Skip to content

Remoulade substitute

Best substitute

Homemade Danish Remoulade

Makes about ½ cup, used 1:1 for jarred remoulade

Best for hot dogs

Close match

Half a cup of mayonnaise, 2 tbsp finely chopped drained sweet pickle relish or cornichons, 1 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp mild curry powder, 1 tbsp very finely chopped onion or white cabbage, and salt. Rest 30 minutes.

Other remoulade substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Remoulade with ratios

  1. 2Tartar Sauce

    Different taste

    Use the same amount plus ½ tsp sugar and a pinch each of turmeric and mild curry powder per ¼ cup

    The closest ready-made product on an ordinary supermarket shelf, since it shares the mayonnaise-and-chopped-pickle foundation.

    What changes
    Best for
    fried fish, hot dogs, fish cakes, chips

    Sharper and much less sweet, with no turmeric-curry warmth and no yellow colour, so a Danish open sandwich made with it tastes lemony and pickly rather than sweet-savoury. The sugar and spice adjustment closes most of the gap in under a minute.

  2. 3Thousand Island or Burger Sauce

    Different taste

    Use the same amount

    Right sweetness, right creaminess, and already contains chopped pickle, which is most of what Danish remoulade is.

    What changes
    Best for
    hot dogs, burgers, fried fish, sandwiches

    Tomato-forward and distinctly pink rather than pale yellow, with a slightly jammy sweetness. On a hot dog it works fine; on smorrebrod the colour is wrong and the ketchup note fights the rye and the fish.

  3. 4Mayonnaise + Dijon + Pickle Brine

    Taste and texture differ

    4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon, 2 tsp pickle brine, pinch of sugar, used 1:1

    The sixty-second version when there is nothing chopped in the fridge and dinner is already on the plate.

    What changes
    Best for
    fried fish, chips, sandwiches, hot dogs

    Creamy, tangy and perfectly pleasant, but completely smooth, so you lose the little crunch that makes remoulade interesting, and there is no curry or turmeric aroma. Add a pinch of turmeric if you care about the colour.

  4. 5Louisiana-Style Remoulade

    Different taste

    ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Creole or whole-grain mustard, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp horseradish, a dash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon

    If your recipe is American rather than Danish, this is probably the remoulade it means, and it is a genuinely different sauce.

    What changes
    Best for
    fried shrimp, crab cakes, po' boys, fried green tomatoes

    Spicy, brick-orange and savoury with no sweetness at all. Use it in place of Danish remoulade only if you actively want heat, because it changes the character of a Danish dish completely rather than approximating it.

  5. 6Greek Yogurt + Dijon + Relish

    Taste and texture differ

    ½ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp Dijon, 2 tbsp drained relish, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of turmeric

    The lighter version for anyone avoiding a mayonnaise-heavy sauce.

    What changes
    Best for
    fried fish, salads, wraps, vegetable dips

    Tangier, thinner and much less rich, so it tastes fresh rather than indulgent, and it will loosen and slide off anything warm. Drain the yogurt in a sieve for 20 minutes first if you want it to hold on a sandwich.

What is Remoulade?

Remoulade is Danish remoulade is a pale yellow mayonnaise-based condiment studded with finely chopped pickled vegetables and seasoned with mustard, sugar, turmeric and a little mild curry powder, while Louisiana remoulade is a different, spicier sauce built on Creole mustard, paprika and horseradish.

Cooking tips

  • Chop the pickles very fine and squeeze the brine out before folding them in. Wet pickle is the reason homemade remoulade weeps a puddle on the plate ten minutes after serving.
  • Turmeric is doing the colour and mild curry powder is doing the aroma. A quarter teaspoon of each per half cup is plenty; go heavier and the sauce starts reading as an Indian condiment rather than a Danish one.
  • Make it at least half an hour ahead, and a day ahead is better. The mustard, sugar and pickle need time to settle into the mayonnaise, and freshly mixed remoulade tastes disjointed.
  • Add remoulade to hot food at the last possible second. On fried plaice, a roast pork sandwich or a hot dog it splits and slides once it warms, so spoon it on at the table rather than in the kitchen.
  • If it tastes flat, the fix is almost always sugar or salt rather than more mustard. Danish remoulade is a sweet-sour condiment, and undersweetened remoulade just tastes like thin mayonnaise.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use tartar sauce instead of remoulade?

Yes, it is the closest thing on a normal supermarket shelf, because both are mayonnaise with chopped pickle. Tartar sauce is sharper and not sweet, so stir half a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch each of turmeric and mild curry powder into every quarter cup and you will be very close to Danish remoulade.

What is Danish remoulade actually made of?

Mayonnaise, finely chopped pickled vegetables (usually cucumber and cabbage or cauliflower), mustard, sugar, vinegar, turmeric for the yellow colour and a little mild curry powder for warmth. That combination is why it tastes sweet, tangy and faintly spiced rather than simply like flavoured mayonnaise.

Is Danish remoulade the same as Louisiana remoulade?

No, they share a name and a mayonnaise base and nothing else. Danish remoulade is sweet, pale yellow and mild. Louisiana remoulade is spicy, orange-red and savoury, built on Creole mustard, paprika, horseradish and hot sauce. Swapping one for the other changes the dish rather than substituting for it.

Can I just leave the remoulade out?

On a hot dog or a plate of fried fish, yes, though the dish will be noticeably drier and less interesting because remoulade is supplying both the fat and the acid that cut the frying. On smorrebrod, where it is the layer holding everything together, mix mayonnaise with a teaspoon of Dijon and a spoon of drained relish instead. It takes a minute.

How long does homemade remoulade keep?

About a week in a sealed jar in the fridge, though it is limited by the date on the mayonnaise you used, so check that first. The flavour actually improves after a day. If it separates or the pickle has released liquid, stir it back together before serving.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Need a different ingredient?

Browse the full index, or the rest of this category.

Browse all substitutesMore sauces & condiments