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If you’ve ever eaten fries in Utah, chances are you’ve dipped them in Fry Sauce. This creamy, tangy, slightly sweet sauce is a local favorite—and once you try it, you’ll understand why! So easy to make with only 2 ingredients.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Love this as a base—added smoked paprika and few dashes of Cholula. Served with oven fries. It was gobbled up!” – Barbara
“I’m an Idaho girl, and we take our potatoes seriously around here! Fry sauce is the best way to enjoy our homegrown spuds! This recipe is perfect to get the right ratios, and I love all the variations you listed to mix things up. Once you dip with fry sauce, it’s the only condiment you will want to use!” – Caryn
“This fry sauce tastes just like the kind you get at burger joints in Utah! So easy to make and way better than plain ketchup.” – Lindsay
Why I Love This Easy Sauce
Not too long ago, if you’d walk into a restaurant in most states and ask for fry sauce, you would likely get either a strange look or a handful of ketchup packets. Trust me. I know from experience. Thankfully that’s not the case anymore! The secret is out! This irresistibly creamy sauce is the belle of the french fry ball, and has won over tastebuds throughout the nation with its charming deliciousness. Seriously, this sauce is so yummy and super easy to make! I can’t explain how just a couple simple ingredients can take the potato world by storm, but they have and they do.
I grew up on this stuff. To be honest, it’s probably the first “recipe” I ever made when I was 4 or 5. Try it. You will love it. You will never go back to eating fries with plain old ketchup again. So good as a dip with our Air Fryer French Fries and Baked Potato Wedges, or smothered on our Homemade Hamburgers or Chicken Tenders.
🩷 Erice
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fry sauce is made of 2 ingredients: Ketchup and Mayonnaise. Pretty simple, right? There is no need to overcomplicate it. In my opinion, it is very best with Best Foods Mayo (Hellmann’s for you East coasters) and Heinz Ketchup.
Restaurant Variations
Different restaurants have their own spin on fry sauce. Here are some of our favorites:
- Red Robin Campfire Sauce: BBQ sauce replaces ketchup in Red Robin’s Campfire Sauce. It tastes great with onion rings, fries, and chicken strips or nuggets. This is a sweet and savory sauce that is a delicious dip to go with a variety of recipes. The perfect combination for thick fries!
- In-N-Out Sauce: This version has a pickle relish in it. The relish gives it more of a dill flavor and the little chunks of pickles give it some texture and crunch. Mix together in a small bowl and get ready for loads of flavor! Especially good on their Animal Style Fries!
- Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion Sauce: A little horseradish and brown mustard give this sauce some kick. It gives onion rings and French fries a richer, more mature taste. Really good with a Bloomin Onion or Onion Rings.
How to Make Fry Sauce
- Combine 1 part ketchup to 2 parts mayo (1:2 ratio).
- Stir well and refrigerate.
Flavor Additions
- Mustard: Yellow mustard is the most popular addition for most fry sauce recipes. It adds a new dimension of flavor that I absolutely love. Just a little squirt of mustard is all you need to take your sauce to the next level.
- Pickle Relish: Add a little pickle relish or pickle juice (dill or sweet) to the mayo and ketchup for an extra tangy flavor.
- Hot sauce: For a little kick, toss in a dash or two of hot sauce, cayenne pepper and paprika.
- Spices: Add any spices you like to a basic ketchup and mayo mixture: garlic powder, salt, black pepper, onion powder, or grill seasoning.
- Worcestershire: A teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce will give the sauce a deep flavor that tastes delicious on a burger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Originally, this tasty condiment was mainly found in Utah, Idaho, and parts of Oregon. At its most basic level, a fry sauce recipe is just a combination of ketchup and mayonnaise. Put a couple of spoonfuls of each in a bowl and whisk until you get an orange-y pink color. Once you have the basics down, the options for what to dip into it are endless. Make sure to store it in the fridge, and the batch will last up to a week.
Homemade fry sauce will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. Be sure to give it a quick stir before serving, as it may separate a bit over time. For best flavor, keep it chilled and avoid leaving it out at room temperature for long periods.
There are some people who will tell you that pretty much anything tastes better with fry sauce. But there are several things that go best with this sauce. Our delicious Baked Potato Wedges are one of the first things that come to mind. You could try one of our alternate versions on our Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Air Fryer Onion Rings, or Chicken Tenders.
Yes! If you’re looking for a substitute for mayo, you can try Greek yogurt for a tangier, lighter version, or sour cream for a creamier texture. For a dairy-free or vegan option, plant-based mayo works well too. Just keep in mind that the flavor and texture may vary slightly depending on the swap.
Yes, this recipe is identical to the classic Utah fry sauce you’ll find at local burger joints and drive-ins! It’s the perfect blend of creamy, tangy, and just a little bit sweet—exactly what makes it a favorite throughout the state. You can also customize it with spices or hot sauce if you want to match your favorite regional variation.
More French Fry Dipping Sauce Recipes
Fry sauce isn’t the only dip for fries! Try any of these other popular dipping sauces:
I hope you love this Fry Sauce as much as I do! Next time you’re craving some crispy salty French Fries, give this dip a try—and I bet it’ll become your new favorite too. Please let us know how you like it or any variations that you tried in the comments below! 🍟
Fry Sauce Recipe (4 Variations)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
Variations:
Red Robin Campfire Sauce
- 1 cup Fry Sauce (see above)
- 1/3 cup BBQ Sauce
In-N-Out Fry Sauce
- 1 cup Fry Sauce (see above)
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1/4 cup dill relish
Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion Sauce
- 1 cup Fry Sauce (see above)
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon creamy horseradish (or to taste)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients until smooth.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Eat with fries or chicken nuggets.
Video
Notes
- Customize the flavor – Add a dash of hot sauce, a pinch of cayenne, or a little smoked paprika for a spicy twist.
- Let it chill – For best flavor, let the sauce sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
- Great for more than fries – Try it as a dip for onion rings, chicken tenders, tater tots, or even as a burger spread.
- Make it ahead – Fry sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
- Use quality mayo and ketchup – Since the recipe is so simple, using good-quality condiments makes a big difference in taste.
I love the fry sauce and the campfire sauce I actually make a ranch fry sauce its yummy I use a little Buffalo sauce ranch dressing and fry sauce its my favorite to eat my husband and son loves it chicken, pizza,fries, and their burgers
I love this idea for a variation! I will have to try it next time. I am always looking for good dips for fries!
So simple and yet so very good…I’ve tried all three versions and they’re all quite good…my favorite is the In/Out version. I use it not just for dipping sauce but also on salads.
So glad you liked it! You can’t go wrong with the In-N-Out variation. It’s a classic!
Love something different!
Old school fry sauce. Works everytime for me. So do the other variations of the sauce. I use it in Tater tots also. 👍
Tater tots may just be my favorite way to enjoy fry sauce. So tasty!
Delicious, and easy to make.
Potatoes are my favorite and the sauce just makes it better. I added a little
siracha for the kick 🙂
Being from Idaho I couldn’t agree more! Potatoes are the best!
I’d give all the sauce recipes a 5 rating! They are easy and delicious, and everyone likes sauces on their food!
Thanks for the 5-stars– on ALL the different variations! Thanks for the kind comment!
Great on more than just fries
Easily tweaked for different tastes
Very versatile
So true! We love it with onion rings and tater tots too. YUM! What else do you like to use it on?
Love this sauce, easy to make. I am always looking for new sauce recipes and glad that I found this one. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you like it!
Great for you to inform the world about the best fry sauce! I’m from Idaho and we have been making this at least since 1965. My new addition is adding some cocktail sauce too.
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it! And we Idahoans know that Fry Sauce originated in Idaho so I trust you know a good fry sauce when you try it 😉
Thank you so much! I always tried, but could never figure it out. I would love it if you could figure out what Jumbo Burger (in Farr West, Utah) fry sauce is made of!? I have been trying for about a decade to figure it out. I’ve tried seasoning salt added to ketchup and mayo, but that’s as close as I could get, but it’s still not right. Please help!
We’ve never been there, but if we go we will try it!
I made mine with Whataburger Spicy Ketchup and it was the bomb!
I used the Red Robin version of the Fry Sauce and it was wonderful. Thank-you for this recipe.
I also used the fry sauce when I made grilled cheese sandwiches. I spread it the inside of each slice of bread then add the cheese and fry it up with butter or margarine.
Have used these sauces for years…Am still trying to match Texas Roadhouse sauce served with the catfish…
great great sauce
My ex husband said the basic ingredients for the fry sauce is french salad dressing when you don’t have any, but i didn’t like it on lettuce
Fry sauce is thicker, and to me tastes different. It’s not as tangy as French salad dressing – but, maybe that’s just me. In either case, the fry sauce is delicious on French fries!
I have been making the basic fry sauce (though I didn’t have a name for it) for at least fifty years and spooning it over lettuce wedges. I’m a Texan, born and raised in Houston.
Fry Sauce is nothing more than Mayo, Ketchup, & whatever else you choose to add into it – depending upon your palate, and on what you’ll be eating it with. IMO, add in whatever you desire. OMG, it’s NOT a recipe which is chiseled in stone, so go with your personal taste buds. It’s REALLY not a big deal for most of us.
These are marvelous!!!! I love to dip roasted broccoli in the fry sauce too – SO GOOD!
I can not wait to try each and every one of these fry sauces! I can’t decide which one to try first as they all look and sound incredible!!