The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

Home » From Fast Food to Fine Dining: Copycat Restaurant Recipes for Every Taste! » Papa John’s Garlic Dipping Sauce

by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 71 Comments

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If you are like me, you love the garlic dipping sauce from Papa John’s. Their garlic sauce is the best part of Papa John’s Pizza. What is the best part of this Papa John’s copycat recipe? You can make it for your next homemade pizza night. Typically the only problem with this sauce, is that there is never enough, you won’t have this problem any longer, now that you have this copycat recipe.

The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (1)

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Table of Contents

What makes Papa Johns Creamy Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce So good?

You might wonder how to make garlicky dipping sauce pizza like Papa John’s. I have a recipe for you. Papa John’s buttery garlic sauce is a creamy garlic sauce perfect for dipping those pizza crusts into.

When you make it from scratch, you can use it for many more things. You can spread it on bread for simple garlic bread or even spread some on a steak just before serving. No matter how you use this, your taste buds will be delighted.

Why This is the Best Papa John’s Garlic Sauce Recipe

There are a couple of reasons my copycat recipe is better than all the others:

  • Liquid Margarine – It’s the real secret to this recipe. Papa John’s doesn’t use butter so margarine is the suitable ingredient to use.
  • Simple recipe​- you can make this creamy sauce in no time.
  • Consistency – My copycat sauce has the same consistency as Papa John’s sauce. It’s thick and creamy and not melted.
The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2)

Garlic Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you need:

  • Garlic – use fresh garlic cloves
  • Liquid Margarine

Yes, just two simple ingredients are all you need to create a yummy garlic sauce with classic Papa John’s flavor.

The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (3)

Ingredient Notes about Papa John’s Garlic Dipping Sauce

Fresh garlic is key, and grating the garlic cloves brings out the flavor and gives it the right texture. Chopped garlic will make the sauce lumpy, and you want the sauce to be smooth. Use a Microplane grater for best results.

I recommend using Parkay Squeeze Margarine because it is the closest match to the margarine Papa John’s uses in the sauce. If you will note, their sauce has a creamy consistency. This recipe will have the closest sauce consistency to any recipe you will try. Many recipes use garlic powder, but it does not dissolve. Because of this I do not recommend using it.

How to Make Garlic Butter Sauce

  1. Peel and grate the garlic.
  2. Place the grated garlic in a small bowl and add the margarine.
  3. Stir to combine.
  4. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (4)

What to Serve with Garlic Sauce

Pizza and breadsticks are the perfect companions to this sauce. You can also use it for:

  • Baked Potatoes – use it instead of plain butter.
  • Mashed Potatoes – great for making garlic mashed potatoes.
  • Pasta – for a simple garlic pasta dish. Top it with grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Seafood – melt it for dipping lobster or shrimp into it.
  • Steak – spread it on while the steak is hot.
  • Vegetables – great for adding flavor to steamed or roasted veggies.

How to Store Garlic Dipping Sauce

Place the sauce in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It will last for 4 to 5 days.

To Freeze: Place it in a freezer-safe container. Or in ice cube trays until frozen, then transfer the cubes to a plastic freezer bag. It will last frozen for up to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.

If you love garlic, you should make garlic aioli and garlic wings.

The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (5)

Try These Great Copycat Sauce Recipes

  • Arby’s Sauce
  • Big Mac Sauce
  • Canes Sauce
  • Chick Fil A Sauce
  • Horsey Sauce
  • Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
  • Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp Sauce
  • Red Robin Campfire Sauce
  • Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
  • Taco Bell Taco Sauce

Popular Pizza Recipes

  • BBQ Chicken Pizza
  • Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
  • Unos Pizza

Be sure to check out more of my easy sauce recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat.com!

Papa John’s Garlic Sauce

You can make Papa John's garlic dipping sauce with this easy copycat recipe.

4.99 from 53 votes

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Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Garlic Dipping Sauce, Garlic Sauce, Papa Johns Garlic Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1

Calories: 417kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup liquid margarine Parkay squeeze margarine recommended
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons grated garlic about 4 garlic cloves

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the grated garlic and the liquid margarine, and stir well.

  • Allow the garlic sauce to rest for about 20 minutes.

  • Serve with pizza.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2030IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Drew Clausing

    The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (7)
    I don’t understand why it will only last 4 days in the fridge. Doesn’t margarine basically last for months and months in the fridge and the garlic should last too, right? Seems like it should last at least several weeks.

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      So there is a small risk of botulism when it sits in oil. I don’t want to risk anyone getting sick, so I put a shelf-life on it. The University of Michigan has put some documentation on garlic safety here.

      Reply

  2. R.E.S.

    Made this today following the directions per recipe and video exactly, Liquid Parkay spread with fresh GRATED garlic. It was so good that I ended up making a whole bottle’s worth to keep on hand.

    Reply

  3. Chrissy

    The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (9)
    I loved it, I could drink it by the gallon.

    Reply

  4. Amy Yanda

    I mix 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 butter
    Minced garlic
    Parmesan
    And a pinch of oregano
    Salt and pepper to taste

    Reply

    • Floyde Dehanne

      The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (10)
      Ditch the extra salt at thr end the parmesan chew itself provides it and white pepper harmonizes better. 🙂

      Reply

  5. DanielDan

    The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (11)
    Now no one has to fight over the garlic butter. Yes!

    Reply

  6. MWHstd

    I would like to mention that Papa John’s sauce is not vegan. Lactic acid comes from milk. Very misleading.

    Reply

    • 107643

      Industry lactic acid does not come from milk, bacteria produce it. Many vegan products contain it.

      Reply

  7. Lizzyizzy

    I found that the most effective way to recreate the sauce is to not entirely melt the butter, so it remains partially a solid. This way, when you mid your Salt and garlic powder in, nothing falls to the bottom. The soft, sticky butter hold all the seasonings the same.

    Reply

  8. Thomas

    Will salted butter suffice?

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      Yes it will work.

      Reply

  9. HashBoy

    Some of the confusion in the comments in regards to the garlic not mixing in a probably due to semantics. Many people call granualized garlic, garlic powder when they are 2 very different things. I would not expect granualized garlic to mix very well, where as garlic power would.

    Reply

  10. Tom

    The picture can’t be correct. The garlic powder doesn’t dissolve and just sits as a brown powder below the clarified butter. This was a waste of butter.

    Reply

    • Glen

      Try a different form of garlic instead of the garlic powder. I used a garlic paste out of a tube since I didn’t have any powder on hand, and it worked fine. Also, if using salted butter, it doesn’t really need any more salt. I have also created it just using Smart Balance in a microwave, and that was much less of a hassle, too.

      Reply

      • Glen

        Lemon butter works too 🙂

    • Ole

      You should try a different brand then!

      Reply

  11. Judith Morrison

    If you use crushed garlic rather than garlic powder, how much would you use? Thank you

    Reply

    • cortana

      The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (12)
      @judith as much as you please! ^_^

      Reply

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The Best Copycat Papa John's Garlic Sauce Recipe - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is Papa John's garlic sauce made of? ›

Salt, spices, garlic, wheat starch, dried onion, soybean oil, paprika extract, natural flavor.

What is the special garlic dip at Papa John's? ›

While other dips contain milk and egg products like ranch, blue cheese, and honey mustard, the buttery garlic sauce contains no actual dairy components. Papa John's also released a spicy garlic sauce made from the same soybean oil base, with an added spicy kick of green jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper.

Can you buy Papa John's garlic sauce in bulk? ›

Because some people can't get enough of the stuff.

What is Papa John's original sauce? ›

Original/Pizza Sauce

Fresh vine-ripened tomatoes (our tomatoes are freshly packed from vine to can in the same day), sunflower oil, sugar, salt, garlic, spices, extra virgin olive oil, citric acid (maintains freshness).

What is garlic sauce made of? ›

A very simple garlic sauce can be made by adding crushed or minced garlic to strained yogurt, mayonnaise or sour cream. Lemon juice, salt, pepper and herbs such as dill can be used to impart additional flavour.

Is Papa John's garlic dip just butter? ›

While many would assume that the creamy sauce is butter-based, it is actually closer to a margarine. Based on the ingredients listed on Papa John's website, you can see that the sauce base contains soybean oil rather than butter or dairy products.

Who invented Papa John's garlic sauce? ›

According to “chief ingredient officer” Sean Muldoon, the brand's popular garlic dipping sauce is as old as Papa John's itself, and since Papa John's founder John Schnatter made it in 1984, it has been included with every pizza ever sold.

Is Papa John's garlic sauce healthy? ›

Although the fact that Papa John's garlic sauce, which comes in little packages, is made with a slew of additives – mono and diglycerides, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and the preservatives sodium benzoate and calcium disodium EDTA – does not inspire confidence.

Can you leave Papa John's garlic sauce out overnight? ›

Does Papa John's Garlic Dipping Sauce Need to be Refrigerated? It's best to refrigerate any leftover Papa John's garlic dipping sauce. Like most fat-based products, margarine can be left on the counter, but does go bad and storing it in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life.

What is special zesty sauce for Papa John's? ›

Our unique recipe incorporates some of your favorite Italian flavors to create a creamy, zesty, flavor-packed sauce. Perfect for dipping wings and anything else on our menu.

What pepper does Papa John's give you? ›

Our signature whole pepperoncini peppers are subtly sweet, medium-heat chilies grown in the Mediterranean regions. They're packed in our tangy brine, and served on the side in every Papa John's Pizza box.

What is Papa Johns changing its name to? ›

“Papa John's” will now be known as “Papa Johns” in its branding and marketing. The company name, Papa John's International, will not be changing its name, a spokesperson said. The company also unveiled a new, apostrophe-free logo and a new restaurant logo, according to the news release.

How much garlic is in Papa Johns garlic sauce? ›

The ingredient list for Papa Johns Special Garlic Sauce notes that garlic is less than 2% of its entire contents. So I decided I'd try to go for a 1% garlic-powder-to-margarine ratio, which was admittedly rough speculation, since ingredient lists aren't required to disclose how much of each ingredient is in a product.

What was Papa Johns original name? ›

John Hampton "Papa John" Schnatter (born November 22 or 23, 1961) is an American entrepreneur who founded the Papa John's pizza restaurant chain in 1984.

What is garlic butter sauce made of? ›

Melt Butter: Melt the butter in a microwave bowl or over the stove in a sauce pan. Add Lemon and Garlic: Whisk in the lemon juice, garlic, and zest if using. Season: Season garlic butter sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Add Herbs and Serve: Stir in fresh chopped herbs of your choice right before serving!

Is Papa John's garlic sauce vegetarian? ›

Yes! As it turns out, Papa John's famous garlic dipping sauce is vegan, since it is made with soybean oil instead of butter. Dipping your breadsticks or your pizza slice into this savory sauce is sure to add a satisfying punch of flavor to your meal.

Is Papa John's garlic butter real butter? ›

While many would assume that the creamy sauce is butter-based, it is actually closer to a margarine. Based on the ingredients listed on Papa John's website, you can see that the sauce base contains soybean oil rather than butter or dairy products.

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