Review: McDonald's Minecraft Nether Flame Sauce — A True Flamin' Hot Condiment

Fast food chains are no strangers to movie and other media tie-ins, as well as amping up its portfolios of sauces that are spicy, sweet, and everything in between. McDonald's has always been at the forefront of both, with one of its first being a "Star Trek" movie Happy Meal in 1979, and not long after, the introduction of the McNuggets and its accompanying dipping sauces, crafted by Chef René Arend. In the decades that followed within the Golden Arches, promos dressed up for fun have arrived in the form of "Jurassic Park" dino-sized meals, and anime programs like "Jujutsu Kaisen" have been channeled to spice things up in the form of condiments like Special Grade Garlic and WcDonald's Sauce.

Well, in 2025, McDonald's is zeroing in on the building blocks of the electronic game Minecraft and its upcoming major motion picture to create not one, but two meals in the phenomenon's image. This is a first for McDonald's as one meal — A Minecraft Happy Meal— is aimed for the kids, and the other — "A Minecraft Movie" Meal — the kid at heart, and both have their own sets of toys to play around with. Coming in literally hot to complete these meals is a signature condiment that also hopes to capture the essence of the "sandbox game" — Nether Flame Sauce.

There's a lot to explore in this McDonald's and Minecraft collaboration, but The Takeout is squarely focused on the new sauce wrapped in a red rectangular container. Is McDonald's new Nether Flame Sauce a conflagration of deliciousness, or a real "flame"-out? Let's pull back the fiery label to find out where the truth lies. Game on. Or, flame on.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

"Minecraft" launched as a game in 2009, and long after becoming a part of the global consciousness, is becoming a movie 16 years later. It's being released in U.S. theaters on April 4, and McDonald's is borrowing its likeness for a Happy Meal and a regular meal at McDonald's. For those ordering McNuggets with those meals, there's an inspired Nether Flame Sauce to explore, too. This limited edition hot sauce consists of "crushed red pepper and flaming cayenne, balanced with hints of garlic and sweetness." Its name is derived from the "Nether" second dimension one can travel to within the game, and the "flame" enchantment a player can utilize to amp up its bow and arrow action.

In a statement, Jennifer "JJ" Healan, McDonald's VP, U.S. Marketing, Brand, Content & Culture said, "We built upon what they started and created a totally immersive experience, custom A Minecraft Movie Meals in our restaurants, and collectibles that unlock unique in-game features. What's special about this campaign is that every component will feel recognizable to both fan bases — a true merging of the McDonald's and Minecraft universes."

McDonald's is lighting up its new Nether Flame Sauce at various global locations, including, for a limited time only, and while supplies last. United States and Canadian locations started dishing out the sauce on April 1, 2025 (as not a joke).

The Nether Flame Sauce can be obtained many different ways. It can be purchased à la carte, or it can be chosen as the sauce to accompany any order or McNuggets. For a full Minecraft-McDonald's experience, there are two other ways to order up the sauce. There's a Minecraft Movie Meal which features a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets plus medium fries and a drink, and a limited-edition collectible. Alternatively, that meal is available to order with a Big Mac, but with no sauce included. For the kiddos in your life, there will also be a Minecraft Movie Happy Meal, where an order of four or six-piece McNuggets can come with a side of Nether Flame Sauce. Prices vary per location, but at my local New York City location, a side à la carte order of Nether Flame Sauce costs $0.25.

Ordering can take place in-store, at the counter, kiosk, or drive-thru where available. Through the McDonald's app or website, advance ordering for dine-in, pick-up, and delivery may be available in your area. Higher prices may apply for delivery and certain U.S. locations. The sauce is most likely available to order à la carte, anytime McDonald's is open, but the Minecraft Movie Meals, and fare like McNuggets are only available when lunch starts, which is usually starting between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

There is no fire listed under the ingredients McDonald's Nether Flame Sauce, but there is water, vinegar, sugar, chili peppers, cayenne Ted peppers, salt, apricot concentrate, garlic, modified and regular corn starch. It also contains 2% or less of unspecified spices, xanthan gum, natural flavors, soybean oil, oleoresin capsicum, garlic powder, the preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, and yeast extract.

A single serving size is a cup of the sauce, which has a net weight of 0.94 ounces, or 26.7 grams. It contains 31.31 calories, 0.4 grams fat, 5.5 grams sugar, 0.56 grams salt, 6.3 grams carbohydrates, 0.3 grams fiber, and 0.2 grams protein.

The Nether Flame's label is a thing of beauty, and I almost didn't want to pull it back and wrinkle this colorful work of art. It featured familiar Minecraft iconography from the font used for the sauce's name to the pixelated image of the fire that lurks behind the list of ingredients. It reminded me of the stunning 8-bit ones McDonald's worked up for its Sweet & Spicy Jam and Mambo sauces that dropped in October 2023.

Alas, I pulled back its cover to reveal a brownish-red sauce with chunks of what looks like minced garlic. In a way, it mildly resembled cocktail sauce. Leaning in for a whiff, its flaming bona fides quickly came to the forefront. There was a twinge of sweetness that seemed to meet up with an aroma that could pass for Tabasco or even Crystal Hot Sauce.

I tried the Nether Flame sauce first by the spoonful, and woah, my senses were immediately attacked by this truly fiery sauce. It started with a real vinegary and garlicky pungency and then was followed rapidly by a knockout ball of fire. Be careful, cause the flame doesn't die down quickly within the gums of one's mouth. Even after repeated sips of Diet Coke, it only seemed to fan the spicy flames even more. While many Frito-Lay products claim to be "Flamin' Hot," this one actually delivers on that promise as a real deal source of flavorful heat.

Most eaters won't take on the Nether Flame Sauce on its own, and will either be dunking fries or McNuggets into it, or perhaps spread it over a burger, chicken sandwich, or even any of the many sausage-related items that dot the breakfast menu. Be forewarned; whatever the Nether Flame Sauce comes in contact with, it will literally engulf it with its mammoth wallop of full-on spice. When I tried fries and McNuggets against the sauce, the only attributes that shined through the spice were the crisped textures of the fries and nuggets. It was all Nether Flame all the time. My McDouble with cheese held up fairly better as a shield to the sauce, but it too couldn't resist its heated charms.

Please be careful with this sauce. As a taste tester, I had to try a lot of it to figure out its strengths (many!), and if it had any weaknesses. I came in with a full set of health hearts, and after exiting the taste test, felt like I needed a mouth bath and a physical one to wash back the sweat coming out of my pores. While this may be an "enter at your own risk" type of sauce, the rewards are super high for those who indulge. Be sure to have plenty of soda or water to wash it down at hand when jumping in, and perhaps have a glass of milk or even McDonald's Ranch dipping sauce on the side to counterbalance the back-draft if those don't work.

The fine folks at McDonald's sent a quartet of the Nether Flame Sauces to my home. Before "A Minecraft Movie" Meals touched down in stores, I headed to a McDonald's in Manhattan, New York to buy a burger, McNuggets, and fries to test in the new sauce.

The ultimate criteria for this chew & review is flavor, smell, texture, uniqueness, flaming-ness, Minecaft-ness, how it played with the food, overall lovability, and the likelihood I'd want to try the sauce again. The short answer is... McDonald's crafted something that will spice up your life, so get your flame on people.