Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Just try it, and you’ll never go back to the bottle.

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (1)

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.

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 (2)

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 (3)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (4)

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Tartar Sauce

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 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Serves:4

Hover over “serves” value to reveal recipe scaler

Calories:136

Author:Corey Valley

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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!

Save this recipe for later! Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your recipe box!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 136kcal (7%)Carbohydrates: 6g (2%)Protein: 0.3g (1%)Fat: 12g (18%)Saturated Fat: 2g (10%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 9mg (3%)Sodium: 507mg (21%)Potassium: 21mg (1%)Fiber: 0.1gSugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 44IU (1%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 4mgIron: 0.1mg (1%)

Nutrition 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.

Course:dip

Cuisine:seafood, seasoning

Keyword:creamy sauce, homemade

Did you make this recipe?Tag me on Instagram at @familyfreshmeals or leave me a below.

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12 Comments

  1. Janet says

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

    Reply

    • Corey says

      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. Angela says

    Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (7)
    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

    • Corey says

      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. Donnie Killeen says

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

    Reply

    • Corey says

      I use dill Donnie 🙂

      Reply

      • Donnie Killeen says

        Thank you . 🙂

        Reply

  4. Ken Plank says

    Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (8)
    Pickle relish? Sweet or Dill?

    Reply

    • Corey says

      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

  5. Jessie says

    Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe (9)
    What is the shelf life of this homemade tartar sauce?

    Reply

  6. Cheryl says

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

    Reply

    • Corey says

      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 (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.

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.

How long will homemade tartar sauce keep in the refrigerator? ›

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.

What are the ingredients in tartar end? ›

What are the ingredients in TartarEnd® toothpaste?
  • Purified water originates from mountain streams.
  • Hydrated Silica is made from silica. ...
  • Sorbitol is a naturally occurring polyol found in berries and fruits.
  • Dimethyl Isosorbide is made from sorbitol.

What is the chemical formula for tartar sauce? ›

Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC4H5O6, is a chemical compound with a number of uses. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid). In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar.

How do you thicken tartar sauce? ›

Add Sour Cream For A Thicker, Tangier Tartar Sauce

Its presence ensures a velvety mouthfeel and a well-balanced tanginess that complements the mayonnaise, pickles, capers, and other ingredients. And, like any dish, making tartar sauce from scratch allows for better control over the ingredients.

What is the real name of tartar sauce? ›

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. Tartar sauce can also be enhanced with other herbs, lemon juice, and olives.

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 McDonald's tartar sauce made of? ›

Tartar Sauce

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (diced Pickles, Vinegar, Salt, Capers, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate [preservative], Calcium Chloride, Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Egg Yolks, Water, Onions, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Spice, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), 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 to use instead of 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 to tell if tartar sauce is bad? ›

Opened bottles of tartar sauce should remain good for up to six months as long as they're kept in the refrigerator. If you suspect your tartar sauce is going bad, check the bottle for an expiration date. If it has a strange odor or appears to have lost its texture, it's probably time for a new bottle.

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.

Is it okay to freeze tartar sauce? ›

Can you freeze tartar sauce? It's not the best sauce to freeze because mayonnaise “breaks” when it is frozen. Instead, store leftover tartar sauce in the fridge for up to a week. Get creative with leftover tartar sauce.

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 ...

What is 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.

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.

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