Subway Sauces Ranked Worst To Best
A great sauce can take a dish to new places. If you find the right condiment to accompany your meal, it will help every individual ingredient attain a level of perfection you'll keep running back to time and time again. It's not always easy to find something that works wonders, but with enough trial and error, you can determine which sauce elevates your food and which one should stay the heck outta your meal. Any condiment connoisseur would likely agree with that sentiment.
Condiments are essential to the almighty sandwich: No one wants to bite into a dry bun full of arid ingredients that will leave you grabbing for the nearest drink to help ease it down your gullet. Moisture is essential, and the people at the Subway sandwich chain certainly know this. Subway offers a slew of tasty subs, and they're even better when paired with the correct condiment. So, the next time you're standing in line at Subway, make sure you're equipped with all the necessary knowledge about the sauces on offer.
11. Olive oil
Olive oil contains a lot of healthy fats that your body wants, so if you do love the taste of it, go ahead and use some without going overboard. At Subway, you can opt for a squirt of oil on your sandwiches, but it's also important to keep your Subway sandwich choice in mind because not every ingredient wants a glossy coating of the stuff.
For example, if you're getting a Spicy Italian Sub, a few drops of oil pair nicely with the pepperoni and the salami, bringing out essential flavors. The fat in the oil complements the saltiness of the meat, leading to a solid sub. But if you're ordering the Steak & Cheese Sub, definitely avoid the oil. The steak and cheese may make this sandwich too rich and create a runny, gloppy mess of everything. So, make sure you're aware of how you're going about your oil usage.
10. Yellow mustard
If you have a sandwich that's in need of a tangy kick, look no further than yellow mustard. A smooth layer of the condiment helps cut through a lot of the fattiness that many of the meats have, leading to a balanced bite. The sharp bite of that yellow mustard almost gives a sandwich a nice bit of spice, which is why yellow mustard is a decent option at Subway, as long as you pair it with the right sandwich.
Now, if you're looking for a sauce with a subtle flavor, definitely go another route. The flavor of mustard is prevalent on whatever sandwich you add it to, and that can be both a good thing and a bad thing. If you're getting a sandwich with an array of cold cuts and some veggies, a bit of yellow mustard helps kick everything into high gear by giving the meat a tangy taste. But it's probably advisable to avoid the yellow mustard if you're ordering a Meatball Marinara Sandwich. The sharp tang of the yellow condiment combined with the marinara sauce is a recipe for disaster.
9. Red wine vinegar
Oil and vinegar is an immensely popular combination for sandwiches. The fattiness of the oil and the sharp bite of the vinegar pair together perfectly for a taste that's rich and tangy. It's a combination that really helps a stack of cold cuts taste amazing. The richness of the meat can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, but red wine vinegar acts like a knife and cuts right through all of it and helps balance out every bite.
Red wine vinegar goes perfectly with Subway sandwich flavors such as Spicy Italian and Italian B.M.T. It's also perfect for a Cold Cut Combo. The meats in these options all deserve a hefty helping of red wine vinegar to allow the flavor of the meat to spring to life. However, that same vinegar flavor would have the exact opposite effect if you drizzle it on the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. The heat from the buffalo sauce absolutely does not need the sharp tanginess of the vinegar. Know your ingredients before walking the red wine vinegar plank.
8. Parmesan Vinaigrette
Parmesan has a wonderful flavor that, when added to the appropriate dish, slaps a smile right across your tongue. The cheese is salty and nutty and offers a really bold flavor profile that stands out among whatever ingredients it's paired with. At Subway, customers can opt for a drizzle of the Parmesan Vinaigrette to help give their salads or sandwiches a little flavor pick-me-up. This sauce can really help elevate your meal.
However, this vinaigrette tends to taste salty, and if you put too much on your sandwich or salad, it can be a bit of a sodium overload. Also, if the ingredients that you're putting the vinaigrette on also skew on the salty side, you might very well find yourself walking up to the Subway counter to order something else. Too much salt absolutely ruins a meal, so just use precaution if you decide to dabble. But, overall, this sauce has a nice Parmesan flavor and an appealing not-too-thick-not-too-thin consistency.
7. Buffalo sauce
While some people enjoy a kick of heat on their sandwich, others may prefer a sauce that tingles the tongue but doesn't go any further, which is why buffalo sauce is a solid option for those craving that sensation. Subway offers buffalo sauce as one of its sandwich add-ons, and it does exactly the job you want it to. The sauce is topped on the Buffalo Chicken Sub.
However, it doesn't have to stop there. Buffalo sauce works with plenty of other ingredient combinations, as well. Heck, there really aren't too many sandwich options that truly can't use a little drizzle of the stuff. Toss some on a B.L.T. Sub for an extra kick of heat to help spice up that bacon, or slather it on the pizza sub to add a little personality to those layers of pepperoni and marinara sauce. If spice is your thing, buffalo sauce is a solid way to get it without scorching your palate.
6. Peppercorn Ranch
Ranch is a great way to give a sandwich or a salad a rich and creamy texture. The thick consistency coats your palate and really soaks into the flavor of all the ingredients, making everything a ranch-coated delight. Of course, not every ranch dressing tastes exactly the same: When you do get one that was made with really high-quality ingredients, it erupts with a tangy and herb-forward taste that makes everything you put it on better. So, do yourself a favor and explore the Peppercorn Ranch Sauce at Subway.
This particular version of ranch has an extra-strong kick of flavor due to the peppercorns. The pepper gives the ranch a nice bite of spice. Whether you're eating something with turkey, ham, salami, or basically any other cold cut, the pepper flavor enhances them all while the creaminess of the ranch lends a great texture and bright, tangy taste.
5. Honey mustard
The word "sweet" doesn't have to only associate itself with dessert foods. While you may associate the word "sweet" with saccharine dessert, some level of sweetness is important to savory food too. This is why Subway's Honey Mustard Sauce is a wonderful addition to so many sandwiches. Regular mustard, as all mustard enthusiasts know, gives each bite a vinegary tang that really cuts through the flavors of the right ingredients. The result is a wonderful contrast of flavor that's hard to resist.
It has a sharp taste that can sometimes feel overwhelming if you use a bit too much of it. However, if honey mustard is used in the right amount, it gives your sandwich a sweetness that makes for a really pleasant experience. The cold cuts used can often be high in salt, so the sweetness helps balance each bite out so you're not walloped with sodium.
4. Roasted garlic aioli
If you want to feel bougie when you eat, make sure you add some aioli to your sandwich. Mayonnaise and aioli are often thought of as being the same thing (a creamy, fatty (and delicious) condiment), but an authentic aioli is an emulsion made with only garlic and olive oil. These days, restaurants offer different varieties of aioli. If you want to harness your inner posh palate at Subway, then get a slather of the roasted garlic aioli on your sandwich.
This sauce tastes really good. The roasted garlic flavor really punches through the creamy texture, giving your sandwich a lovely smoky taste and the pungent kick of garlic. The texture lends a wonderful mouthfeel to whatever sandwich you add it to. It's super silky and does a great job of coating all of the ingredients it comes into contact with. Subway may not feel like a fancy establishment, but a nice helping of the roasted garlic aioli sauce raises the fancy bar just the right amount.
3. Mayonnaise
What would the wonderful world of food be without the almighty mayonnaise? Well, it wouldn't be as delicious, that's for sure. Yes, there are some people who don't like the stuff (whether it's the overly rich flavor or the thick coat-your-palate texture), but for those who do dabble in it, few sandwiches are complete without a healthy smear of the white stuff. There's nothing really unique about the mayonnaise at Subway, but that's okay: It does exactly the job it's supposed to.
Mayonnaise has a wonderfully creamy texture that gives even the driest ingredients the moisture they so desperately require. The condiment sits on your palate and dances with every ingredient and texture it touches. It's wonderfully mellow, and it gives a sandwich a rich kick of fatty flavor. Mayonnaise perfectly marries meats and toppings together with its unctuousness and its slight lemony tang for an awesome sandwich experience you'll want to have again shortly after.
2. Baja Chipotle
If you're looking for something that'll wake up your taste buds (but really aren't in the mood for buffalo sauce), look no further than the Baja Chipotle Sauce at Subway. This sauce packs some incredible flavor. It contains chipotle and guajillo peppers, along with ingredients like garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, and lime. Yes, there's a lot going on in this sauce, but it's all delicious.
There's something enticing about the blend of all the different ingredients and flavors. The chipotle peppers lend a nice peppery heat. The smokiness of this sauce perfectly soaks into various types of meat and takes them to a whole different level of awesome. All of the spices in the sauce each play their roles to perfection, uniting together to form a wonderfully creamy and flavor-packed experience. This sauce is likely to complement most subs pretty well, particularly if a specific combination of ingredients needs an extra zing.
1. Sweet Onion Teriyaki
It can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide which sauce you're going to put onto the sandwich you order at Subway. There are a handful of options that are really tasty, but it's important to ensure you choose the correct one so your sandwich experience is as tasty as possible. You might take one look at the menu and assume that the Sweet Onion Teriyaki Sauce will only pair well with the Sweet Onion Chicken Sandwich, but rest assured; this is one sauce that launches just about any sandwich into the stratosphere of epic flavors.
This sauce really has it all. It has a lovely sweetness from the onions that pairs well with all types of meat and cuts through the salty richness that many of them contain. The onion flavor is pronounced, but it's subtle, so it doesn't make you feel like you are eating a heaping pile of onions. But it's the umami-packed sensation of teriyaki that really makes this sauce really stand out. The sweetness combines with the umami goodness to make a sauce that's almost tasty enough to drink. This is the kind of sauce that requires your attention, so dive head-first into it the next time you're at Subway.