Yum yum sauce substitutes
Yum yum sauce substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Homemade yum yum sauce
1 cup mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 1 tablespoon melted butter + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + ½ teaspoon paprika + 2-3 tablespoons water
The real recipe, and the only version that gets the exact steakhouse flavor, because there is no other product on a shelf quite like it.
Whisk 1 cup mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika and 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Sriracha mayo is the closest ready-made stand-in. Chill it a few hours if you can - it tastes noticeably better the next day.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- hibachi chicken, steak and shrimp
Updated 19 Aug 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of yum yum sauce | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homemade yum yum saucehibachi chicken, steak and shrimp | 1 cup mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 1 tablespoon melted butter + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + ½ teaspoon paprika + 2-3 tablespoons waterWorks | Works |
| 2 | Sriracha mayopoke bowls | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Mayonnaise + ketchup + sugarfries and onion rings | 4 tablespoons mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 1 teaspoon sugar + 1 tablespoon waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Kewpie mayonnaise thinned with waterhibachi dishes | ½ cup Kewpie + 2 tablespoons water + 1 teaspoon sugarTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Thousand Island or fry saucefries | Same amount, thinnedWith 1 tablespoon water per ¼ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Greek yogurt versiongrilled chicken and vegetables | ½ cup Greek yogurt + 2 tablespoons mayonnaise + 1 tablespoon ketchup + 1 teaspoon sugar + ½ teaspoon paprikaYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Homemade yum yum sauce
similar taste and texture
The real recipe, and the only version that gets the exact steakhouse flavor, because there is no other product on a shelf quite like it.
- Best for
- hibachi chicken, steak and shrimp, fried rice, grilled vegetables, dipping sauce for dumplings and fries
The water is what makes it recognizable - undiluted it tastes like flavored mayonnaise, and thinned to a pourable drizzle it becomes yum yum sauce. Use a full-fat mayonnaise; light mayo makes it watery and slightly sour. The butter is optional but it is what gives the restaurant version its richness, and paprika does the color rather than the tomato.
Sriracha mayo
different taste, similar texture
The nearest thing already sitting in most fridges, and structurally the same idea: mayonnaise thinned and colored with a red sauce.
- Best for
- poke bowls, fried rice, shrimp and salmon, sandwiches and burgers
Spicier, garlickier and more acidic, so hibachi chicken drizzled with it tastes hot and sharp where yum yum sauce is sweet and mellow. Stir in a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of water per quarter cup and it moves a long way towards yum yum. It is also a deeper orange-red rather than pale pink.
Mayonnaise + ketchup + sugar
different taste, similar texture
The three-ingredient shortcut, and honestly about eighty percent of the way there.
- Best for
- fries and onion rings, hibachi-style rice and vegetables, chicken tenders, burgers
Without the paprika and garlic powder it tastes more like a plain burger sauce - sweet and tangy but flat, missing the faintly smoky, savory background that makes yum yum sauce interesting. Adding just the paprika closes most of that gap and costs nothing.
Kewpie mayonnaise thinned with water
different taste, similar texture
Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise is already made with rice vinegar and egg yolks only, which puts it much closer to the base of yum yum sauce than Western mayo.
- Best for
- hibachi dishes, poke bowls, okonomiyaki and takoyaki, shrimp
Richer, more savory and eggier, with a distinct umami depth, and it stays white rather than turning pink without tomato. Some cooks prefer it to the classic sauce; it just does not look right if the pale pink color is what you are after, so add a teaspoon of ketchup for appearances.
Thousand Island or fry sauce
different taste and texture
Not the same sauce, but it occupies the same slot - creamy, sweet, tomato-tinged and pink.
- Best for
- fries, burgers, fried shrimp, salads
Thousand Island brings pickle relish, so it tastes sweet-sour and chunky rather than smooth and mellow, and there is a vinegary bite that yum yum sauce does not have. Fry sauce is closer because it is just mayonnaise and ketchup. Neither has the garlic and paprika background, so a teaspoon of each is a worthwhile addition.
Greek yogurt version
different taste and texture
A lighter build for anyone who does not want a mayonnaise-heavy sauce, and it works better than yogurt substitutions usually do.
- Best for
- grilled chicken and vegetables, rice bowls, salad dressing, wraps
Noticeably tangier and thinner, with a dairy sourness in place of mayonnaise's soft richness, so it tastes fresher and less indulgent - some people prefer it, but it is clearly not the steakhouse sauce. Do not heat it, and add extra sugar to offset the yogurt's tartness.
Questions
5 questionsIs yum yum sauce the same as Japanese white sauce or shrimp sauce?
Yes - yum yum sauce, Japanese white sauce, hibachi sauce, shrimp sauce and sakura sauce are all names for the same mayonnaise-based steakhouse sauce, and different restaurants and bottled brands simply picked different names. Recipes vary in the details, mainly in how much tomato and sugar go in, but they are the same sauce. Worth knowing that it is an American invention rather than a Japanese one.
Can I just leave it out?
You can, and the hibachi chicken or fried rice underneath is still good, but the sauce is a big part of why the dish tastes like restaurant food - it adds fat, sweetness and acid all at once. If you want something simpler, a mix of mayonnaise and a little sriracha, or even mayonnaise thinned with rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar, does most of the job with almost no effort.
Why is my yum yum sauce not pink?
Because you are relying on the ketchup for color. A tablespoon of ketchup in a cup of mayonnaise contributes flavor and almost no tint - the pale pink-orange comes from paprika. Add paprika a quarter teaspoon at a time until the color looks right, and give it an hour in the fridge, since the color deepens noticeably as it sits.
What can I use instead of mayonnaise as the base?
Kewpie mayonnaise is an upgrade rather than a compromise - richer and more savory. Vegan mayonnaise works almost identically and is the easiest dairy-free and egg-free route. Greek yogurt makes a lighter, tangier sauce that needs extra sugar and does not taste like the steakhouse version. Sour cream is too tangy on its own but works blended half and half with mayonnaise.
How long does homemade yum yum sauce keep?
About a week to ten days in a sealed jar in the fridge, limited by the mayonnaise rather than anything else - check the mayo's date and do not exceed it. It thickens as it chills, so stir in a teaspoon of water before serving leftovers. It is best on day two, so making it ahead is genuinely an advantage rather than a compromise.
Tips for substituting yum yum sauce
5 tips- Make it at least a few hours ahead and preferably the day before. Garlic powder and paprika need time to hydrate and bloom in the mayonnaise, and a freshly whisked batch tastes noticeably raw and dusty compared with the same sauce after a night in the fridge.
- The water is the whole trick. Restaurant yum yum sauce is thin enough to drizzle from a squeeze bottle, and getting there means adding water a tablespoon at a time until it pours in a ribbon. Skip it and you have a thick dip that tastes right but never feels like the real thing.
- Paprika, not tomato, does the color. A tablespoon of ketchup barely tints a cup of mayonnaise, so if your sauce is coming out white, add another half teaspoon of paprika rather than more ketchup, which would make it taste sweet and tomatoey.
- It is a cold sauce and should stay that way. Drizzle it on hot hibachi chicken or fried rice at the table, but do not cook with it - mayonnaise splits and turns oily when heated, and the sauce goes grainy.
- If it tastes flat, it is usually short of acid rather than short of salt. Add a quarter teaspoon of rice vinegar at a time and taste; a squeeze of lemon does the same job if there is no rice vinegar in the house.