This incredibly easy homemade tartar sauce only uses a few simple ingredients that you probably already have at home. It is ready in only 5 minutes and tastes a million times better than any store bought sauce you've ever had.
Homemade tartar sauce with dill is rich, creamy, tangy and immensely flavorful. You can easily prepare this vegetarian and gluten free sauce in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tartar sauce pairs well with any kind of fish or seafood dish, fish sticks or crab cakes. It also tastes great with roasted or tempura vegetables, french fries and can even be added to your favorite sandwich.
WHAT IS TARTAR SAUCE?
Tartar sauce is a vegetarian mayonnaise based sauce that is famous for its tangy flavor. It usually contains chopped pickles, lemon juice and herbs. Some recipes also include chopped capers or onion. Tartar sauce is mostly served with fish and seafood dishes, fish sticks or crab cakes.
❤️ WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS EASY TARTAR SAUCE RECIPE
✔️ Fresh ingredients give this homemade sauce amazing flavor. You'll never want to buy tartar sauce again!
✔️ It only takes 5 minutes to make this yummy sauce.
✔️ You need just 6 ingredients for this easy tartar sauce recipe.
✔️ No fancy equipment is need to make tartar sauce at home.
INGREDIENTS
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for homemade tartar sauce with pickles, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
You may have all of these tartar sauce ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts.
- Mayonnaise: We recommend only using full fat mayonnaise for this recipe. It is more flavorful and provides the right texture.
- Dill Pickles: Make sure to pick dill pickles that you would also enjoy eating by themselves.
- Fresh dill: Fresh herbs add a more intense flavor to a dish, and therefore usually create better results. You can also substitute dried dill.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best flavor. You can substitute bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
- Sugar: we use regular granulated sugar.
- Black Pepper: Fresh ground pepper is preferred but any pepper will work.
VARIATIONS:
- Try switching out a ¼ cup of chopped pickles for chopped capers for an even tangier taste.
- Add other fresh herbs to your sauce, such as parsley, chives or lemon thyme.
- If you would like to try to lighten up your tartar sauce, substitute ½ a cup of mayonnaise for plain greek yogurt. However, the sauce will no longer be dairy free.
INSTRUCTIONS
This section shows how to cook homemade tartar sauce, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, nutritional information, to print the recipe or to have the recipe scaled to double or triple, see the recipe card below.
COMBINE INGREDIENTS: Add all ingredients except chopped pickles to a small bowl.
🔴 TIP: Use only full fat mayonnaise, diet mayonnaise does not provide the same rich flavor or texture.
STIR: Stir until well combined.
ADD PICKLES: Add chopped pickles and stir again until evenly combined.
SERVE: Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
TIPS FOR THE BEST TARTAR SAUCE
Follow these tips to make the best tartar sauce dip.
✔️ Use good dill pickles. Taste them! If you don't like them, don't use them in your tartar sauce.
✔️ Use full fat mayonnaise. Nothing will ruin your tartar sauce faster than diet mayonnaise.
✔️ Use fresh lemon juice and dill. If you can't find fresh, substituting for the bottled kind or dried dill will work but for the tastiest tartar sauce, use fresh.
STORAGE TIPS
Refrigerate: Store leftover tartar sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The sauce might separate a bit during storage. Make sure to stir it up before enjoying the leftovers.
Freeze: We do not recommend freezing this sauce.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE
We love to eat tartar sauce with fish. Try it with Lemon Garlic Salmon or Dill Salmon, Pan Seared Tilapia, Grilled Shrimp Skewers or Air Fryer Fried Fish. But we also like to dip our fries and tater tots in it!
MORE SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS
If you love love tartar sauce dip you'll enjoy our other condiment recipes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
For perfect results every time, here are answers to the most common questions about cooking tartar sauce with dill.
When stored in the refrigerator, tartar sauce is safe to eat for 5-7 days. Make sure to store the sauce in an airtight container or glass jar and stir it up before serving again.
Yes, you can try substituting ½ a cup of mayo for plain greek yogurt. Make sure to adjust seasonings to taste. You can also try using a light mayonnaise, but your tartar sauce might end up tasting slightly different from the original recipe.
Homemade tartar sauce tastes great with any kind of grilled, air fried or pan seared fish, such as salmon or tilapia. You can dip grilled or popcorn shrimp, chicken nuggets or crab cakes into this delicious sauce. It even tastes amazing with roasted or battered vegetables, french fries, sweet potato fries or potato wedges.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat mayonnaise
- 1 cup dill pickles - chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh dill - chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Add all ingredients except chopped pickles to a small bowl and stir until well combined.
Add pickles and stir again until evenly combined.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
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