When it comes to iconic fast food sandwiches, Arby’s Beef and Cheddar stands in a class of its own. The perfect combination of tender, thinly-sliced roast beef, creamy cheddar cheese sauce, and their signature red ranch sauce, all served on a toasted onion roll, has been delighting customers for decades. Today, we’re sharing how to recreate this beloved sandwich at home, complete with both signature sauces made from scratch.
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Arby’s Beef ‘N Cheddar Sandwich
There are famous roast beef sandwiches, and then there’s Arby’s Beef and Cheddar. Arby’s has been serving up melt-in-your-mouth tender roast beef sandwiches for decades, and one of the best-selling menu items is the Arby’s Beef and Cheddar Sauce.
There is nothing else quite like it with the sandwich’s soft bun, thinly sliced roast beef, gooey cheddar cheese, and zesty Red Ranch sauce. This beef and cheddar sandwich comes with the Red Ranch sauce, and their creamy cheddar cheese sauce.
Give Arby’s classic Beef and Cheddar a try, and you’ll never settle for a plain old roasted beef sandwich from your local deli again.
What Makes this Copycat Arby’s Beef and Cheddar the Best
- Features both signature sauces made from scratch
- Uses readily available ingredients
- Matches Arby’s unique flavor profile
- The perfect balance of meat and sauces
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Let’s Talk About the Meat
You can’t serve a great roast beef sandwich with just your average meat. But that doesn’t mean you should go through the trouble of cooking a pot roast just to make this sandwich. In fact, don’t!
While your pot roast may be the talk of the neighborhood, what is most important for this sandwich are two things:
- The meat must be very rare.
- It has to be really, really thinly sliced.
Unless you happen to have a deli slicer at home, you are just not going to be able to cut your home-cooked roast beef thin enough to do this sandwich justice. So, go ahead and buy some from the supermarket and ask the butcher for extra-thin slices.
Arby’s Beef and Cheddar Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need to make copycat Arby’s Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich:
- Ketchup
- Water
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Milk
- Cheez Whiz
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- Thinly sliced roast beef (high quality deli roast beef)
- Onion hamburger buns with poppy seeds
How to Make Arby’s Beef and Cheddar
You’ll need to make the sauces first.
Red ranch sauce: Combine ketchup, water, onion powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Cheese sauce: Heat the Cheez Whiz, milk, and shredded Cheddar cheese in a small saucepan. Heat on low until the cheese has melted, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to simmer.
Building a Beef and Cheddar Arby’s Sandwich Like a Pro
- Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Spread the slices of roast beef evenly on the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of water on top of the roast beef and cover immediately.
- Turn down the burner to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes until the meat is hot.
- Meanwhile, spread a thin layer of butter on the inside of the top and bottom onion kaiser roll. Pop in the toaster for a few minutes to toast and crisp up the buns. The butter adds a whole lot of flavor and a little extra protection against the wet roast beef turning the bun into a soggy mess.
- Next, spoon some red ranch sauce on the bottom bun. Not too much. A tablespoon should be enough.
- Use tongs to remove the meat from the pan, shake off any extra water, and mound it on top of the Red Ranch sauce.
- Pour the warm cheddar cheese sauce over the roast beef, add the top bun, and serve with plenty of French fries or onion rings.
Variations
- Add crispy onions
- Use different cheese blends
- Try potato or brioche buns
- Add bacon or mushrooms
- Make it spicy with jalapeños
Storage and Reheating
Sauce Storage:
- Store sauces separately in airtight containers
- Refrigerate cheese sauce for up to 3 days
- Refrigerate red ranch sauce for up to 1 week
Reheating Instructions:
Open foil for last 2 minutes to crisp bun
Cheese Sauce:
- Add splash of milk
- Heat over low heat
- Stir frequently until warm
Complete Sandwich:
- Wrap in foil
- Heat at 350°F for 10 minutes
More Arby’s Copycat Recipes
Favorite Burger and Sandwich Recipes
- Butter Burger
- Chick Fil A Chicken Sandwich
- Country Fried Steak Sandwich
- Krystal Burger
- Patty Melt
- Pizza Burgers
- Subway Tuna Salad
- Taco Bell Bell Beefer
Check out more of my easy sandwich recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
Arby’s Beef and Cheddar
Ingredients
Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Arby’s Cheese Sauce
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup Cheez Whiz
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Roast Beef Sandwich
- 16 ounces sliced roast beef higher quality lunch meat
- 4 onion sandwich buns
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce Preparation
- Combine the ketchup, water, onion powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Make Arby’s Cheese Sauce Preparation
- Heat the Cheez Whiz, milk, and shredded cheddar cheese in a small saucepan on low heat until the cheese has melted. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Roast Beef Sandwich Preparation
- Layer slices of roast beef in a nonstick skillet.
- Sdd 1 tablespoon of water. Place the lid on the skillet. Turn the heat to medium and allow the beef to steam for 3 to 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, slice the onion buns if necessary
- Butter the inside of the buns, and toast in a hot skillet.
- Build the sandwich by spreading about 1 tablespoon of Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce on the bottom bun. Add 1/4 of the roast beef to each sandwich, and top with Arby’s Cheese Sauce. Cover the sandwich with the top bun.
Video
Notes
Pro Tips for Success
- Use very thinly sliced rare roast beef
- Ask your deli to slice the meat “shaved” or “extra thin”
- Don’t skip buttering the buns – it prevents sogginess
- Keep sauces warm but not hot
- Assemble just before serving
We just finished eating these and though they were delicious, definitely some things I would do differently next time, cuz there WILL be a next time…
1.) First off, the meat. I got Hillshire Farms Ultra Thin sliced roast beef and Land O Frost think sliced roast beef. Hillshire was definitely the closest to Arby’s flavor and texture. I would add a packet of au jus powder mix as directed on the package, bring it to a simmer, and then put the meat in at the very last RIGHT BEFORE you’re ready to make the sandwiches just to warm the meat only. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, ONLY use enough meat you know you’re going to use/eat. We didn’t use it all and the remaining meat was like silicone. Can’t cook lunch meat that’s already cooked and expect greatness for long.
2.) I would use any store brand plain cheddar cheese dip/sauce, or Walmart’s Great Value Stadium Style Cheddar Cheese Dip is a good mild dip, just not Cheez Whiz. Then add the 1/4 cup of grated mild cheddar or colby jack and maybe just 1 – 1 1/2 Tbsp milk instead of 2 T. You can always add more if it’s too thick.
3.) The sauce was good, but not quite right. Luckily, I bought Ken’s Country French Dressing as well and it was very good and so close to Arby’s Red Ranch Sauce. I would also like to give Catalina French Dressing a try as I’ve heard it’s supposed to be very close too.
I will absolutely be making these again with just a couple changes is all, they are delicious!
OH GOD THIS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!
I would love to know how to make Arby’s fried macaroni and cheese balls. My great grandchildren love them. Thank you.
So glad I found this, my Arby’s went out of business. Can you do the curly fries? Yum.
There is an Arby’s in Auburn MA, and they are going strong, even putting on new items.
It is better to enjoy homemade recipes than outside ones, I love making this at home!
Great sauce
The homemade ones are great.
You can now buy bottles of Arby’s sauces at Walmart, Kroger and Meijers.
The beef n cheddar has red ranch sauce on it which the recipe states. It does not have any Arby’s sauce on it. They are two couple different sauces. Red ranch sauce is sweet and is only on the beef n cheddar sandwiches. You can however get Arby’s sauce packets to add on the sandwich, either at the drive thru or in the restaurant.
ive been making these for years, the best i have i have made after so many tries is so easy. the red ranch i use kens steakhouse country french dressing and the big can of chedder cheese sauce at gordons food center. it taste just like the real deal and you can buy a big bag of curly fries and have all the cheese for them to boot.
Cheese Whiz is getting harder to find in my neck of the woods. Velveeta sells their cheese sauce in bags at Dollar General. It worked perfectly, and tasted delicious.
I didn’t know Velveeta sold that! I will have to check that out.
you can use Catalina salad dressing for Red ranch sauce too, tastes just like it. this is one of my very favorite sandwiches from Arby’s.
No it’s not. Catalina dressing is not the same as Arby’s red ranch sauce. It does not taste the same at all. The only thing that comes a little close to Arby’s red ranch sauce is Ken’s Steakhouse Country French with Orange Blossom Honey Dressing.