Copycat Arby’s Beef N’ Cheddar
A Copycat Arby’s Beef N’ Cheddar tastes just like the original, but it’s ready in a flash with ingredients already in your kitchen. Get your favorite fast food sandwich fix without ever leaving the house!
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One of my favorite fast food sandwiches is the Arby’s Beef ‘N Cheddar.
Mmm, with its roast beef smothered in a magical golden cheese sauce on a soft bun topped with tangy Arby’s sauce.
It’s a thing of beauty.
But it physically pains me to pay for fast food when I can make something of equal or greater quality and taste at home.
My husband, a die-hard Arby’s flavor fanatic, agreed this sandwich is an Arby’s clone.
I think he’s wrong.
These taste better!!
It’s the same great flavor you love, but without any of the old greasy taste.
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Buns– Onion buns
- Roast beef– Thinly sliced from the deli. The thin cut is important as it will give you more tender roast beef that will melt in your mouth.
- Cheese– American cheese
- Milk
- Spices– Ground black pepper and garlic powder
- Sauce ingredients– Ketchup, water, garlic powder, onion powder, salt
How to Make
It’s so easy to make a roast beef n cheddar at home that you’ll wonder why you ever would want to go to Arby’s in the first place!
To do it, just heat a skillet over medium heat.
Add the meat to the warm skillet and cover it with a lid.
Then turn the heat to medium low.
While the meat warms, stir together the sauce ingredients and spread the sauce on the buns.
Put a small pot on the stove over medium low heat.
Add the cheese, milk, garlic powder, and pepper to the pot.
Stir everything together until completely melted and evenly combined.
Then assemble the sandwiches by piling the warm roast beef onto the buns.
Top the meat with cheese sauce and more Arby’s sauce if desired before closing the sandwich with the other half of the bun.
Serve immediately, with curly fries, for an authentic in-home Arby’s experience.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
I don’t recommend planning for leftover assembled sandwiches as the sandwiches will get soggy in the fridge.
However, if you have leftover beef, cheese sauce, or Arby’s sauce, you can store them separately in their own individual air tight containers in the fridge for a few days.
Should I toast the rolls?
It’s up to you!
Arby’s does toast the onion roll in their classic sandwich but you can skip it if you prefer.
What is the sauce on Arby’s Beef n Cheddar??
It’s not actually the classic Arby’s sauce, but something they call Red Ranch.
I find this sauce closest to Catalina salad dressing.
You can also buy Arby’s special sauce, which is different from the tangier Red Ranch, at most grocery stores or online HERE.
Where can I buy the best tasting roast beef?
If you have a Kroger nearby, you can buy their store brand.
I also highly recommend Boar’s Head.
Whatever brand you buy, I recommend buying the medium doneness.
Tip and Tricks
- Ask the deli to thinly slice the beef.
- You could substitute shredded cheddar for the American cheese in the sauce if you prefer or even use Velveeta instead,
- Don’t want to make the sauce? Buy a bottle of Catalina dressing and save yourself a step!
- For the full Arby’s experience, serve these with Arby’s curly fries. You can find them in bags in the frozen french fry section of most grocery stores.
Other Fast Food Copycat Recipes
We love these copycat Arby’s beef n’ cheddar sandwiches to satisfy our cravings at home.
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other fast food copycat recipes?
Try these:
- Copycat Chick Fil A Sandwiches
- McDonald’s Big Mac (Copycat Recipe)
- Taco Bell’s AM Crunch Wrap
- Instant Pot ‘McRib’ Sandwiches (McDonald’s Copycat)
If you’ve tried these COPY CAT ARBY’S BEEF N’ CHEDDAR sandwiches, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Copycat Arby's Beef N' Cheddar
Ingredients
- 4 onion buns
- 1 lb thinly sliced, deli roast beef
- 5 slices American cheese
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- ground black pepper, to taste
For The Arby's Signature Sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tsp water
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the meat and place a lid over the top, and then turn the heat to medium low.1 lb thinly sliced, deli roast beef
- Meanwhile, stir together the Arby's sauce ingredients and spread on the buns.4 onion buns, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tsp water, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, pinch of salt
- In a pot on the stove on medium-low heat, add cheese, milk, garlic powder, and pepper and stir until completely melted and evenly combined.5 slices American cheese, 3 tbsp milk, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, ground black pepper, to taste
- Place the meat on the buns, add the cheese sauce, and a little more Arby's sauce (if desired). Top the sandwiches off with their other half.
- Serve immediately, with curly fries, for an authentic in-home Arby's experience.
Notes
- Ask the deli to thinly slice the beef.
- You could substitute shredded cheddar for the American cheese in the sauce if you prefer or even use Velveeta instead,
- Don't want to make the sauce? Buy a bottle of Catalina dressing and save yourself a step!
- For the full Arby's experience, serve these with Arby's curly fries. You can find them in bags in the frozen french fry section of most grocery stores.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Basil
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Made these for supper tonight, very close to tasting like Arby’s! Will definitely make these again. Everyone loved them!
Thanks, Linda. I’m so glad you liked them.
Can u all please tell me where 2 buy good tasting deli roast beef 2 make these? Maybe I’m just picky, but I can’t find any I really enjoy
Do you have a Kroger nearby? That’s where I go. I either get their brand or Boars Head. I also like to get medium so that it doesn’t overcook and turn dry when we make these.
This is going on my dinner menu!
It’s makes a regular appearance on ours.
So easy! My husband would love these!
It looks just like Arby’s!
Yep, and tastes just as good too.
This sounds so good – and it looks better than Arbys!
Thanks, Kit! I’ll just say this, it gives the original a run for it’s money for sure.
Hi. Looks good. Why American cheese for a Beef ‘n Cheddar though?
“5 slices American cheese”
It melts well and more evenly than cheddar. Let me know if you try it with slices of cheddar though, and how it turns out.
I used to work at Arby’s years ago. The red sauce is actually called Red Ranch. Catalina or French dressing are both good substitutes. Arby’s sauce is completely different. It’s more of a tangy BBQ sauce where as the Red Ranch is much sweeter. On a side note, I like to ask for extra Red Ranch and dip my curly fries in it. If you want to get your fry fix and keep it homemade you can get Arby’s brand curly fries at the grocery store.
I agree with Queenie. I too worked at Arby’s and the Beef and Cheddar sandwich has Catalina sauce not the Arby’s sauce.
I made these for dinner a couple nights ago. I found a different recipe for the sauce that called for Apple cider vinegar, a few drops Tabasco, and brown sugar. Those ingredients gave it more flavor. I was disappointed in the cheese for this, it wasn’t a cheese sauce like I was expecting, I will use a different recipe for the cheese next time. I would also toast the buns, I added a horseradish sauce that was amazing!
I’m glad you adapted it to your liking, Crissy! I’ll have to give your version of their sauce a try, and we love them with horseradish sauce.
I have a version of this. I use Catalina on the bottom bun for the red ranch. I boil my deli roast beef for a couple minutes to warm it up and make it softer. I use Frito lay dipping nacho cheese, found in the chip aisle. And for the Arby’s sauce, I mix ketchup, A1 steak sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and brown sugar. Tastes almost identical 🙂
That’s great that you have a version you enjoy. I like ours, but to each their own!
You know what I did. I over cooked the roast beef and got it nice and dried out and the bun was actually kind of stale and forgot to put the cheese sauce on and it was actually exactly like my last order at Arby’s so yeah this is really good. Just kidding I actually made this exactly how your recipe was quoted and it was delicious.
Good one, Bill!!
Have to agree with the post above. I also worked at Arby’s. It’s red ranch and nothing like what your using. Your using Todd Wilber’s recipe for Arby’s sauce he published years ago. A close approximation is the Catalina dressing or the Honey French.
My husband suggested I find a recipe for these, since we had some leftover roast beef from a sub party. We both love beef and cheddar sandwiches, so I thought it was a great idea too. It was!! We just finished eating these and are already looking forward to making them again in the future. Delicious!!
Thank you!!
The actual Arby’s Beef And Cheddar’s do not use the Arby’s signature sauce. They use a sauce called Red Ranch Sauce. I have searched for that sauce recipes for a long time and have had no luck. The 2 sauces taste vastly different. I don’t even really like the signature sauce. But I love the other Red Ranch Sauce.
So everyone keeps telling us, lol. We think this tastes spot on though, so I’m still gonna stick with this version when I can’t have the real deal 🙂
I am the greatest fan of the beef and cheddar. Arbys changed the way the beef and cheddar was made in 1986 and has taken away the process which enriched its flavor. The onion buns were basted in salted butter and sent through a slide toaster. The buns were also a light brioche style onion bun and was switched to a heavier eggflower bun. (I worked there when they changed it) I Your recipe is spot on for the recipe otherwise! Good job!
There’s a strand of saliva in one of the bitten sandwiches, awesome pictures, mouth-watering.
I am a fan of Arby’s. The sauce on the Beef and Cheddar is more of a Catalina salad dressing. It is not their Arby Sauce which is a BBQ sauce.
Fantastic Recipe
Going through the comments and seeing so many repeats of the same declaration was a head shaker lol, However, your recipe AS IS is fantastic! Thank you! 😀 My husband and 5 kids were thrilled! I also like your recipe because it could be very versatile with the ingredients that everyone has in the pantries & fridges. 😀
Just made this for my family, and even my super picky husband loved it! Said it’s very close to the original. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I agree with the above comment, so many repeat ex employees that know the recipes stating the obvious over and over, gracious alive, if you already know everything why are you looking for a COPYCAT recipe??? Anyway, bless em Lord. This will definitely be made for lunch tomorrow after church. I’m wondering if that Campbell’s Cheese Soup would work? It is thick and creamy pure cheddar cheese and tastes amazing, we mix it with a can of rotel and have salsa and chips.
Thoughts???
Again, many thanks for the recipe!!
I’m no stranger to cream of soups. I think if you use the cheese soup, it will be thinner because it thins as it cooks and doesn’t congeal quite like the real thing. That being said, if you whisk a bit of cream into it I think it would still be a delicious substitute. Also, thanks for the support!!
You answered your own question. If someone is looking for a COPYCAT, THIS is not it. Period.
I never worked at Arby’s, I made this recipe and while it was pretty good, it was nothing like the real Arby’s Beef n Cheddar. It was still yummy but I will be taking other’s advice to duplicate the actual sauce that is on the REAL Beef n Cheddar and get some Catalina.
Most likely because though the author has been told many times over that the Beef ‘n’ Cheddar is made with red ranch and not Arby’s sauce, there has been no correction in the post, which says they are the same thing.
They ARE vastly different sauces – a BBQ v. a French, so which is this supposed to be? Knowing the difference between sauces doesn’t mean you know how to make them. I have been looking everywhere for copycat red ranch recipe to no avail!
I made these for dinner tonight. The kids really liked them but I must say I really didnt care for the cheese sause at all. It didnt have the right flavor nor the consistency of the melty cheese I like with my arby’s. Definitely needs cheddar. Also found a different recipe for the sauce that was much more of a Arby’s like sauce and less ketchup flavor. I discovered that the roast beef need only a few moments heating in the skillet or it gets tough. So over all I will make again but with some modifications. Thanks for the recipe
I guess I did it wrong because mine did not taste very good at all?
Oh no! Sorry you had this experience. We love this recipe and make it often.
I wish I could post a picture because it came out looking so mouth watering. With all of the reviews about the “red sauce” I was certain this was going to be mediocre, but I think it came out much better than the actual Arby’s beef and cheddar. The only modification I implemented was adding fried onions on top of the cheese to finish the sandwich for a nice balance of texture with all of the soft meat and sauce. I felt the fried onions added crunch and a burst of flavor that made it next level awesome! The biggest perk is that it takes no time to make and most households have all the ingredients outside of the meat and buns…
Thanks, Jimmy for taking the time to leave your in depth feed back after actually making & trying our copy cat recipe. Love the idea of a crispy fried onion crunch!
I also was a manager at arbys for a few years and you can get the exact same thing as their “red ranch” if you buy marzettis honey French dressing, they normally keep it with the pre made bags of salad mixes….
Oh Heavens I am so thankful to have this recipe! Made it just as written and LOVED IT? It definitely is better than Arby’s which is great because the last Arby’s I had was pretty bad! I might try the recommendation by the poster who suggested Fritos Brand cheese sauce just for fun. Thanks so much for posting as I will be using your recipe exclusively from now on. You can be very proud of your creation!
I’m totally confused why would you use American Cheese on a Beef n Cheddar sandwich? I can’t believe everyone was so focused on being right about the sauce…and not one person pointed out that American Cheese tastes nothing like Cheddar. I found a recipe to melt block cheddar with milk and flour to make a creamy cheese sauce. However it didn’t give the amount of each so I just played it by ear and it came out great!
I can’t stand American cheese and don’t see how that’s even close to a Beef and Cheddar.
I actually get the sandwich with sauce already on it and add the Arby’s sauce I’ve always done that so I had no clue they were different sauces…
I’m not trying to start a fight or be difficult I just don’t get it! 😉
My family really liked this recipe. But I did substitute cheese sauce for the American cheese. Big hit! Thanks!
Made thus myself only thing I switched was i used canned cheese sauce. Now I eat Arby’s everyday without breaking the bank. Awesome recipe 👍👍