Arby’s Beef and Cheddar is a tasty sandwich with thinly sliced roast beef, cheddar cheese sauce, and red ranch sauce on a toasted onion roll. This classic Arby’s Beef ‘N Cheddar sandwich is great for lunch or dinner.
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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
It’s the sauces, silly. There’s more to making this Beef ‘n Cheddar recipe than slapping a bit of roast beef between two slices of bread and calling it a day.
A Beef and Cheddar Arby’s style takes things to the next level by using not one but two homemade sauces. The sweet and tart flavor of the Red Ranch sauce (not the same as the original Arby’s sauce) and the creaminess of the cheddar cheese sauce complement each other perfectly.
Whatever you do, don’t cut corners by using a pre-made cheese sauce or a bottled BBQ sauce – it’s just not the same!
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 take the meat out of 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.
How to Store Copycat Arby’s Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches
You can make the sauces ahead of time if you want. Just be sure to wrap each one in plastic wrap or aluminum foil or put it in a covered container. Keep it stored in the fridge.
The cheese sauce should last up to three days. The ranch sauce is good for about a week.
How to Reheat a Beef and Cheddar Sandwich
Wrap the sandwich with aluminum foil, place it on a baking sheet, and heat it for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.
How to Reheat Arby’s Cheese Sauce
Add a little milk to the cheese sauce and heat in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently until warm. Don’t heat the sauce too quickly, or you will end up with oily clumps of cheese!
More Arby’s Copycat Recipes
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- Butter Burger
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- 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.
Camille Banks
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!
Billy Madison
OH GOD THIS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!
Betty J Brigham
I would love to know how to make Arby’s fried macaroni and cheese balls. My great grandchildren love them. Thank you.
Lulu
So glad I found this, my Arby’s went out of business. Can you do the curly fries? Yum.
Betty J Brigham
There is an Arby’s in Auburn MA, and they are going strong, even putting on new items.
Kulhu
It is better to enjoy homemade recipes than outside ones, I love making this at home!
Mac Tate
Great sauce
Dee
The homemade ones are great.
Carol Deavers
You can now buy bottles of Arby’s sauces at Walmart, Kroger and Meijers.
Holly
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.
Brian White
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.
Mary Price
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.
Stephanie Manley
I didn’t know Velveeta sold that! I will have to check that out.
Roxanne J
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.
Holly
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.