Recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce – Growing up, my mom made a simple recipe for homemade Tartar Sauce by mixing together Hellman’s mayonnaise and dill relish she canned from the garden.
If you love classic homemade tartar sauce, then you’re going to fall in love with the fresh dill and garlic I’ve added to this classic recipe. Plus, we use clean mayonnaise and toss the soybean and canola oil one from the grocery store.
Recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce is Great on Chicken or Seafood Recipes
This cream and delicious recipe for homemade tartar sauce is the perfect dipping sauce for chicken or seafood recipes. Especially fish recipes.
It pairs perfectly with our Fish Cakes but you can easily pair with our Crab Cake Recipe or these Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets.
Be creative and make a batch of this dipping sauce and use it for classic simple recipes for a dill, garlic zing!
How to Make the BEST Recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce
The best recipe for homemade Tartar Sauce starts with the best ingredients. We skip the store-bought mayo and make our own. Plus, we use fresh ingredients to increase the nutrients of this classic dip.
#1: Use Homemade Mayo instead of Store Bought
Homemade mayo can be absolutely delicious. Ivy Larson, founder of Clean Cuisine created this recipe a few years ago and is one of the most widely visited recipes on our site. A few weeks ago, someone commented that it tasted like Duke’s, and boy was she right.
So, if you’re a fan of Hellman’s or Duke’s, you will be pleasantly surprised by the amazing flavor. I am working on a avocado oil homemade mayo with pastured eggs. Subscribe by email to our newsletter so you don’t miss this recipe!
#2: Use Fresh Garlic, Dill and Parsley
I know that dill is not always in season or easy to grab locally. So you can use dried dill instead. Just be sure to crush the dill a bit between your fingers to liven the flavor a bit.
But fresh garlic and parsley are almost always available. Fresh garlic is a wonderful antiviral and anti-inflammatory food. This recipes only calls for a little bit, but if you’re brave and want more health benefits from it – add a few more cloves! Garlic can also help to boost you immune system.
#3: Dill Relish – Canned or Store Bought without Additives
It seems that some food manufacturers are waking up a little bit to the idea that we want and demand fresh food. You can now buy organic dill relish with limited ingredients. Of course, the best way is to make homemade canned relish like I had growing up as a kid. Look for a recipe without refined sugar!
#4: Add a Little Spicy Zing with Sriracha
Sriracha has become one of my favorite new additions to dipping sauces. Ever since I added a bit of sriracha to my Lump Crab Cake Dipping Sauce, I have been adding it to so many recipes.
Of course, if you’re not a fan of the spicy zing, leave it out!
Compare to Kraft Tartar Sauce
I’m not sure there’s even a comparison between our homemade recipe for tartar sauce and the store bought Kraft Tartar Sauce.
Here’s the ingredients listed on the side of the store bought sauce:
Ingredients
VINEGAR, WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, PICKLES, SUGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, DRIED ONIONS, EGG YOLKS, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, MUSTARD FLOUR, XANTHAN GUM, SPICES, ONION JUICE CONCENTRATE, PAPRIKA, POLYSORBATE 80, DRIED GARLIC, PHOSPHORIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FRESHNESS).
Let me just say — I am not sure which is worse, soybean oil or canola oil but please just skip any store bought items that contain one or the other. Why? Well, because they are the most inflammatory oils and have terrible side effects associated with them.
Our list of Healthy Cooking Oils will help you understand what we use instead and why we skip soybean and canola oils all together.
Why We Make Healthy Dips
Healthy dips are just better for you because you get to decide the ingredients. In addition, you don’t have to justify that you can eat “a little bit of this… or that” and feel the affects of inflammation or gut issues later.
Our healthy dipping recipes and sauce recipes really are better for you. We only use whole ingredients that are savory, satisfying and healthy. Here’s some of my favorites:
- Lemon Sauce for Chicken or Fish
- Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Chipotle Sauce
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
Recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce
The best tasting recipe for Homemade Tartar Sauce is healthy and perfect with fish!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups prepared vegan mayo or homemade mayo
- 1/2 cup dill relish
- 2 teaspoons sriracha*
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- In a small batter bowl, add the 2 cup of prepared mayo or unsweetened coconut yogurt with the relish and sriracha, if using.
- To the mayo, whisk in the olive oil and lemon juice. Then add the minced garlic, onion powder, dried dill and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Fold in the fresh parsley.
- Add any additional seasonings to taste.
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Notes
*We LOVE spicy in our house and typically add 1-2 tablespoons of sriracha to this recipe for homemade Tartar Sauce. Add a little bit and taste. If you want it spicier, add a little more.
Carol
Wednesday 10th of January 2024
Do you add the dill relish to the mayo in step two with the other ingredients?