An easy and perfect A1 Steak Sauce Copycat made in just 20 minutes for a fraction of the cost!
A1 Steak Sauce (Copycat)
A steak isn’t really a steak unless you top it with A1 Steak Sauce. That’s what growing up with my parents taught me. At least once a month we’d grill steaks and make baked potatoes on the side for a classic steakhouse meal (nevermind that the right way to make a steak is in a cast iron skillet!).
We’d all sit down to some delicious NY Strip Steaks (I’m team ribeye now by the way) and everyone would wait their turns for the A1 steak sauce because it was so much better than Heinz 57 steak sauce. This is THE BEST homemade steak sauce recipe and I owe a ton of gratitude to Two Dogs in the Kitchen who worked hard to make the recipe.
The worst part about A1? Well for starters the bottles were so small! And even more importantly it is pretty darn expensive. The A1 Steak Sauce ingredients aren’t expensive on their own, so there is no reason for it! You can make almost 2 cups of generic A1 sauce with this recipe.
While the ingredients may be non-negotiable here to capture that A1 Steak Sauce flavor, it is still an easy homemade steak sauce.
Can A1 Steak Sauce be used as a marinade?
A1 Steak Marinade: Add ¼ cup A1 Steak sauce to 2 tablespoons oil, 2 garlic cloves (minced) and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper. Add the ingredients to the steak and marinate them for 1 hour before cooking.
What is in A1 Steak Sauce?
A1 Steak Sauce is a mix of a lot of different flavors you wouldn’t expect including raisins, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dijon mustard, orange and more.
You can certainly make a homemade steak sauce without Worcestershire, a good example of it would be a Heinz 57 Steak Sauce recipe.
Looking for more copycat sauces?
- Chick-fil-A Sauce (Copycat)
- In-N-Out Burger Spread Dipping Sauce (Copycat)
- Panda Express Sweet and Sour Sauce (Copycat)
- Tony Romas Original BBQ Sauce (Copycat)
- Zankou Chicken Garlic Paste (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves cut in half
- 2 tablespoons onion chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 orange cut into 2 pieces
Instructions
- Add the ingredients (except for the orange juice) into a small saucepan.
- Squeeze the oranges into the pan, then drop in the rinds.
- On low heat, stirring occasionally, let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Careful to keep the heat low allowing for a very low gentle heat, not a hard boil.
- To check doneness dip in a spoon and run your finger over the back, the line should stay clean.
- Turn off the heat and strain out the garlic and orange pieces.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
love this but I strain nothing. Allow to cool then get the stick blender and grind. You throw away no flavor and thicken the sauce.
We do alot of cooking. And I mean alot.
This is hands down, the best guide to a simple recipe I’ve ever seen. Love it
Thanks.
and Kudos.
From me and my Wife,
Jeff & Michelle.
I made a marinade with this recipe as a go by using dried apricots, red wine and white vinegar, and lemon juice. Didn’t put it to the heat, but this was really helpful. Will definitely try it as written too. I grew up loving A1 because my mother cooked steak till it was as tough as shoe leather ? I still love the acidity and blend of flavors. My husband isn’t a fan, but he liked my concoction. Thanks!
Thanks looks good cant wait to try. Filet my fav thats why need sauce lol. I do love a ribeye, ny strip, hangars even tri tip key is USDA Prime especially dry aged. Cast Iron for home chef however I’m partial to those 1600° salamanders that most great steakhouses best char lose no juice. Some great steakhouses still BBQ it does taste great. Peter Lugers does craziest cutting steak putting back under broiler with butter. Of course Dry Aged prime no. Homemade sauces always great on side.
Great for tri tip! Just a couple of light coatings toward the end of cooking. It reminds me of the the sauce they use at Jocko’s in Nipomo.
Lol fellow central coaster should have know tri tip lover. Not my fav so haven’t been to Jocko’s. Have you eaten in Los Alamos and Industrial in Buellton. My beef with tri tip I prefer thin cut to hunks. Years ago when I lived in Santa Maria on Sat and Sun bbq was on every corner literally. Now there’s still 2
hi loved your post can i ask you what sauce was used for the potatos? THanks!!!
You’re so kind, the sauce on the potatoes was just sour cream for the photos.
This is a lovely recipe. Good quality balsamic is key. I used regular raisins because that’s what I had on hand. Instead of straining it Iremoved the orange pieces and whirled the rest in the blender. I think that gives it a better texture and some extra flavor. I noted some reviwers said it was nothing like A-1. I think it’s better and my husband who ate A-1 his whole life likes my sauce better.
Thanks for the feedback, Susan.
Amazing copy! Thank you so much. I just finished sous vide-in stone crab claws and was finishing up the mustard sauce when I realized I was out of A-1. It was perfect just as written.
Thanks, Carole. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Sorry but this tasted nothing like A1. Dont know what i did wrong!
Did you make any substitution to the ingredient list or instructions?
This tastes NOTHING like A1 sauce – you are missing so much acid.
Likely because A1 is using white vinegar, not balsamic. I believe it also has a puree of oranges.
Did I miss when you put the orange juice in??
You’ll want to squeeze the oranges into the pan, then drop in the rinds in step 2. Enjoy!
This recipe saved our Christmas dinner! I bought grass-fed steaks but forgot we were out of A-1. I only had mandarin oranges so I had to guess the amount. It was a little heavy on citrus but still delicious. I blended in the raisins-the consistency was perfect.
Thank you Sabrina!
You’re welcome, Susan.
Really good!
Excellent formula. Anyone who likes A-1 will love this. Not sure if it needed the celery seed, but I like celery seed anyway.
Here’s another method: 1 part tomato paste, 3-4 parts Worcestershire sauce. Done.
Not very chef-like but a dead ringer for A-1.
Here is a toughy.. I don’t eat ketchup. So if using tomato sauce or paste what else would be added to equal the ketchup? Molasses? Is it for the tomato aspect and sweetness?
That is tough! It’s hard to know when you change an ingredient how it will play with the others. You could try equal parts brown sugar and then add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar instead of the ketchup. I haven’t tested it and it’s a complete guess. It might not make the texture right though. If you decide to play around with it, I’d love to know if you got something to work. Good luck!
This is amazing! Had to sub a few ingredients bc we are keto – stevia drops instead of raisins and orange oil drops for the juice. Delish, and so authentic! Thanks for a great recipe!
Please tell me the orange oil not sure of that and can you share your recipe? I am keto as well.
Need a recipe for Heinz 57 sauce.
Thank you.
Tony
I’ll add it to my list to research. Thanks for the suggestion.
Very good recipe Sabrina. My suggestion would be after removing the orange rind, zip it up with a mixing stick before straining it through a sieve. It gives it a thicker viscosity that mimicks the real deal. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the suggestion, Julia.
Do you strain out the raisins or do you blend them in the recipe??
They’ll breakdown during the cooking process and the rest gets strained out with the garlic and orange. Enjoy!
How long can it be stored in the fridge? My fam loves it but I’m hoping we don’t waste the rest
I’d say it will last about a week or two in the refrigerator. So glad you all love it.
Hi Sabrina
I made your A1 Steak Sauce here’s what I found.
Taste is good. Not exact but real good. I like it!
Ease to make.
After made and cooled, it still seemed thin!
I transferred to a blender and started adding Xanthan Gum until
it had the right consistency. Trying to figure what to alter to hit that exact
flavor, but overall I give it an 8.5! Keep up the good work. How about Subway’s Southwestern Chipotle Sauce?
I’ll add that to my research list. Thanks for the suggestion!
Can I can this sauce
I’ve never tried it before.
not sure who has all this lying around. ill spend the 5 bucks on a bottle of A1 and save the headache lol
Probably all the preservatives giving you the headache! LOL
What about the raisins in the A1 Steak Sauce? Are you to strain those too? Or do I use a food processor?
Sorry for the confusion. They will mostly break down during the cooking process and then the rest will strain out with the garlic and orange. Hope this helps!
I just took out the Orange peel and then, put it on high in my Vitamixer. It ended up with the consistency of A-1 sauce. Really good!
If you spin it on high in Vitamix, it will cook it like making soup. Try that…
I’m not understanding where the sweetness that everyone is talking about is coming from. There is no sugar in the recipe. I understand that the raisins are sweet as is the ketchup, but I certainly wouldn’t think that alone could make the sauce too sweet. And 68 grams of sugar?? Can that possibly be right?
The serving size is the entire batch of the sauce. There’s a surprising amount of naturally occurring sugar in Balsamic vinegar (made from grapes) and we are using 1/2 cup of it. Sugar will sneak up on you but for the most part, it’s all naturally occurring sugar in this dish.
Very tasty. I’ve been looking for a good steak sauce recipe.
As has been mentioned, it’s a bit on the sweet side (at least for my taste), but I will be playing with this recipe – maybe using half balsamic and half cider vinegar – until it is just where I want it.
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Followed directions to a tee and it’s not thickening! What did I do wrong or what do I do??
Sounds like you just needed to cook it longer.
I made this because I was out of A-1 and didnt want to go to the store. It’s fantastic!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Very good thank you for the recipe. Will definitely keep it in my recipe box. My daughter in law loves it also. Very easy to make.
You’re welcome, Brenda!
Made it exactly to recipe. It’s not bad, but doesn’t taste like A1.
I made two batches using these exact ingredients. I had a bottle of A1 to compare it too.Sauce I loved,but still does not duplicate A1, and that’s OK because I think this is better. David
no it didnt …. added some molasses …. much better
I’m sure this is delicious…. but we have been just mixing worstercer and katsup equal parts for years and every one thinks it’s A1.
It’s really that easy, plus quick, plus good, plus already cold.
It’s so close I would bet if you try it you will be amazed.
Thanks, that’s helpful!
How much of each Phil?
I would go with 50 gallons of each… throw away what you dont use or freeze it.
This copy cat A-1 is great! Had everything on hand except the orange ? so I used orange extract and still came out divine for our ribeye ? on the 4th of July !
Could you substitute regular raisins in place of the golden, or mix them? The reason I ask is I have such a tiny amount of golden raisins left in my cupboard but have plenty of the regular ones.
It will change the flavor a bit but you can use regular raisins or mix them with your golden.
Flavor profile was sweeter than A-1. My wife, aunt, cousin, and sister-in-law found the flavor either too sweet for their palette or equated it more to Heinz 57 than A-1. If I made it again I would reduce the sugar.
Delicious recipe, thanks for sharing . Unfortunately I did not have raisins or an orange but I did substitute them with maple syrup and a lemon. Turned out great .
Hi. Are Golden Raisins a must? What would be the difference if I were to use the regular raisins that I have in my pantry?
I haven’t tested with regular raisins, but they have a different flavor which is much smaller and tougher in texture. Would love to hear how it turns out for you if you test it out.
I’m sorry but i have one more question. What exactly did you mean by, “the line must be clean” after cooking for the 15 minutes? I thought I tested it correctly but perhaps I didn’t…this could also be the problem. If it is, can I re-heat the sauce and try to cook longer? Ugh:) Thank you…not yet exactly A1 but getting close.
It means that when you dip a spoon into it and then run your finger along the back, the line stay straight and doesn’t bleed. Hopefully that makes sense!
Forgive me. I still do not understand the wording. “The back” of what? Do you mean across the surface of the sauce?
Yes, you’ll want to run your finger across the back of the spoon. When done, it should leave a clean line and not run. Hopefully this helps clear up any confusion. 🙂
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I live in France and A1 absolutely does not exist. I have found it available in the UK but by the time I pay shipping and do the conversion pounds to euro – a large bottle is almost 9 euros each. So, I decided today to make your recipe myself. It’s easy to make BUT when I sample it (it’s only been in the fridge for about 2 hrs)…it tastes a bit tart. I will let it sit until tomorrow because I think it will be better BUT maybe you have a suggestion of why it might be tart.
Thanks so much. I am going to keep on plugging away at this. I love a good challenge:) !
I’m so glad you found this recipe. 🙂 I will say for the tartness that sometimes there are variations in flavors of products sold in the US versus other places so maybe that’s the difference your tasting that you’re used to. It could also be the balsamic vinegar having a different flavor as well.
Just curious why the balsamic may taste different in France when it typically comes from Italy? Want to try this but a couple of comments, that one in particular make me hesitate.
I realize this comment is very old, so I am so sorry for the delay in replying.
The reason is because much of the balsamic vinegar in the US isn’t high quality. It’s not authentic balsamic. Most EU countries have stricter standards.
How’s long will this last refrigerated? I’m making extra to give away
I would think it would last a week or two in the refrigerator. 🙂
It’s not getting thick…what now? should I add more raisins?
No, you’ll just want to cook it a bit longer. Make sure to check the doneness by dipping in a spoon and run your finger over the back, the line should stay clean.
Helloooooo beautiful. Mentally preparing to cover my whole life in this steak sauce. Gotta try!
#lifegoals….I love it!
Do you puree the rasins in the sauce? A little confusing.
Sorry for the confusion. They will break down during the boiling process and then any bigger pieces will be strained out at the same time as the garlic and orange pieces. Hope this helps clear things up!
I must make this! Love it!
Thanks Krista!
After buying all the ingredients and making it, it’s cheaper to just buy it
But if you bought them all you could make 10 times the volume you’d buy. Trust me, way less expensive!
To be honest right now I have all but 2 ingredients to make this, as I am sure most people who cook a lot would. They are all pretty common ingredients. So yes it would be by far cheaper for me to make it then buy it by bottle.
Oh that sauce looks so good!
Where has this been all my life?! Looks so delish!
Thanks Abeer!
The steak with steak sauce is a family favorite. I am always looking for new ways to prepare it!
I hope you all enjoy it!
I love this ingredient list – sounds delicious! Pinning 🙂
Thanks for the pin Valerie!
I’ve never thought about making my own A1 Sauce before!
What a great recipe to have on hand! I’m sure this tastes amazing!
Thanks Patricia!