Homemade cocktail sauce recipe with ketchup

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

It is made with just four ingredients. But the flavor is so much more than the sum of its parts.

It has a kick of heat from horseradish and hot sauce that makes it uniquely addictive.

Ketchup

I prefer to use natural ketchup without high fructose corn syrup.

Trader Joe's is my regular brand. It's made with tomato puree, cane sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices.

However, you can use any kind that you have in the refrigerator.

Prepared horseradish

Prepared horseradish is what gives cocktail sauce its unique & specific flavor. While there are some cocktail sauce ingredients you could omit (like Worcestershire or hot sauce), ketchup and horseradish are musts.

Prepared horseradish is made with vinegar, salt, and grated horseradish root.

The horseradish root provides a nose-clearing bite. It has a warmth that's similar to wasabi.

The type of prepared horseradish that I buy is sold in the refrigerated section, usually near the mayonnaise. (Bubbies is my favorite brand.)

Shelf stable varieties are also available in the center aisles near the condiments, but they tend to have more preservatives.

(Have horseradish leftover? Mix it with vegan mayo for a creamy spread that's great on a French dip sandwich.)

Vegan Worcestershire sauce

A dash of Worcestershire sauce adds umami undertones to cocktail sauce.

Many brands include anchovies, which makes them not vegan. However, you can easily find vegan varieties in most natural grocery stores.

It's typically sold near the ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other shelf stable sauces. I recommend Wizard's or Annie's.

(Use leftover Worcestershire in a Bloody Mary or au jus.)

Hot sauce

For this dip, I like to use jalapeño hot sauce.

It has a nice kick of heat and zing of flavor. However, any hot sauce that you enjoy can be used here.

And if you don't like spicy food, leave it out.

This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

In a small bowl, combine the following ingredients:

• Ketchup
• Prepared horseradish
• Hot sauce
• Vegan Worcestershire sauce

You can make this cocktail sauce recipe your own by varying the ingredients and/or amounts.

• Replace ketchup with chili sauce
• Add more or less horseradish to adjust the amount of bite
• Add more or less hot sauce to adjust the amount of heat
• Add a squeeze of lemon juice for more brightness
• Add celery salt or diced celery
• Add minced garlic
• Add salt and pepper

Even though cocktail sauce is often referred to as seafood sauce or shrimp sauce, there's no reason it can’t be used & adored by vegans too.

(Just be sure to use vegan Worcestershire sauce when you make it!)

It's perfect for dunking vegan fried shrimp made from hearts of palm.

It's great with flaky vegan crab cakes made with artichokes and chickpeas. (Or use the store-bought variety.)

Add a dollop to crispy breadcrumb-coated fried almond cheese balls. Or have it with baked french fries instead of ketchup.

Need more ideas?

Use it as a dipping sauce for any of the following:

• Fried zucchini
• Fried artichoke hearts
• Hashbrowns
• Vegan fried ravioli
• Onion rings
• Hush puppies (from Glue & Glitter)
• Vegan pigs in a blanket
• Use it as a veggie platter dip

Homemade cocktail sauce will last at least a couple of weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator.

All of the ingredients have a really long shelf life. (Think about how long you keep a bottle of ketchup or hot sauce!)

So if you're planning on serving this sauce for a dinner party, it's a good recipe to make ahead of time.

📖 Recipe