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This easy homemade tartar sauce recipe is fresh, flavorful, and way better than store-bought! Perfect for fish and chips, crab cakes, and more.
Table of Contents
- So Much Better Than Store-Bought
- What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Optional Ingredients for Extra Flavor
- How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Fresh Ingredients = Better Flavor
- Can I Make Tartar Sauce Without Mayo?
- How to Serve Your Tartar Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions About Tartar Sauce
- More Delicious Seafood Recipes
- Tartar Sauce Recipe
So Much Better Than Store-Bought
If you’ve ever tried homemade tartar sauce, you know there’s just no comparison to the store-bought stuff! It’s so quick and easy to make yourself, and the taste is so much fresher and more flavorful. With fresh lemon juice, chopped dill pickles, and a few simple ingredients, this easy tartar sauce recipe is perfect for dipping crispy fish and chips, baked fish sticks, or even shrimp.
I came up with this recipe a few years ago to go with my homemade Fish and Chips, and it’s been a family favorite ever since. Once you taste it, I promise you won’t go back to store-bought tartar sauce!
What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
The best part about this homemade tartar sauce recipe is that you don’t need a lot of ingredients—just some simple pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Worcestershire sauce
- mayonnaise (I love Best Foods or Hellmann’s, but use whichever brand you prefer)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- chopped dill pickles (baby dill pickles are my favorite)
- fresh dill weed (or dried dill if you are in a pinch)
- black pepper
Optional Ingredients for Extra Flavor
While this recipe is already delicious on its own, you can totally mix things up by adding some of these ingredients to personalize it:
- Dill relish for a slightly sweeter touch
- Sweet or butter pickles if you like a hint of sweetness
- Chopped onions or a pinch of onion powder
- Garlic (fresh or powdered) for some extra zing
- Dijon mustard for a little extra tang
- Capers or fresh parsley for some herby goodness
- A splash of Tabasco sauce for a spicy kick
- Horseradish for an extra punch
Feel free to experiment and find the perfect version for you!
How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
Making tartar sauce from scratch is super simple. Here’s how I do it:
- Mix the ingredients: In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles, dill weed, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. That’s it—simple, right?
- Chill the sauce: Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. If you have time to let it sit for a few hours (or even overnight), the flavors will meld together even more and taste even better.
- Serve: When you’re ready to eat, give the sauce a good stir. I love serving it with fish and chips, but it’s also amazing with fish sticks, fried shrimp, or even on fish tacos!
Fresh Ingredients = Better Flavor
For the best homemade tartar sauce, I always use fresh ingredients. I find that it makes a huge difference in taste!
- Lemon Juice: Always go for fresh lemon juice, not the bottled kind. A little trick I use to get the most juice out of my lemon is to roll it on the counter before cutting it in half and squeezing it. Or you can microwave the lemon for 10-15 seconds to really get those juices flowing.
- Fresh Dill: Fresh dill gives the sauce such a bright, fresh flavor. Dill is one of those herbs that starts to lose its flavor really quickly, so if you’re using fresh, use it within a day or two. If you don’t have fresh dill, you can use dried dill, but make sure to crush it between your fingers before adding it to the sauce. It helps release the oils and flavor!
- Dill Pickles: Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
Can I Make Tartar Sauce Without Mayo?
Absolutely! If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, or you’re looking for a lighter version, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream instead of mayo. It will still be creamy and delicious, and you’ll get a nice protein boost from the yogurt!
How to Serve Your Tartar Sauce
The best part about homemade tartar sauce is how versatile it is. It’s not just for fish and chips—here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
- Fish and Chips (of course!)
- Fish Sticks (kids love this one)
- Crab Cakes or Salmon Cakes
- Grilled or Baked Fish
- Fried Shrimp (perfect for dipping)
- Fish Tacos (trust me on this one, it’s amazing!)
- Vegetables (carrot sticks, celery, and more)
- French Fries or Potato Wedges
And honestly, it’s great as a dip for just about anything! You can even spread it on a fish sandwich or chicken sandwich for an extra burst of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tartar Sauce
If you store it in an airtight container, homemade tartar sauce will stay good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. So, feel free to make a big batch and keep it on hand for all your seafood meals!
Yes, you can freeze tartar sauce! It’ll keep for up to 1 month in the freezer. Just make sure to store it in a freezer-safe container and leave some room at the top for the sauce to expand as it freezes.
Yes, tartar sauce is naturally gluten-free, which makes it a great option for anyone with gluten sensitivities.
READ NEXT: Top 10 Shrimp Recipes
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
Now that you’ve got the perfect homemade tartar sauce, why not try it with some of these other tasty seafood dishes?
Tartar Sauce Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellmann’s
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juicing a real lemon tastes best)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons dill pickle finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dill weed finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles and dill weed, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
- Stir until thoroughly combined. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The longer, the better. Flavors will get stronger with more time.
- Stir before serving. Great as a dip or dressing with seafood!
Notes
Recipe Tips:
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- For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon. There’s just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
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- Use fresh dill. Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if you’re purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
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- Don’t worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
- Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
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- When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
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- If you don’t have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
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- Use a good quality mayonnaise; it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
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- If you want to make tartar sauce lighter (without mayo), try using plain Greek yogurt. It’ll also give it a boost of protein.
Nutrition Information
Making homemade tartar sauce is one of those little things that makes a big difference in how your seafood dishes taste. It’s so simple, so fresh, and just way better than anything you can buy. Once you give this recipe a try, I’m pretty sure it’ll become your go-to tartar sauce for every meal.
I’d love to hear how it turns out for you! Drop a comment below and let me know what you think. And if you loved the recipe, don’t forget to share it with friends and family!
Thank you so much for your homemade tater sauce recipe Emily we love it! It has so much more flavor than the store kind taste fresh and great I can’t thank you enough Wendy Huntsville AL
I decided to try your tartar sauce recipe last minute and I am thankful I did. I may never go back to bottled, even if tired. Super easy and the perfect balance of flavors!
I don’t add in the Worcestershire sauce, but I do add onion powder. This recipe looks like a nice alternate flavor of tarter sauce. I will be trying this. Thanks
All I want is the recipe for homemade tarter sauce
Super simple to make tasted awesome made it to go with my southern fried catfish!
Yum! Thank you for the review. We are so glad this recipe complemented your catfish!
Awesome stuff! I was in a pinch and had to make it with bottled lemon juice and dried dill so I can imagine how good it is with fresh ingredients. As for the best mayo in my opinion the answer is always Duke’s. 😊
Thank you, Jeremy!
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Good recipe! This is the second time I’ve made it. Goes nice with my fried pollock.
Delicious! My whole family loved it with our Salmon! Thanks for posting this recipe I’ve searched and searched for the perfect Tartar Sauce and this one is it.
I tweaked it a little bit, add a little more pepper, dill weed and lemon juice.
We LOVED it!
So easy to make, no reason to ever buy tartar sauce again.
One of the best tartare sauce that I have tried. It is so easy to make and so simple. I will never use storebought tartar sauce again. Thank you!
This recipe was a total life saver! I forgot to pick up our usual bottled version and was in a pinch. Let me say, I will no longer being needing the store bought kind anymore. Loved it!
It’s delicious! Can’t ever compare homemade to store bought! 🙂
This is a really good dill dip and is great on fish sandwiches
I add fine chopped onion in mine also
I love tartar sauce! This looks so delicious and yummy! Can’t wait to try this!
Love how easy this recipe is. It’s perfect for our family!
We go through tartar sauce like it was going out of style in this house, so I’ll definitely make this one, so creamy and so EASY!
This is such an easy tartar sauce recipe!! I actually never made it at home before because I thought it was hard – but now I will be making it all the time. Love it with my fish sticks!
Have tried so many tartar sauce recipes. This one is the best!
This is the best tartar sauce I have ever made. Everyone commented on how good it was. Easy. The dill weed gives it the added flavor.
This recipe is so easy and tastes amazing. Love it!
I forgot the 5 star rating in my posting!
Wow. Super easy since I typically have these ingredients on hand. I can make as tart and spicy to suite my family and guests tastes. Definitely a keeper.
So glad you liked it! Thanks Rachel!
Yum!! Who doesn’t love tartar sauce? I made this but w just a couple of changes. I used dill pickle juice in place of the lemon juice and omitted the minced pickle (prob cuz I’m lazy-ish). I also added about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp minced dried onion. Fresh would be good but again, I’m lazy-ish. Turned out quite yummy. Can’t wait for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing great recipe.
This is a great recipe! I think it would be fine “as is”, but I did add minced onion, a touch of garlic onion, and a splash of hot sauce. Used everything else in the recipe, too. Super yummy!
My comment should say “garlic powder”, not “garlic onion.” LOL
Been looking for a good tartar sauce recipe! Thank you so much. Cannot wait to make this at home.
So excited for you to try it! Let us know what you think!
OMG ! I don’t know if you Know that Hellmans stopped making there tartar sauce( My Fav ). But they have. I called them and it has been De listed. Which means they no longer make it. I have been trying all other brands none to my liking. Well I came across your site and what a find ! It is Soooooo Gooood ! Did use Dill relish and drained the juice out. Also used Dried Dill. Let it stand over night. WoW ! Had that with my Panko Breaded Cod and Steward tomatoes. Thank You !
Thank you so much for sharing! We have never had the Hellman’s tartar sauce before but I am glad this is a good substitute for it! Thanks for letting us know!
What’s your go-to pickle choice? I know a lot of people like vlasic but I can’t stand that vinegary taste. I usually get something lacto-fermented like Bubbie’s pickles. I decided to make my own tartar sauce because we eat so much fish at home that we practically go through a store-bought bottle of tartar sauce every week. Thanks for sharing, it was delicious!
We’ve used a few different kinds – usually just whatever is on hand or on sale! So glad you like this recipe!
For those who are looking for Best Foods as listed before Hellman’s, and can’t find it (or vice versa), they are the same. Hellman’s Eastern US, Best Foods Western US. Same company, same label, different brand name but same company. I have heard Duke’s is the best, but only in the southern states, so I never had it, would like to try it. But Best Foods/Hellman’s better than Kraft IMO. Don’t use Miracle Whip, too sweet.
Anyway, made a real simple sauce tonight, just eyeballed a portion of Hellman’s, diced up a few lager pieces of Vlasic’s “Ovals” Hamburger Dill Chips, and a little red onion, both diced fairly fine. Added a dash of garlic powder and powdered paprika. Mixed well, let set 20 minutes before use, even that better than bottled. I forgot a dash of Worcestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrins brand), but still came out pretty good. No mustard or lemon juice added, I think mayo already has lemon juice in it?
Had no dill pickles or pickle relish as we’ve always used my late wife’s much loved home made zucchini relish on anything requiring relish, so I used it in this recipe – what a wonderful, flavourful surprise – better than any other tartar sauce I’ve had, homemade or commercial.
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
I’ve been using plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Much better for you and no one can tell the difference. Even use it on baked potatoes too! I’ve always used sweet relish but going to make it with dill. Thanks for all the ideas!
Thanks, Ann! What a great substitution!
love tartan sauce but never made it .so thanks I will defo be making this. one ..
Ya”ll try any of the above – plus: chopped egg yolk / white (instead of black) pepper. Will never go back !
Never heard of using egg yolk– will definitely give it a try! Thanks!
Hellmans? Y’all must be damn Yankees. The only mayo that exists is Duke’s by God mayo.
Try adding a dash of Worcestershire. Very good too.
I just go by Luby’s and buy some. Can not be any better!
My momma, from Blevins, Ark., only fed us dill tarter sauce. We did, and still do, eat it right out of the container! Who needs fish? Right! Here you go….do ENJOY!!!! 1 1/2 C Best foods Mayo, 1small jar baby dills, chopped to you’re liking, 1/2 a white onion chopped fine, less if it is strong, a clove or two of garlic,chopped fine, a sprig or two of fresh dill fronds chopped fine, a bit of fresh ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon from the tree in the backyard. Chill awhile. Ready to eat on its own, also wonderful with fried fish!! .. Fresh is best but I’ve made do with what I’ve had and its the best.I’m 52 and have never eaten store bought…Thank you my momma…Geta Jo Theobolt Hershberger. I love YOU! Your daughter… Trina Clarise Hershberger-Roszell
I have an uncle who is a chef, and when he taught me to make tartar sauce he used shallot instead of onion or garlic. Try it!
i love this recipe!! So simple and very tasty!! How long does it keep in the fridge?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! It should last about 2 weeks in the fridge.
I really enjoy this homemade tartar sauce.
Me too, and I LOVE this one!
Recipe is great. One thing I always do on mayo recipes is go halves with sour cream. Makes it a little ‘cleaner/less heavy’ taste or whatever.
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing the tip!
I agree with adding the minced capers and onion. Penzey’s makes a nice mix called Sunny Paris and I also add some of that. So good!
YUM! Great idea! I love the idea of capers!
Finely minced onions, and minced capers are a must for tartar sauce—add them next time you make this and see!
Great idea! I’ll try it!
I just use mayo and sweet pickle relish, its great. I always put lemon on seafood, but I will try it in the tarter sauce and in one of the comments it said capers, that sounds great also.
I love, love, LOVE homemade tartar sauce! I also prefer dill to sweet, and I add finely minced sweet onion, some finely chopped capers, and a little dried tarragon, crushed between my fingers…and it is KICK butt good
This is wonderful, but I added just a tad of grated onion too. An alternate sauce I learned on a trip to the Philippines that is quite good for fish, and a nice change once in a while is:
1/2 cup good Mayo, 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic (very finely minced or pressed thru garlic press). That’s all. Just mix well together and since the Mayo and mustard are already kept in the frig the mix is ready to serve. Hope you will give it a try.
Oh yea, I’m going to try this tonight!!! Just got back from a fishing trip in Fla. fresh Snook…
Thank you so much for this recipe. I added garlic and onion powder. Had to use lime juice because I didn’t have lemon juice, but it still turned out amazing!
Instead of chopping up pickles I just use relish, and one day we were out of relish and my daughter had to eat store bought tarter sauce and she was like this is the worst stuff ever. I think it’s one of those things when you start making home made you can’t go back to store bought
SO TRUE!
And I use dill relish. I think it cuts a lot of the prep time and it’s perfect!