches drenched in a rich, creamy cheese sauce. Instead, it was a chain known for burgers and milkshakes: Shake Shack.

To determine the rankings, Chowhound looked at cheese sauces from major chains and performed a blind tasting, judging each sauce for thickness, cheesiness, balance of flavor, and versatility. While the cheese sauces from Taco Bell (coming in at No. 4) and Arby's (at No. 5) both made the list, Shake Shack's was the clear winner. Its sauce is a mix of American cheese and cheddar, along with a variety of other ingredients, such as jalapeños, canola oil, kosher salt, peppercorns, onions, white wine, white wine vinegar, and heavy cream. Together, these combine to make a rich, creamy cheese sauce that the chain adds to menu items such as fries, burgers, and hot dogs, which give customers some pretty tasty choices for a meal. It's flavor, creaminess, versatility, and list of fresh and natural ingredients are exactly why this sauce made it to the top of Chowhound's list.

You would think a restaurant named Shake Shack would be best known for its shakes, and you wouldn't be wrong, but it's also well known for its other great menu items, and you'd be seriously missing out if you didn't explore them. In fact, this chain has some of the best hot dogs you can find at a fast food spot. But the cheese sauce, which is not the same as its signature Shack Sauce, is a fan (and critic) favorite that you can add to just about anything.

If you aren't lucky enough to have a Shake Shack nearby, you can still experience its awesome cheese sauce. A few years ago, the company let out its secret recipe with an Instagram post that not only lists the ingredients, but shows you exactly how to make it, step by step. The variety of ingredients that go into it build on one another, creating a sauce that is nuanced, balanced, and full of flavor. By making it at home, you have the option of adding as much cheese sauce to your Shake Shack takeout as you want, without having to pay for extra sauces. You can also put it on any number of home-cooked dishes, such as steamed vegetables (broccoli is a classic), baked potatoes, or nachos, to name a few. If you want to add tons of flavor to your next grill night, use this cheese sauce as a dip for a tender, juicy steak.