Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (2024)

Learn how to make tangy fry sauce with a secret ingredient — it's sure to rival anything you've had at Crown Burger or Arctic Circle!

Jill Nystul·November 30, 2023


Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (2)

Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (3)

Years ago I posted about Mississippi Comeback Sauce, and it reminded me an awful lot of my favorite Utah-style fry sauce recipe! If you’ve ever eaten at a burger joint in Utah or Idaho (whether Crown Burger, Arctic Circle, Sconecutter, etc.), you may have already encountered fry sauce. It’s practically a state treasure, and definitely up there with thebest tasting condiments ever.

Utah-based burger chain Arctic Circle claims to have invented fry sauce in the 1940s, but combinations of ketchup and mayonnaise are not exactly unique! There’s an Argentinian version called “golf sauce” or salsa rosada, a German version called rott weiss (“red white”), and many others besides. Variations of this ketchup mayo sauce recipe are enjoyed worldwide!

Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (4)

It wasn’t until a friend of mine opened a hamburger joint not too long ago that I learned the key to making the best fry sauce at home. As odd as it might sound, it’s a super simple ingredient:pickle juice! The delicious tanginess of pickle juice (or pickle brine) elevates an otherwise pedestrian combination ofmayonnaise and ketchup into the creamy, savory fry sauce Utahns know and love.

Give this easy fry sauce recipe a try the next time you make homemade french fries or reheat leftover fries. (Bonus points if you make it with homemade mayo — it really makes a difference!)

How To Make Fry Sauce As A Dip Or Condiment

Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (5)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 3-4 tsp pickle juice
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Directions:

Mix together the mayo, ketchup, and onion powder in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add the pickle juice one teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition, to taste, then transfer your finished homemade fry sauce dip to an airtight container for storage.

You can use any kind of pickle juice, dill or sweet. They’ll have slightly different flavors, so experiment to find the one you find the tastiest. Trust me, both are fabulous!

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Storing And Using Homemade Fry Sauce

I like to make just enough fry sauce for a meal, but sometimes I end up with leftovers. Store leftover fry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

It makes a great dipping sauce for french fries and other foods, including smashed potatoes, potato wedges, onion rings, corn dogs, chicken wings, and jalapeño poppers. I love it with chicken nuggets too (though I won’t say no to a good honey mustard sauce!) You can dip most crispy snack foods into this amazing sauce!

We also like to use this homemade fry sauce recipe as a dressing or condiment — it makes a fantastic addition to burgers, hot dogs, and the like. It has a great sweet and tangy flavor as is, but occasionally I’ll stir in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for added umami.

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BONUS: Customize This Fry Sauce Recipe

The basic recipe is tried and true, but there are endless variations on fry sauce you can try if you want to expand your horizons. Some people swap out the ketchup for bbq sauce or chili sauce, while others use Miracle Whip rather than standard mayonnaise.

As I said before, you can also experiment with different pickle juices, spices, and other flavorings. You might want to add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar or even horseradish! You could swap the garlic powder for onion powder (or use a bit of both), or add a pinch of smoked paprika or cayenne pepper, a dash of hot sauce or tabasco sauce, some brown mustard or black pepper — the fry’s the limit!

If fry sauce sounds similar to thousand island dressing, that’s because it is — the biggest difference is the presence of pickle juice, rather than picklerelish. But you could use relish if you prefer, or swap out the juice or relish for apple cider vinegar. However you finish it off, this tangy mix of ketchup and mayo is sure to become your new favorite condiment!

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What’s your favorite dipping sauce for french fries?

Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (10)

Utah Fry Sauce Recipe

Jill Nystul

Forget ketchup—we Utahns only want one sauce alongside our fries, and that's fry sauce. It's easy to make once you know the secret ingredient.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 1652 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 3-4 tsp pickle juice

Instructions

  • Combine mayo, ketchup, and onion powder in a small bowl.

  • Add pickle juice one teaspoon at a time, to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 1652kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 4gFat: 168gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 100gMonounsaturated Fat: 38gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 2733mgPotassium: 392mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 761IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Read This Next

  • Uses For Pickle Juice: 7 Unexpected Things You Can Do With Pickle Juice
  • How To Make Mayonnaise: Easy Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe
  • Mississippi Comeback Sauce…the southern cousin to Fry Sauce!
Easy Homemade Fry Sauce Recipe (Utah Style) (2024)

FAQs

What is Idaho fry sauce made of? ›

Whisk together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise with sugar, salt, onion powder, ground mustard, and paprika until smooth. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Store covered in the refrigerator.

What is fry sauce made of? ›

Fry sauce is a condiment often served with French fries or tostones (twice-fried plantain slices) in many places in the world. It is usually a combination of one part tomato ketchup and two parts mayonnaise.

What is mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together? ›

What Is Mayo Ketchup? A staple of the Puerto Rican table, Mayo Ketchup is also a popular condiment in many different countries, where it can be known as fry sauce, salsa rosada, or pink sauce. The combination of mayonnaise and ketchup creates a rich and creamy dressing with slightly honeyed and tart notes.

What is Mormon fry sauce? ›

For those unfortunate souls who don't know what fry sauce is, it's actually pretty likely that you've had something very similar. In its basic version, fry sauce is nothing more than ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together (traditionally one part ketchup to two parts mayonnaise), to form a brand new condiment.

Why is fry sauce only in Utah? ›

The 2002 Utah Olympics also played a role in cementing fry sauce as a Utah-specific food, Eliason says, as Utah searched for a state-identity that didn't necessarily involve religion. “Out of those kind of discussions emerged fry sauce, Jell-O, scones—all of these kinds of Utah-distinctive foods,” Eliason says.

What's the difference between fry sauce and Thousand Island dressing? ›

Fry sauce is “slightly sweet, totally creamy, with just a hint of tang from the vinegar,” according to food blog Buns in My Oven. Thousand Island, on the other hand, usually has chunky mix-ins involved, like pickles and onions, as Eater notes.

Is fry sauce a Midwest thing? ›

Believed to be invented by a Utah burger chain operator in the 1950s, fry sauce outside of Utah has as many different names as it does variations, including Russian dressing and hamburger sauce or even “salsa golf” — the term used in Argentina.

Why did Burger King stop selling fry sauce? ›

I went to Burger King about a week ago, (of the time this is being posted) and they said it was discontinued because it wasn't very popular. Well to me, it was the best thing they've ever brought out onto the market.

How do you thicken fry sauce? ›

Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.

Is fry sauce the same as yum yum sauce? ›

the ultra-simple mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise. that you can use as a dipping sauce for French fries. Yum Yum sauce could be viewed as the upgraded. version of fry sauce.

What is the key ingredient in a sauce? ›

The main ingredients used in sauce making are, flour or thickening agent, fat, liquid and flavourings. Generally, a soft flour with a low gluten content is used, for example plain flour and cornflour. When flour is mixed with a liquid and heated in a sauce the mixture will thicken. This is known as gelatinisation.

What is mayo and mustard called? ›

Mayonnaise with mustard is called sauce rémoulade. It is well known in French cooking.

What is it called when you mix ketchup and mustard? ›

MustKetch® is so much more than just Mustard and Ketchup. Discover new food pairings and unlock the unlimited potential of your two favorite condiments!

What is ketchup mayo and mustard called? ›

Chicago Fry Sauce or Philly Fry Sauce is also similar, but has ketchup and mayo, with mustard and a splash of brine from your pickle jar.]

What is Utah's state sauce? ›

What is It? For those unfamiliar with fry sauce, many people in the great state of Utah would deem fry sauce as the ultimate dipping sauce and condiment. There are many variations to the recipe nowadays, but, in its simplest form, it is a mixture of equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise.

Do other states have fry sauce? ›

It's a very simple sauce- two parts mayonnaise, one part ketchup, and an array of spices. "Well I always mix ketchup and mayo for my fries!" you might say. But if you're not from Utah or Idaho, you probably haven't had the processed, additive-laden sultry goodness of "real" fry sauce.

Is fry sauce the same as Thousand Island? ›

How have we never heard about this stuff?! Fry sauce fans will be quick to tell you that while it may look similar, fry sauce is NOT the same as Thousand Island dressing. Fry sauce is “slightly sweet, totally creamy, with just a hint of tang from the vinegar,” according to food blog Buns in My Oven.

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