How To Feed A Loon

  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Asian
    • Breads and Doughs
    • Cajun / Creole / Louisiana
    • Breakfast / Brunch
    • Comfort Food
    • Delectable Desserts
    • Entrees / Mains
    • Instant Pot
    • Italian
    • Pizza
    • Rubs, Spices and Sauces
    • Soups & Salads
    • Sides
    • Seafood
    • Southern
    • Mexican / Tex-Mex / Cal-Mex
    • Thanksgiving
    • Vegetarian
  • Videos
    • Recipe Videos
    • Web Stories
  • Work With Us
  • Contact
  • **Premium Access**
  • Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Premium
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Summer Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Premium
×
Home » Recipe Index » Rubs, Spices and Sauces

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Published: Feb 24, 2015 · Modified: Mar 2, 2025 by Kris Longwell · This post may contain affiliate links

1471 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Bluesky
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

This iconic sauce could not be easier to prepare. And it is so much better than the bottle variety!

We love our cocktail sauce to have a little kick, and this recipe fits the bill perfectly. Of course, you can pull back on the hot sauce if you prefer little, to no heat. Increase the prepared horseradish sauce, based on your own liking. Another great part of this delicious dipping sauce is that it can be made up to 3 days in advance. Perfect for classic shrimp cocktail or Southern-fried shrimp!

A straight-on view of a platter of Southern fried shrimp with a small bowl of homemade cocktail sauce in the middle.

How To Make Homemade Cocktail Sauce

 

NOTE: If you liked this sauce, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Remember to click the little ‘bell’ icon so you’ll never miss a new video. Thank you!

The Ingredients You Will Need

Many of these ingredients you’ll already have on hand.

Go with quality ingredients, and you will have a cocktail sauce that is quite honestly the best in town. Here’s what you need to have:

  • Good-quality Ketchup
  • Horseradish Sauce
  • Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Worcestershire Sauce

That’s all there is to it!

An overhead view of a glass bowl filled with homemade cocktail sauce with a large whisk in the middle of it.

How To Serve

This cocktail sauce can be prepared several days in advance of serving. Place in a jar, or container, with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

It’s wonderful served with steamed shrimp, either homemade or purchased. Just remember to go with top-notch shrimp. This sauce is so good, it deserves quality shrimp.

A close-up view of a person plunging a Southern fried shrimp into a bowl of homemade cocktail sauce.

Ready to make the best cocktail sauce in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

A close-up view of a small white bowl filled with homemade cocktail sauce surrounded by fried shrimp and lemon wedges.

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

This is a solid, standard recipe for homemade cocktail sauce, but, of course, you can tweak to your own tastes!
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Seafood
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 30kcal
Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoon horseradish
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon hot sauce like Crystals, Tobasco or Franks
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Whisk all ingredients together. Serve at once, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 
The cocktail sauce can be made several days in advance of serving. Keep in a jar, or container, with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It freezes nicely for up to 2 to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 123IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This post was originally published in February, 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous video in October, 2024!

More Condiments

  • A person holding up a spoonful of easy homemade ketchup over a small glass jar of the same next to a cheeseburger resting on a crumpled brown piece of paper.
    Easy Homemade Ketchup
  • A spoon filled with Carolina mustard sauce being raised from a jar filled with the sauce with a sliced brisket nearby.
    Carolina Mustard Sauce
  • An overhead view of a colorful bowl filled with a thick Thai sweet chili sauce and topped with chopped scallions and is on a plate filled with crispy coconut shrimp.
    Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • An overhead straight-down view of a small white bowl filled with fresh mango salsa with tortilla chips and limes wedges surrounding it.
    Homemade Mango Salsa

Comments

  1. Sue says

    April 16, 2020 at 2:06 pm

    So very good

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      April 18, 2020 at 10:44 am

      Thank you, Sue!! So glad you liked it and thank you so much for letting us know!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!

Kris & Wesley (The Loon) live for fun, food, and fabulousness. "How to Feed a Loon" is a celebration of just that. Come join us on this joyous culinary ride.

More about us

Summer Favorites

  • Grilled BBQ Chicken with visible grill marks resting on a metal sheet pan with a small white bowl of homemade BBQ sauce with a spoon in it nearby.
    Best-Ever Grilled BBQ Chicken
  • A pork burger topped with creamy coleslaw on a homemade pretzel bun with Carolina mustard sauce oozing from the underneath the patty with kettle chips scattered around the burger.
    Pork Burgers with Pretzel Buns
  • A close-up view of crispy coconut shrimp on a white plate next to a colorful bowl of Thai sweet chili sauce.
    Crispy Coconut Shrimp
  • An overhead view of two white bowls that are both filled with a serving of a turkey burrito bowl and they are surrounded by smaller bowls of salsa, pico de gallos, cheese, and corn salsa.
    Turkey Burrito Bowl
  • An overhead view of a large fajita skillet that is filled with a serving of veggie fajitas and surround by festive bowl of cheese, limes, sour cream, and a stack of charred flour tortillas.
    Best-Ever Veggie Fajitas
  • An overhead view of sliced best-ever pork tenderloin topped with a cranberry reduction on a large white platter with sprigs of parsley and a large serving fork next to the sliced meat.
    Best-Ever Pork Tenderloin

Popular Recipes

  • best-ever chicken salad recipe
    Best-Ever Chicken Salad
  • A white soup filled with roasted tomato basil soup next to sliced grilled cheese sandwiches.
    Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
  • Mahi Mahi tacos on a wooden table in a taco holder
    Amazing Mahi Mahi Tacos
  • A lemon wedge being squeezed onto a platter of chicken francese
    Chicken Francese
  • Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits recipe
    Southern Shrimp and Cheesy Grits
  • Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder on a platter with a side of gravy
    Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

Footer

↑ back to top

Explore

  • Recipe Index
  • About Us
  • Subscribe

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 How to Feed a Loon • This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, we may receive a commission in return. How To Feed a Loon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

1471 shares

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required