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Fry Sauce is our favorite way to dress up a plate of crispy, hot french fries! Simple to make (just whisk together a few ingredients!) and it’ll keep in the fridge for a week!
Our fry sauce recipe takes french fries to the next level.
As If We Needed Even More Reasons To Eat French Fries
When I was a kid my parents would dip their French fries in this horrible pink concoction of mayonnaise and ketchup. It seriously grossed me out. I liked mayo, I liked ketchup, but in true kid form, I would absolutely never even consider combining the two!
Then I grew up and now it seems as if I just can’t live without fry sauce in my life.
This pink concoction is the stuff dreams are made of. It’s very similar to our smash burger sauce, but more simple in flavor with less seasonings. Both are fabulous on fries, just depends on your mood.
Our fry sauce is not quite as simple as my parent’s version of equal parts ketchup and mayo, but it’s 100 times better (sorry, mom and dad, but it is!) and I can not get enough of it.
My kids are pretty leary of it, but the husband and I gobble it down like it’s going out of style. Circle of life and all that.
Why Choose Our Recipe:
Well Seasoned: Sure, you can make a simple fry sauce with just ketchup and mayo, but the additional seasonings really make the flavors pop here!
Easy: Nothing is easier than a squirt of ketchup with your fries, but this is a close second and a great way to dress up dinner.
Ingredient Notes:
Mayo – You can use any brand of mayonnaise that you like, but you’ll want to start with real mayo and not Miracle Whip. We prefer Kraft mayo.
Ketchup – I’m a Heinz girl through and through! We like this one – made with no HFCS.
Vinegar – I use white distilled vinegar. It packs a big, bold punch and it’s cheap.
Seasoning – Stir some seasoned salt and pepper. I like Lawry’s seasoned salt.
Fries – What would be the point of making fry sauce without some fries? Try this sauce with these air fryer frozen French fries, or these air fryer waffle fries! Also delicious drizzled over a smash burger or as a dip for our onion strings.
How to Make Fry Sauce:
Mix: With only a few ingredients there obviously isn’t a whole lot of complexity to this recipe! Add the mayo, ketchup, and vinegar to a bowl and whisk together with the salt and peppers until it’s all well mixed.
Serve: After mixing together the fry sauce there is only one, obvious thing left to do! You’re going to need some fries. Get to dipping!
FAQs:
Pour your fry sauce into a mason jar, close the lid, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Fry sauce is wildly popular in both Utah and Idaho, but the rest of the country is slowly catching on to how delicious this little sauce is.
Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon season salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Adjust to taste as needed.
- Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Lisa says
I mix mayo, ketchup and horseradish sauce for my fries. Delicious!!
Ashley says
Well i worked there and instes if the vinager, we put pickle juice! And no salt ir pepper, i just a rey seasoning!
Sarah Werner says
@Ashley, Ha! I just read your comment after adding mine, we also do the pickle juice instead of vinegar and salt and pepper isn’t needed either with the pickle juice. 😉
Karly says
@Ashley,
Good to know! 🙂
Chelsea says
I’m from South Carolina and me and my family have been mixing ketchup and mayo together for years. I use it for french fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, you name it. Love it!! I’ve never added vinegar though so I will have to give that a try! Hot sauce and mayo is good as well for dipping especially when we make low country broil (corn on the cob, smoked sausage, red potatoes, and shrimp boiled together with some old bay seasoning).
Karly says
@Chelsea,
Awesome! I’ll have to try adding a little hot sauce too!
Tea says
i would like to know which vinegar did u put in?
Karly says
@Tea,
Just white distilled vinegar.
Ami says
Can this be made and stored in the refrigerator for multiple uses or is it only good for 3 days?
Karly says
@Ami,
I wouldn’t keep it longer than 3 days because of the mayo, but you can try it and see how it goes. I’m not a doctor/scientist/food safety person, so I just err on the side of caution. 😉
Wowguy says
You know, I have been making a ketchup based horseradish dip. I have to try this one
Kim says
I thought fry sauce was just an Idaho thing! We love it here, as well. We also mix in a little mustard (dijon for me, grainy brown for my hubby) and also a little hot sauce. YUM!!
Meran says
I’m an Oregonian. And I grew up eating fry sauce on everything from hash browns to burgers, chicken and fries. I’ve even been known to use it as a salad dressing. My favorite recipe comes from Dairy Queen (a Pacific Northwest burger and ice cream chain). 2 parts mayo, 2 parts ketchup, 1 part mustard (I prefer dijon), and 1/2 part pickle juice (you can use relish if you like). Another recipe comes from Red Robin (a Utah thing – I’ve spent the last nine years there and am finally back to Oregon) you substitute 1 part of the ketchup with barbecue sauce, omit the pickle juice, and add season salt to taste. There you have it. The two best fry sauce recipes ever.
Karly says
@Meran,
Both of them sound amazing!
Sarah says
Freddy’s has THE BEST fry sauce EVER!!! i’d never had it until a Freddy’s moved into Grand Island, Nebraska (I live 20 minutes from there) and i can’t get enough of it! I will definitely be making this fry sauce of yours 🙂 thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Sarah @ Miss CandiQuik says
oh my gawd…I love you.
Amanda says
I always add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to my fry sauce. Its delish.
Karly says
@Amanda,
Great idea!
Cara says
I have never tried the ketchup with mayo before, but in my family we make our own fry sauce using ketchup and ranch dressing. The best thing ever!
Karly says
@Cara,
Interesting! I might try that! 🙂
Aubrie says
I lived in the Fry Sauce Capital of the World, Salt Lake City. Oh, Astro Burger, how I miss thee! I live in Kansas now and we have Freddy’s but I’ve never been. Im gonna have to check it out!
Pat Rentz says
We moved from Minnesota to Utah back in 1983. Thought the idea of fry sauce was awful. Lord, then we tasted it! Now, when we’ve traveled and there was no fry sauce, what a disappointment. There is a place here called The Training Table which gives you a dish of their special BBQ sauce, with a big dollop of mayo in the middle. That’s pretty much wonderful with their cheese fries. However, fry sauce is great, even in the variations, and I’m going to try yours, cause I think it will be really good. Thanks.
Carol says
We are 18 miles from the Nebraska border and my kids beg for Freddie’s every time we drive by. Their fry sauce is amazing. I look forward to trying yours. We eat chili and cinnamon rolls here, too (Iowa) They just go together.
Nancy says
I’m a canadian living in the netherlands. As a child I would sometimes sprinkle vinegar on my fries just for a change, I love salt & vinegar chips. But after moving to the netherlands I used mayo like everyone else (they didn’t have Heinz at the time and their ketchup was awful.) They also have patat (fries) special, it’s mayo with ketchup or curry (I use the one from Heinz, it’s not the typical India one) and chopped onions on top, ( not mixed together). The reason that they don’t use vinegar is because the mayo that is especially used for fries is a little sour from the vinegar in it.
Karly says
@Nancy,
It’s so interesting hearing about regional foods! It makes me wonder what I’m missing out on!