You’ve probably heard of copycats and admittedly checked out some of them to get the budget version of some of the things on your wishlist. But did you know that there’s a thing called fast food copycats, too? Yup, these are made using cheaper alternatives so you can create your favorite fast food menu item in the comfort of your own home while saving money since you can now make a month’s worth of that fast food item.
When you think of copycats, they’re these knockoffs of expensive products or fakes. We usually associate them with the world of fashion over luxury items like bags and accessories. But copycats actually came a long way. We now use this term for food, and they were driven by inflation and the price sensitivity of many consumers. But don’t worry. These copycats that we’re about to show you don’t mean that we’re trying to replace the product itself, as some of the food items don’t guarantee to taste like the exact fast food menu item. We’re just trying to seek alternatives for those of you who want to save your money.
Now, we’re about to bring you a compilation of some fast food copycats you need to try out at least once. All you need to do is go to your local grocery to purchase the ingredients on some of these copycats. Be on the watch as your favorite fast food treat might be on the list, or you might catch some new favorites. 👀
Burger King Copycats
We’re starting off strong with a huge fast-food restaurant serving one of the best burgers around town. Burger King, being the iconic burger joint that it is, earned its rightful copycat with two of their popular menu items: Chicken Fries and Hershey’s Sundae Pie. While they may be cheap for some, they’re even made cheaper when you can have much bigger portions of this treat, right? Of course, we’ll take everything that can help ease our wallets. Check out the copycats that serve as Burger King’s doppelgangers:
- Chicken Fries – Great Value’s Homestyle Chicken Fries
- Hershey’s Sundae Pie – Edwards’ Chocolate Creme Pie
Chick-fil-A’s Copycats
Are you in for Chick-fil-A’s famous Chick-n-Minis? They’re this mini chicken sandwich filled with nothing but chicken, a la Chick-fil-A style. It’s complete with a Bite-sized Chick-fil-A chicken filling in mini yeast rolls that are brushed in honey butter. If you decide to throw on a movie night one of these days, get them a Chick-n-Minis copycat to fill your guests up. Here are the copycats to recreate these mini chicken sandwiches in yeast rolls:
- Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Bites
- Texas Roadhouse Mini Rolls in Honey Cinnamon Glaze
- Texas Roadhouse Whipped Buttery Spread in Honey Cinnamon
- Great Value’s Honey
- Great Value’s Chicken Dipping Sauce
If you’re looking for more copycats of Chick-fil-A’s chicken, you can grab a pack of Great Value’s Southern Style Chicken Bites.
RELATED: 10 Fast Food Chains That Serve the Healthiest Chicken Nuggets
KFC Copycats
Missing KFC’s Potato Wedges? Don’t worry. You’ll get the exact copycat for this when you purchase Great Value’s Deli Style Wedges. You can season them with whatever spices that you want or create a dip for them. You can also include this in any other fast food copycats in this list.
McDonald’s Copycats
McDonald’s probably holds most of our craveable food items. We may not know the explanation why, but they just do the trick. Now, if you’re busy enough to get McDonald’s or you’re trying to lessen your expenses, then why not recreate a homestyle version of your crave-worthy snacks? Let’s check out what they have in store:
- World Famous Fries – Great Value’s Thin Cut French Fried Potatoes
- Hash Brown – Season’s Choice Hash Brown Patties
- Sausage McMuffin – Great Value’s Original Pork Sausage Patties
- Pickles – Best Maid’s Hamburger Slices
- Hotcakes – Trader Joe’s Dutch Griddle Cakes
- Sauce – Great Value’s Southwest Hot Mustard and Secret Sauce for Burger and Dipping
Raising Cane’s Copycats
Who doesn’t love Raising Cane’s famous chicken with dip and fries trio? They’ve prided themselves in being one of the best when it comes to their golden fried chicken fingers. But did you know that you can have not only the chicken and fries but also the sauce at home? What’s great about this is that you can have multiple Raising Cane’s chicken and fries set many times in just one trip to the grocery store. Here are the copycats to recreate Raising Cane’s chicken with dip and fries combo:
- Great Value’s Famous Chicken Fingers
- Great Value’s Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes
- Great Value’s Chicken Finger Dipping Sauce
- Great Value’s Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Taco Bell Store Copycats
Whether you’re craving a good burrito, rolled-up tacos, or simply some tacos, there’s a cheaper alternative for that which you can take home. Taco Bell is well-loved for their Mexican food choices, making it one of the best when it comes to the Mexican food game. Here are some copycats to recreate some Taco Bell treats hoody. Here are the copycats if you’re interested in creating a Taco Bell food item, here are the perfect copycats:
- Great Value’s Stacked Beef Burrito
- Great Valiue’s Rolled Tacos
- Great Value’s Crunchy Churro Twists
- Taco Bell’s Creamy Sauces: Avocado Ranch, Spicy Ranchero, Chipotle, and Baja
- Taco Bell’s Cravings Dip: Spicy Bean Dip, Creamy Crunch Dip Supreme, and Saucy Mexican Style Pizza
- Taco Bell’s Sauces: Mild Sauce, Veggie Salsa, Fire Sauce, and Diablo Sauce
Wendy’s Copycat
In case you’re not familiar with it, Wendy’s has French Toast Sticks on their menu, and you can grab them as breakfast or snacks for a sweet way to start your mornings. But if you’re not contented with its pieces, you can get the perfect copycat for it at your local grocery store: Great Value’s Cinnamon French Toast Sticks. Plus points for the cinnamon flavor, of course. You can just add your choice of fruits plus syrup or honey to compliment the toast sticks and mix with the fruits that you’ve added.
RELATED: 10 Childhood Foods You Might Have Hated – But Love Now
From The Club
As someone who tries to lessen eating out since I try to control my expenses, I think these copycats sound like a great idea. Imagine if I could put more flavoring according to what I want or make them healthier for me to consume. I guess that will be in my 2025 resolutions.
Tip courtesy of @Snack Betch