Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (2024)

Get ready for another culinary journey, this time featuring the delicious Arby’s Beef and Cheddar sandwich, a crowd-pleaser straight from Arby’s menu. This delightfully rich sandwich comprises thinly sliced roast beef layered with creamy cheddar cheese sauce and tangy red ranch sauce. To finish off this masterpiece, it’s served between slices of toasty onion bread, making this sandwich an incredible experience.

If you’re a fan of Arby’s, you may also check this Arby’s Bronco berry sauce recipe, scrumptious chicken salad sandwich, and delicious Jamocha Shake. Let’s jump right into the recipe, but if you want the best results, I highly suggest you read through the whole article.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs of thinly sliced roast beef
  • 1 beaten egg white (for the buns)
  • 1 TBSP of poppy seeds for buns topping
  • 1 TBSP of minced onion, dehydrated (for the buns)
  • Buns

For Arby’s Cheese Sauce

  • 4 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3.5 oz of shredded American cheese
  • 4 TBSP of half and half
  • ¼ tsp of paprika

For Arby’s Sauce

  • 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp of sugar
  • 1 Cup of Ketchup
  • 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/3 tsp of paprika
  • ¼ tsp of onion powder
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 1/8 cup of mayonnaise
  • ½ tsp of salt

Instructions

Arby’s Cheese Sauce

  • In a small saucepan, heat medium-low heat. Combine the cheddar cheese (4 oz), American Cheese (4 oz cut into cubes), 1/3 tsp of paprika, and half and half (1/4 cup).
  • Cover the lid, and stir every 5-6 minutes to combine the ingredients nicely. Set at the lowest temperature while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

To Make Roast Beef and Buns

  • Preheat oven to 230F.
  • Wrap the shaved beef in foil and place it in the oven for heating.
  • Place buns on a baking tray.
  • Spread beaten egg white on top of the buns using a brush. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and chopped onion, and bake for about 5 minutes.

For the Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce

  • Heat up the 1 Cup of ketchup, 2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of garlic powders, 2 tsp of salt, and 4 TBSP of water using a small saucepan.
  • Allow the saucepan to simmer on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off, add in the 2 tsp of mayonnaise, and stir until well combined.

Assembling Arby’s Beef and Cheddar Sandwich

  • Start by topping the bottom bun with Arby’s sauce. Next, add roast beef to the pile—finally, spoon on cheddar cheese sauce and then more Arby’s sauce. Top the buns with onion and poppy seeds.
  • You can keep the prepared sandwiches warm in the oven at 160° Fahrenheit until you are ready to eat them for up to an hour.

Pin the image below if you like this Arby’s copycat beef and cheddar sandwich recipe!

Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (1)

Arby’s Beef ‘N Cheddar Sandwich

There are many famous roast beef sandwiches. Then there’s the famous Arby’s Beef and Cheddar. Arby’s has been making tender, juicy roast beef sandwiches that melt in your mouth since 1978, that’s a little over four decades. The Arby’s Beef & Cheddar Sauce is one of their most popular menu items.

It’s the perfect sandwich with its soft bun, thinly sliced roast beef, cheddar cheese, and red ranch sauce. This beef and cheddar sandwich includes the Red Ranch sauce and creamy cheddar cheese sauce.

Arby’s Beef and Cheddar classic Beef and Cheddar will make you reconsider your decision to eat a roasted beef sandwich at the local deli.

Did you know Arby’s introduced Venison sandwich in 2016 and 2020 for a short period? The good thing is you can make it using this recipe but adding venison instead of beef. Check out this Venison Backstrap recipe!

Why is this Copycat Arby’s Beef & Cheddar Sandwich so Good?

It’s all about the sauces. This Beef ‘n Cheese recipe is more than just putting a little roast beef between two slices of bread and calling it good.

Beef and cheddar by Arby’s take it to the next level with two homemade sauces. Both the sweet and tart flavors of the Red Ranch sauce and the creamy cheddar cheese sauce go together so well that it’s unreal.

No matter what you do, don’t compromise on quality by using pre-made cheese sauces or bottled BBQ sauces because it won’t be Arby’s Beef and Cheddar anymore!

The meat for Arby’s Beef & Cheddar Sandwich

A great roast beef sandwich can’t be made with low-quality meat. That being said, you should not go and make a pot roast in order to make Arby’s beef sandwich. Don’t do that!

Only consider these three things when choosing meat for Arby’s cheddar sandwich:

  1. It must be medium-rare.
  2. Good quality meat.
  3. It must be very thinly sliced.

Be sure to have a knife to slice your roast beef to make this sandwich thinly. You can buy some at the supermarket and ask for thin slices from the butcher.

Arby’s Cheese Sauce

Although the homemade Arby’s cheese-sauce recipe is simple, it requires a specific ratio of ingredients as well as slow melting.

Because the cheese sauce needs to be made slowly, it is best to start with the cheese sauce.

You can prepare the rest of this recipe while Arby’s cheese sauce melts.

Take the block of cheese and slice it.

Take a small saucepan and add in the cheese, half-and-half, heat to medium-low temperature, and add the seasonings.

Cover the saucepan and stir the mixture every 5-6 minutes until it is smooth and melted. Then, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and prepare the rest of your recipe.

You can also use canned cheddar cheese sauce pre-made and heated on the stovetop.

Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce

It is crucial to get Arby’s sauce right. It is very important to cook the spices properly and allow the flavors to combine.

Combine the spices, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and water in a small saucepan. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Take off the heat and stir in the mayonnaise.

Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (2)

Final Thoughts

If your taste for decadence leads you towards a sandwich so delightful that it practically dissolves on your tongue, then Arby’s Beef and Cheddar Sandwich should be your go-to choice. I’ve poured my heart and soul into recreating this recipe with maximum authenticity, and I think you’ll agree that it’s a close match. If this recipe whets your appetite, don’t forget to explore other delectable copycat recipes on Cooking Frog. Moreover, it would make my day if you could share this with your friends and family, helping spread the culinary love. Thanks a bunch!

3.9/5 (101 Reviews)

Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich Copycat Recipe - Cooking Frog (2024)

FAQs

What is Arby's beef and Cheddar made of? ›

About the Sandwich

We took our famous roast beef, topped it with Cheddar cheese sauce and zesty Red Ranch and served it on a toasted onion roll.

What are the ingredients in Arby's roast beef sandwich? ›

Roast Beef: Beef, Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphates. Roast Ham: Ham Cured With: Water, Salt, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Nitrite. Roast Turkey: Turkey Breast, Turkey Broth, Contains 2% or less of the following: Salt, Brown Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate.

What are the ingredients in Arby's Cheddar sauce? ›

Cheddar Cheese Sauce: Water, Canola Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Cheddar Cheese (milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), Maltodextrin, Contains less than 2% of the following: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Nonfat Dry Milk, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Acetic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium ...

What kind of meat does Arby's use for their roast beef sandwiches? ›

Thinly sliced roast beef: Arby's uses USDA Choice Angus beef for its sandwiches, which is slow-roasted in-store daily. Sesame seed bun: The bun is toasted and has a slight sweetness to it.

Does a beef and Cheddar have Arbys sauce? ›

Arby's Beef & Cheddars are known for 2 things. The sauces! It has their famous Red Ranch Sauce, which is not the same as their Arby's Sauce. And then of course the cheddar cheese sauce.

Why is Arby's roast beef so different? ›

Arby's "rost beef" is emulsified beef, reformed with meat glue. That's how they can get product consistency. Think of it as hot dogs sliced thin. Ahhh, yes, sources.

What type of cooking oil does Arby's use? ›

According to Arby's website as of May 2022, the oil Arby's fries are cooked in is a blend of: “Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, with Dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming).”

Is Arby's roast beef marinated? ›

According to Arby's, their beef is coated with pepper, garlic, onion powder, and other spices. All those seasonings work their way deep into the tissue of the meat, infusing flavor through the hours-long roasting process. It's nothing fancy or complicated, but for some reason, it just works.

Does Arby's beef and Cheddar have onions? ›

Arby's Beef 'n Cheddar sandwich is a popular menu item that comes with roast beef, cheddar cheese sauce, and a red onion sauce, all served on an onion roll.

Does Arby's have their own sauce? ›

Arby's Sauce (their name sake) is a staple condiment at Arby's restaurants created in the 1970s. It is a tangy and slightly sweet sauce that pairs perfectly with their roast beef sandwiches. It's a cross of ketchup and BBQ sauce, so is made with a blend of tomatoes, vinegar, and spices.

What sauce does Arby's use? ›

Arby's Sauce®: Water, Corn Syrup, Tomato Paste, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Xanthan Gum, Garlic (dehydrated), Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Onion (dehydrated), Spice and Spice Extractives, Artificial Flavor, Extractives of Capsicum.

Why is Arby's roast beef shiny? ›

Meat contains iron, fat, and many other compounds. When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow. There are also various pigments in meat compounds which can give it an iridescent or greenish cast when exposed to heat and processing. Iridescent beef isn't spoiled necessarily.

Is Arby's roast beef sandwiches real meat? ›

Nothing about it sounds good, and it's a weirdly enduring story. They did some digging, and went straight to the source: Arby's Quality Assurance. They confirmed there's absolutely no truth the story, and said that their roast beef is, in fact, completely beef.

What is Arby's hamburger meat made of? ›

steak. This is not that. Arby's says its burger patties are made of 52% American Wagyu, which it describes as a cross between Japanese Wagyu and “high-quality continental breeds of cattle.” The remaining 48% is made with ground beef.

Is Arby's roast beef and Cheddar healthy? ›

This Arby's sandwich is a loaded half-pound of beef and cheddar cheese that includes a number of unhealthy attributes. It has 740 calories and blows right past the daily recommended sodium limit, at 2,530 milligrams –- all in a single menu item.

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