12 Zaxbys Signature Sauces, Ranked

While I'm a big fan of chicken fingers, I had never tried Zaxbys before, even though it has some of the best, according to Chowhound. Perhaps it's because I grew up in Ohio, and there are currently no locations there, or because the two locations in New York are farther from my apartment than I would normally travel for fast food. So, when I had the opportunity to sample 12 of Zaxbys' signature sauces and become more familiar with the brand, I was excited to try something new.

Many of these sauces have intimidating names that indicate their spice level (Tongue Torch Sauce, for example), so I was trepidatious about diving in. I wanted to evaluate the sauces fairly, judging on presentation and color, overall taste, and if I would go back in for more. Overall, I was surprised by what I found to be my favorites — and I'm sure they're subjective, as someone who loves dipping sauces but doesn't want her tongue scorched off. Read on to learn more about my recommendations, and try them for yourself at your nearest Zaxbys.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I should get out of the way that the biggest reason I didn't care for the Nuclear Sauce is because at the end of the day, I just don't love super hot sauces, and this is the hottest of the bunch. I understand wanting a kick of something to enhance food's natural flavors, but for me, a sauce like this not only overwhelms the food, but also prevents your taste buds from experiencing anything else for a long time.

I should have known when I removed the top layer that the almost shocking red color would mean "stop." I did save this sauce for last because I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to actually taste much else after having a dip — and I was right. The burning on my tongue was not fun; it was annoyingly present for at least 30 minutes after. I know I am in the culinary minority, however. For those who like a very hot sauce, this one is a bit tangy as well, and there is a hint of the tomato paste underneath the spice, so you heat seekers may enjoy the taste.

Although this is the chain's signature condiment, Zax Sauce comes in lower on my list. I find the taste a bit difficult to describe, as there's just a lot going on here. The creamy, orange-colored sauce with speckles of pepper reminded me of a thicker French salad dressing. It's both sweet and salty, and the biggest taste profile for me was the tanginess.

Taking a look at the ingredients, I noticed tomato paste, egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, and distilled vinegar, along with molasses and corn syrup, among many other components. The most interesting ingredient was tamarind extract, which would also explain the mix of sweet and sour. It makes sense to me that with all of these elements combined, what came to the top was an acidic taste. You can't pull out any one particular flavor, but it is reminiscent of a sweet salad dressing or that ubiquitous duck sauce with your Chinese food. (And if you somehow can't get enough, you can create a dupe at home.)

Take all of the elements of the regular Zax Sauce and add red jalapeño purée, and now we've got a Spicy Zax Sauce. I still don't find this mix of flavors particularly appetizing, but I'll give this sauce a leg up on its original version, as the added heat at least gives it a little more definition. That said, the spice doesn't make it taste good — it just tastes different.

This sauce is also pretty bright orange in color, which puts me off a bit, and is flecked with bits of pepper and spices. There are other spicy options on this list I prefer more, which just have a more pleasing complimentary taste to the chicken fingers and fries I had to enjoy with the sauces. This is a creamy, tangy dipper with a bit of a sour tinge while still maintaining heat, and I didn't want to try more than one dip.

Sorry to all of you fellow Americans who are obsessed with ranch, but this sauce just did not cut it for me. To be fair, I've never loved a ranch sauce (except maybe way back in my childhood when, growing up in the Midwest, it was the only salad dressing I thought existed). I was hoping this one might elevate a traditional ranch in some way, but alas, it tasted pretty bland — and typical — to me.

The ingredients list buttermilk along with "spices," so the outcome here is a thick, creamy white sauce that is very heavy, with just a touch of black pepper and a bit of acidity mixed in. This is just not my personal favorite taste — and even if you're a ranch fanatic, you may not love it due to its very muted flavors. However, it gets a bump up from Zax Sauces because at least I got exactly what I expected from it in color and taste.

Buffalo Garlic Blaze Sauce is your traditional wing sauce. I'll admit: I was excited to try this one as someone who always puts extra garlic in all of my cooking. But when I peeled back the label of the packet, I was a bit nervous to discover the almost neon orange color I was looking at. And after giving it a taste, it reminded me of a traditional buffalo wing sauce that might come on something you'd order at the bar.

Disappointingly, it lacked any real garlic flavor for me, which is why this falls lower in the rankings. The ingredients list garlic powder, which generally has a more concentrated taste than fresh garlic, but here, the flavor is disguised or overwhelmed by the medium-level heat of the hot sauce also mixed in. If you're someone who loves those bright orange wings, this may be the sauce for you. But for me, this one was lacking that extra special something (garlic).

Tongue Torch Sauce is a medium-spice level condiment, and it did not ruin my mouth the way I feared it might, given its name. In fact, it's pretty similar in taste to the Buffalo Garlic Blaze Sauce, though perhaps one notch hotter and just a bit darker in orange color. Its primary ingredient is "hot sauce," but added in is tomato paste and distilled vinegar, so there are some elements to balance out the aged peppers blended in. It is a bit watery, so it did drip off the chicken fingers I tried it on.

This sauce comes in around the middle of the list. I didn't find it particularly memorable beyond the heat. You could probably use a tiny amount for dipping and already achieve your desired spicy effect. I don't see myself wanting to order this one again, as overall, I don't like to overpower my food with hot sauce, but if you're someone who likes that kick, you may want to give the Tongue Torch Sauce a try.

I really wanted to like this sauce, as I'm a big honey mustard fan (more to come about the original version later). However, the low-level hot sauce that was added to this mix almost completely dilutes the taste of the traditional honey mustard sauce that I love. I found the overall taste more sour than hot and closer in taste to the Zax Sauce or Wimpy Sauce. There was no sweetness at all, which I've come to expect from a regular honey mustard, so it left me more than a little disappointed.

I am still elevating the Hot Honey Mustard Sauce over the Zax Sauces and the even hotter sauces because the slight hint of honey mustard — the taste I love — is still present here in a full dip. This sauce will not sting your tongue or make your eyes water, and for me, it still has more of an interesting tanginess than the boring ranch.

The Teriyaki Sauce, together with the Sweet & Spicy Sauce (which we'll discuss shortly), tastes like something that belongs more in an Asian kitchen than in a primarily fried chicken-based fast food chain. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences. Personally, I enjoy Asian food, so the combination of flavors here, like the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar listed in the ingredients, was a nice surprise. (After all, teriyaki has been suggested to upgrade chicken nuggets for an Asian-inspired meal before.) This sauce tastes different than many others on the list, although it's closest in texture and color to the BBQ Sauce reviewed later.

It definitely was a bit syrupy to me, however, and I'm not sure how much of it I would end up using as a dipping sauce. I prefer it over the hotter sauces, though, which is why this ranks above them. I could still taste the crispy breading on the chicken after dipping, and I can't say the same about the Tongue Torch Sauce.

As noted previously, if you're a fan of Chinese orange chicken sauce, then you've found a new favorite in the Sweet & Spicy Sauce. With notes of citrus and ginger, along with some light heat, the first thought I had when I tried this sauce was that I wish it was mixed with some chicken, broccoli, and rice. (In fact, soy sauce is listed as one of the ingredients, interestingly.) Similar to the Teriyaki Sauce, I'm not totally sure I love it as a dipping sauce, as it tastes more like a marinade and is much more on the sweet than spicy side.

That said, I did prefer the Sweet & Spicy Sauce to the previous two Torch and Blaze sauces, and this one has just enough heat to give a kick while also featuring a different kind of flavor profile. While it does remind me of Asian cuisine, I liked it enough to give it a couple dips, and I would consider using it on a food item without a lot of flavor.

While the Wimpy Sauce is similar in color to the Zax Sauce (although also notably a darker orange like the Tongue Torch Sauce) and still has pepper flecks, it gets a lift up on the rankings because the kick of spice gives it a distinct flavor. It does also contain tomato paste, so there is almost a ketchup-like taste, but the hot sauce mixed in with mustard seed certainly makes it taste like a spicy salsa.

As noted, I'm not the biggest spice fan, so the Wimpy Sauce for a heat wimp like me is actually a nice compromise. With a low-level heat, it gives the chicken a bit of flavor that's still different and more complex than a traditional ketchup or barbecue, and it's not so overwhelming that it stays on my tongue past a couple of bites. I would recommend this one for others out there who are afraid of getting their tongue scorched off by some of the hotter sauces on this list.

As I was pouring this sauce into a ramekin, the first thing I noticed was how much thicker the BBQ Sauce was than some of the others. Ultimately, that's a good thing — it makes the dipping much more fun because you can get a solid bite of chicken finger slathered in sauce before it drips off. I found the BBQ Sauce flavorful, with a nice mix of sweetness and smokiness and just a touch of heat. As someone who is not a traditional barbecue fan, I was pleasantly surprised to see this sauce land higher on the list than I expected.

The rich, dark brown flavor was more appealing than some of the orange sauces on the list, as well. I would definitely order this again and even use it on a burger or grilled chicken. And I know I truly liked it because I went back for a second and third dip.

To re-emphasize, honey mustard is one of my favorite condiments to use on chicken fingers, so I had hopes for this one — and it delivered. With a rich golden yellow color and the right mix of sweet and tangy, this honey mustard was delicious. I was interested to see that the ingredients included turmeric and paprika, which likely add to the zesty taste, too.

This is a sauce that I would definitely order alongside my meal from Zaxbys the next time I have the opportunity. It may not be one of the fanciest or most distinct options to the chain, but sometimes simple is best. A honey mustard is also a sauce that can go wrong if it ends up too syrupy sweet or doesn't taste much different from a regular mustard. However, I'm happy to say that this dipper struck just the right balance. If I was looking to jazz things up at home, I may try adding Greek yogurt to make it even creamier next time, but on the go, it's perfectly good as is.

With each sauce, I wanted to evaluate the color (and how appetizing it looked), the overall flavor, and if I wanted to have more than one taste of it. Based on the names of the options, I saved the Nuclear Sauce for last, knowing that I wouldn't want to blow out my taste buds for everything else — and I'm glad I did, so I was able to taste everything cleanly. I took a sip of water in between each sauce to cleanse my palate, and that seemed to do the trick.

Along with all 12 sauces, Zaxbys sent over a Big Zax Snak Meal to enjoy, which contained three Chicken Fingerz, a slice of Texas Toast, Crinkle Fries, and a small Coke. With each sauce, I tried a small amount with a clean spoon first to have the "raw" taste and then used either a tiny bite of chicken or the end of a fry to see how the sauces paired with food.