Best Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Classic Cocktail sauce is a zippy condiment generally served with cold seafood like shrimp, lump crabmeat, oysters, or clams. If you’ve had a shrimp cocktail (or you eat a lot of seafood), you’ve probably had it before, but I bet you’ve never had it like this!

A bottle of cocktail sauce is just fine from the grocery store, but homemade is where it’s at. This easy cocktail sauce recipe is the best sidekick for your favorite seafood. It’s not only fabulous for the ever popular shrimp cocktail but we put it on our oysters, fried fish, and those frozen fish sticks my kids love so much as an alternative to tartar sauce.

This dipping sauce is the perfect complement for all kinds of seafood (Dungeness crab legs, anyone?) and you can make it in advance for parties and holiday gatherings. The best part is that when you make your own cocktail sauce, you can tweak the recipe to give it more kick (hello, horseradish!), make it milder (good-bye, horseradish!) and customize it to your family’s preferences.

Ingredients for Cocktail Sauce

Here’s a list of simple ingredients you’ll need for this easy seafood sauce recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Ketchup – The base of this cocktail sauce recipe. You can use your favorite brand or my homemade ketchup recipe.
• Chili Garlic Sauce – Adds heat and sweetness. You can use regular chili sauce if you’d like, which is the more traditional option.
• Horseradish – Fresh Horseradish adds a unique kind of heat; it’s pungent and sharp and it gives cocktail sauce its signature flavor.
• Worcestershire Sauce – For depth and lots of umami.
• Lemon Juice – Lemon is always good with seafood, but it’s especially good in this recipe because the acid adds a counterbalance to the horseradish.
• Hot Sauce – For a little more heat, I like to use hot sauce like Tabasco Sauce. You can skip this if you find the horseradish spicy enough.

How to Make Cocktail Sauce

You’re just a few minutes away from the best homemade cocktail sauce recipe ever! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

1. Combine. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.
2. Mix. Whisk until everything is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
3. Taste. Check for seasonings and spice level. Add additional horseradish or hot sauce if you like a spicy cocktail sauce. Add salt and black pepper, if desired.
4. Store or use. If you can let the sauce sit a few minutes before using it, that will allow the flavors to meld a bit. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

How to Store Cocktail Sauce (And Make It Ahead)

What I love most about this easy cocktail sauce recipe is that you can double or triple the recipe and keep it in the fridge. I love to snack on classic shrimp cocktail as a healthy snack during the week and this sauce is totally light on calories.

It’s a great make ahead option for parties, too! Make it up to 5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to party. It’s a fantastic centerpiece for a seafood tower or alongside this super popular Cheesy Crab dip!

What to Serve With Cocktail Sauce

This shrimp Cocktail Sauce is fantastic with just about any fish or shellfish. My favorite way to serve it is with this Garlic Roasted Shrimp Cocktail recipe but it’s also fabulous served alongside these Classic Crab Cakes with a few lemon wedges. It’s also a staple at many oyster houses, as it adds a great sweet heat to the brininess of the oysters.

We also love dipping into it with this crispy Coconut Shrimp!

More Easy Condiment Recipes

• Roasted Garlic Aioli
• Tomato Confit
• Yum Yum Sauce
• The Very Best Creamy Horseradish Sauce
• Homemade Garlic Butter Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Roasted Tomato Sauce
• Ranch Dressing