Fry sauce is the creamy, tangy dipping sauce most famously served with French fries in the west, especially Utah. This easy fry sauce recipe comes together in minutes using simple pantry ingredients and tastes even better after chilling.
What is Fry Sauce?
Fry sauce is similar to the pink-ish special sauces you may find at fast food chains throughout the United States. It may also remind you of Thousand Island dressing.
It’s often spread on burgers but it makes a great dipping sauce, too.
The sauce itself is a mixture of ketchup, mayo, mustard and a few other simple ingredients. The tangy sweetness of the sauce is balanced by the creamy mayo while minced dill pickles add a bit of texture, too.
Gather This
Since you’ll likely have these simple fry sauce ingredients already, you can stir together this sauce any time you’re in the mood for it! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Mayonnaise – Use the brand that you prefer or make your own homemade mayonnaise.
- Plain ketchup – You can also make your own ketchup, or just buy a bottle from the grocery store.
- Dill pickles
- Apple cider vinegar
- Yellow mustard
- Ground black pepper
- Sugar
- Fine sea salt
Variations
We think this tangy fry sauce recipe is a pretty good copycat of what you may find in restaurants, but you can change it up for your own taste buds.
- Worcestershire sauce – For a bit of umami flavor, shake in a little of this delicious sauce.
- Heat – To give it a little kick, add your favorite hot sauce, red pepper flakes, or some cayenne pepper.
- Garlic powder – For some garlicky flavor, sprinkle in a little bit of this.
- Pickle juice – If you love pickles, try adding a bit of pickle juice to the sauce.
- Onion powder – For oniony flavor, add a few dashes of onion powder.
- Barbecue sauce – Substitute barbecue sauce for some or all of the ketchup for a unique flavor profile.
How to Make Fry Sauce (Step-by-Step)
You are going to love how easy it is to make your new favorite condiment!
- Combine ingredients. Place the mayo, ketchup, pickles, vinegar, mustard, pepper, sugar and salt to a small food processor or bowl.
- Whisk to combine. Blitz or whisk until well combined.
- Serve or chill. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Perfect Pairings
Dipping french fries in this fry sauce is an obvious choice, given its name but it’s not for just fries. But you can use it in lots of other different ways.
- Potatoes – Spoon this sauce over hashbrowns, dip roasted or air fryer potato wedges into it, or liven up mashed or baked potatoes with it. And don’t forget to dunk tater tots in it, too.
- Chicken – This is a good sauce for dipping chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, or chicken strips.
- Vegetables – Dip carrot sticks or celery into this sauce.
- Burgers – Spread this on the buns for hamburgers, turkey burgers, and veggie burgers.
- Hot dogs – Don’t let the burgers hog the sauce at a cookout — add it to hot dogs, brats, and other sausages.
- Onion Rings – This is a perfect dipping sauce for crunchy onion rings.
More Delicious Sauces
I love adding a homemade sauce to nearly any meal or snack. It’s a great, easy way to elevate flavors.
Fry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons dill pickles . minced or relish
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Dash of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Place the mayo, ketchup, pickles, vinegar, mustard, pepper, sugar and salt to a small food processor or bowl. Blitz or whisk until well combined.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings sections.
Notes
How to Store Fry Sauce
Leftover fry sauce can be stored for up to a week so it’s perfect to make ahead and use all week long. Store fry sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.Can I Freeze Fry Sauce?
We do not recommend freezing mayonnaise-based saucesNutrition
Fry sauce is right down my alley being from Utah. This recipe met my expectations (which are very high)! Thank you so much, it was delicious!!
Oh wow! I definitely see this becoming my favorite sauce for fries. The flavor sounds fantastic and so easy too with just 5 minutes.
I love french fries and love to vary my condiments for them. This will be my go to recipe now! It’s so good and flavorful. Thanks for the recipe!
My daughter and I make something similar for fries, only we don’t use vinegar. I can’t wait to try it that way!
I can’t wait to give this a try. I already make a simplified version of this, so I know I’m going to love it.