Burger Sauce
Sure, ketchup, mayo and mustard are great, but what about a super flavorful burger sauce? This burger sauce recipe is crazy easy to make and will make those tasty grilled burgers top notch!
Burger Sauce Recipe
One of the best parts of a hamburger from a local burger joint is the delicious burger sauce that each one uses. They're always unique and super tasty.
So, I figured, why not make an amazing homemade burger sauce? I can elevate the flavor of burger that I make right in the comfort of my own home!
This creamy burger sauce only uses 8 simple ingredients and is packed full of bold flavor. Make this special burger sauce recipe and use it top all kinds of burgers.
Top ground beef burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, smash burgers, and everything in between with this tasty secret sauce.
Don't forget to season your burgers with this easy homemade burger seasoning. Grilling season just got a lot more flavorful!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- You only need 5 minutes to mix together this delicious sauce that is a great addition to any burger.
- Making your own classic burger sauce will help to avoid many of the preservatives and additives you'd find in a lot of burger sauce on grocery store shelves.
- This special burger sauce recipe uses fridge and pantry staples that you likely already have on hand.
What is Burger Sauce?
Burger sauce is simply a combination of some your favorite condiments, seasoned well to create a tangy sauce.
Many burger joints and fast food restaurants have their own secret recipe for a special sauce. In fact, it's pretty common for people to call burger sauce "Big Mac sauce" since there's a secret sauce on those burgers.
It's a really great burger topping and totally changes the flavor profile of burgers!
Ingredients
Check your refrigerator and pantry. These are common ingredients and you may already have all you need to make your own burger sauce!
- mayonnaise
- ketchup
- coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- teaspoons onion powder
- smoked paprika
- black pepper
Hot Tip: I recommend using a high-quality mayo. Something with an olive oil or avocado oil base would be best. Mayo is truly the base of the sauce and needs to be high quality for best results.
Substitutions and Variations
Feel free to swap coconut aminos for soy sauce. Coconut aminos are slightly sweeter and less salty, so beware that the flavor of this hamburger sauce will change with this substitution.
If you like a little spice to your burger sauce, add some chili powder or red pepper to this recipe.
Dijon mustard could be a great addition to this recipe!
If eggs are a concern, you can skip the mayo and use sour cream Greek yogurt instead, but doing so will change the flavor of the sauce a little bit.
How To Make Burger Sauce
You'll want to mix all the ingredients for burger sauce in a mason jar or other easily resealable container.
Place mayonnaise into a clean mason jar and then add ketchup, coconut aminos, and lemon juice.
Then add in the garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
Thoroughly stir the ingredients together until mixed well. Taste the tangy sauce and see if you want to add anything else!
How to Serve Burger Sauce
This creamy burger sauce tastes even better when you add good burger toppings to your homemade burgers!
Even though this is a perfect solo condiment, you can always add yellow mustard, ketchup, and mayo to your burgers along with secret sauce.
Cheddar cheese, provolone cheese and Swiss cheese are the most popular cheeses to serve on top of burgers. If you're a pickle person, dill pickles or dill pickle relish pair beautifully with this tangy sauce!
Don't forget the lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions! And if you wan't to be really fancy, serve your burger with a fried egg with a runny egg yolk.
Burger sauce is actually a great dipping sauce. Dip chicken tenders, onion rings, french fries and roasted potatoes in this classic burger sauce. Even veggies like grilled zucchini and squash.
You can also use burger sauce as a tasty condiment on hot dogs! There are no rules.
How to Store Leftover Burger Sauce
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Even though this recipe contains condiments that have a long shelf life, when you mix them together, they meet oxygen and fresh lemon juice, which doesn't keep longer than a week.
You may be able to store it a little longer than a week, but always give it the sniff test and then a taste. If it still tastes ok, then you're probably in the clear.
Tips for Success
- Mix the burger sauce with a fork or whisk to ensure that the dry ingredients don't clump up and make this special sauce recipe all chunky.
- Do NOT salt the burger sauce before tasting it. It likely will not need salt, but if you prefer it a little salty you can add some in after give it a taste test.
- If you want your sauce to have extra zing to it, add a splash of white vinegar to the condiments and spices before mixing.
FAQ
No! They look very similar in appearance, but taste quite different. Burger sauce has base of mayo and ketchup while thousand island typically has a sour cream base.
At its simplest, burger sauce is a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup, but it's even better when you add more ingredients. Soy sauce (or coconut aminos), lemon juice and seasonings like garlic, onion, paprika and pepper all help to increase the flavor to add to your burger.
More Sauce Recipes
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Easy Stir Fry Sauce
- Restaurant Style Asian Dipping Sauces
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Burger Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup high quality mayo avocado oil or olive oil based
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the condiments and lemon juice to a clean mason jar or resealable container.
- Add all of the spices on top of the wet ingredients.
- Thoroughly mix the ingredients until incorporated.
- Serve on burgers or as a homemade dipping sauce.
I used this burger sauce on a vegan burger and it was delicious! I am here to tell you that it tastes great on a black bean burger. I also found a good vegan mayo recipe it worked great with your ingredients. I have bookmarked your sauce recipe.
I feel like this is my secret sauce now! It is so good, and I will definetly make two batches next time, because my family ate it all so fast!
I've always loved sauces but for some reason it's taken me 4 decades to realize that burgers are better with sauce, too! I make my own mayo with eggs from our backyard hens, so this mayo based sauce is perfect. Once you start putting this on your burgers, you'll never look back.
Love the addition of coconut aminos and smoked paprika. This was a hit with my family.
This sauce was perfect! You were right about the quality of the mayo being important - I splurged for Dukes. Made it for a bbq last weekend and we all absolutely drowned our burgers in it then scraped up the rest with fries! lol