Best Homemade Tartar Sauce
This easy homemade tartar sauce recipe is so much better than anything you can buy at the store. It’s extra creamy, packed with flavor, and the best part is you can make it in about five minutes with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. I’ve always been disappointed with bland, store-bought tartar sauce, which is why we created this recipe. It has a tangy, fresh flavor that is perfect for all your favorite seafood dishes. A big bowl of this homemade tartar sauce is a must-have whenever we’re making poached salmon, homemade fish sticks, or my favorite crab cakes. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to the jarred stuff again. Key Ingredients Mayonnaise: This forms the creamy base of the sauce. You can use your favorite store-bought brand or, for the best result, try making your own mayonnaise. While I prefer full-fat mayo for its richness, you can substitute it with light mayo or plain yogurt for a lower-calorie option. Pickles: Chopped pickles add essential crunch and flavor. We love using homemade pickles or the refrigerated kind, but bread and butter or sweet pickles also work if you prefer a sweeter sauce. Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is so important. It adds a zesty, fresh flavor and thins the sauce to the perfect consistency. Capers: Roughly chopped capers add texture and a briny flavor that truly makes this sauce incredible. They are one of the reasons our homemade sauce tastes so much better than what’s sold at the store. Dill: Both fresh and dried dill work well here and are a must for that classic tartar sauce flavor. If you don’t have dill, fresh parsley is a great alternative. Dijon Mustard: A little Dijon mustard adds extra tang and flavor. Trust me, don’t skip this one! Worcestershire Sauce: A small dash of Worcestershire sauce might seem unusual, but it brings all the flavors together beautifully. We use this same trick for many of our dressings and sauces, including our homemade ranch dressing. Mayonnaise: This forms the creamy base of the sauce. You can use your favorite store-bought brand or, for the best result, try making your own mayonnaise. While I prefer full-fat mayo for its richness, you can substitute it with light mayo or plain yogurt for a lower-calorie option. Pickles: Chopped pickles add essential crunch and flavor. We love using homemade pickles or the refrigerated kind, but bread and butter or sweet pickles also work if you prefer a sweeter sauce. Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is so important. It adds a zesty, fresh flavor and thins the sauce to the perfect consistency. Capers: Roughly chopped capers add texture and a briny flavor that truly makes this sauce incredible. They are one of the reasons our homemade sauce tastes so much better than what’s sold at the store. Dill: Both fresh and dried dill work well here and are a must for that classic tartar sauce flavor. If you don’t have dill, fresh parsley is a great alternative. Dijon Mustard: A little Dijon mustard adds extra tang and flavor. Trust me, don’t skip this one! Worcestershire Sauce: A small dash of Worcestershire sauce might seem unusual, but it brings all the flavors together beautifully. We use this same trick for many of our dressings and sauces, including our homemade ranch dressing. Find the full recipe with measurements below. How to Make the Best Homemade Tartar Sauce If you can chop and stir a few ingredients together, you can make this tartar sauce. I’ve always been disappointed with store-bought versions, so after borrowing a few tips from our favorite seafood restaurants, we devised a recipe of our own. I’ve never looked back. Tip 1: Chop everything nice and small. Take a moment to chop your pickles, capers, and fresh dill finely. This guarantees that every dip or drizzle of sauce delivers a full impact of flavor. Tip 2: Let it sit before serving. After making this recipe so many times, we’ve noticed that this sauce gets even better with a bit of time in the fridge. So, if you have the time, after stirring your sauce ingredients together, slide it into the fridge and leave it for at least 15 minutes. This gives all the flavors time to mingle. Trust me, this small step makes a big difference in the final flavor! What to Serve with Tartar Sauce We are a big tartar sauce family, and we enjoy this sauce with so much more than just seafood. That said, we love this sauce next to classic seafood recipes like homemade fish sticks, garlic caper baked salmon, shrimp cocktail, and these Maryland-style crab cakes. Beyond seafood, this sauce is also incredible with popcorn chicken, baked French fries, sweet potato fries, and our rosemary potato wedges. For more homemade sauces, see our homemade ketchup or this creamy honey mustard sauce. And, if you are a seafood lover like me, you might want to save this classic mignonette for the next time you have oysters! Best Homemade Tartar Sauce PREP 20 mins TOTAL 20 mins PREP 20 mins TOTAL 20 mins I love this tartar sauce recipe so much! I’ve always been disappointed with store-bought tartar sauce, so I was so excited when we figured out a way to make it at home. When I have it in my fridge, I love using homemade mayonnaise for this recipe. For an egg-free option, substitute the mayonnaise for vegan mayo. Makes 3/4 cup Watch Us Make the Recipe You Will Need 1/2 cup (113g) mayonnaise, try homemade mayonnaise 1 small dill pickle, chopped very small (3 tablespoons) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste 1 tablespoon capers, chopped, optional, but recommended 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Salt and fresh ground black pepper Directions 1Make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pickles, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until the mixture is well blended and creamy. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. 2Refrigerate for 15 minutes (optional): For the best flavor, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving. This time in the fridge allows all the flavors to mingle and makes a big difference in the final taste. 1Make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pickles, lemon juice, capers, dill, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until the mixture is well blended and creamy. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. 2Refrigerate for 15 minutes (optional): For the best flavor, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving. This time in the fridge allows all the flavors to mingle and makes a big difference in the final taste. Adam and Joanne's Tips Storing: Homemade tartar sauce lasts for about a week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The fresh flavor from the lemon starts to fade after that, so we recommend enjoying it within the week. Our family loves it, so we often make a double batch to have it on hand! The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Storing: Homemade tartar sauce lasts for about a week when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The fresh flavor from the lemon starts to fade after that, so we recommend enjoying it within the week. Our family loves it, so we often make a double batch to have it on hand! The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 tablespoon / Calories 64 / Total Fat 6.9g / Saturated Fat 1.1g / Cholesterol 3.9mg / Sodium 103.8mg / Carbohydrate 0.3g / Dietary Fiber 0.1g / Total Sugars 0.1g / Protein 0.1g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us