Easy 4 Ingredient Tartar Sauce

Making 4 ingredient tartar sauce is so incredibly simple. It’s delicious and a perfect pairing to your favorite seafood dishes.

This recipe is easy to make using things you often already have in your pantry making it great for when you need some in a hurry. 

Why This Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe Works 

I love the creaminess of the mayonnaise and the freshness of the herby dill. Also, the dill pickles help to add some great texture that I just love.

Making your own allows you to have more control over your flavor allowing you to decide just how much seasonings your tartar sauce will have to fit your flavor needs so you can customize it in so many ways. 

Groceries Needed For This Tartar Sauce Recipe

• Mayonnaise: Use your favorite brand of mayo for this recipe.
• Dill pickles: I prefer to use dill pickles without garlic, but if you’re a garlic fan, I highly recommend you use those pickles!
• Fresh dill: I love to use fresh dill for this recipe, but if you don’t have access to fresh, dried dill week works perfectly as well.
• Lemon juice: Fresh is best of course, but if you don’t have any fresh on hand, go ahead and use bottled.
• Salt and pepper: (Optional) Everyone has their personal preference for these flavors and depending on the saltiness of the pickles, it will depend on whether you use salt or not. Feel free to use white pepper if you have it on hand and don’t want dark specks from black pepper in the sauce.

How To Make This Sauce

1. Making this easy tartar sauce is a breeze. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, pickles, dill, and lemon juice.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine and check the flavors.
3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  

Tips And Variations

This sauce is an easy one to customize. While this sauce recipe is great if you want to make your own classic tartar sauce you can easily customize it to fit your preferences.

If you want to add a bit more brininess to the sauce, try adding some minced capers that make this condiment a bit more traditional.

Try adding a dash of paprika to twist the flavor up a bit or kick up the spice with a dash of cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes. This is a great option for those who looking to make a sauce that is unique to add to the condiment section at a party such as a fish fry or a backyard BBQ fish burger cookout.

If you want a homemade tartar sauce version that is milder and has less flavor so it works for kids or dishes you don’t want to overpower the flavor, simply leave out some of the dill and use fewer pickles.

What Can I Serve It With?

This four-ingredient tartar sauce is perfect for your favorite fish and chips, fish sandwiches, and even dipping your fries. Anything you love tartar sauce on, like my Air Fryer Salmon recipe for instance, you can use this homemade version and it will be the perfect fit.

Just like my Sweet Chili Pineapple Sauce, using a dollop on top of shrimp or tuna patties would be incredibly delicious as well as a nice condiment to serve alongside tuna casserole.

You can also use tartar sauce on your roasted veggies. Try using it as a dip for part of a veggie tray with raw baby carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli.

Tartar sauce makes a great condiment for sandwiches and is also a great option as a topping for baked potatoes or a mix-in to add flavor to loaded mashed potatoes.

Storing Your Tartar Sauce

While this recipe is so easy you can make up a small batch every time you need tartar sauce it is possible to make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.

In general, this recipe will last up to two weeks with proper refrigeration. Refrigeration is essential for this condiment so you should store it in an air-tight container. If you see some separation of the sauce with a bit of liquid sitting on the top, simply mix it back together by shaking the container or using a whisk before you use it.

Questions You Might Have

Mayo is so rich, how can I cut the calories?
This 4 ingredient tartar sauce is easily made in a way that reduces the calories. Try subbing in thick Greek yogurt or even sour cream for half the mayonnaise called for in the recipe.
Can I make this with all yogurt or sour cream?
Sure! I recommend using only Greek yogurt as it’s thicker and will give a nicer consistency to the sauce. Also, if you want to use all sour cream, then use a higher-fat option to mimic the richness of the mayonnaise.