How to Make Cocktail Sauce

Name: Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup ketchup; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ((about 1/2 small lemon, juiced)); 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish ((add more to taste for more spice)); 1 dash Worcestershire sauce; 1 dash Tabasco sauce ((or your favorite hot sauce))

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You only need 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this homemade easy cocktail sauce! Serve with shrimp cocktail, seafood, or mozzarella sticks!

A shrimp being dipped into homemade cocktail sauce

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I’m telling you, this is the best homemade cocktail sauce recipe out there. It tastes WAY better than anything you can buy at the grocery store AND it is just SO EASY. With just a few, simple ingredients, you can be enjoying a shrimp cocktail platter or any of your other favorite seafood dishes with this delicious, zesty dip.

Ingredients including ketchup, horseradish, tabasco, lemon, Worcestershire, and parsley

Cocktail Sauce Ingredients

Ketchup – Ketchup makes for the perfect tomato base. It is sweet, savory, and has the perfect consistency. Ketchup is difficult to substitute because it is such a unique ingredient. I will not taste the same if you try to use something else such as tomato paste or tomato sauce. The good news is, ketchup is super easy to find in just about any grocery store.
Prepared Horseradish – This is not the same as straight up horseradish root. Make sure you see “prepared” on the label. Prepared horseradish is blended with other ingredients to make it more palatable. It is also not the same as “creamy horseradish sauce,” which is too mild and will give your sauce a creamy consistency.
Fresh Lemon Juice – Add a nice squeeze of lemon juice to give your cocktail sauce a touch of acidity. If you want to really give it some “zing”, add some lemon zest as well!
Worcestershire Sauce – This brings a nice, bright flavor to the sauce and helps meld all of the flavors together. It helps to cut the sweetness of the ketchup without overpowering the other flavors.
Tabasco Sauce – The tabasco sauce brings extra heat but also adds a nice flavor profile. It doesn’t have to be Tabasco, you can also use your favorite hot sauce!

Close up of a small bowl of cocktail sauce

What Is Cocktail Sauce Good on Besides Shrimp?

We use this sauce mostly as a shrimp cocktail sauce, but it can be served many different ways! It is a great all-around seafood sauce. Try serving it with crab, crab cakes, oysters, lobster, breaded fish, etc. Serve it with your favorite appetizers like coconut shrimp, onion rings, or even mozzarella sticks. You can also stir it in to tomato juice to make a virgin bloody mary.

A platter of cocktail shrimp with a cup of cocktail sauce

Storing the Leftovers

Store cocktail sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it and it will stay good for up to 6 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does cocktail sauce taste like?

It has a strong tomato flavor paired with a little spicy kick and a little sour from the horseradish and lemon.

What is a good substitute for shrimp cocktail sauce?

There isn’t really a good substitute, but spicy mayo makes a great shrimp dipping sauce as well!

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