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You only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this homemade easy cocktail sauce! Serve with shrimp cocktail, seafood, or mozzarella sticks!
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I’m telling you, this is the best homemade cocktail sauce recipe out there. It tastes WAY better than anything you can buy at the grocery store AND it is just SO EASY. With just a few, simple ingredients, you can be enjoying a shrimp cocktail platter or any of your other favorite seafood dishes with this delicious, zesty dip.
Cocktail Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup – Ketchup makes for the perfect tomato base. It is sweet, savory, and has the perfect consistency. Ketchup is difficult to substitute because it is such a unique ingredient. I will not taste the same if you try to use something else such as tomato paste or tomato sauce. The good news is, ketchup is super easy to find in just about any grocery store.
- Prepared Horseradish – This is not the same as straight up horseradish root. Make sure you see “prepared” on the label. Prepared horseradish is blended with other ingredients to make it more palatable. It is also not the same as “creamy horseradish sauce,” which is too mild and will give your sauce a creamy consistency.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – Add a nice squeeze of lemon juice to give your cocktail sauce a touch of acidity. If you want to really give it some “zing”, add some lemon zest as well!
- Worcestershire Sauce – This brings a nice, bright flavor to the sauce and helps meld all of the flavors together. It helps to cut the sweetness of the ketchup without overpowering the other flavors.
- Tabasco Sauce – The tabasco sauce brings extra heat but also adds a nice flavor profile. It doesn’t have to be Tabasco, you can also use your favorite hot sauce!
What Is Cocktail Sauce Good on Besides Shrimp?
We use this sauce mostly as a shrimp cocktail sauce, but it can be served many different ways! It is a great all-around seafood sauce. Try serving it with crab, crab cakes, oysters, lobster, breaded fish, etc. Serve it with your favorite appetizers like coconut shrimp, onion rings, or even mozzarella sticks. You can also stir it in to tomato juice to make a virgin bloody mary.
Storing the Leftovers
Store cocktail sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it and it will stay good for up to 6 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cocktail Sauce
Our recipe consists of ketchup, lemon juice, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.
It has a strong tomato flavor paired with a little spicy kick and a little sour from the horseradish and lemon.
There isn’t really a good substitute, but spicy mayo makes a great shrimp dipping sauce as well!
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More Tasty Condiments and Dips
How to Make Cocktail Sauce
Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about ½ small lemon, juiced)
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (add more to taste for more spice)
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Use a small whisk to mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The longer you let the sauce rest, the better the flavors will meld (I like to let it rest at least 2-3 hours, ideally overnight).
- Serve with shrimp or your favorite seafood dish. Also great with mozzarella sticks!
Notes
- Make sure to use PREPARED horseradish, not horseradish root.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Add some lemon zest to give your cocktail sauce even more zing!
I haven’t made this yet, but I was wondering if it can be canned?
So easy and so delicious! Had great flavor and tasted way better than the store bought version. Will definitely only make homemade from now on!
This is a great recipe! I love being able to adjust the kick it has to fit our tastes. Much better than any store bought sauce I’ve tried.