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Once you try this Tartar Sauce Recipe, you’ll never want store-bought again. Made with just 7 simple ingredients, this super easy recipe is tangy, creamy and the absolute best for dipping with your favorite seafood dishes!
The Best Homemade Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is one of those things that always tastes a million times better when it’s made fresh! While some store-bought sauces leave my mouth with a strange after-taste, this homemade version is infinitely better and brighter, with a perfectly chunky, creamy texture.
Fortunately, making your own is really easy. It takes five, maybe ten, minutes to make tops, and it tastes amazing on seafood dishes from crab cakes to baked salmon, as well as crispy roasted potatoes or spread over a seafood sandwich.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients in Tartar Sauce
To make this homemade tartar sauce recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Full-fat mayonnaise
- Dill pickle
- Fresh dill
- Fresh lemon juice
- Sugar
- Dijon mustard
- Capers
- Salt and Pepper
To prevent this tartar sauce recipe from tasting like a straight-up mayo, we’re adding dill pickles and capers for crunch and tang, a little dill for freshness, Dijon mustard for gentle heat and depth, and fresh lemon juice for acidity and brightness. A pinch of sugar helps round out the flavors, enhancing the overall balance of the sauce.
For best results, wait to add salt and pepper until after mixing. The capers and pickles are already quite salty, so you may not need much.
You can find the full printable recipe + ingredient measurements at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Tartar Sauce
This tartar sauce recipe is very easy to make and comes together in just a few minutes. For the best flavor, try to make it at least 30 minutes ahead of time. This allows the flavors from the capers, pickles, and lemon juice to meld with the mayonnaise, resulting in a more flavorful sauce.
To start, prepare the ingredients. Finely chop the dill pickles, fresh dill, and capers, and measure out the remaining ingredients.
Then, combine the mayonnaise, chopped dill pickles, minced fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, sugar, Dijon mustard, and chopped capers in a small bowl. Stir everything together until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.
Once everything has been combined, season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. For a little heat, stir in 2–3 drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional). Then, cover and chill in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld, and the sauce to thicken.
Optional Additions
It’s easy to make this recipe your own! Here are a few of my favorite additions:
- Minced shallot (1 to 2 teaspoons): For texture, crunch, and a little depth of flavor.
- Fresh parsley in place of (or in addition to) fresh dill: If you don’t have fresh dill available, or perhaps you prefer the taste of parsley.
- Pickle juice (1 to 2 teaspoons): For tangy, pickley flavor
- Hot sauce (2 to 3 drops): Adds a little subtle heat; I like using Tabasco sauce
- Horseradish (½ to 1 teaspoon): For sharper, zestier heat. Absolutely delicious when served with roast beef sandwiches.
- Minced hard-boiled egg (1 tablespoon): A classic addition to traditional versions of tartar sauce, hard-boiled egg adds both richness and texture!
Ways to Use Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce isn’t just for fried fish. It’s a creamy, tangy condiment that pairs perfectly with a variety of dishes. It’s a must-have whenever I make simple baked cod and roasted asparagus for dinner, or frozen fish sticks and air fryer french fries (a family favorite).
We also love it with this pan-seared mahi mahi recipe, yummy salmon crab cakes, crispy chicken tenders, or spread over hamburgers, fish sandwiches, or fish and shrimp tacos.
Storage Tips
Tartar sauce can last for about 4 to 5 days when stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended since the base is made of mayonnaise which can separate after thawing, resulting in a watery, grainy texture.
For best results, remember to give it a good stir before reserving.
More Homemade Sauces
If you make this tartar sauce recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment section below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more delicious food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
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Tartar Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise, (full-fat recommended)
- ¼ cup dill pickle, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
- 1-2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½-1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped
- salt + black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients: Finely chop the dill pickles, fresh dill, and capers. Measure out the remaining ingredients.
- Combine: In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chopped dill pickles, minced fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, sugar, Dijon mustard, and chopped capers. Stir everything together until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.
- Season to taste: Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Optional: For a little heat, stir in 2–3 drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco.
- Chill: For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Serve and store leftovers: Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.
Notes
- Instead of the dill pickle, you can try using dill pickle relish, chopped cornichons, or chopped green olives.
- Instead of the fresh dill try either fresh parsley or fresh chives, or a combo of each. I have not tried making this recipe with dried dill, but if you’d like to give it a try, start with ½-1 teaspoon for every one tablespoon of fresh dill.
- Instead of fresh lemon juice, use a 1:1 ratio of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. A splash of pickle juice can be added for tang and brininess.
- Instead of capers, use chopped green olives, kalamata olives, anchovies, or omit if unavailable.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Why is tartar sauce called tartar?
Classic Tartar Sauce Recipe: How to Make It
Why is it called tartar sauce? Tartar sauce originated in France as sauce tartare, named after the Tatars who settled in Ukraine and parts of Russia.
NOT AMERICAN!!
Made this tonight for our fish. My husband who is is a store bought only tartar sauce kinda guy, actually ate this tartar sauce and was impressed! I did not have any fresh dill and added a dried lemony dill mix and it was fabulous. I also used dill pickle relish. Will be keeping this recipe around for sure!!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the great feedback, Laura 😀