You can make copycat A1 Steak Sauce with junk-free ingredients at home in no time! Homemade steak sauce that is delicious and easy!
Do you like A1 Steak Sauce? If you are anything like me, you probably have a love-hate relationship with it. On one hand, you love the taste and probably grew up with it as a staple in your house but on the other hand, you hate the low-quality ingredients that they choose to use to make it.
What if I told you your favorite steak sauce could be at your fingertips any time you want, without having to send even a penny on that pricey little bottle we all grew up loving?
All of that is about to come true with this amazing copycat A1 steak sauce recipe that has all the flavor with none of the processed and foreign ingredients.
Once you try this homemade recipe, you’ll never even think about reaching for the premade sauce ever again. Trust me!
How To Make Homemade Steak Sauce?
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the orange. Squeeze the juice from the orange into the saucepan and then add in the juiced orange segments. Bring to a boil, lower light to a simmer. After a few minutes, remove orange segments and discard.
Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer (make sure to strain into a measuring cup or other container!).Use a spoon or spatula to push all the liquid out of the chunky bits.
Lastly, return sauce to the pan and bring back to a simmer. Reduce, stirring occasionally, until level of thickness is reached and enjoy!
What Are the Ingredients in Store-Bought A1 Sauce?
We all know that store-bought foods can be riddled with all kinds of concerning ingredients we’ve never heard of, much less want to put into our body. Store-bought A1 sauce, is unfortunately no different, with the third ingredient being corn syrup, followed by things like Potassium Sorbate, and Xanthan Gum.
Here’s the full list of ingredients: (From the Kraft Website)
Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Raisin Paste, Crushed Orange Puree, Spices and Herbs, Dried Garlic and Onion, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum
Doesn’t sound too appealing? Right? That’s why I was so excited to share this copycat recipe full of ingredients that won’t leave you scratching your head searching for the definition.
If you really want to avoid those unknown ingredients and want to upgrade the flavor of your steak sauce, then it’s worth the extra time to make this copycat A1 steak sauce recipe.
I searched the internet and found many A1 copycat recipes. After trying a bunch, this homemade A1 steak sauce recipe from Two Dogs In The Kitchen caught my eye and I had to try it. After trying it out, and tweaking the recipe just a bit, I feel like it’s pretty darn close to the old original!
Not only can it be prepped in 5 minutes or under, but it also takes only 20 minutes or less to cook. That’s less time than you would spend staring at the steak sauce shelf trying to decide which one to go with. So, clearly, the time spent prepping and making this homemade steak sauce is SO worth it.
Tips and Tricks For copycat A1 Steak Sauce
- If you’re having trouble finding gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce, there are two specific brands I recommend trying out: The Wizard Sauces, Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce, or WAN JA SHAN Organic Worcestershire Sauce. You can also feel free to use regular Worcestershire sauce if you aren’t worried about finding one that’s gluten-free.
- When straining, don’t forget your catcher bowl/cup! You don’t want to lose all of your sauce down the drain while separating it from the no longer needed ingredients.
- You’ll want to wait for the sauce to completely cool, to really get the full flavor. The flavors will change as it cools, so, even though it might be tough, try to refrain from taking those initial taste tests.
Love Steak Sauce? Try Paring it With These Recipes!
Get out of your traditional steak sauce pairings and try your homemade sauce on some of these unique pairings!
Homemade 5-Ingredient Steak Rub
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
You can make copycat A1 Steak Sauce with junk-free ingredients at home in no time! Homemade steak sauce that is delicious and easy!
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup organic ketchup
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup organic raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1/8 large yellow onion cut into chunks
- 1 small navel orange or 1/2 large orange, cut in half
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In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except for the orange.
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Squeeze the juice from the orange into the saucepan and then add in the juiced orange segments.
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Bring to a boil, lower light to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, remove orange segments and discard.
-
Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer (make sure to strain into a measuring cup or other container!).
Use a spoon or spatula to push all the liquid out of the chunky bits.
-
Return sauce to pan and bring back to a simmer. Reduce, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until level of thickness is reached.
Note that sauce tastes different when warm so let cool completely before adjusting spices. Enjoy!
Recipe Makes 1.5 Cups Steak Sauce or Approximately 24 Tablespoons. Serving Size is 2 Tablespoons (12 Servings)
- If you're having trouble finding gluten free Worcestershire Sauce, there are two specific brands I recommend trying out: The Wizard Sauces, Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce, or WAN JA SHAN Organic Worcestershire Sauce. You can also feel free to use regular Worcestershire sauce if you aren't worried about finding one that's gluten-free.
- When straining, don't forget your catcher bowl/cup! You don't want to lose all of your sauce down the drain while separating it from the no longer needed ingredients.
- You'll want to wait for the sauce to completely cool, to really get the full flavor. The flavors will change as it cools, so, even though it might be tough, try to refrain from taking those initial taste tests.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES:Â This post was originally published in October 2013 and updated in June 2019 with new photos, better instructions and more helpful information.
Adapted From: Homemade A1 Steak Sauce From Two Dogs In The Kitchen
Danette Kinsey says
This sounds like a great recipe. And plan on making, however, do the raisins make a huge difference? Not planning on going essential grocery shopping soon, but definitely making some steak.
Alyssa Brantley says
Hey Danette! Do you have dates or figs by any chance? Those could be subbed for the raisins!
Laurel says
Hi Alyssa,
I love A1 sauce and am so excited to find this recipe!
Do I need to use the orange, or can I use a bit of pure extract for flavor? I’m diabetic, and this homemade sauce is still high for me in carbs, even for such a delicious condiment.
Alyssa Brantley says
Hey Laurel!
I have never tried it with just orange extract but it *should* work. If you experiment, would you come back and let us all know how it turns out?
Lisa says
How long does it stay fresh in the fridge?
Alyssa Brantley says
I have kept it in the fridge for up to a month (in a glass jar with a tight seal)!
Lydia says
I love when I find recipes like this that allow me to make my own homemade versions of favorite store bought items! Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Alyssa Brantley says
You’re so welcome!
Christina says
WOW! What a great recipe! I’ll be making it again and again!
Alyssa Brantley says
Awesome Christina! Thanks for commenting and letting me know!
Ashley says
loved it! I made it without the orange only because I didn’t have one on hand but it stilled turned out super good. I did add a little arrowroot to thicken it up more. Thank you for sharing!
Alyssa Brantley says
LOVE the idea of arrowroot to thicken! Thanks for the feedback and rating Ashley!
Tracy says
I’ve been on paleo for about a month and am slowly weening my husband into it. I cannot use A-1 due to allergies, but my husband uses tons of it on steak, meatloaf, and sometimes even mashed potatoes. I made this recipe (with homemade worcesthershire and homemade ketchup) this afternoon and this evening I served him a big juicy steak with one small glass bowl filled with A-1 and an identical bowl filled with this sauce. He tasted the A-1 first and said, “this is A-1.” He tasted this sauce and said, “this isn’t A-1 but it’s really good.” After his meal, his final conclusion was that it was close, but tasted too cinnamon-y. That was my error in making the ketchup, which I hoped wouldn’t make a real difference. He’s agreed that for now we can mix this (25%) with A-1 (75%), and slowly ween him off of it, or when I make a new batch of this with a fresh batch of ketchup, he’ll try the blind taste test again. Thank you for a great recipe!
EverydayMaven says
Hi Tracy! That is so AWESOME!!! This made my day 🙂
Chad Collins says
Tracy try this simple ketchup. Very close to Heinz etc. No cinnoman or cloves etc. I’ve made them all and simple wins. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12578-tomato-ketchup
lisa says
white distilled vinegar and balsamic both contain corn so if you buy organic ketchup or make your own and use white vinegar you have added corn- dijon mustard would use it as well.
Evan says
Delicious steak ingredient post here i love it thank you for the guide!!!
Jie says
The best way for all the flavors to mix is to have those ingredients ferment for a day or two before straining it….