A couple years ago, I got tired of always pulling a bottle of expired tartar sauce out of my pantry. I swear the stuff has the shortest shelf life!
So I decided to start to make my own homemade tartar sauce.
You know what? It was even easier than I thought. And since I had complete control over the ingredients, I could make it low carb: keto tartar sauce!
Ingredients needed
- Mayo
- Dill pickle (and some pickle juice from the jar)
- Lemon juice
The beauty of this is, these are ingredients I always have on hand. I can literally just throw this together in under 5 minutes while my salmon patties or potato crusted cod are cooking.
How to make homemade tartar sauce
Chop the pickle and place it in a bowl. Add everything else and mix it up.
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Easy-peasy.
Variations for this easy tartar sauce
With the right mayo, this keto tartar sauce is low carb, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free and sugar-free. If you'd rather go low-fat, then use a reduced fat mayo.
Fresh squeezed lemon juice gives the sauce a bright and fresh taste, but I will confess that I keep bottled lemon juice around for emergency back up and it has certainly been used for this tartar sauce. If you want to make tartar sauce without lemon juice, just substitute a little more pickle juice to compensate.
If you don't usually keep dill pickles around, then maybe pick up some dill pickle relish. Not the sweet relish - you want the dill version. Since it's already chopped, that will make things even quicker. However, you don't really have access to the juice in relish, so you'll probably have to play with the proportions a little. Start with 2 tablespoons of relish and be prepared to make adjustments.
In the instructions I state to take a quick taste once everything is mixed. The tartar sauce should have a distinct tang, and not taste overwhelmingly of any one of the flavors. This is the perfect time to add a bit more pickle juice, lemon juice or mayo as needed. It's very, very simple.
Once you've made your own easy tartar sauce, you'll never want the stuff from the store again!
📖 Recipe
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Keto Tartar Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 medium dill pickle approx 2 oz
- 1 Tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop pickle into very fine pieces.1 medium dill pickle
- Place chopped pickle in a bowl with all other ingredients and stir together.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon pickle juice, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Taste and adjust as preferred.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Monica
This was spectacular I tried another recipe before it actually had more ingredients but yours was really top notch it is a keeper for me way more flavorful and I really enjoyed it with my salmon croquettes I can just imagine how wonderful it would be with other seafood recipes as well.
Sula
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing!
Beth
My hubby and I love this sauce! So delicious and went perfectly with our fish the other night! Definitely keeping this recipe on hand!
Sula
Its so much easier than trying to keep yet another condiment in stock at all times!
Biana
So simple to make, and looks so delicious! Will be great with some fish tacos.
Sula
Oh yes, fish tacos are delicious with this tartar sauce!
Chenée
So glad I found this! I have all these ingredients to try it this week!
Sula
That's a definite factor, a short ingredient list and I have everything on hand 99% of the time - no need to run to the store for tartar sauce!
Serena
This is such a great idea. I'm with you, every time I pull the tarter sauce out it's expired. So simple to make.
Sula
Yes! I hate that waste of an expired condiment. Making it yourself is easier and BETTER.
Anjali
I had no idea tartar sauce was so easy to make at home! I can't wait to give your recipe a try! 🙂
Sula
I hope you do, it's easy and good!