Vegan Tartar Sauce

This vegan tartar sauce recipe is easy to make and perfect as a sauce for your favorite entree, sandwich, or tangy dip. So dip in a little vegan tartar sauce and enjoy!

Vegan tartar sauce is made with clean whole foods with few ingredients yet tastes just like traditional tartar sauce. So, the next time you want tartar sauce, make this vegan tartar sauce recipe.  

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• Recipe Ingredient Substitutions
• The Nut Debate
• Vegan Mayo
• What to Eat with Vegan Tartar Sauce
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Great Vegan Dips and Sauces to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

In my opinion, vegan sauces and condiments make or break a recipe. I love condiments, but most store-bought condiments are full of sugar and preservatives. So, most of the time, I 'veganize' my favorite sauces and condiments and keep them clean and healthy.

Recipe Ingredients

• Cashew Mayo: I make my own cashew mayo wth whole foods ingredients.
• Dill Pickles: I love dill pickles and chop them finely for this vegan tartar sauce recipe.
• Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice whenever possible.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard gives a wonderful tanginess to the tartar sauce.

Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose sunflower seeds, silken tofu, and white beans instead of nuts in the cashew mayo recipe. Subsitutions are supplied in the recipe.
• Try unsweetened, unflavored plain vegan yogurt instead of cashew mayo.
• Sweet pickles are also great in this recipe for a sweeter taste.
• Consider using pickle relish already chopped for another option.
• Use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice.
• Stoneground mustard is an excellent substitute for dijon mustard.
• For store-bought vegan mayonnaise options, try Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, Hellmann's, and Best Foods Vegan Carefully Crafted Dressing.
• Or Earth Balance Mindful Mayo and Trader Joe's Vegan Spread & Dressing, and Reduced Fat Mayo Dressing are also other options.

Once stirred together, refrigerate, and the sauce will thicken while in the refrigerator.

The Nut Debate

The debate about nuts in the plant-based world is intense, to say the very least. For example, one side debates the dangers of eating nuts, as they are too high in fat and cause obesity. On the other hand, the counterargues small amounts of nuts have health benefits and are necessary for healthy fats. 

Obviously, for those with nut allergies, nuts pose a dangerous threat. But do raw nuts pose a danger to the average plant-based eater?

Honestly, I don't think so. But I also wouldn't suggest someone sit down and eat a whole bag of nuts or a whole batch of cashew mayo. Dr. Furhman, for example, suggests 1-ounce a day. 

A lot of research points to the benefits of raw cashews, for example, as providing:

• Protein
• Antioxidants
• Boost the immune system
• No cholesterol
• Vitamins E, K, and B6
• Minerals
• Healthy fatty acids

Vegan Mayo

When searching for an excellent vegan mayo, most people are looking for a sandwich spread or a dressing to add to a salad. Before becoming vegan, I was never a mayo fan.

I thought it tasted like sour milk. No one eats real mayo with a spoon; I don't know anyone who does. Instead, mayo is used with other ingredients to make dressings or give a creamy texture to food.

For example, vegan cashew mayo does not "taste" like mayo but has the innate ability to provide creaminess and a base for other dressings. 

First, remember homemade dressings only last one week refrigerated. Unlike processed foods, you are not using preservatives. So, ensure the amount you make will be used in 7 days.

Then, consider all the recipes you can use your vegan cashew mayo for, such as Chickpea Tuna Salad, Cobb "Eggless" Tofu Salad, a dip for grilled artichokes, or vegan crab cakes.

What to Eat with Vegan Tartar Sauce

One of my favorite ways to use this vegan tartar sauce recipe is to dip vegan calamari or as a sauce for hearts of palm crab cakes, tofu crab cakes, or vegan scallops.

And, for a bit of heat, add 2 teaspoons of Sriracha for a spicy version of vegan tartar sauce.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Make a recipe for cashew mayo and use it for various recipes throughout the week.
• If you don't have an excellent high-quality, high-speed blender, soak the cashews overnight or boil them for 10 minutes and drain them before making the cashew mayo recipe.
• Dill or sweet pickle relish substitutes chopped fresh dill or sweet pickles.
• Cover and place the sauce in the refrigerator to thicken.
• The sauce will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
• Stir before serving.
• Add flavors such as Sriracha, Old Bay Seasoning, or Cajun seasoning.

If you are looking for a zesty, creamy sauce, try vegan tartar sauce! With just a few ingredients, you will love this sauce recipe.

Great Vegan Dips and Sauces to Try!

If you love vegan tartar sauce, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

📖 Recipe