Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (2)

As you all know, I’m a big fan of making your own salad dressing. Why shell out three bucks for a bottle full of unpronounceable ingredients, when you can whip up a delicious poppy seed dressing or cilantro lime ranch from real, fresh ingredients in a couple of minutes?

But why stop at salad dressing? Lots of things that come in a bottle at the store can also be made in your own kitchen. It’s cheaper, healthier…and usually not as hard as you think.

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Take tartar sauce, for instance. This is the must-have condiment for all kinds of seafood dishes, from fried clams to salmon burgers. But what is it, really? Just a dressed-up version of mayonnaise. What could be easier to make yourself?

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (3)

My Homemade Tartar Sauce recipe shows how easy it is to do. It has everything you’d find in a really fancy bottled tartar sauce, including onion, pickles, lemon, and capers. (If you don’t have capers at home, go out and grab a jar. They’re pricey, but they’re super packed with flavor, so a tiny spoonful goes a really long way. And they keep practically forever.)

And what do you do with all these fancy ingredients? Just mix them with the mayo and refrigerate it. I’m serious…that’s it!

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup of Mayonnaise
½ teaspoon Lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dill Pickle juice
½ teaspoon Capers, chopped
½ teaspoon Lemon zest
¼ teaspoon Onion, minced
2 teaspoons Dill Pickle relish
as desired Salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together, leaving salt until the end. Taste for seasoning regarding how much salt you’d like to add. Refrigerate until cool and the ingredients combine!

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (4)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (5)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce

Author Corey Valley

My Homemade Tartar Sauce recipe is a super easy recipe and I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen now!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of Mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon Lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon Dill Pickle juice
  • ½ teaspoon Capers chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon Onion minced
  • 2 teaspoons Dill Pickle relish
  • as desired Salt

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients together, leaving salt until the end. Taste for seasoning regarding how much salt you’d like to add. Refrigerate until cool and the ingredients combine!

Nutrition

Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 507mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.

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  1. Do you use sweet pickle or dill? I usually use dill in my recipe.

    Reply

    1. I use dill, but have a friend who tried it with sweet and loved it too. I guess it just depends on your taste. Do you usually prefer one of the other for other things?

      Reply

  2. Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (6)
    Gee, I never thought to add capers to my tarter sauce! I wish that I had your recipe yesterday, since I made a bowl of tarter sauce to have with our clam rolls last night. I’ll definitely add some capers next time. Otherwise, my ingredients were pretty much the same as yours. BTW, do you prefer using sweet pickle relish or dill pickle relish? I suppose it’s a matter of preference. Also, I always use Hellman’s mayo (for everything), but some folks prefer Miracle Whip Salad Dressing for tarter sauce. What do you use?

    Reply

    1. I use dill, but have a friend who tried it with sweet and loved it too. I guess it just depends on your taste.

      Reply

  3. Your recipe calls for pickle juice ..do you use dill or sweet juice ??? It doesn’t say .

    Reply

    1. I use dill Donnie 🙂

      Reply

      1. Thank you . 🙂

        Reply

    1. I use dill, but have a friend who tried it with sweet and loved it too. I guess it just depends on your taste. Do you usually prefer one of the other for other things?

      Reply

  4. Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (8)
    What is the shelf life of this homemade tartar sauce?

    Reply

  5. Is the relish sweet or dill? I can’t wait to try this.

    Reply

    1. Cheryl, I use dill, but have a friend who tried it with sweet and loved it too. I guess it just depends on your taste. Do you usually prefer one of the other for other things?

      Reply

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (9)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (10)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients of tartar sauce? ›

Wondering what's in tartar sauce? It's typically made with mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, lemon juice, and herbs (like tarragon and dill). There are also a handful of optional ingredients you can add that take the tartar sauce's flavor to the next level. For example, this recipe includes yellow mustard.

How to make Gordon Ramsay's tartar sauce? ›

Gordon Ramsay Tartar Sauce
  1. Condiments.
  2. • 1 tbsp Capers.
  3. • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.
  4. • 1 Dill pickle, small.
  5. • 1 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh.
  6. • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise.
  7. • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Why do you put cream of tartar in tartar sauce? ›

In reality, the two have nothing to do with one another. Cream of tartar is a powdery baking ingredient that you'd find in sweets like cookies or meringues. Tartar sauce, on the other hand, is super savory, rich, and tangy.

What's a good substitute for tartar sauce? ›

Instead of tartar sauce, use a garlicky aioli with or without a little dill or chopped pickle. Another good sauce option that goes well with seafood is a tomato-based co*cktail sauce. Hummus, which is also slightly acidic with lemon juice, can also make a nice dip for seafood.

How long does homemade tartar sauce last? ›

Tartar sauce should be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about a week. Obviously, if it starts to smell funky in the fridge or the flavor is off before the week is up, you should dump it. Similar to other mayonnaise-based condiments, tartar sauce does not freeze well because the emulsion can break.

Does tartar sauce contain mayo? ›

Tartar sauce (French: sauce tartare; spelled tartare sauce in the UK, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries) is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles and relish, caper, and herbs such as tarragon and dill.

What are the ingredients in Heinz tartar sauce? ›

WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGAR, SUGAR, CUCUMBERS, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, LIQUID YOLK (EGG), SALT, DRIED ONION, MUSTARD FLOUR, SPICES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, XANTHAN GUM, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, DRIED GARLIC, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL.

What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's tartar sauce? ›

Expeller pressed canola oil, water, relish (cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, dried red bell pepper, xanthan gum, spices, natural flavors), cane sugar, distilled vinegar, egg yolks (egg yolks, salt), dried onion, salt, ground mustard seed, xanthan gum, extra virgin olive oil, rosemary ...

What is McDonald's tartar sauce made of? ›

According to McDonald's website, the ingredients for the actual tartar sauce that goes on the Filet-O-Fish include soybean oil, pickle relish, calcium chloride, spice extractives, polysorbate 80, egg yolks, water, onions, distilled vinegar, sugar, spice, salt, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, and parsley.

How to make cream of tartar at home? ›

How to Make Cream of Tartar. One can't actually make cream of tartar at home (but a little lemon juice or vinegar will work some similar cream of tartar magic in your baked goods), as it is quite literally a byproduct of the winemaking process.

What is a substitute for 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar? ›

This substitution is ideal because it can be used in any recipe without modifying the taste or texture of the final product. You can use baking powder to replace cream of tartar in recipes that also contain baking soda. Substitute 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder for 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.

Why does tartar sauce taste so good? ›

It typically has a creamy and tangy profile with ingredients like mayonnaise, pickles, capers, onions, and lemon juice. These elements add a combination of creaminess, acidity, and a hint of sweetness that complements the mild and delicate flavor of fish.

What is traditional tartar sauce made of? ›

Whisk shallot, garlic, mayonnaise, caper berries, pickles, chives, parsley, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Do Ahead: Tartar sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

What is Frisch's tartar sauce made of? ›

Combine mayonnaise, onion, dill pickle relish, pickle juice, salt and garlic powder.

How do I thicken my tartar sauce? ›

Add Sour Cream For A Thicker, Tangier Tartar Sauce

By adjusting the amount of sour cream you can customize the sauce. Start by adding one or two dollops at a time and incorporate more until you discover the perfect portion.

What are the ingredients in Dukes tartar sauce? ›

Soybean oil, dill pickles (pickles, distilled vinegar, salt, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, alum, natural spice flavors), distilled and cider vinegar, eggs, sugar, water, salt, olives, capers, parsley, natural flavors, spice, xanthan gum, lactic acid, oleoresin paprika, lemon juice, calcium disodium EDTA added to ...

Is tartar sauce healthier than mayo? ›

No.

The classic seafood condiment tartar sauce continues the trend that creamy sauces belong toward the bottom of the list. But, it has less than half the calories per tablespoon as ranch and one-quarter the fat content of mayonnaise.

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