Classic Cocktail Sauce Recipe (Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce)
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 293kcal
This classic cocktail sauce recipe is sweet, spicy and ready in 5 minutes. Made with ketchup, prepared horseradish, lemon juice and hot sauce, it’s my go-to shrimp cocktail sauce for seafood platters, holidays and parties.
Print Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish or more if you like it spicy
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Dash of finely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the 1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish in a fine mesh sieve and press down with the back of a spoon to release all of the moisture.
- Combine the drained horseradish, 1 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and Dash of finely ground black pepper.
- Stir well. Sauce can be served immediately or chill for 1 hour for best results.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Video
Notes
Storage: If you store it overnight or for a few days, it might need a little more lemon juice or salt to revive the flavors and loosen. It tends to get a little gelatinous while cold.
Freezing: You can freeze cocktail sauce, but it I've very rarely heard of it being done. If you do, freeze it in small batches in sandwich bags or even an ice cube tray so you can just defrost a little bit for dipping when needed.
- Heat level: Start with 1 tablespoon horseradish for mild, up to 3 tablespoons for spicy.
- No horseradish option: Omit horseradish and add extra hot sauce and lemon for a milder, kid-friendly shrimp dipping sauce.
- Texture fix: If the sauce gels in the fridge, let it sit at room temp for 10–15 minutes and stir. It’s a normal reaction between ketchup and horseradish.
- Make-ahead: Mix up to 3–5 days in advance; flavor actually improves as it chills.
Nutrition
Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 3093mg | Potassium: 928mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 24.6mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1.9mg
