This vegan tartar sauce is made with only 6 ingredients in just 5 minutes! It's perfect for vegan fishy foods and better than store-bought.

I was looking for a sauce to serve my beer-battered vegan fish with, and tartar sauce came to my mind. I haven't eaten it since I went vegan and I didn't know if I could find it at my local grocery store, so I made my own vegan tartar sauce recipe, and let me tell you it's amazing!
It only requires 6 easy-to-get ingredients and all you have to do is mix them in a small bowl until well combined. In less than 5 minutes you have a delicious sauce to enjoy all your favorite recipes with.
You can serve this sauce with fishy vegan food, veggies (like my fried cauliflower, roasted broccoli, or vegan zucchini fritters), or potatoes (like my French fries, baked sweet potato fries, or potato wedges). I actually think it goes well with lots of dishes!
Level up your dishes with these delicious vegan sauces! Try my Vegan Caesar Dressing, Vegan Mayonnaise, and Vegan Aioli recipes for a burst of flavor. Perfect for sandwiches, fries, and more!
Ingredient notes
- Vegan mayo: I used my vegan mayo recipe, but store-bought also works really well.
- Dill pickles: I prefer to use dill pickles, but any type is okay.
- Onion: any type of onion will do. You could omit this ingredient if you don't like it.
- Dried dill: feel free to use fresh dill if you want.
- Lemon juice: pickle juice is also a good alternative.
- Ground black pepper: fresh ground black pepper tastes amazing. However, I find store-bought more convenient and also easier to measure with a teaspoon.
How to make this recipe
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the best flavor, or serve it immediately.
You’ll find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Pro tips
- Chop the onion and pickles very finely to get the best consistency. But this is completely up to you, chop them depending on how chunky you’d like your sauce to be.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (ideally 2-3 hours) before serving for the best flavor.
- For a lighter sauce with fewer calories, you can swap half the mayo for any non-dairy yogurt like soy yogurt or coconut yogurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Classic tartar sauce is made of mayonnaise (which it's not vegan), among other plant-based ingredients. However, you just need to use vegan mayo to make it vegan.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I've never tried to freeze it myself, as vegan mayo it's a tricky ingredient to freeze, but if you do successfully, please let me know in the comments!
Yes, you can by using any soy-free vegan mayo instead.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cup vegan mayo
- 1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor, although you can serve it immediately with fishy vegan food (like my beer-battered vegan fish), veggies (like my fried cauliflower), or potatoes (like my potato wedges).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- I used my vegan mayo recipe, but store-bought also works really well.
- I prefer to use dill pickles, but any type is okay.
- Any type of onion will do. You could omit this ingredient if you don't like it.
- Feel free to use fresh dill if you want.
- Pickle juice is also a good alternative to lemon juice.
Kate says
This is the best homemade tartar sauce I’ve ever made. Thank you!
Iosune says
Hi Kate! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you liked it!