Copycat Recipes You Can Now Make at Home

Most of us have been cooking at home more than ever, but if you're still longing for your favorite food from the outside world, you're not alone. There are plenty of copycat versions of famous foods online, but restaurants, theme parks, and other spots with iconic dishes are also indulging us with official recipes, many of which were specially released in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jeff Rindskopf also contributed to this story.

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Four ingredients are all that stand between you and your favorite fast-food breakfast after the burger giant tweeted out its McMuffin recipe. To make it truly drive-thru-worthy, you'll need a metal ring to fry up that perfect circular egg patty.

Recipe: Delish

Related: 30 Cheap, Easy Breakfast Ideas to Start the Day Right

The "original recipe" of 11 herbs and spices used to make Colonel Sanders' world-famous fried chicken is still closely guarded, but home cooks have found ways of duplicating the deliciousness. Instructions even go into details about what brands of spices to buy. 

Recipe: Food.com

Related: Chef Secrets for Crisp, Juicy Fried Chicken

Most Taco Bell menu items are just ways of repackaging the basic ingredients of ground beef, nacho cheese, sour cream, and tomato. But the Crunchwrap Supreme is especially popular with its tostada-shell-within-a-flour-tortilla setup, although some advise breaking up chips for better crunch and easier folding than a tostada shell allows. 

Recipe: Cooking With Janica

Related: The Most Over-the-Top Fast Food of the Past 10 Years

For many Disney lovers, there's one thing and one thing only that can make that hour-plus wait for Big Thunder Mountain worth it: the Dole Whip, one of the nation's most iconic theme-park foods. Believe it or not, all you need to recreate it is three ingredients and a reliable blender, so hop to it and make staying home that much sweeter.

Recipe: Travel and Leisure

Guacamole, we've never needed you more, and Chipotle's version requires only six ingredients. If you just can't bear to make some without the chain's signature lime-dusted tortilla chips, there are plenty of copycat recipes online, though nothing officially from the restaurant.

Recipe: Today

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Tender fried chicken breast and fluffy buns make Chick-Fil-A's signature sandwich a worthy competitor to the standard fast food hamburger. Use home-breaded chicken breast and improve on it with generous helpings of lettuce and tomato (usually short-changed at this chain restaurant). 

Recipe: Damn Delicious

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The world's most popular hamburger tastes even better homemade. Just stack the ingredients in the right order and don't forget the special sauce. Don't be afraid to add other components, such as tomato or grilled onions, to improve on the classic. 

Recipe: Top Secret Recipes

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Many have debated whether Chick-Fil-A or Popeyes has the better fried chicken sandwich, but people are so excited about the Popeyes version that fights have broken out when restaurants ran out of the sandwich. Skip the lines and make it at home. 

Recipe: Gimme Delicious

Related: The Best (and Worst) Fast-Food Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

Onion rings are easy to make at home — with enough patience to deep-fry sliced onions to a perfect golden brown. This homemade version emulates Burger King's classic side. 

Recipe: Food.com or, for a healthier alternative breaded without eggs or oil, One Ingredient Chef

This classic hamburger stands out for its square patty and founder Dave Thomas' dedication to using quality beef. This recipe suggests popping the burgers on the grill frozen — no thawing allowed — for best results. 

Recipe: Top Secret Recipes

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This clone may take longer to prepare than delivery, but it's just as cost-effective, particularly since there's no driver to tip. Knead and crisp the dough in oiled cake pans before adding seasoned tomato sauce, mozzarella, and thin pepperoni, or whatever other ingredients you desire. 

Recipe: CD Kitchen

This recipe will require a little more time (okay, a lot more) than it takes to pick this up at the drive-through, but you can make a karge quantity for less if you get frozen shrimp on sale. This recipe calls for an easy-to-make tempura batter; you sweeten the walnuts on your stovetop. 

Recipe: Dinner, Then Dessert

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Cut down the oversize portions of Chipotle's fresh-made burrito bowls. The rice and chicken need fresh cilantro and, of course, chipotle peppers, but as with the real thing, the other toppings are entirely customizable. 

Recipe: What's Gaby Cooking

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Perhaps the only fast food item more popular than the Big Mac is the golden fries that come with it. Replicating the basic yet unique texture and flavor of McDonald's fries involves special attention to the shoestring thickness and the heat of the cooking oil. 

Recipe: Food.com

Related: Why McDonald's Fries Used to Taste Better

Fans of Krispy Kreme's gleaming, glazed doughnuts have little choice but to make them at home if there's no shop nearby. The addictive glaze is simple to make, but leave some time to roll out the dough and allow it to rise before frying. 

Recipe: My Thirty Spot

Related: Expert Tips for Making Doughnuts at Home

True to form, The Cheesecake Factory has gone big, releasing several of its recipes to the public so we can all gorge in style during the pandemic. One of the most notable is for its signature Korean Fried Cauliflower appetizer, which is the most calorie-laden of its small plates and snacks — though it has nothing on these diet-busters.

Recipe: The Cheesecake Factory

Related: Cheap and Easy Cheesecake Recipes

Though beloved by many, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets have been criticized for using preservatives and processed meat. Enjoy the taste clear of those concerns by using chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces and a simple breading of flour, eggs, and seasonings (you can always skip the MSG). 

Recipe: CD Kitchen

Let's be honest: We don't go to Ikea only for the flat-packed furniture. If you've just gotta satisfy that meatball-shaped void in your life, you're in luck. Ikea has released the recipe for one of its most iconic dishes, Swedish meatballs with cream sauce, to hold us over until we can take another bewildering trip through our favorite maze-like furniture store.

Recipe: A Family Feast

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Released a few years ago in conjunction with a full-fledged Shake Shack cookbook, this indulgent burger recipe has everything you need to eat your feelings and then some: beef, bacon, and butter.

Recipe: Epicurious

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No other taco tastes quite like Jack in the Box's, although a homemade imitation can comes close — without the paste-like ground beef texture. The decidedly un-Mexican creation requires ingredients including American cheese, refried beans, soy grits, and soy protein. 

Recipe: Food.com

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Not a Dole Whip fan? Sacrilege! But fear not: Disney has you covered with another one of its most popular treats: churro bites. Making these chewy tubes of cinnamon-sugar goodness requires only basic pantry baking staples, but you will need a piping bag with a large star tip if you want to achieve their signature shape.

Recipe: Taste of Home

Related: The Best Fried Foods Around the World

The world only got its hands on Chick-fil-A's coleslaw recipe when the chain decided to discontinue it in favor of a kale salad in 2016. Remind yourself of the good ol' days with its official, easy-to-make recipe that would no doubt earn your grandma's stamp of approval.

Recipe: NBC News

When you just can't decide between two breakfast favorites, The Cheesecake Factory is here for you with this mashup, another member of their new at-home recipe collection. Just don't look up the sugar content on this baby.

Recipe: The Cheesecake Factory

Related: Best Homemade Pancake Recipes

Leave it to Disney to elevate a humble grilled cheese sandwich into something a little, well, magical. Made at Woody's Lunch Box in Hollywood Studios' Toy Story Land, it features a cream-cheese spread, and a mix of garlic, mayo, and coarse salt on top of a blend of cheddar and provolone.

Recipe: Disney Parks

Related: Ways to Make an Ordinary Grilled Cheese Extraordinary

The suites at DoubleTree are nice and roomy, but let's be honest: What we're really looking forward to is those warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in. The treat even became the first food to be baked in space, by crews on the International Space Station. We say that's reason enough to give grandma's cookie recipe a rest ... maybe just this once.

Recipe: Hilton

Related: The Best Classic Cookie Recipes

Carnivores, rejoice: Years ago, "Famous Dave" himself adapted his rib recipe for all of us casual grillers without a fancy smoker. While he warns the process is long, if there's one thing many of us have on our hands right now, it's enough time to make some good ribs.

Recipe: Esquire

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This creamy mushroom-and-Swiss burger is an easy make-at-home meal, it turns out. According to this recipe, the trick is adding some mushroom soup. 

Recipe: Food.com

Related: Wild and Wonderful Burger Toppings for Your Next Cookout

No deep-frying is necessary to replicate the unique paprika-accented flavor of Arby's curly fries. To give the potatoes their identifiable corkscrew shape, the recipe requires a vegetable spiralizer (starting at $25 on Amazon). 

Recipe: Like Mother Like Daughter

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With only four basic ingredients, McDonald's original breakfast sandwich is almost as easy to make at home as to pick up from the drive-through — and that includes the perfectly circular egg patty. 

Recipe: Top Secret Recipes

Related: Unhealthy Fast Food Breakfasts — and What to Order Instead

If you've ever strolled along the charming footpaths snaking through Dollywood, chances are the heavenly smell of cinnamon bread accompanied you for at least part of the journey. Now you can make the park's famous gooey treat at home — and you won't even have to wait in line for it.

Recipe: Travel and Leisure

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The Happiest Place on Earth delivers again, and this time, the recipe is vegan-friendly — yes, really. Whether you're following a plant-based diet or want a crispy, crunchy way to satisfy your sweet tooth, how could anything named "cookie fries" be a bad idea?

Recipe: Disney Parks

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KFC potatoes boast their own distinct flavor and crunchy texture. For home cooks, that means steaming, then frying russet wedges using little more than flour, seasonings, and buttermilk. 

Recipe: Dinner, Then Dessert

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Though they might not be quite as ubiquitous Mickey ice cream bars, Mickey beignets are still one of Disney Land's and Disney World's tastiest treats. Your at-home version won't come with the delectable dipping sauces, but a liberal dusting of powdered sugar should blunt any disappointment.

Recipe: Disney Parks

Founded in South Africa, this chain focusing on spicy chicken also has several restaurants in the United States, Canada, U.K., Australia, and other parts of the world. Customers craving its famous peri-peri chicken can try their hand at it after a recent step-by-step Instagram cookalong.

Recipe: The Daily Mail

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Pizza Express is a prominent U.K.-based chain, and if you haven't had the privilege of inhaling one of its hand-tossed pies, make sure to do so on your next hop across the pond. In the meantime, satisfy your pizza cravings with one of its longtime menu staples, the classic margherita.

Recipe: Pizza Express

Speaking of the Brits, if you love following the royals, you can try your hand at a very prim, proper chocolate cupcake recipe, released by the royal pastry chefs in honor of the Queen's 94th birthday. Premade royal icing is a fine substitute for homemade buttercream, the chefs acknowledge — but good luck with those tiny golden crowns.

Recipe: Good Housekeeping

Related: Best Cupcakes in Every State

Though it has only a small foothold in the U.S., Wagamama is a popular spot for Brits to fuel up on noodle dishes and other Asian-inspired fare. The chain has shared how to make for one of its most signature dishes, katsu curry, for home chefs to perfect during the lockdown.

Recipe: Facebook

Related: Amazing Sandwiches From Around the World

Orange chicken is an irresistible, if not authentic, fixture of Americanized Chinese food. A quick and straightforward copycat calls for ingredients found in most kitchens to bread and fry the chicken pieces before combining with the tangy, orange-juice-based sauce. 

Recipe: Food.com

Wendy's is probably most famous for this ice cream-like chocolate concoction. The good news is: It can be made at home. This recipe suggests only four ingredients — and it's low fat, too. 

Recipe: Averie Cooks

Related: The Best Milkshakes in Every State

The double-stacked burgers at New York's fast-expanding Shake Shack are simple in appeal but a little more complicated in execution, as Epicurious reveals. They can still be made at home, from potato bun to sautéed portobello mushrooms. 

Recipe: Food.com

Related: These Gut-Busting Cheeseburgers Have More Than 1,000 Calories

Beloved by locals and visitors to the West Coast, In-N-Out has just about perfected a burger with toasted buns, relish-filled special sauce, and ground chuck in place of ordinary ground beef. This replica includes even the "Animal Style" grilled onions. 

Recipe: Your Homebased Mom

There are no White Castle locations in the western United States, but those who can't buy the chain's greasy, onion-loaded sliders can make them at home in less than an hour. The ingredients are straightforward but for a single tablespoon of peanut butter that gives these mini-burgers their unusual texture. 

Recipe: Favorite Family Recipes

Related: Things You Didn’t Know About White Castle

Wendy's chili is a cold-weather must, and topped with cheese it's a filling lunch. This recipe combines chili seasoning, canned tomatoes, and ground beef to capture the fast-food standard. 

Recipe: Dinner, Then Desert

Dairy Queen is known for its Blizzards: soft-serve ice cream with candy toppings mixed in. At home, the trick is getting the thick texture right without buying your own specialized blending machine. 

Recipe: Rock-a-Bye Parents

Related: Secrets for Better, Cheaper Meals at Your Favorite Chains

It's far more cost-effective to make Cinnabon's decadent namesake rolls in batches at home using this recipe than to buy a single $4 bun at the mall food court. At 463 calories per roll instead of 880, it's a whole lot healthier, too — if you can resist eating more than one at a time. 

Recipe: Jo Cooks

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