Fry sauce is a condiment found in just about every fast food establishment in some regions of the country. Legend has it this popular sauce originated in Utah at an Arctic circle in the 1940’s and is now quite popular throughout surrounding states, like here in Idaho. With only 3 ingredients, this easy sauce is something my family keeps stocked pretty much at all times. In addition to dipping fries and onion rings, we put it on all cheeseburgers and hot sandwiches. You’ll find many variations of this easy dipping sauce, but we like ours as simple as it gets: mayo, ketchup, and a little brine from a jar of dill pickles.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Mayonnaise – Use a good brand like Best Foods (Hellman’s) or Duke’s. This will work with low-fat mayo, but the mayonnaise you use will affect the final flavor.
- Ketchup
- Pickle juice – Dill pickle juice, straight from the pickle jar!
How to Make Easy Fry Sauce
- No special instructions here, just whisk it all up until smooth and use as desired!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished fry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend using within a couple of weeks for best results.
- You can play with ingredient ratios here to find your preferred amounts. Some people like equal amounts of ketchup and mayo.
- Some people like adding a couple of tablespoons of finely diced pickles to their fry sauce. It’s also pretty great with a big swig of BBQ sauce instead of (or in addition to) the ketchup. If you like things spicy, you might like a little sriracha in there, or to dress things up you could add a pinch or two of spices or herbs, like smoked paprika or fresh garlic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Some local drive-ins here include very finely chopped pickles in their fry sauce and it’s delicious.
Definitely! This will last at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.
This recipe is a basic one. Some fancier add-ins I’ve experienced at local restaurants include a touch of mustard, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, etc. Feel free to play around with the base and see what you can come up with! You might like this Grown-Up Dipping Sauce if you’re looking for an elevated fry sauce recipe. It includes spicy mustard, garlic, lime, capers, and cayenne pepper.
Easy Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup if you like yours more ketchup-heavy, feel free to add more. Some people like it as much as a 50/50 mayo-ketchup mix!
- 1 tablespoon juice from dill pickle jar
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Spread on burger buns or use as a dip for french fries or onion rings.
Notes
- Store finished fry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend using within a couple of weeks for best results.
- You can play with ingredient ratios here to find your preferred amounts. Some people like equal amounts of ketchup and mayo.
- Some people like adding a couple of tablespoons of finely diced pickles to their fry sauce. It’s also pretty great with a big swig of BBQ sauce instead of (or in addition to) the ketchup. If you like things spicy, you might like a little sriracha in there, or to dress things up you could add a pinch or two of spices or herbs, like smoked paprika or fresh garlic.
Questions & Reviews
This recipe was delicious! It was easy to make and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen!
Simple and yummy and of course I love pickle juice I added extra lol
So good! I tried a few recipes with a lot more ingredients like worcestershire sauce and did not like those at all but this is delish! I did add some salt and pepper.
I tried this recipe and it’s really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to try the recipe.
Until I moved to Utah a few years ago (from NC), I had never heard of fry sauce. It’s crazy to see that it’s everywhere in Utah. If you go back to McD’s Big Mac jingle about “two all beef patties, special sauce, …” The special sauce is just mayo, ketchup, and relish, which is essentially thousand island dressing. The main difference, I think, is that the relish is usually sweet whereas fry sauce uses dill.
Just tried this today, it was so yummy! I tried with both a 50/50 mayo to ketchup ratio, and one with more mayo than ketchup. I definitely think it tastes better with more mayo instead of an equal ratio!
We discovered fry sauce on a trip to Utah many years ago. When we first picked up our order we asked them what the pink stuff was, and before we left, we begged for the recipe. Though we’ve always made it with roughly equal amounts of mayo and ketchup. I’ll be interested to see what a more mayo heavy version like this one tastes like.