This deceptively simple burger sauce combines rich mayonnaise, sweet and sour ketchup, and salty mustard to create a complex balance of sweet, savory, and bright flavors. Pickle relish adds texture as well as sweetness. Freshly ground garlic and onion powder bring out the spring onion flavor, and Worcestershire sauce brings out the umami flavor.
This sauce can be slathered on a burger, drizzled on a patty, or spooned onto fries, making it a very versatile sauce.
Learn how to make burger sauce, the kind you’ll want to use on everything.
Main Ingredients for Burger Sauce
This burger sauce only requires classic pantry ingredients, so if you have those ingredients in your pantry or fridge you can make it right now.
- mayonnaise: We like Dukes, but use your favorite.
- ketchup: It adds the umami and sweetness of tomatoes. Please choose according to your taste. If you like it spicy, please use spicy ketchup.
- Sweet Pickle Relish: Sweet relish adds tartness, sweetness and a little crunch.
- Yellow Mustard: Bright, tangy mustard makes this sauce bright and tangy.
- Onion Powder: It adds depth of flavor without the fresh onions that can make the sauce watery.
- Worcestershire sauce: Packed with umami, Worcestershire sauce is perfect for adding extra complex flavor to your sauce.
- Black Pepper: For seasoning.
- Minced garlic: Fresh garlic has a pungent, intense flavor that makes it a great addition to meat dishes like burgers.
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Tory Cox
How to make burger sauce
This burger sauce recipe doesn’t require any special equipment, just grab a bowl and a spoon and mix all the ingredients together.
The sauce can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Variations and Alternatives
After you make this burger sauce for the first time, you can swap out some ingredients the next time you make it to personalize the sauce. Consider substituting the following ingredients:
- You can also substitute Creole mustard 1:1 for the yellow mustard – it will end up a little spicier and saltier, but still just as delicious.
- If you don’t have pickle relish but have bread and butter pickles on hand, you can chop them up and use them instead.
- We don’t recommend substituting sweet pickle relish for the dill pickle relish, as the sweetness and savory flavor of the relish are essential to balancing the sauce.
How far in advance can I make the burger sauce?
This burger sauce can be made the day before you plan to use it, allowing the flavors to blend even better the longer it sits.
How to Store Burger Sauce
The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
