Applebee's Copycat Recipes
Applebee's neighborhood grill serves up comfort food favorites. Recreate their best dishes at home.
8 recipes
Applebee's neighborhood-grill positioning means the menu skews comfort: spinach artichoke dip, fiesta lime chicken, the riblets, the Oriental chicken salad. The dishes don't have famous secret ingredients — they're well-executed versions of bar food, and the appeal is consistency. Our Applebee's copycats focus on the items that translate to home better than they read on the menu: the spinach artichoke dip is a 10-minute appetizer that beats most restaurant versions, the fiesta lime chicken sauce is a buttermilk-cilantro-lime dressing that doubles as a chip dip, and the Oriental dressing is the actual highlight of the chicken salad. Most Applebee's recipes are forgiving — substitutions work, exact ratios matter less. Good place to start if you're new to copycat cooking.
Applebee's Spinach Artichoke Dip
Copycat Applebee's Fiesta Lime Chicken
Copycat Applebee's Chicken Wonton Tacos
Copycat Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak
Applebee's Four Cheese Mac and Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken
Copycat Applebee's Honey Pepper Chicken
Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad — The Authentic Copycat (Dressing Is Mayo-Based, Not Vinaigrette)
Applebee's Riblets
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Applebee's spinach artichoke dip taste different from other versions?
Cream cheese plus mayo plus parmesan plus mozzarella, with the artichokes finely chopped (not chunky) and frozen spinach squeezed dry. Most home versions skimp on the cheese; Applebee's loads it up.
Is the Fiesta Lime Chicken sauce just ranch?
It's ranch-adjacent — buttermilk, mayo, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and a touch of cumin. Closer to a cilantro-lime crema than classic ranch.
How do you get the Oriental Chicken Salad dressing right?
It's a sweet-and-tangy honey-mustard with sesame oil and rice vinegar. Most copycats miss the rice vinegar — it's what cuts the sweetness and makes the dressing taste 'restaurant' instead of 'homemade.'
Are the Applebee's riblets worth recreating?
Riblets are pork rib tips, a specific cut. They're harder to find at the grocery store than full racks. If you can source them, low-and-slow oven braise + Applebee's BBQ sauce works. Otherwise, baby back ribs are a fine substitute.