The Ultimate 5-Minute Homemade Cocktail Sauce: Better Than Store-Bought
Make the best homemade cocktail sauce in five minutes. This zesty, spicy dipping sauce for shrimp and oysters tastes superior to any bottled version.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: About 1 cup 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (use more for extra kick)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (like Tabasco, adjust to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients. You need simple, classic cocktail sauce ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, prepared horseradish, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
- Stir the mixture well until all components are fully incorporated.
- Taste the sauce. If you want more heat or tang, add more horseradish or lemon juice, respectively. This is how you customize your spicy horseradish sauce recipe.
- Stir in the salt.
- Cover the bowl and chill the sauce for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. This quick seafood dipping sauce is best served cold.
Notes
- For a restaurant style cocktail sauce, use high-quality ketchup.
- If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
- This sauce pairs perfectly with shrimp cocktail appetizers, crab, and oysters.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0