Making your own tartar sauce is the best way to add creamy, tangy flavor to seafood and fried foods. This easy homemade tartar sauce recipe has just 4 ingredients, comes together in minutes, and is easy to customize to your taste.
Creamy, bright, and full of flavor, it's one of my favorite quick sauces to make. Along with my Easy Homemade Barbecue Sauce and Rustic & Hearty Marinara, it's one of my go-to sauce recipes with lots of easy ways to make it your own.
Best of all, you likely already have everything you need in your pantry or refrigerator, so you can make tartar sauce anytime.
🔍 Quick Look: Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Ready in: 5 minutes
- Servings: 8
- Calories: ~199 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Main Ingredients: Mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, fresh lemon, and chives
- Elements of Taste: Creamy, Sweet, Sour, & Savory
- Cook Method: No Cook- Just Mix and Chill
- Difficulty: Easy- Just stir together and chill.
- Why You'll Love It: Creamy, tangy, and ready in minutes, this easy homemade tartar sauce tastes far better than store-bought.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Tartar Sauce
The best tartar sauce recipe is the one you can make at home in minutes with simple pantry ingredients. Creamy, tangy, and just a little sweet, this homemade sauce tastes like the tartar sauce served at your favorite seafood restaurant.
- Ready in just 5 minutes
- Made with pantry-friendly ingredients
- Creamy, tangy, restaurant-style flavor
- Easy to customize to your taste
- Better than bottled tartar sauce
So, let's cook!
Ingredients & Easy Swaps
Here's what you need to make Homemade Tartar Sauce:
- Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip) - Mayonnaise makes the sauce creamy and rich. Use your favorite brand. If using Duke's mayonnaise, reduce the lemon slightly since it already has a tangy flavor.
- Sweet Pickle Relish - Adds sweetness, tang, and a little crunch. Drain excess liquid so the sauce stays thick. You can also use dill relish, finely chopped dill pickles, or sweet pickles.
- Fresh Lemon Zest & Juice - Lemon brightens the sauce and balances the richness. Fresh lemon gives the best flavor.
- Fresh Chives - Chives add mild onion flavor and freshness. You can substitute dill, tarragon, or dried chives if needed. (If using dried chives, allow extra chilling time so they soften and flavor the sauce.)
- Easy Ways to Customize Tartar Sauce
Easy Ways to Customize Tartar Sauce
- Capers: Add capers for briny flavor that pairs beautifully with fish.
- Green Olives: Swap for relish to make a Spanish-style tartar sauce.
- Dijon Mustard: Stir in a little Dijon for tangy depth.
- Hot Sauce: Add a few drops if you like a little heat.
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How to Make Tartar Sauce
Add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir well with a whisk or fork until combined.
For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips
A small kitchen strainer does a great job of draining the pickle relish well, which keeps the sauce thick. If the pickle liquid is thick, you can use a spoon to press it from the relish.
My Top Tip
♡ If using dried herbs instead of fresh, make the sauce at least 2 hours ahead. This gives the herbs time to soften and fully flavor the sauce.
What to Serve with Tartar Sauce
Homemade tartar sauce pairs beautifully with seafood, fried foods, and even simple side dishes. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- Fish Sticks & Fried Fish Fillets
- Fried Seafood
- Baked Salmon
- Crispy Fish Sandwiches
- Italian Marinated Shrimp
- Fish Tacos
- Crab Cakes
- Salmon Cakes or Patties
- Fried Calamari
- French Fries
What is Tartar Sauce?
Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment most often served with seafood and fried foods. Classic tartar sauce is usually made with mayonnaise, pickle relish or chopped pickles, and fresh herbs. It may also be enhanced with lemon, capers, chopped green olives, or hot sauce to complement different seafood dishes and add extra flavor.
Tartar Sauce Recipe FAQs
Tartar sauce gets its name from the French sauce tartare, first served with steak tartare-a dish inspired by the Central Asian Tatar people. Over time, the sauce evolved to include mayonnaise, pickles, capers, and herbs.
Lemon juice or lemon zest is the secret ingredient to make the best tartar sauce.
If using dried herbs, make the sauce 2 hours before serving to allow them to rehydrate and flavor the sauce.
Make-Ahead & Storage
- Make-Ahead: You can make tartar sauce earlier in the day and chill it until serving time. The flavor actually improves as the ingredients have time to blend together.
- Storage: Store leftover tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
More Delicious Sauces You'll Love
♡ Did you love this Homemade Tartar Sauce? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!
📖 Recipe
How to Make the Best Tartar Sauce
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing or Mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish, Drained Well
- 2 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives, Fresh or Dried
Instructions
- Combine. In a small bowl thoroughly combine all ingredients with a whisk or fork.1 Cup Miracle Whip Salad Dressing or Mayonnaise, 3 Tablespoons Sweet Pickle Relish, 2 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Lemon Zest, 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, 2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives
- Chill. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.
© 2018-2026 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.
Jim says
It's funny I just made some last weekend. I use Duke's plus chopped sweet onion. I chopped it real fine and 3 ingredient is sweet relish. I've been doing this for years.
Jan Nunes says
Hi Jim, Chopped sweet onion sounds delicious! We all have our favs for tartar sauce, right?😊
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan