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    Home » Appetizers

    Homemade Cocktail Sauce

    Published: Apr 21, 2020 by heather · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Homemade Cocktail Sauce is so simple to make with only 4 ingredients. You will never want store bought sauce again. 

    If you enjoy shrimp be sure to try hot shrimp dip , BBQ shrimp and shrimp etouffee.

    cocktail sauce in a bowl

    One of my mom’s favorite things to eat is shrimp cocktail. If she didn’t feel like cooking, we would have that for dinner with potatoes and a vegetable. It was also served at every holiday meal and party. 

    I never remember her buying cocktail sauce from the store. She always made it from scratch and would joke that she would disown me if she caught me buying store bought sauce.

    Homemade is the way to go with cocktail sauce. The fresh ingredients makes such a huge difference in taste, it’s worth the few minutes it takes to make it. 

    What you need

    Chili sauce – I prefer this to Ketchup. It has a little bit of a bite and already tastes a little like cocktail sauce on it’s own. 

    Prepared horseradish – Make sure not to use horseradish sauce because it contains other ingredients like mayonnaise. You can typically find it in the condiment aisle of the grocery store.

    Worcestershire sauce – This adds a little saltiness.

    Lemon juice – The juice adds acid to the sauce to help balance out the flavors. 

    chili sauce, worcestershire, horseradish and lemon

    How to make

    Scroll down for full printable recipe, ingredients and video.

    This can be made in less than 5 minutes. An advantage to making it yourself is the ability to adjust the level of spiciness. 

    If you like it more spicy, add more horseradish. If you like it extra tangy, add more lemon juice. 

    • Stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl making sure to get the combined. Serve immediately or story in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

    chili sauce, worcestershire, horseradish, lemon

    Recipe Tips

    • If you are making for a party, prepare it ahead of time and let chill. 
    • Adjust the amount of horseradish to desired spiciness level. If you accidentally add too much, add more chili sauce or ketchup. 
    • This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups. It can be doubled for a large crowd or party. 

    How long does it last?

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  

    What to serve with homemade cocktail sauce

    • I think the classic thing to use it with is shrimp cocktail. Choose your favorite cooked shrimp and serve alongside the sauce.
    • It can also be served with oysters, calamari and crab.
    • Crab cakes is another great way to enjoy this sauce. 
    • Fish sticks – My kids like using it for dipping. 
    • Shrimp and sausage dinner

    What type of shrimp is best?

    Shrimp are available in different sizes, along with tail on or off and shell on or off. They also come fresh and frozen.

    If you are making a shrimp cocktail appetizer, it is recommended to buy tail on because it makes them easier to pick up and just looks nice on the plate. 

    Shell or no shell is a personal choice. Leaving it on can add flavor but does make it a little more messy. 

    Fresh or frozen shrimp is again a personal choice. I find that the frozen shrimp tend to be very fresh. If you are short on time, fresh is the way to go, just make sure to smell your fresh seafood before bringing it home. There should not be a “fishy” smell. 

    shrimp dipped in sauce

    More tasty condiments

    • Tartar sauce – This is another great dipping sauce for seafood. 
    • Chick-Fil-A sauce – Make this restaurant favorite at home with a few simple ingredients.
    • Teriyaki Sauce – This easy homemade sauce is the base for chicken teriyaki. 

    *** If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. 

    Cocktail sauce in a bowl
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    5 from 9 votes

    Cocktail Sauce

    Easy homemade cocktail sauce.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Total Time5 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 8kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • 1 16 oz chili sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

    Instructions

    • Mix everything together in a bowl. Serve or store in the refrigerator.

    Video

    Notes

    • Adjust the amount of horseradish to desired spiciness level. If you accidentally add too much, add more chili sauce or ketchup. 
    • Will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Follow me @foodlovinfamily or tag #foodlovinfamily!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rosemary

      April 24, 2020 at 12:21 am

      Reading this made me realize that I haven’t had shrimp cocktail in a while. Need to add that to the quarantine weekly menu. Agree, with your mom, fresh ingredients are always better. Thanks for the reminder.

      Reply
    2. sara lafountain

      April 22, 2020 at 11:59 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this tonight and it was so easy and SO DELICIOUS! Loved it with some shrimp cocktail.

      Reply
    3. Catalina

      April 22, 2020 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      My dinner will be better with this sauce. Everyone will love it!

      Reply
    4. Marysa

      April 22, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      I never thought to make our own. This sounds delicious, and it is nice to make a homemade version that is fresh.

      Reply
    5. Chef Dennis

      April 22, 2020 at 6:25 am

      5 stars
      This Homemade Cocktail Sauce looks really yummy and it will be perfect for my shrimp recipe. My wife will surely love to have this, Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. Beth

      April 22, 2020 at 1:57 am

      5 stars
      My mom used to make cocktail sauce all the time, I tried to recreate it using ketchup, but it wasn’t quite right. Reading this, I’m pretty sure she also used chili sauce. Thanks for sharing this!

      Reply
    7. Liz

      April 22, 2020 at 1:22 am

      Looks DELICIOUS! We love eating seafood in this house so definitely bookmarking for later.

      Reply
    8. Terri Steffes

      April 21, 2020 at 11:42 pm

      I have to make mine, too and I almost have the same recipe, but I don’t add the worchestershire sauce, but I am going to start. That sounds so good.

      Reply
    9. Pam Wattenbarger

      April 21, 2020 at 11:40 pm

      I love making my own condiment sauces. I have a recipe that is very similar to this one that my family loves. I’ll have to try your version too.

      Reply
    10. Tasheena

      April 21, 2020 at 10:21 pm

      5 stars
      I had no idea how easy this was to make. Looking forward to giving this recipe a try.

      Reply
    11. Bruce DeMustchine

      April 21, 2020 at 9:12 pm

      In all my years of cooking, I’ve yet to use a chili sauce vs. ketchup in my cocktail sauce. I’ll be “borrowing” your recipe for my next shrimp cocktail. Thanks, Heather!

      Reply
    12. Rena

      April 21, 2020 at 8:01 pm

      5 stars
      I love cocktail sauce but I never even thought about making my own! I’m pinning this to give it a try.

      Reply
    13. Amber Myers

      April 21, 2020 at 5:51 pm

      Oh yum, my husband loves cocktail sauce with his shrimp. I’ll have to show him this!

      Reply
    14. Jen

      April 21, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      This looks tasty! I am a major shrimp-aholic. I could seriously eat it every day!

      Reply
    15. melissa chapman

      April 21, 2020 at 4:49 pm

      5 stars
      That shrimp cocktail looks so good and my son loves shrimp. I have to try to make this sauce and use it on so many things.

      Reply
    16. Sarah Bailey

      April 21, 2020 at 4:42 pm

      OK now this sauce sounds right up my street – I do love a bit of seafood and could just imagine dipping in some prawns oh yum!

      Reply

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