Irresistibly creamy and tangy, this homemade vegan tartare sauce is just as delicious as any traditional tartare sauce recipe! A delightful combination of creamy mayonnaise and chunky, briny pickles, tartare sauce (tartar sauce in the US) is the perfect accompaniment for vegan “fish” and chips, as well as a burger sauce or a sandwich ingredient. It’s also great for dipping things like potato wedges and chips. It tastes incredible and is far superior to shop-bought stuff.
This easy vegan tartare sauce recipe only takes about 5 minutes to make from scratch – and that includes the time it takes to make the mayonnaise! It’s lighter, has less oil, and has fewer calories without compromising on taste in any way.
As always, I’ve kept the recipe as authentic as possible by simply veganising a traditional tartar sauce recipe. This vegan tartare sauce recipe is dairy-free and eggless, so there’s no risk of salmonella contamination, and no animals have been harmed. Egg has been replaced with soya milk which contains similar proteins. The soya milk acts as a binder and emulsifier, in the same way egg does. The result is a perfectly emulsified and stable mayonnaise that takes seconds to make instead of minutes. Homemade vegan tartare sauce is always best because you have full control over the ingredients and know exactly what goes in it. That way, you can avoid artificial additives like preservatives and stabilisers.
If you are in a hurry, you can always use shop-bought vegan mayonnaise instead of making it yourself. Once your mayonnaise is ready, you simply add chopped capers, gherkins, onion, and parsley and stir to combine – that’s it, done!
How to make vegan tartare sauce
Ingredients
You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Vegan mayonnaise
The primary ingredient in tartare sauce is mayonnaise, which gives it its creamy, rich texture. Of course, homemade vegan mayonnaise is best. Try this failproof vegan mayonnaise recipe with soy milk that takes less time to make than it does to prep the ingredients! (Indications in the recipe card below). You’ll be rewarded with an outstanding vegan tartare sauce. Alternatively, you can use shop-bought if you prefer.
Gherkins
Gherkins give the tartare sauce a touch of sharp tanginess. Where I live, we have large ones and small ones. I prefer smaller ones because they are crunchier and have more flavour.
Capers
Capers are the buds of the caper plant before they open and become flowers. You can buy them either salted or in brine, usually in jars, in the aisle where the olives are. Personally, I always use salted capers because the ones in brine are often a bit mushy. It’s important to rinse them to remove the salt and then pat or squeeze them dry. Capers provide a salty, briny flavour that complements the creaminess of the mayonnaise. If you can’t find capers, double up on the gherkins.
Onion
Use a mild onion when making tartar sauce. Yellow onion is too overpowering. While red onion is mild, it does have a drawback. As you can see in the photos on this page, I used red onion. But I found out that it stains the tartare sauce pink! Not immediately, but when it’s left to stand overnight in the fridge. So be warned, if you want to keep the tartare sauce for a day or two, white onion or green spring onions are the best choice unless you don’t mind the pink, of course!
Parsley
Last but not least, you’ll need fresh parsley, which adds bright herbal notes and a pop of colour. It doesn’t matter whether it’s flat-leaf (Italian) parsley or curly.
Instructions
You’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- First, make the vegan mayonnaise. Put all the ingredients together in a container with high sides and blend for 5 – 8 seconds until you reach the consistency of traditional mayonnaise. While you are blending, move the immersion blender up and down to facilitate amalgamation and thickening. Don’t over-blend it. It really only takes a few seconds to get smooth, creamy mayonnaise.
- Finely chop the gherkins, capers, onions, and parsley and add them to the mayonnaise sauce. Stir to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Uses for this homemade vegan tartare sauce recipe
Tartare sauce is a classic accompaniment for fried fish dishes. Vegan battered “fish” and chips with British mushy peas and tartare sauce are to die for – one of my absolute favourite meals! I also use this homemade vegan tartare sauce for fast-food-style burgers in buns, as a sandwich ingredient, and for dipping English-style chips or paprika potato wedges.
How to serve vegan tartare sauce
Garnish it with a few leaves of chopped parsley and a slice of lemon. Serve it straight from the fridge in a small serving dish with a teaspoon so that people can help themselves. It’s ideal with vegan “fish” dishes, especially if they’re fried. Put it in a small bowl and place it in the centre of a platter of fries, battered onion rings, potato wedges or “fish” sticks. You can serve these delicacies to your family and friends as finger food so that they can dip them into your delicious tartare sauce – you can serve it to your omni friends, too – no one will ever guess it’s vegan unless you tell them!
How to store vegan tartare sauce
You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a week to 10 days. Mine never lasts that long, though! I adore homemade tartare sauce, and if I’ve got some in the fridge, I keep going back to snack on the stuff – it’s great just on bread!
Can you freeze vegan tartare sauce?
No, I don’t recommend freezing it. I’ve never tried freezing any kind of mayonnaise-based sauce myself, but I’m pretty sure the results will be unsatisfactory due to its composition. It keeps well in the fridge and takes only minutes to make, so I recommend making it fresh whenever you need it.
I’m sure you’ll love this vegan tartare sauce recipe! If you try it, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below, or take a quick pic and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook @vegan_hot_stuff – I love seeing your re-creations!
Vegan tartare sauce recipe
4
servings5
minutesAn unbeatable vegan tartare sauce recipe that takes just 5 minutes to make! Perfect as an accompaniment for vegan fried “fish” dishes, chips, potato wedges and battered onion rings, as well as a burger sauce and sandwich ingredient.
Recipe by Deborah, veganhotstuff.com
The quantities indicated below are for 4 – 6 people.
Ingredients
200 g vegan mayonnaise (about 5 tablespoons)
- Ingredients for 200 g of homemade vegan mayonnaise
120 g sunflower seed oil
60 g soya milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mild mustard
a pinch of salt
- For the tartare sauce
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped gherkins
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Directions
- First, make the vegan mayonnaise. Put all the ingredients together in a container with high sides and blend for 5 – 8 seconds until you reach the consistency of traditional mayonnaise. While you are blending, move the immersion blender up and down to facilitate amalgamation and thickening. Don’t over-blend it. It really only takes a few seconds to get smooth, creamy mayonnaise.
- Finely chop the gherkins, capers, onions, and parsley and add them to the mayonnaise sauce. Stir to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- See the notes in the main blog post above for the best results.
Frequently asked questions
Is it tartare sauce or tartar sauce?
Both refer to French sauce tartare. Tartare is the usual spelling in the UK, Ireland, and commonwealth countries, whereas tartar is commonly used in the US.
What is traditional tartare sauce made of?
Tartare sauce is traditionally made with an egg-based mayonnaise, to which chopped pickles, onion and parsley are added. Variations may include other chopped herbs and sometimes chopped hardboiled egg.
Can you make a vegan tartar sauce recipe without soy?
Yes, vegan tartare sauce can be made without soy. Aquafaba, the liquid from a tin of chickpeas, contains proteins and emulsifiers similar to those of egg whites. Mayonnaise made with aquafaba is not as thick and creamy and tastes different to that made with soy milk. The ratio of aquafaba to oil is approximately 1:4. This means for every 1 part of aquafaba, you use about 4 parts of oil.
How to make mayonnaise with aquafaba: In a tall container or a blender, combine the aquafaba, lemon juice or vinegar, mustard, and salt. Blend on high speed until frothy. With the blender running on medium speed, very slowly drizzle in the oil, a few drops at a time initially, to start the emulsification process. As the mixture begins to thicken, you can add the oil more quickly, but continue to add it in a steady, thin stream.
Can you buy vegan tartar sauce?
Yes, some vegan tartare sauce brands include Follow Your Heart, Trader Joe’s, Nasoya, Primal Kitchen, Plant Perfect, and Thomy.
I hope you liked this recipe for vegan tartare sauce! If you did, it would be great if you could give it 5 stars and leave a comment below! It helps other readers to find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thank you so much for your support! Deborah xx
Before you go, why don’t you check out some other delicious vegan recipes…
How to make piadinas (Italian flatbread)
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