This homemade tartar sauce is creamy, tangy, and packed with pickle crunch. It takes just 5 minutes to stir together in one bowl, and it’s perfect for everything from fish sticks to salmon burgers and fries. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to the bottled kind.
Why Make It: This recipe is quick, budget-friendly, and made with pantry staples you already have.
Prep Note: Chill it for at least 30 minutes so the flavors come together.
Serving Suggestions: I love keeping a batch of this in the fridge for easy fish stick dinners, salmon burgers, and casual fry nights. It’s especially delicious with fish sandwiches, spooned over crispy shrimp, or served alongside roasted potatoes.
Essential Ingredients
Mayonnaise: Choose full-fat mayo for the best results.
Pickles: I like to use extra crunchy dill pickles for the best texture and little pops of briny flavor in every bite.
Flavor Boosters: Swap in finely minced onion for a sharper bite than onion powder, and swap in 1 tablespoon of fresh dill instead of dried if desired.
Variations: Use dill relish or a splash of pickle juice for less sweet, add extra lemon or caper brine for more tang, stir in fresh parsley for a herby twist, or chop the pickles finer (or chunkier!).
How to Make Tartar Sauce
This recipe is as simple as it gets and packs so much flavor.
Finely chop the pickles (full recipe below).
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Mix well and refrigerate.
For easy scoops: Chop the pickles very small.
For a thicker dip: Start with cold mayo and do not add extra liquid until after chilling.
For briny flavor: Add the capers.
For brighter flavor: Add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon, then let it rest 10 minutes and taste again.
Make it ahead: It stays flavorful for days in the fridge.
Save it Now, Savor it Later
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Do not freeze. Re-stir before serving.
Serve This With…
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Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 minutesminutes
Finely chop the dill pickles.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, relish, pickles, capers, lemon juice, dill, and onion powder.
Mix well and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Do not freeze.
Dill pickle dip is loaded with fresh dill and chunks of pickles in every bite. It's perfect with veggies, chips, or crackers.
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Chill Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 35 minutesminutes
Instructions
In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, mix cream cheese until smooth.
Gradually add pickle juice to the cream cheese, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in chopped pickles and fresh dill.
Refrigerate the dip for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Consistency: Adjust the pickle juice to reach the desired consistency. The dip will thicken slightly as it chills in the fridge.
Pickle Juice: When scooping pickle juice from the container, try to add any of the spices and garlicky bits in the juice, they’re a great addition to the dip.
Dill: Fresh dill adds great flavor but you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed.
This recipe makes 1.5 cups of dip. Nutrition based on a serving size of 2 tablespoons. Store leftover dip in the fridge for up to 10 days.
County fair crunchy fried pickles get a new look as a fried pickle dip!
Cream cheese and sour cream are blended with chopped pickles, savory spices, and crispy parmesan breadcrumbs in this crunchy, tangy dip recipe!
It has lots of bright dill pickle flavor that makes it perfect on a veggie tray, as a snack with chips and crackers, or as a burger spread.
This delish dip uses ingredients you likely already have in the pantry.
Perfectly portable—make and take this dip to picnics, potlucks, and BBQs all summer long!
Ingredients and Variations
Pickles:I love using dill pickles in this recipe. Try your favorite variety, including spicy or extra garlic pickles!
Creamy Base: Cream cheese and sour cream create the perfect base for dips. Feel free to use light cream cheese or swap out the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt for a tangier taste.
Seasonings: Many versions of this recipe (including the one sold at Costco) are ranch-flavored. In this version, I added the same seasonings that are in my ranch seasoning mix for all of the flavor without being too salty.
Breadcrumb Topping:Parmesan cheese and Panko crumbs add the “fried” part of the fried pickles to this dip!
Variations
Crumbled bacon or bacon bits add a smokey and savory flavor.
Add some shredded cheddar for an extra dose of cheesiness.
How to Make Fried Pickle Dip
Prepare topping and set aside.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy, and add sour cream, pickle juice, and seasonings (recipe below).
Fold in diced pickles and ½ the breadcrumb mixture.
Refrigerate dip and top with the remaining breadcrumb mixture before serving.
Dunkers to Use for Dipping
Scoop up fried pickle dip with your favorite potato chips, pretzels, crackers, pita chips, crostini, baguette slices, or breadsticks.
Tangy and crunchy pickle dip is also delicious served with healthy scoopables like bell peppers, celery, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Storing Fried Pickle Dip
This dip can be made up to a day ahead and tastes even better as the flavors continue to blend.
Keep leftover fried pickle dip in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended due to the high dairy content.
More Dill Pickle Favorites
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Fried Pickle Dip
Fried pickle dip is creamy, tangy, and loaded with crunchy pickles. It’s perfect for dipping with chips or vegetables.
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Chill Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 55 minutesminutes
Prevent your screen from going dark
In a small skillet combine Panko bread crumbs, butter, and parmesan cheese over medium heat. Cook, while stirring, until lightly toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy.
Add the sour cream, pickle juice, parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and celery salt. Beat until well combined.
Fold in the dill pickles and ½ cup of the breadcrumb mixture.
Spread the dip into a shallow bowl or onto a plate. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumb topping and additional diced pickles (if desired). Serve on chips, crackers or mixed veggies.
If using fresh herbs, you will need ¼ cup fresh parsley and 2 tablespoons fresh dill. Leftover dip can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This rouladen recipe comes from my Grandma Mary’ and it’s childhood favorite.
Thin slices of beef are rolled with a bit of mustard, bacon, onions, and a dill pickle! The beef rolls are slow-roasted and served with a rich brown gravy.
This dish has an old-fashioned, hearty flavor with melt-in-your-mouth tender beef. Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked macaroni like my grandma always did.
What is Rouladen?
Just one of the finest comfort foods of all time! Beef rouladen is a German dish that my Polish grandmother and my mom made often.
Rouladen has thin slices of beef that are brushed with mustard and then wrapped with bacon, onion, and dill pickle before slow cooking. It’s served with a rich brown gravy.
The acidity from the pickle tenderizes the meat and adds lots of flavor along with the bacon.
Ingredients for Rouladen
Beef – Choose thin slices of top round steak or flank steak, 8 to 10-inches long, 4.5- inches wide, and ¼-inch thick. In my area, I find beef labeled “Rouladen” or you can ask the butcher to thinly slice steaks. If using round steaks you may need to layer two to get a 10-inches in length.
Mustard – My grandma always spread prepared yellow mustard on the beef, although Dijon mustard is great too.
Bacon – Use uncooked bacon, it adds flavor and keeps the beef moist.
Onion – Thinly sliced yellow onion is added to each roll.
Pickle – Our family uses dill pickles in the center of the rouladen.
Gravy – This recipe uses beef broth with a bit of dill pickle juice. My mom always added a can of mushrooms with the juices so I add them in as well. The juices are later used to make the sauce or gravy for serving.
While some recipes add a bit of red wine, my Grandma kept it simple. You can add extra onions to the gravy and a rib of celery and carrot if you’d like for flavor. Discard the carrot/celery before thickening the gravy.
How to Make Rouladen
Gently pound the beef to tenderize (per the recipe below).
Top with mustard, bacon, and onions, and roll around a whole dill pickle, secure with a toothpick, or tie with cooking twine.
Brown the outside in a Dutch oven or pan. Add broth and a splash of pickle juice. Either roast or simmer the rouladen until fork tender.
Thicken the juices with flour or a cornstarch slurry to make gravy.
How to Serve Rouladen
My mom always served rouladen on top of elbow macaroni with lots of gravy.
Of course, it’s great over mashed potatoes, spätzle, egg noodles, or potato dumplings, or even baby potatoes.
This beef rouladen recipe also pairs well with braised red cabbage (rotkohl).
To Freeze Rouladen
Beef rouladen can be prepared and the rolls can be frozen either before or after cooking. Simply prepare as directed, place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or air-tight container.
To enjoy from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and cook as directed in the recipe.
Got Leftovers?
Rouladen tastes great the next day! It makes a perfect work-day lunch over mashed potatoes or even cauliflower rice! You can also chop up the rouladen and add the gravy to a soup!
More Slow Cooked Beef Favorites
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Beef Rouladen
This classic German dish is made with thinly sliced beef covered with mustard, bacon, onions, and rolled around a dill pickle!
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour50 minutesminutes
Total Time 2 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Author Holly Nilsson
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the beef slices on a cutting board and gently pound with a meat tenderizer to ¼-inch thickness.
Spread a thin layer of mustard over each slice and season with salt and pepper.
Add a slice of bacon to each piece of beef and top with onions and a dill pickle.
Roll each rouladen jelly-roll style and secure with toothpicks or kitchen twine.
In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the beef rolls and brown on each side.
Add the beef broth to the Dutch oven, scraping up any brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add the canned mushrooms with juices if using and ¼ cup pickle juice (and extra onions if desired). Cover and roast 90-120 minutes or until fork-tender.
To Make Gravy
Transfer the rouladen to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, leaving the juices in the Dutch oven.
Heat juices over medium-high heat until boiling, making sure to scrape up any brown bits. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling broth while whisking to reach the desired thickness. You may not need all of the cornstarch mixture.
Serve Rouladen over mashed potatoes or elbow macaroni with gravy.
*Beef should be about 8-10 inches long, 4.5-inches wide and ¼-inch thick. If the beef strips aren’t long enough, it’s okay to overlap two shorter pieces a bit. I prefer to roast cook beef rouladen in the oven but it can be covered and gently simmered on the stove for about 45-55 minutes or until tender. Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave until heated through.
