Fry sauce substitutes

This is not really a substitute, it is the recipe, and it is worth stating plainly because a lot of people search for a substitute without realising the sauce is two things they already own. Two parts mayo to one part ketchup is the safe default. More ketchup makes it brighter, thinner and more obviously tomato; more mayo makes it richer, paler and blander. The vinegar or pickle brine is what stops it tasting flat, and the paprika gives it the slightly warm orange colour restaurant versions have.

Best for

french fries and tater tots, onion rings, burgers and fry-sauce burgers, chicken tenders and nuggets, dipping fried fish

Mix it and leave it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Straight after whisking you can still taste mayonnaise and ketchup as two separate things; after a rest it tastes like one sauce. Utah fry sauce is often closer to equal parts, and Idaho pink sauce and Argentine salsa golf are the same two ingredients, so the ratio is genuinely a matter of taste rather than correctness.

What most people mean when they say burger sauce or copycat special sauce, and it stands in for plain fry sauce well. What changes is sweetness and texture: the relish makes it noticeably sweeter and sour at the same time, and flecks it so it is no longer smooth. On a burger that is an upgrade, because the pickle cuts the fat of the patty. On fries the relish reads slightly jammy and the bits catch on the fry rather than coating it, which some people love and others do not.

Best for

burgers and cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, if you like a chunkier sauce, as a salad dressing for iceberg wedges

Use sweet pickle relish, not dill relish, unless you specifically want a sharper sauce - dill relish makes it taste like tartar sauce. If you only have whole pickles, chop two tablespoons very fine and add a teaspoon of their brine and a pinch of sugar. Relish versions weep a little liquid after a day, so stir before serving.

For when there is mayonnaise but no ketchup. Rebuilding ketchup from tomato paste is straightforward because ketchup is mostly tomato, sugar and vinegar. What changes is depth and spice: this version tastes deeper and more concentrated in tomato but plainer overall, because ketchup carries a background spice blend of clove, allspice and onion that gives fry sauce its familiar taste. The pinch of allspice or the dash of Worcestershire is doing exactly that job and is worth including.

Best for

when the ketchup has run out, a slightly more savoury, less sweet fry sauce, dipping roast potatoes and wedges

Whisk the tomato paste with the vinegar and sugar first, in a separate corner of the bowl, before folding the mayonnaise in - added straight to mayo it stays in stubborn lumps. Taste for sugar, since tomato paste is much more acidic than ketchup and the sauce will taste sharp if it is undersweetened.

A very good dipping sauce that is not really fry sauce, and it is fair to be clear about the difference. Barbecue sauce brings smoke and a molasses-brown sweetness, so the result is darker, deeper and distinctly smoky where fry sauce is bright and clean. On fries and onion rings it is excellent. The one thing to avoid is a vinegar-forward Carolina or mustard-style barbecue sauce, which is thin and sharp and will make the sauce taste watery and tangy rather than rich.

Best for

fries and potato wedges, chicken tenders and wings, burgers, especially with bacon, onion rings

Pick a thick, sweet Kansas City style bottle if you have a choice. If the sauce comes out too smoky, a spoonful more mayonnaise pulls it back faster than anything else. A teaspoon of vinegar or pickle brine is still worth adding, because barbecue sauce plus mayo can be flabby without it.

Structurally this is fry sauce that someone has already made for you, with relish and extra sugar included. The practical difference is thickness: bottled dressings contain added vinegar and oil so they can pour, which means they run straight off a fry instead of clinging to it, and they taste more acidic and sweeter than a mayo-and-ketchup mix. Whisking a spoonful of mayonnaise back in fixes both problems at once and takes five seconds.

Best for

burgers, where thinner sauce is fine, an instant answer with no mixing, wedge salads

Russian dressing is usually sharper and often has horseradish or chilli in it, so it is spicier and less sweet than Thousand Island - both work, but taste first. Check the bottle for sweetness; some Thousand Island dressings are very sugary and will make a cloying dip for salty fries.

The spicy version, and a good answer if there is no ketchup but there is a hot sauce bottle. It is creamy, tangy and hot, and the ketchup keeps it in the fry-sauce family rather than turning it into plain spicy mayo. What changes is obvious - it is hotter, sharper on the vinegar and, with sriracha, distinctly garlicky, so it tastes brighter and more aggressive than the mild sweet-savoury original. Children and anyone expecting classic fry sauce will notice immediately.

Best for

fries, tots and onion rings, fried chicken sandwiches, anyone who finds plain fry sauce too mild

Vinegar-based hot sauces thin the mayo more than sriracha does, so add them a teaspoon at a time and stop when it is still thick enough to hold a fry. If you overshoot, another spoonful of mayonnaise brings it back. A pinch of sugar balances the heat without making the sauce sweet.

The honest least-bad option when there is no mayonnaise at all. It looks right and it tastes reasonable, but the differences are real: yogurt is distinctly sour in a lactic way, much lower in fat, and thinner, so the sauce is tangier, lighter and does not coat a hot fry the way mayonnaise does. The teaspoon of olive oil puts a little of the missing fat back and helps it cling. Expect something closer to a dip than a proper fry sauce.

Best for

when there is no mayonnaise in the house, a lighter or egg-free dip, dipping roast vegetables

Use full-fat Greek yogurt and drain off any liquid on top first, or it will be watery within minutes of touching hot fries. Sour cream is a better choice than yogurt if you have it, because it has more fat and less acidity. A pinch of sugar helps offset the yogurt's sourness.