This Copycat Arby’s Beef and Cheddar sandwich is made from thin, flavorful roast beef, cheese, and homemade sauce on an onion bun. A Tasty sandwich anyone will fall in love with.
Anytime I can skip the drive thru and make a delicious copycat recipe is always a win in my book. This Copycat Arby’s Beef and Cheddar does not disappoint.
Make your own sandwiches at home and make them just right every time, with just the right amount of cheese sauce and Arby’s sauce all lathered on a tasty onion bun.
There’s something so mouthwatering about a hot roast beef sandwich oozing with cheese sauce and a homemade zesty sauce to sink your teeth into. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite takeout sandwiches.
Anytime the kids ask for fast food, I suggest this copycat recipe and they’re always alllll about it! I think my husband is even more excited because he can never get enough.
These kinds of sandwiches are great when you want a quick dinner or lunch but don’t feel like being too creative. Make one of your faves from Arby’s at home easily.
Some of our other favorite sandwich recipes we have on our site include: Cheesy Sloppy Joes,Club Sandwich, and a Juicy Lucy.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This easy copycat sandwich is perfect for lunch or dinner.
- Beef and Cheddar can be ready in under 30 minutes!
- Homemade cheese sauce dripping with flavor and can easily be doubled.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Ketchup
Light brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Unsalted butter
All-purpose flour
Whole milk
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Low sodium beef broth
Thinly sliced deli roast beef
Onion hamburger buns
HOW TO MAKE AN ARBY’S BEEF AND CHEDDAR, STEP BY STEP:
- In a small mixing bowl, add the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and onion powder and whisk to combine, before setting it aside.
- Over medium heat, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir.
- Slowly and carefully pour in the milk while whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a simmer, for 5 minutes before removing it from the heat. Stir in the cheese until melted, and set aside.
- In a separate large skillet over medium heat, add the beef broth and bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Separate the slices of roast beef, one by one, and drop them into the broth. Adding them individually helps them not stick together, as we don’t need to cook the beef, just warm it and flavor it, you only need to let it stay in the broth for 1-2 minutes.
- Grab an onion hamburger bun and add the homemade sauce from the bowl and spread it on the bun.
- Top with the roast beef, then add the cheese sauce on top followed by the top of the bun. Serve and enjoy immediately.
WHAT SAUCE IS ON THE ARBY’S BEEF AND CHEDDAR?
The Arby’s original Beef and Cheddar sandwich uses a Red Ranch sauce. While in this recipe we use a copycat version of their Arby’s Sauce.
While this homemade version is a flavorful sauce, it isn’t a 100% copycat, it’s still so close and soooo incredible though. Trust me, you’re going to love this delish BBQ like sauce, it’s perfect for dipping or topping just about anything.
In my opinion, using the homemade sauce is way better than using any store bought copycat version. When I can do homemade that is easy I do!
WHAT KIND OF ROAST BEEF IS BEST?
My favorite roast beef to use for this Beef and Cheddar copycat is Boar’s Head Simplicity Oven Roasted Beef. It is very tender, unlike other roast beef I have found.
Once you add the beef to the broth it gets tough, but this variety of Boar’s head does not, it stays nice and tender. I like to get it just about shaven very thinly sliced but still, a whole slice is intact.
Just ask your butcher to get it nice and thin for you.
WHAT KIND OF CHEESE DO I USE?
I like to use sharp cheddar cheese in the homemade cheese sauce so the flavor really shines through. You can use mild cheddar or medium cheddar if you would like to.
I would not recommend using another variety of cheese then as the sandwich would not be beef and cheddar. Also using freshly shredded cheese is key for the texture and melting.
HOW TO STORE:
Any leftover sandwiches should be stored in the refrigerator since it has perishable ingredients. Wrap your Beef and Cheddar in plastic wrap and then foil where they will keep for up to 4 days.
Your sandwiches may get soggy if stored assembled. If possible, store unassembled to prevent that from happening.
When reheating your sandwich, use the microwave or oven until it’s just heated through.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This copycat recipe makes 4 large sandwiches. If you don’t have that big of an appetite or prefer smaller sandwiches, it would be enough for 8 smaller sandwiches.
- I like to make the cheese sauce just before assembling the sandwiches so it is still warm. If the cheese sauce gets cold and you try to reheat it, it will most likely break. That may happen but it is still delicious.
- I don’t recommend freezing this sandwich.
- Serve this sandwich with curly fries, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers for the full Arby’s experience! You can find all of these items in the frozen food section at the grocery store.
- These can easily be doubled to serve more people.
- You can use any of your favorite deli roast beef, just make sure that it is sliced nice and thin.
- Onion buns our our preference for these as that is how they are served at the restaurant, but use any buns that you’d like.
Looking to skip the drive thru and make your favorite Arby’s Roast Beef and Cheddar at home? This copycat recipe can help you do just that, flavorful, easy and filling.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
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Copycat Arby's Beef and Cheddar
Ingredients
For the Arby's sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For the sandwich assembly:
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
- 4 onion hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and onion powder and whisk to combine, before setting it aside.
- Over medium heat, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir.
- Slowly and carefully pour in the milk while whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a simmer, for 5 minutes before removing it from the heat. Stir in the cheese until melted, and set aside.
- In a separate large skillet over medium heat, add the beef broth and bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Separate the slices of roast beef, one by one, and drop them into the broth. Adding them individually helps them not stick together, as we don't need to cook the beef, just warm it and flavor it, you only need to let it stay in the broth for 1-2 minutes.
- Grab an onion hamburger bun and add the homemade sauce from the bowl and spread it on the bun.
- Top with the roast beef, then add the cheese sauce on top followed by the top of the bun. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- This copycat recipe makes 4 large sandwiches. If you don’t have that big of an appetite or prefer smaller sandwiches, it would be enough for 8 smaller sandwiches.
- I like to make the cheese sauce just before assembling the sandwiches so it is still warm. If the cheese sauce gets cold and you try to reheat it, it will most likely break. That may happen but it is still delicious.
- I don't recommend freezing this sandwich.
- Serve this sandwich with curly fries, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers for the full Arby’s experience! You can find all of these items in the frozen food section at the grocery store.
- These can easily be doubled to serve more people.
- You can use any of your favorite deli roast beef, just make sure that it is sliced nice and thin.
- Onion buns our our preference for these as that is how they are served at the restaurant, but use any buns that you'd like.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Nicole
This cheese sauce came out like silly putty
Tornadough Alli
I’m sorry that happened to you, it has never happened to us so I’m not sure what went wrong.
Mark
Hello!
Made these last night and turned out tasting great! Unfortunately my cheese didn’t look as good as the picture. But I guess you can’t always get everything right the first time. Thanks much!
cindy
i’m just wondering i made but my cheese sauce wasn’t as liquid as yours what did i do wrong
it was me not the recipe lol
Stephanie Bolzenthal
Worked at Arbys for 2 years. Red ranch is just a fancy name for French dressing. It’s the exact same thing 😉 So save time & use that french salad dressing in your fridge. Also, the Velveeta cheese sauce works great in a pinch! I would also add a little more seasoning to the broth when you’re heating up the roast beef. Garlic powder, lots of salt, and brown sugar maybe. 🙂
Viv
Although I personally don’t like arby sauce , I do know lots of people who do. Love this one.
Chelsea
Step 6 says “… add the homemade sauce from the pan and spread it on the bun”. Is the Arby’s sauce suppose to be heated in a pan?
Tornadough Alli
I’m sorry about that, it should say bowl. The sauce is not heated. Thank you for pointing that out for me. I’ll correct it in the recipe!
Crystal Lupe
Love the Arby’s sauce and the best part about it is my husband likes it. The funny part about it is that my husband doesn’t like Worcestershire sauce but what he don’t know won’t hurt him. Plus its better than the sauce from Walmart.