Homemade Tartar sauce

This homemade tartar sauce recipe takes 5 minutes to whip up, is 1000X better than store-bought and elevates your favorite seafood and more to next level YUM!

Once you learn how to make this easy tartar sauce recipe, you’ll never use jarred again!  Its bright, creamy tanginess instantly elevates the humblest seafood such as fish sticks and fish and chips, but it’s also extraordinary on veggies, baked potatoes, sandwiches and more.  Best of all, this tartar sauce is incredibly simple to make with just a few pantry friendly ingredients in 5 minutes! You probably have everything you need to whip up this recipe right now such as mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, lemon juice, and herbs.  It’s also make-ahead friendly and keeps for up to a week.  So, ditch the store-bought jar for this homemade tartar sauce that’s 1000X better!

For more must-have sauces and dips, check out my recipes for BBQ sauce, tzatziki, hummus, guacamole, roasted red pepper sauce, chimichurri sauce, and horseradish sauce.

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER

how to make tartar sauce video

 

what is tartar sauce?

Tartar sauce belongs in your culinary back pocket because it’s not only DELICIOUS, but so easy! Tartar sauce is a rich, creamy, tangy condiment typically served cold made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles (gherkins in the UK), capers, lemon juice and herbs such as dill, chives, tarragon and/or parsley. Some variations include olives, onions or shallots and apple cider vinegar.

Tartar sauce is most often served as a side for dipping fried seafood such as crab cakes, fish and chips, fish sticks, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried calamari and fried oysters.  It is also tasty with a variety of other dishes such as vegetables, sandwiches and even grilled chicken.

tartar SAUCE INGREDIENTS

The ingredients for this easy homemade tartar sauce are minimal and pantry friendly if you use dried herbs.  You will need:

• Sour cream:  Typically, mayonnaise is the base of tartar sauce, but I like to use half sour cream so the sauce is sensationally, creamy and lighter. You can use full fat or reduced fat, but full fat will taste more indulgent.
• Mayonnaise:  Mayo is used in sauces because it binds the ingredients together and prevents them from separating. Please use real mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip.  
• Pickles:  Finely chopped pickles add the subtle crunch and a salty brininess. I recommend dill pickles for their balanced complexity of salty, sour, vinegar and dill flavorings but you can use your favorite variety.  You can go with fresh pickles like Grillo’s found in the refrigerated section that retain a lot of that refreshing cucumber taste or go with jarred.  For the crunchiest pickles according to a study by Taste of Home, go with Milwaukee’s Kosher Dill Pickles and for the most complex flavor, go with Boar’s Head Kosher Dill Pickles.
• Capers: Are optional if you don’t keep them on hand but highly recommended for the best tartar sauce.  Capers are actually flower buds imported from Italy that have been brined to mellow their bitterness.  The resulting brined capers are tangy, salty, lemony doses of FLAVOR.  They add both acid and salt which intensify the flavor of the sauce and elevate it to new heights. As always, you can add more or less to taste.
• Lemon: Brightens and lightens the sauce with fabulous fresh, tangy, flavor and thins it to the ideal dipping consistency.  Fresh is always best but you may use bottled.
• Dill:  Use 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried.  Dill bolsters the sauce with deliciously fresh, citrus, anise-like notes with a slightly grassy, sweet undertone.  
• Chives: Tastes like mild onions with a hint of garlic but they are actually classified as an herb verses an onion.  When purchasing chives, look for plump green stems without brown spots or wilting.  If you skip the chives, add ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
• Dijon mustard: Adds a tangy depth to round out the flavors but will not make the sauce taste like mustard!
• Seasonings:  Garlic powder, salt, pepper awaken all the flavors.  Use more or less to taste.

RECIPE substitutions and VARIATIONS

This tartar sauce recipe is incredibly versatile. Here are a few ideas for mixing up the ingredients based on necessity or personal preference:

• Use different pickles: For a sweeter style, try bread and butter or sweet pickles instead of dill.
• Use relish:  Swap the chopped pickles for relish instead.
• Make it lighter: Swap the mayonnaise for light mayo and the sour cream for Greek yogurt.  You can also use all Greek yogurt. 
• Swap in olives: Use finely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives in place of the capers.
• Make it lemony:  As written, the sauce is brightened by the lemon juice but it doesn’t taste lemony.  If you want more of a citrus kick, add lemon zest and additional lemon juice to taste.
• Use apple cider vinegar:  If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, try using apple cider vinegar or you can use a combination of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
• Add onions:  Swap the chives for finely minced shallot or green onions.
• Mix up the herbs:  Add additional herbs or swap some of the herbs for tarragon or parsley.
• Mix up the seasonings:  Depending on what the sauce is being served with, you can add some pizzaz with Cajun seasonings, Old Bay seasoning, Italian seasonings, etc.
• Worcestershire sauce: Add 1-2 teaspoons for an umami, sweet and tangy blast.
• Spice it up:  Add a pinch of cayenne or a few drops Tabasco sauce.
• Make it vegan:  Swap the mayonnaise and sour cream for a vegan kind like Vegenaise to fit your needs.
• Keep it keto: Tartar sauce is already low carb, but if you’re following a keto diet, be sure to use mayonnaise that is free of soybean oil such as avocado oil mayo.  Make sure to use dill pickles as opposed to sweet pickles.

HOW TO MAKE tartar SAUCE

Are you ready to see just how easy this homemade tartar sauce is to make?!  (Full recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Step 1: Prep ingredients.  Finely chop the pickle, capers, chives and dill.
• Step 2: Mix everything together.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped pickles, capers, lemon juice, chives, dill, Dijon, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Step 3: Chill.  Time permitting, chill the tartar in the sauce for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Adjust to taste.  This recipe is so incredibly simple, you really can’t mess it up!  The only way it won’t taste right is if you don’t play with it to make it right for you.  Feel free to add more or fewer pickles, capers, lemon juice, dill, etc. to your taste.
• Chop ingredients finely.  Finely chopped ingredients disperse more evenly throughout the sauce.   
• Chill in the fridge.  Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors have a chance to meld together, even better if overnight!

how long is tartar sauce good for?

Store tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

What to Serve with Tartar Sauce?

Tartar sauce is traditionally served with fried seafood dishes like crab cakes and fish and chips but its creamy kick is surprisingly versatile and can be used from anything from fish, to vegetables to eggs.  Here are just a few of our favorite ways to enjoy this homemade tartar sauce:

• Fried seafood:  Tartar sauce is an absolute must with fish sticks (check out my oven/air fryer recipe!), crab cakes, salmon patties, fish and chips, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried calamari and fried oysters to compliment the crunchy, crispy texture.
• Crispy baked or fried chicken:  Try it with popcorn chicken, baked fried chicken, or chicken strips.
• Protein topper:  Tartar sauce isn’t just for crispy breaded seafood and chicken, it also brightens up baked, grilled or pan-fried chicken, fish, shrimp, pork, etc.  We particularly love it with Greek chicken, harissa chicken, lemon basil chicken and Greek meatballs.  
• Crispy baked or fried appetizers:  Fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, hushpuppies, zucchini fries, onion rings and French fries love a dunk in the silky sauce.
• Crudité platter:  Serve the tartar sauce a dip with your favorite fresh veggies (celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, baby corn, asparagus spears, sugar peas, cucumber slices, etc.), on a platter along with some pita bread.
• Grilled or roasted veggies:  Dunk your roasted, steamed, sautéed or grilled vegetables in homemade tartar sauce and you’ll never have bland veggies again!  The recipe is also fabulous on grilled veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, roasted carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower, roasted asparagus, etc.
• Potatoes: Tartar sauce is tasty on roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes, baked potatoes and mashed potatoes. Think of it as sour cream with FLAVOR!
• On burgers, sandwiches and wraps:  Swap your mayo, hummus or tzatziki for tartar sauce instead.  We especially love it in classic burgers, Greek burgers, chicken gyros, doners, and po’ boy sandwiches. 
• Egg condiment:  Top your scrambled, fried, sunny side or deviled eggs with this tartar sauce recipe and sink your teeth into an explosion of flavor.
• Salad: Use it as the dressing in tuna salad, lobster salad, crab salad, ham salad or egg salad.

Tartar Sauce Commonly Asked Questions