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Fish and seafood just begs for creamy and tangy tartar sauce. But most bottled tartar sauces are chock full of preservatives and questionable ingredients. This easy keto tartar sauce recipe will help you make it at home in less than 10 minutes. Enjoy it with my keto crab cakes for an easy main dish!
What is tartar sauce?
Tartar sauce is a mayonnaise-based sauce that you typically serve with seafood such as crab cakes, salmon, fish and chips, and so on.
You can often get tartar sauce at your local grocery store near the seafood or condiment sections. But, for a better flavor that is easy to make at home, which is why I’m sharing my homemade keto tartar sauce recipe.
Ingredients in Tartar Sauce
- Mayonnaise: If you are following a low carb or keto diet, you want to look for full-fat mayo. Fat-free, reduced-fat, or mayo dressings often contain added sugars to help offset flavor lost from the removal of fat.
- Dill Pickles: You can chop these to mimic the size of relish. Larger chunks will result in more bite.
How to Make Tartar Sauce
To make homemade tartar sauce, measure the ingredients and add them all into a small bowl (photo 1).
When they are all in the bowl, mix the ingredients together (photo 2).
Top Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Let the tartar sauce sit for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Spice it up with horseradish add a 1/2 teaspoon at a time since a little goes a long way and things can get too spicy quick!
Bottled versions of tartar sauce are usually low-carb, but not necessarily keto because it contains added sugar, preservatives and other stuff to stabilize it’s shelf life. If you are following strict keto, Whole30, or paleo, homemade versions are better options.
If you are following a Whole30 or paleo diet, you will need to substitute the mayo from the one I suggested. Here are some vegan mayo options.
If you plan on storing homemade keto tartar sauce, keep in mind, the recipe does not call for any preservatives. In the refrigerator, the homemade sauce will last 2 to 3 days in a sealed container. I prefer to use a glass jar to store the tartar sauce in. And, to save a bowl from being washed, I will often make the tartar sauce in the same jar.
Recipes to Enjoy Homemade Tartar Sauce with
Tartar sauce is a great accompaniment to all sorts of fish and seafood dishes. Some of my favorite pairings include:
- Air Fryer Maryland-style Crab Cakes Recipe
- Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Herbed Salmon Recipe
- Fried Cod Fish Sticks – Keto Recipe
- BEST Keto Salmon Patties!
It’s also great to make if you are simply boiling, broiling, or baking some fish, shrimp, or other seafood. It provides a nice tangy flavor to plain seafood that is hard to top.
If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Quick Homemade Keto Tartar Sauce Recipe
Use DRDAVINAHS at checkout to save on some equipment & ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise, a Whole30/Paleo mayo can be substituted
- 1/4 cup dill pickles, diced small
- 2 tbsp Red Onion, minced
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/8 tsp Old Bay, this is a dash
Instructions
- Add and mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to come together.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
Randini says
Excellent, I followed the recipe as is and it is delicious, this one is going into my Keto recipe book.
Dr. Davinah's Eats Team says
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks!