McDonalds Tartar Sauce Recipe at Home: a Secret Revealed

This McDonald’s tartar sauce recipe is a crowd-pleaser, especially if you’re planning to serve some delicious seafood. No seafood? That’s okay, tartar sauce (or tartare sauce, depending on where you live.) pairs incredibly well with most dishes, is easy to make, and the ingredients are all fairly accessible. Trust us, you will have an easy time both preparing and eating this one.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• McDonalds Tartar Sauce Recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Comments

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise — 1 cup.
• Dill pickle relish — 3 tbsp.
• Sugar — 1 tsp.
• White onion — 3 tbsp., finely chopped.
• Salt and pepper — to taste.
• Lemon juice — 1 tbsp.

Instructions

1. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.

2. Only add half of the amount of dill pickle relish and half of the white onion.

3. Give it a good mix before transferring it to the blender.

4. Blend until smooth.

5. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining white onion and dill pickle relish.

6. Chill the sauce, covered, for a few hours before serving.

Substitutions

• Lemon juice — Lemon juice is great, and is an integral part of this McDonald’s tartar sauce recipe. The acidity balances the taste and takes your tartar sauce to another level. Lime juice is a good alternative, although keep in mind that lime juice tastes bitter compared to lemon juice’s sweeter taste. Your tartar sauce will differ in taste, though. If you’d like a deeper flavor, you might want to try white vinegar. The acidity is still there, but the taste is stronger and richer. Rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar would do the job as well.

• Mayonnaise — Mayonnaise would and should be the main ingredient in most tartar sauce recipes. If you want to customize your recipe, sour cream would be the ideal substitute for mayonnaise with a creamy and tangy flavor. Greek yogurt is another alternative, but it’s thicker, so your tartar sauce might have a different texture. Go easy with Greek yogurt. If you’re open to experimenting, avocado would be fine too. It too provides a nice creaminess with a cool flavor, much like avocado cream.

• Dill pickle relish — The original McDonald’s tartar sauce recipe calls for dill pickle relish, which brings a varied flavor that is tart and sour. Pickled onions are not only fairly accessible, but they also fit well in this recipe. Finely chop the pickled onions and you’re all set! Pickled jalapeno peppers are great too, packing some heat and providing a deeper flavor.

Variations

• Lemon herb — If you want to make a good lemon herb tartar sauce, add some minced fresh herbs and finish off with grated lemon zest.

• Spicy — If you’d like some heat, go ahead and grab some hot sauce and add a few drops to the mix. Tabasco would be fine, but cayenne pepper and chili powder would be even better. Just make sure that you don’t go overboard with these.

• Mustard — One or two tablespoons of Dijon mustard would add some extra flair to this recipe, and let’s not forget about yellow mustard either.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• Blender.

• Mixing bowl.

• Serving bowl.

Storage

• Transfer any leftover tartar sauce into an airtight container. It will last for up to 5-7 days in the fridge.

• You can also freeze it for 3-4 months.

Tips

• Adjust the ingredients — Though the McDonald’s tartar sauce recipe specifies the certain amounts to be used, keep in mind that you can always adjust the ingredients to taste. For example, you can increase the amount of lemon juice used for a tangier flavor. Add some extra dill pickle relish? Why not!

• Chill before serving — Do keep in mind that chilling your tartar sauce before serving will help the flavors to meld together and give it a better consistency.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment — Our recipe for McDonald’s tartar sauce comes with some cool and easy variations, so go ahead and try them. And who knows, maybe you’ll like one of those better than the basic version.

Frequently Asked Questions