Secret Sauce

Enjoying one of your favourite meals at a restaurant can be fun, but also expensive! In Secret Sauce, Kelly Jaggers has created 200 copycat recipes from many popular American restaurants - from dips and sauces to dressings and more, so you can create these delicious dishes at home. One of my favourite stops when we visit my parents in Fort Myers, Florida is Carrabba's spicy dipping oil. The recipe for this tasty dip is in this book so I'm happy I can now make it at home!

This cookbook begins with the very basics - ingredients to have in your pantry, appliances and kitchen tools you'll need etc. making it feel like it's geared towards new home cooks. 

There are recipes for everyone with easy instructions and some fun facts too. Many of the sauces/dips seemed very similar to each other but I'm sure sauce lovers will be able to find something for their individual tastes in this cookbook. 

Some of the recipes you'll find are for:

- McDonald's Big Mac Sauce (I'll be trying that soon!)

- Outback Steakhouse's Blooming Onion Sauce

- Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce

Many of the popular American restaurants featured in this book were unknown to this Canadian reviewer. But while I may not have firsthand experience eating at these establishments, I look forward to trying many of these recipes! 

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Kelly Jaggers

Genre: Cookbook

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Adams Media

First Published: Nov 11, 2025

Read: October 31, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: Skip the pricey restaurant bill and recreate your favorite restaurant sauces right at home with these 200 fast, easy, and delicious copycat recipes for popular sauces, dips, dressings, and more!

Enjoy your favorite restaurant sauces…without waiting in lines, paying inflated prices, or stocking up on sauce packets to save for later meals. With 200 quick and simple recipes, you can now recreate your favorite restaurant sauces, dressings, and dips right at home. You’ll find iconic recipes

-Chipotle’s Guacamole
-McDonald’s Tartar Sauce
-Applebee’s Oriental Vinaigrette
-Shake Shack’s Cheese Sauce
-Carrabba’s Dipping Oil
-Taco Bell’s Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
-And more!

With these classic, tried and true recipes, Secret Sauce helps you recreate popular restaurant sauces as closely as possible—while still receiving the same rave reviews as the real thing—on a much smaller tab.