Need a quick homemade tartar sauce that actually tastes like something? This easy mix gives you a chunky, zesty sauce with sweet pickles, dill pickle, pimento olives, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, and a little heat. Stir it together, chill it, and spoon it over fish, seafood, or anything else that could use a sharp little wake-up call.
Unlike flat, one-note bottled versions, this one keeps texture front and center. The pickles and olives are chopped fine, not pureed, so you get bits of tang, salt, and crunch in every bite. If you like a classic seafood pairing, it also works alongside fried fish or crab cakes just as well as the prepared Tartar Sauce version.
Because this sauce is mayonnaise-based and made with fresh chopped vegetables, it needs refrigerated storage. For best quality, keep it in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days. That conservative window follows standard leftover food-safety guidance from the FDA, even though the acidity from the pickles and lemon helps the flavor stay bright. It is also versatile enough to spread on fish sandwiches, serve with fries, or use as a dip for breaded shrimp.
MYO Tartar Sauce Recipe
You’ll Need:
- 2 green onions
- 2 sweet pickles
- 1 dill pickle
- 1/2 cup pimento olives
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce
Place the green onions, sweet pickles, dill pickle, pimento olives, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until fairly fine. Do not puree. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and mayonnaise, then mix until evenly combined. Refrigerate before serving so the flavors have a chance to settle down and behave.
Budget101 Tip: Pulse the vegetables in short bursts instead of running the processor nonstop. If you puree them, the sauce turns watery and loses that chunky tartar-sauce texture you actually want.
To Use:
Spoon the tartar sauce over fried or baked fish, serve it with shrimp, or spread it on a fish sandwich. It also works well as a dipping sauce for fries or with recipes that need a tangy, creamy finish, like Pan Seared Whitefish in Tahini Sauce if you want another seafood idea with plenty of flavor.
This batch makes about 3 cups, which is roughly 24 servings at 2 tablespoons each. That is enough for a family fish fry with a little left for sandwiches the next day.
Storage: Transfer the tartar sauce to a clean airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Use it within 3 to 4 days for best quality and food safety, and do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Freezing is not recommended because mayonnaise-based sauces usually separate and turn grainy after thawing.
Notes: Prep time is estimated at about 10 minutes since the vegetables need chopping and the sauce needs to be mixed. Chill time is not included in the total time.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: MYO Tartar Sauce
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Green onions |
$0.88 |
2 |
$0.29 |
|
Sweet pickles |
$3.72 |
2 ≈ 24 fl oz jar = 3 cups; about 16 whole pickles per jar |
$7.44 |
|
Dill pickle |
$1.98 |
1 |
$1.98 |
|
Pimento olives |
$2.48 |
1/2 C. |
$0.66 |
|
Garlic |
$0.68 |
1 clove |
$0.07 |
|
Lemon |
$0.65 |
1/2 |
$0.33 |
|
Mayonnaise |
$3.28 |
2 C. |
$1.75 |
|
Worcestershire sauce |
$1.72 |
1 dash |
$0.01 |
|
Tabasco sauce |
$1.28 |
1 dash |
$0.01 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$12.54 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.52 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
Frequently Asked Questions about MYO Tartar Sauce
Absolutely. Just mince the green onions, pickles, olives, and garlic as finely as you can with a knife, then stir everything into the mayonnaise. It takes a few extra minutes, but you’ll keep the same chunky texture without turning the sauce into pickle soup.
Chopped green olives are the closest swap, and capers can step in if you want a sharper, saltier bite. If you use capers, start with about 1/4 cup instead of the full 1/2 cup because they’re much punchier than pimento-stuffed olives.
You can, but the texture will be softer and the flavor a little sweeter. Use about 1/4 cup sweet relish for the 2 sweet pickles, then add the chopped dill pickle separately so the sauce still gets that tangy tartar-sauce bite instead of tasting like sandwich spread.
Don’t puree the vegetables, and drain very wet pickles before chopping if they’re swimming in brine. Overprocessing breaks everything down too far, which releases extra liquid and thins the mayonnaise faster than you’d like.
Yes, just reduce or skip the Tabasco if you want the sauce more tangy than spicy. Since the recipe only uses a dash, the heat is light to begin with, so leaving it out won’t wreck the balance.
Use a full-fat mayonnaise if you want the richest texture and the best hold after chilling. Reduced-fat versions can work in a pinch, but they’re usually thinner and can make the finished sauce a little less stable.
Yes, and it’s actually better after a short chill. Make it a few hours ahead or the night before so the garlic, pickle, and lemon have time to blend into the mayonnaise instead of sitting there like strangers at a potluck.
Fried fish is the obvious answer, but it also works with crab cakes, salmon patties, breaded shrimp, fish sticks, and even plain fries. Anything crisp or savory benefits from that creamy, acidic contrast.
Definitely. Double every ingredient evenly and mix in a large bowl after chopping so you don’t overcrowd the processor. If the bowl looks absurdly full, congratulations, you planned for a crowd correctly.
Discard it if it smells off, looks separated in a bad way, develops discoloration, or has been in the fridge longer than 4 days. When a mayo-based sauce starts acting suspicious, it’s not the time for optimism.
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🖨️ Print-Friendly MYO Tartar Sauce
MYO Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 green onions
- 2 sweet pickles
- 1 dill pickle
- ½ cup pimento olives
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the green onions, sweet pickles, dill pickle, pimento olives, and garlic in a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture is fairly fine. Do not puree.
- Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and mayonnaise.
- Mix until evenly combined.
- Refrigerate before serving.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Prep time is estimated from the chopping and mixing steps.
Store in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days.
Freezing is not recommended because the mayonnaise can separate.
