Homemade tartar sauce is bright, tangy, and so easy to make! If you’re craving fish and chips, you can’t forget the homemade tartar sauce on the side!

Homemade tartar sauce garnished with a sprig of dill in a white serving bowl with lemon wedges on the side

You may be thinking to yourself, “why would I make tartar sauce when I could just buy it from the store? It’s only $4 after all.” We’re here to tell you that store bought tartar sauce is just not very good. It’s fine, it will do in a pinch, but it does not compare to the homemade version. Trust us, this will be worth the effort, and it is very little effort required at that!

There are a ton of variations out there, and we intentionally kept this super simple and basic, no fancy ingredients required. Tartar sauce is a necessity with fish and chips, and you don’t want to miss out on these exquisite flavors. Don’t cut any corners here, you want freshly squeezed lemon juice and a quality dijon mustard.

  • Aren’t capers supposed to be in tartar sauce?

    We’ve kept this recipe super basic, but if you like capers in your tartar sauce, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of drained capers. 

  • Tabasco Sauce optional? 

    Tabasco sauce gives an amazing flavor to this recipe, and we highly recommend you try it. If you’re really not a Tabasco fan, you can always omit it.

  • What do I dip in tartar sauce? 

    Tartar sauce famously goes on the side of fish and chips. If you haven’t tried it, you must! You’ll thank us later. It can also be served with fish sticks and other fish dishes. 

Homemade tartar sauce in a white serving bowl with fish and chips on the side

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious sauce and dip recipes:

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.