Whether you refer to it as special sauce, burger sauce, fry sauce, fancy sauce, or even secret sauce, this creamy and tangy sauce is one of the most versatile ways to add a burst of flavor to dinner. With everyday ingredients found in your fridge and pantry, it offers a medley of flavors to punch up burgers, fries, and more! This easy Special Sauce recipe takes only 5 minutes to make!
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What Makes this Creamy Condiment Unique?
The base of Special Sauce starts with a classic pink sauce of creamy mayonnaise and ketchup. This classic combination is elevated with a measure of briny dill pickle relish, zesty white vinegar, dried dill, and a dash of spice from Dijon mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper. The resulting sauce is creamy and tangy, offering a touch of sweetness and heat that makes this gourmet condiment thoroughly irresistible!
Ingredients Needed to Make Special Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Dill Pickle Relish
- Dijon Mustard
- White Vinegar (traditional distilled vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or Champagne vinegar)
- Dried Dill
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Cracked Black Pepper
Like an extra kick of heat?
Consider adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or a splash of Tabasco or sriracha hot sauce!
How to Make Special Sauce
Creating your own special sauce is a breeze! Follow these simple steps to craft this delectable homemade condiment that adds a burst of flavor to your dishes:
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, dill pickle relish, Dijon mustard, white vinegar, dried dill, paprika, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper (for an extra kick of heat, consider a pinch of cayenne, Tabasco, or sriracha).
- Using a small spatula, stir the ingredients until the sauce is fully combined.
- Once combined, store the sauce covered in the fridge until ready to use.
Customize this Easy Condiment to Your Tastes
Feel free to experiment with ingredient ratios to suit your taste preferences or use the specific measurements in the recipe card below. This flexibility allows you to create a delicious Special Sauce that perfectly matches your flavor preferences.
Creative Uses for Special Sauce
This incredibly versatile sauce is a flavorful addition to a wide range of dishes. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy this quick and easy Special Sauce recipe:
- This Burger Sald with Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs
- Smothered on top of traditional beef or turkey burgers
- On black bean or other vegetarian burgers
- On fish burgers or fried fish sandwiches
- As a dip for fried fish, shrimp, or calamari
- As a creamy condiment for french fries, potato wedges, roasted sweet potatoes, or crispy smashed potatoes
- As a spread for sandwiches -- It’s particularly good on Reuben sandwiches in place of the traditional Russian dressing, turkey melts, and tuna melts
- Drizzled on top of roasted root vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, onions, radishes, and rutabaga
Essential Tools for Making Special Sauce
- A kitchen scale (or measuring cups for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A small mixing bowl
- A small spatula
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More Delicious Sauce Recipes to Explore
Love this tangy and creamy Special Sauce recipe? Here are some more of my favorite quick and easy sauce recipes to add a punch of flavor to dinner!
- Lemon Herb Tartar Sauce
- Romesco Sauce
- Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- Honey Sriracha Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce
- Spicy Red BBQ Sauce
- Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Firewhisky BBQ Sauce
Special Sauce
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sauces & Savory Condiments
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Whether you refer to it as special sauce, burger sauce, fry sauce, fancy sauce, or even secret sauce, this creamy and tangy sauce is one of the most versatile ways to add a burst of flavor to dinner. With everyday ingredients found in your fridge and pantry, it offers a medley of flavors to punch up burgers, fries, and more! This easy Special Sauce recipe takes only 5 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 112 g (½ cup) mayonnaise
- 68 g (¼ cup) ketchup
- 30 g (2 tbsp) dill pickle relish
- 15 g (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
- 6 g (1 tsp) white vinegar (see notes for options)
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- Optional: For an added kick of heat consider a pinch of cayenne or a splash of Tabasco or Sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, dill pickle relish, Dijon mustard, white vinegar, dried dill, paprika, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper. If you're adding the optional cayenne or hot sauce, you can add it at this time as well.
- Using a small spatula, stir the ingredients until the sauce is fully combined.
- Once combined, store the sauce covered in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
8/10/23 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post. Previous version 8/20/19.
White vinegar options: Can use traditional distilled vinegar, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or Champagne vinegar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp
- Calories: 147
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 294 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
Misty says
Any idea how many total servings this makes?
Whip & Wander says
This recipe should make (roughly) 7 servings of 2 tbsp.
Diana says
Love the sound of this sauce, simple ingredients and so flavourful! Will definitely try this!
Valentina says
This would be so awesome to have at the ready at all times. I can think of so many things I'd drizzle it on. Smoked paprika is one of my favorite spices to use!
Erin says
This is one of my all-time favorite burger toppings. It is great o dip fries into too.
Megan Ellam says
I am a massive fan of making my own sauces. This one is a delicious recipe. Thanks so much for sharing Jenni!
Sara says
This sauce sounds pretty good to me! I would dip chicken or pretzel rods in this, or maybe add to a sandwich!