Try this homemade tartar sauce, and you’ll never want store-bought again. This has amazing flavor and texture with every bite. It’s perfect as a dip for fish sticks, crab cakes, or a spread for seafood sandwiches.
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Homemade Tartar Sauce
I was frustrated with store-bought tartar sauce; one disappointing can after another. Solution: homemade tarter sauce. Making your own is really easy. It’s fresh and amazing for these salmon cakes fish sticks or breaded fish fillets.
My Aunt Anna taught me how to make this Tartar Sauce recipe – she learned it in culinary school, and this is the recipe they made in their restaurant. I’ve probably made this a hundred times, and my fishstick-loving teenage son makes it regularly. It’s our go-to because it’s so easy to make, has simple ingredients and keeps really well in the fridge.
See those fish sticks in the photo – yeah, those are from Costco. Maybe one day, I’ll make my own fish sticks, but for now, these are really good (the Trident brand). Sometimes, I find that I eat more tartar sauce than fish sticks (sounds gross, but this sauce is THAT GOOD!). This recipe stays fresh in the fridge for a few days.
Tartar Sauce Video
Watch my easy video tutorial, and you’ll have this recipe memorized in no time!
Ingredients for Tartar Sauce
- Real Mayonnaise – you can use your favorite storebought mayo or homemade mayonnaise
- Dill pickles – I prefer baby dills for extra crunch since they have more surface area.
- Dill (or) Parsley – you can use fresh or frozen – it adds freshness.
- 1 tsp lemon juice – freshly squeezed is best
- 1 tsp sugar – this balances the sauce, but you can add it to taste
- Pepper – freshly cracked smells and tastes the freshest
- Onion – it’s 2 Tbsp of chopped onion, and it’s optional (I usually skip it when I’m feeling lazy to chop an onion).
How to Make Tartar Sauce
This is really complicated, so pay attention. Are you ready?…
1. Combine everything in a mixing bowl and give it a good stir. Done!
Serve Tartar Sauce With
There are so many great uses for Tartar Sauce, from a dipping sauce to sandwiches. Outside of fish sticks, we love it with:
- Crab Cakes
- Shrimp Cakes
- Fish Tacos
- Salmon Patties
- Onion Rings
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Grilled Salmon Sandwich
Storing Tartar Sauce
Homemade Tartar Sauce keeps really well in the refrigerator. Transfer to an airtight container or jar and refrigerate. It is best enjoyed within 1 week but can last up to 2 weeks.
Tartar Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp dill, fresh or frozen, OR 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add more lemon juice or pickles if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Awesome recipe for our almond bread crum cod fish!!!
Thank you!!
You’re welcome Carlos! That’s a great combo! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow, awesome! Will NEVER buy store bought again. I used dill pickle relish and strained the juice and I used dill! LOVE!!!
YAY! That makes me happy! Thank for sharing your wonderful review Maryann 🙂
Excellent recipe. I will not buy store bought tartar sauce again. The sauce was tangy and very fresh. Used fresh dill.
YAY! I’m so glad to hear this!! Thanks for sharing Aimee 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, Natasha! I’ve tried it and the taste never fail me. It’s so savory.
You’re welcome Rachel! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
I was always a fan of the original Morrison’s Cafeteria tartar sauce so I followed your recipe but added 1/4 cup of finely grated cabbage. Absolutely delicious. It also helps to refrigerate it for several hours before serving it. Going to try the capers in my next batch. No more store bought terrible tartar sauce for this guy.
Thanks
That does sound delicious! Thanks for sharing Sandy 🙂
I mad this recipe yesterday. This was hands down THE BEST tartar sauce I ever had. I left out the pepper but did everything else to the t and added the onions. I had sliced dill pickels so I diced those up. The sugar did not make it sweet at all. It was perfect. My husband said it was the best he ever had and wants to try it with fried catfish! Can’t wait. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome Brandi! I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the sauce recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, Natasha! I’ve been looking for a good Tartar Sauce recipe, and your’s looks perfect! Did you use Sweet or Dill Pickles?
They were dill pickles 🙂 I hope you LOVE it! 🙂
We don’t use tarter sauce often so I don’t normally have it on hand. But when needed I mix mayo with sweet relish and maybe a squeeze of lemon juice if on hand. It’s pretty good! Will definitely have to try this one 🙂
I hope you love it!! It really does come together so quickly 🙂
can’t stand mayo. would salid dressing ( miracle whip) work instead?
Hi Tracy, I haven’t tried it with Miracle Whip so I can’t really say if it would taste as good.
It works with sweet pickles but not with dill.
I loved this recipe! I made it this morning for the fresh clam strips I breaded and fried. It is delicous. Thank you! I have another tartar sauce recipe that I made up years ago that I would like to share. I was out of a main ingredient which is why I looked for another one.
Mine has mayo, onions, minced parsley and I use capers and caper juice instead of pickles. I add just a pinch of sugar. Salt and pepper. Anyway I am loving your site and I plan on making your homemade chicken nuggets tomorrow.
I love the idea of using capers and caper juice! Thank you so much for sharing that with me 🙂
Doesn’t get any easier than this recipe!
Trying it out this weekend with some cod.
Mmm this is great with cod! You’re making me very hungry! 🙂
We usually don’t eat much tartar sauce but if I whipped this up, how long do you think it would stay good in the fridge?
It should stay good for a 3-5 days covered in the fridge. Just give it a stir before serving.
Thanks for the recipe, my husband had a fish restaurant for many years and was known for his tartar sauce, (love it on hush puppies) think he put a little garlic powder in his and always dill relish and he used heavy duty mayo. Don`t remember all the ingredient, think I can take your recipe and sub a few things and come up with a very good recipe. Thanks a million.
You’re very welcome :).
I love this recipe. I don’t like sweet tartar sauce so I always use dill pickles and skip the sugar. Sometimes I also add a bit of chopped capers.
Thank you for the great review, I like the idea of chopped capers :).
This is a great recipe and I will be making this at the weekend. Thank you for sharing Natasha.
You are welcome Tony, I would love to hear how it turned out :).
This was absolutely delicious! I didn’t have any fresh parsley or fresh dill on hand so I just sprinkled a little dried parsley and dill weed in it. My husband even liked it and he hates tartar sauce! It compliments those delicious Costco fish sticks perfectly! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Cabrera, thank you for the great review and you are welcome :).
YOUR A STAR!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love tartar sauce with beer battered fried fish.. Yum…
Natasha, yours look very delicious and refreshing 🙂
I’ve tried beer battered stuff at restaurants, but never cooked with it myself (maybe too embarrassed to be seen buying it 😉 )
I can see that starting rumors! 🙂
Hahaha yeah… I bought rum once at a liquor store for a cake and felt so embarrassed walking out with a bottle in a paper bag :-O
Yum, I love tarter sauce with crab cakes…gona have to make both one of these days..
tartar sauce + crab cakes = savory lusciousness (I’m running out of ways to say “awesome”)
Yumm! Love tartar sauce 🙂 sometimes i make it with sweet relish, which substitutes for the pickles and the lemon juice…the relish has to be from Costco though! Thanks for all you do Natasha! Your recipes are absolutely fantastic and soo good!! :)) God bless you!
Thank you!! Oh my gosh, why didn’t I think of that?? That’s even easier than chopping pickles. Everything is better from Costco 🙂
I forgot to mention, when using relish, also omit the sugar since relish is already sweet…everything else is exactly the same 🙂
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks Yana!