Outback bloomin onion sauce copycats are all mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish and a few dry spices, and the three we read don’t agree on how much horseradish to use. They also split on sour cream, cayenne, and how long the sauce keeps. Here’s how they compare, so you can pick one before onion night.
Outback doesn’t publish its recipe, and none of these pages claims to have it. We haven’t made any of them, so every amount belongs to the recipe it’s credited to. The “tastes like the restaurant” talk is the authors’ own!
How do three Outback bloomin onion sauce copycats compare?
They share a mayo base, ketchup and horseradish, then drift apart. Spiced (January 2023, updated May 2025) is the leanest. The Slow Roasted Italian (originally October 2023) adds sour cream. Miss in the Kitchen (April 2025, updated May 2026) leans smoky.
| Spiced | Slow Roasted Italian | Miss in the Kitchen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayonnaise | ½ cup | ½ cup | ½ cup |
| Sour cream | None | ½ cup | None |
| Ketchup | 1 tbsp | 3 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Horseradish | 2 tbsp cream-style | 2 tbsp prepared | 1 tbsp prepared |
| Paprika | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | ½ tsp smoked |
| Garlic | Pinch of powder | 1 tsp granulated | ½ tsp granulated |
| Oregano | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ¼ tsp |
| Heat | ¼ tsp cayenne, pinch of pepper | ¼ tsp cayenne, ½ tsp pepper | 1 tsp black pepper, no cayenne |
| Other | ¼ tsp salt | ½ tsp salt | ¼ tsp cumin, ½ tsp salt |
| Chill time | None required | At least 30 min | At least 30 min |
| Fridge | Up to 7 days | Up to a week | Up to 2 weeks |
The horseradish gap is the big one. Per half cup of creamy base, Spiced uses about 2 tablespoons, while the other two use about 1. Spiced’s author says the sauce is “technically called ‘Bloom Sauce'” at Outback, which is the author’s claim and not something we checked.
Which Outback bloomin onion sauce should you make?
It depends on how much bite and how much body you want in your dip. Spiced is the quickest and the sharpest, the Slow Roasted Italian version is the creamiest, and Miss in the Kitchen is the one with smoke and cumin.
- Sharpest: Spiced, with the most horseradish for its size. It still lists only 5 minutes of prep.
- Creamiest: The Slow Roasted Italian, which is the only one with sour cream, so the batch is about twice as big as the others.
- Smokiest: Miss in the Kitchen, with smoked paprika and a little cumin. It’s also the only one without cayenne.
Servings don’t line up either. Spiced and Miss in the Kitchen both start from ½ cup of mayo, but one counts 8 servings and the other 4. The Spiced card lists 100 calories a serving, and Miss in the Kitchen lists 218. Treat the yields as rough guesses!
How long should you chill it, and how long does it keep?
The sources agree the sauce tastes better after a rest, and you’ll see they disagree on how long. Spiced sets no required time but says the sauce tastes much better mixed ahead and chilled overnight. The Slow Roasted Italian says at least 30 minutes, and longer is better because the dried seasonings need time.
Keeping times run from about a week to 2 weeks. Spiced says up to 7 days and advises against freezing. The Slow Roasted Italian says up to a week and not to let it warm to room temperature. Miss in the Kitchen says up to 2 weeks. With sour cream and mayo in the mix, we’d go with the shortest window.
What do you serve it with?
Outback bloomin onion sauce is a dip for fried onions first, and Spiced says it also suits Outback’s Bloomin’ Fried Chicken. Any fried food you like will work.
If you’re planning a full copycat Outback night, our Outback Steakhouse bread recipe and Outback Steakhouse broccoli recipe sit on the same menu. Want to see how another horseradish sauce is balanced? The prime rib horseradish sauce comparison runs two ratios side by side.
Outback bloomin onion sauce questions people ask
Does it need sour cream?
Only one of the three uses it. The Slow Roasted Italian adds ½ cup, and the other two get by on mayo alone.
Is it spicy?
Mildly. Spiced and the Slow Roasted Italian both use ¼ teaspoon of cayenne, and the horseradish brings its own bite. Miss in the Kitchen skips cayenne and uses a full teaspoon of black pepper instead.
Does it taste like the real thing?
The authors say it’s close, but none shows a side-by-side test. One commenter in an r/MimicRecipes thread on a copycat of this sauce wrote, “As you were told in the Outback subreddit, not even close to how it’s made.” The comment doesn’t say which part they mean, so taste yours next to the real dip before you decide!