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Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Sep 25, 2024 · 1 Comment

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Collage with a picture of a shrimp dipping into a small glass bowl of cocktail sauce on top, homemade cocktail sauce in a small white bowl on bottom, and the words "homemade shrimp cocktail sauce" in the center.

Make your own restaurant quality Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce with just 5 ingredients in your very own kitchen. Bold, tangy, and zesty with the perfect bite from horseradish.

Small white bowl full of homemade shrimp cocktail sauce topped with a fresh parsley leaf, on a small plate next to cocktail shrimp.

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Would you believe that restaurant quality Shrimp Cocktail Sauce is at your finger tips with only FIVE ingredients?! So simple, and so delicious!

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce has a robust, bold flavor with the perfect amount of bite from horseradish. It is excellent served with cold shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, or other seafood.

Make this recipe the day before so that the flavors have time to marry, and you'll have the best shrimp cocktail sauce you ever tasted!

Horseradish

The ingredient that gives shrimp cocktail sauce its signature bold bite is horseradish. The recipe calls for "prepared horseradish." This is horseradish that has been grated and is usually in a liquid like vinegar to preserve.

Stay away from the creamy horseradish, which is in a mayo-like sauce. This will not give you as bold of a flavor and will turn your sauce pink.

Does Making Your Own Shrimp Cocktail Sauce Really Make a Difference?

Yes! Not only is it fresher, you can also personalize it to your own tastes, adding more or less lemon or horseradish depending on the flavors you love. PLUS! It is significantly cheaper to make at home.

A small bowl of shrimp cocktail sauce surrounded by cocktail shrimp, fresh parsley, and a lemon wedge.

More Sauce Recipes You'll Love

  • Romesco Sauce - a Spanish roasted red pepper and tomato sauce that's zesty, robust, and bold, and delicious on pretty much everything.
  • Remoulade Sauce - another sauce that's delicious on seafood! This one is creamy and zesty with a Creole kick.
  • Homemade Tartar Sauce - a creamy, tangy sauce with pickles and lemon that is excellent on fried fish and seafood.
  • Homemade Alfredo Sauce - a super simple sauce (no roux required!) that is the perfect rich, creamy, garlic, parmesan combination, and is amazing served on pasta, chicken, or seafood.
  • Creamy Horseradish Sauce - this creamy sauce can cut the richness of a meat such as pork chops or prime rib while adding a creamy, zesty bite.

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce Video

Shrimp dipping into a small glass bowl of homemade shrimp cocktail sauce surrounded by more shrimp.

Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Make your own restaurant quality Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce with just 5 ingredients in your very own kitchen. Bold, tangy, and zesty with the perfect bite from horseradish.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cocktail Sauce, Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 14 tablespoons
Calories: 12kcal
Author: Michelle
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish to taste, depending on how zesty you like yours!
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Dash of tabasco

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Adjust amount of horseradish, if necessary.
  • Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until use.
  • Enjoy with your favorite shrimp!

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 12kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 42mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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UPDATE INFO: This recipe was originally published in December 2018. It was updated with new pictures, tips, and video and republished in September 2024.

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Comments

  1. MiMi says

    January 16, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    Tastes great.... thanks for posting.

    Reply

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Hello! I'm Michelle!
I'm a comfort food lover and self-taught cook with five amazing kids and a firefighter husband, surviving mostly on coffee. I love to create easy and delicious family recipes, and share creative family tips I've learned along the way.
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