This House Sauce is the perfect balance of creamy, salty, savory, and spicy. It's great as a dip, on burgers, sandwiches, meat, or fish. It uses simple ingredients and it can instantly elevate any dish!
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What's House Sauce?
House sauce is a delicious aioli that's made with mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, relish or pickle brine, and spices. It's also sometimes called secret sauce or original sauce at restaurants. A variation of this sauce is usually the go-to sauce for most burger places and it can instantly elevate any dish. You can use it as a dipping sauce or add it to burgers or sandwiches.
Why This Recipe Works
- It goes with everything - This can be your go-to sauce for everything! You can put it on burgers, sandwiches, or any protein, or serve it as a dip with fries or anything else!
- Easy and simple - This sauce doesn't call for any hard-to-find ingredients and it's really easy to put together. It's always my go-to because it's so simple and it's always a hit.
- It's versatile - This sauce is very forgiving as far as measurements and ingredients go. It's the best with everything added in the right amounts but if you don't have everything or the right amounts, it's still gonna be just as delicious and much won't change.
Ingredient Notes
- Mayonnaise - Mayo is a classic in this dip but you can also use Greek yogurt as a lighter option or a combination of the two. If you do use mayonnaise, I recommend coconut or avocado oil mayonnaise.
- Ketchup - This is what gives the sauce its pretty color and lots of flavor. Choose good quality ketchup.
- Worcestershire sauce - This adds umami flavor to the dip and I highly recommend adding it. If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, you can use tamari instead.
- Pickle brine - To keep the dip creamy and smooth, the recipe calls for pickle brine but if you prefer pickle relish, you can use that instead.
- Hot sauce - This one is optional but house sauce is usually at least a little spicy. I usually go with sriracha but you can use any hot sauce you like.
- Spices - Sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and garlic powder add lots of flavor to the sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making the sauce is really easy once you have all the ingredients ready. Simply add all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth. You can also make it ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
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Serving
What should you serve this sauce with? Everything! This sauce can be served anywhere you'd use ketchup or any other dipping sauce. Try it with these Cajun Fries or these Crispy Breakfast Potatoes. Besides serving it as a dip, you can use it as a sauce on burgers, sandwiches, meats, chicken, or roasted tofu.
Storing
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can even make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to eat. Just make sure the sauce is covered.
FAQs
I don't recommend it, the texture might be off after defrosting. This sauce is best eaten fresh.
Yes, you can store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
It usually has some kind of heat component and this recipe has a little bit of hot sauce too. You can adjust the amount based on your heat preference.
More Sauce Recipes
If you're looking for more dipping sauces or a sauce you could put on burgers, definitely give the four below a try! Even the avocado dressing can be used as a sauce because it's thick and creamy. Head over to the Dips, Dressings, and Spreads category to see all the latest dips and sauces.
- Tzatziki Sauce (a light classic with Greek yogurt)
- Chimichurri Sauce (a summer classic)
- Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce (perfect for Thanksgiving and the holidays)
- Avocado Green Goddess Dressing (great both as a sauce and a dip!)
📖 Recipe
House Sauce
This House Sauce is the perfect balance of creamy, salty, savory, and spicy. It's great as a dip, on burgers, sandwiches, meat, or fish.
- Total Time5 minutes
- Yield2-4 1x
- DietVegetarian
Ingredients
- â…“ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp pickle juice (or pickle relish)
- ½-1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ¼ tsp paprika powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together until combined. Add more hot sauce or spices to taste if desired.
- Serve immediately or transfer to the fridge to cool before serving.
Notes
Storing: Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I don't recommend freezing it.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Dip
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
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Sharon says
When I glanced over the recipe list for this sauce, I knew I had to make it when I saw pickle brine. It went perfectly on a burger and an extra side for dipping fries.
Kathryn says
This is such a great recipe especially because we use hot sauce all the time. Thanks for the tips and delicious alternative from the store-bought stuff.
Maggie says
I made this recipe. So easy. I served it with burgers, and we loved it.
Mikayla says
We were craving burgers and fries, so we made them and your sauce was the perfect compliment to both the burger and as a dip for our fries.
Amy says
Homemade sauces are the BEST! This one was so tasty on last night's burgers. I also used it as a dip for oven roasted fries ~ so good!
Bernice says
Great timing! I've been craving bbq burgers and fries and this sauce would be great to have with both!
Erin says
I made this and used it on burgers today. So good! We all loved it, thanks.
Alex says
I love the hot sauce addition! This was incredible on fries. Going to double it next time!
Tristin says
Mmm, loved the pickle brine and little bit of heat from the hot sauce. Very good on turkey burgers!
Jenny says
I’ve experienced this nice house sauce in restaurants and am delighted to now make it at home. We will use it on burgers and with chicken fingers. Yummy!