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You Probably Didn't Know This Popular McDonald's Sauce Is Made From Fruit

Mickey D's Sweet 'N Sour Sauce contains this surprising fruit, and a TikTok post about it is going viral.
FACT CHECKED BY Justine Goodman

No trip to the Golden Arches is complete without ripping open at least a few sauce packets. Whether you're craving Spicy Mustard to go with some McNuggets or Tangy Barbeque to pair with your fries, there's truly a Mickey D's sauce style for any craving.

One of McDonald's most popular sauces is the tangy yet subtly savory Sweet 'N Sour Sauce, but have you ever stopped to read the list of ingredients displayed on the packet before chowing down? If a recent popular social media post is any indication, you probably haven't.

U.K. TikToker @evs_kii went viral this week after sharing her discovery that McDonald's Sweet 'N Sour Sauce is made from a fruit.

"Sweet and sour sauce, McDonald's, am I the only one that didn't know what fruit it's made of until today? Have a guess, have a guess," she says in the video.

Following a brief pause to build anticipation, she shouts: "f**cking apricots! It's apricots."

@evs_kii

Did you know what fruit is in the sweet'n'sour from @mcdonaldsuk ???

♬ original sound – evs_kii

Whether or not @evs_kii's big reveal constitutes a true "discovery" is definitely debatable, considering the ingredients are readily available for anyone who wants to know, but the TikTok post certainly struck a chord. The video has been viewed over 265,000 times and boasts over 14,000 likes.

Many of the 100+ comments posted under the video echo @evs_kii's surprised sentiments.

One user commented: "I said mango SO confidently 😭🤣 I had no idea that it was even a fruit," to which @evs_kii replied: "Honestly I never even thought about it, I just ate it. Something told me to read the ingredient whilst eating my chippies and I was shoooooketh."

Plenty of people had a hunch the sauce is made with a fruit, but were surprised to find out the answer is apricots. One comment reads: "Low-key thought it was pineapple🤣," while another user wrote: "Thought it was plums since plum sauce tastes similar."

Yet another comment states: "lol i said banana cos i thought it'd be something rouge,' and another TikToker said, "i said pear with my whole chest 😃."

Others appeared absolutely blindsided by the revelation. A TikToker admitted "this is all i eat and i would never think," another posted "It's made from a fruit??????", and one user could only muster "wait im so confused."

McDonald's Sweet Curry Dip is also made with apricot. One commenter pointed that out, writing "same with their curry sauce," to which @evs_kii replied, "that's crazy!!"

Before you go all in on McDonald's dipping sauces for your daily recommended serving of fruits, keep in mind that the Sweet 'N Sour Sauce is made with "Apricot Puree Concentrate and/or Peach Puree Concentrate," which basically means apricot jam.

It's also worth noting that the Sweet 'N Sour Sauce includes more than a few not-so-healthy additional ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, and caramel coloring.

The big takeaway here? For better or worse, it's never a bad idea to read the ingredients before eating.

"Literally it's made me think so much about other stuff I just eat and don't know what's in it haha," @evs_kii wrote in the comments. And honestly? Same.

John Anderer
John Anderer is a writer who specializes in science, health, and lifestyle topics. Read more about John