By:Nagi
67 Comments
A great homemade burger sauce is an easy win to shift a big juicy burger from yum territory to holy-crapola-this-is-amazing land! Besides, when a burger sauce recipe is this easy and so much better, nobody has an excuse to resort to those squeezy bottles of overly-sweet sauce sold at grocery stores…..
I have two go-to burger sauce recipes: a tomato chutney-like one (25 minutes on the stove) and this creamy one (a quick 20 second mix job). You probably figured why the latter is especially popular in my circles. 😂
Copycat Heinz Secret Burger Sauce
This burger sauce is a copycat of Heinz Secret Burger Sauce. Except theirs includes acidity regulators (260, 330), stabilisers (412, 415), and preservatives (202, 224), to name a few of the more tantalising ingredients on the label.
This burger sauce recipe does not. 🙂
Even using store-bought mayonnaise, which I have done so here, this sauce still leaves the Heinz stuff in the dust! (I really need to pop a mayo recipe on my website, don’t I??!)
Sauce talk: Different sauces for burgers
With the rise of gourmet burgers, you see all sorts of condiments, sauces and relishes on hamburgers these days! But here’s a core list of my favourite burger sauces I use:
Ketchup (or Aussie tomato sauce) – Straight out of the bottle, just as it is!
Mayonnaise – Plain, or flavoured like this Special Burger Sauce recipe (see below).
Yellow mustard – I’m talking the garish yellow stuff, sometimes labelled “American mustard”. (Caution: Don’t accidentally use the other bright yellow mustard, Hot English Mustard, which is spicy!)
Creamy burger sauce (this recipe) – A mayonnaise-based savoury burger sauce, usually with little bits of gherkins in it.
Tomato burger sauce (chutney/relish, recipe here) – A slightly chunky style sauce that’s similar to tomato chutney except not as sweet and with less earthy spices like cardamom, ginger etc.
Thousand Island sauce – A creamy pink sauce made with a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup that’s popular with seafood (Aussies’ favourite prawn dipping sauce!) Recipe here.
Barbecue sauce – See my Barbecue Pork Ribs recipe for a classic homemade Barbecue Sauce recipe.
Ingredients in homemade burger sauce
Here’s what you need to make this burger sauce.
Sweet gherkins – These are gherkins that are (as the name may give away!) sweet as well as tangy rather than just tangy. Substituting with any gherkin / pickled cucumber will work fine here, but one that leans sweet is best if you want to replicate the store bought burger sauces.
Juice from gherkin jar – We to use some of the pickling juices for tang and flavour in our sauce. A neat trick!
Mayonnaise – I like using whole egg mayonnaise for a smoother, more rounded flavour. Hellmans and S&W are two popular brands here in Australia. Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise is extra-creamy and also great, albeit more expensive. Substitute with any ordinary mayonnaise, but the flavour may be slightly sharper and sweeter.
American yellow mustard – We’re after that artificially bright yellow stuff here which adds flavour and colour warmth to the sauce. Not to be confused with hot English mustard which is a similar colour but very spicy! Substitute with any smooth mustard, like Dijon.
White wine vinegar – Brings the main sharpness to the sauce. Substitute with apple cider vinegar. If you’ve only got ordinary white vinegar, reduce by about 1/3.
White sugar – We need a little sweetness to balance the sauce. I just use white but brown will work fine too.
Spices – Paprika (which makes the sauce a bit pinky), onion powder and garlic granules (substitute with garlic powder). Onion and garlic powder can be substituted with more of the other.
How to make special burger sauce
It’s very technical … dump and mix. 😂 We need more recipes like this!!!
Using the burger sauce – double up!
I was born with the instinct to double up – sauce on the bottom lid and smeared on the top lid or drizzled over the burger patty stack piled up in the bun. I can’t imagine just smearing it on the lid or base of the bun – am I wrong??
I know you know how to mix together a bunch of ingredients but I made a quick little how-to video for you anyway. Mainly as an excuse to show off how good hamburgers are with homemade sauce.
I hope you give this a go one day! Let me know in the comments below if you do. – Nagi x
PS. And if you want a Cheeseburger to slather this on, just head right here.
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Special Burger Sauce
Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Sauce
Western
4.97 from 26 votes
Servings4 – 5 burgers
Tap or hover to scale
Recipe video above. A great homemade burger sauce is an easy win to elevate a big juicy hamburger fromyumtoholy crapola, this is so good!!!Dead easy and so much better than store bought. Slather on your favourite burger (here are all my Burger recipes) or try the Cheeseburger recipe pictured in post!
Want a tomato one? Try this Tomato Chutney for Burgers.
Makes just over 3/4 cup, enough for 4 – 5 burgers.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp American yellow mustard (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp sweet gherkins finely chopped (Note 3)
- 2 tsp gherkin juice (from the pickle jar) (Note 4)
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (Note 5)
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jug and stir until smooth.
Use for burgers – browse my Burger collection or try the latest and greatest Cheeseburger! I generously slather on the base bun as well as the lid (or drizzle the stack).
Recipe Notes:
1. Mayo – whole egg has a smoother, more rounded flavour than non-whole-egg mayo. I like Hellmans and S&W. Ordinary mayo works fine too, kewpie is also great!
2. Mustard – not to be confused with hot English mustard which is the same colour but very, very spicy! Sub with any other smooth mustard.
3. Sweet gherkins are gherkins with a touch more sugar. Ordinary gherkins will work fine too.
4. Pickle juice – This is the juices from the pickle jar.
5. Vinegar – apple cider vinegar is the best substitute, otherwise any other clear vinegar. If using ordinary distilled white vinegar reduce by a touch (it’s a bit sharper).
6. Storage –Should keep for the shelf life of the mayonnaise.
7. Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 220cal (11%)Carbohydrates: 4g (1%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 13gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mg (4%)Sodium: 251mg (11%)Potassium: 27mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 165IU (3%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 9mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: burger sauce, hamburger sauce
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.
Life of Dozer
A typical early evening stroll – he disappears off into the distance then I have to use the maximum zoom on my phone to locate him (yup, he’s peeing). 😂
Hi, I'm Nagi!
I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!
Read More
Free Recipe eBooks
Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!
Related Posts
Tahini sauce
Empanada sauce
Quick tomato chutney burger sauce
More Sauces
Reader Interactions
Leave a Comment
67 Comments
Ali B says
So easy, so delicious! Elevated our smash burgers even higher. I halved the recipe which was enough for 3 burgers without going too nuts!Reply
- Marianne says
1,000 island dressing is Mayo, ketchup and the sweet pickle relish which gives the little “island” (chunks of pickles).. I grew up in the Thousand Islands region of NY and border of Canada so that’s where the recipe originated over 100 years ago.
Reply
- Jo says
I made this last night to have with smash taco burgers. I just watched the video and I had to have a giggle because I also made it up in my pyrex jug and stirred it with my little spatula. Wow, I made it exactly like Nagi 😆
Reply
- Sheila says
Love this sauce, takes your cheeseburger to the next level. Another simple but delicious recipe from Nagi that has changed the way we cook and eat.Reply
- tami valo says
advent review – elevates the burger to excellent restaurant quality. easy to make is a bonus!Reply
- Christina says
Great burger sauce! But I must let you know that the ‘artificially yellow’ American mustard you referred to (or ball park mustard as we call it here) is bright yellow from the addition of turmeric, not artificial food colouring.
And it’s a must in this burger sauce! Yum!Reply
- GW says
Unreal! Better than any sauce found at a burger joint.Reply
- Karen says
Hi Nagi, yes please can you give us a mayonnaise recipe 🥰🥰😉
Reply
- Patrick Lumley says
I didn’t have all the ingredients or spices so I substituted silverskin onions for the gherkins, chopped and crushed some fresh garlic leaves and put a couple of squirts of tomato puree in. I did use English mustard because I like the bite it gives. If anyone’s interested a teaspoon of English mustard to two tablespoons of mayo is the ratio I use. It creates a passable replica of real French mustard mayo….strange but true! Anyway, my version of this recipe is, I think, delicious.Reply
- Rachel says
Perfect burger sauce!! We usually buy the Heinz one, but it was sold out – so I decided to give Nagi’s version a go (since her recipes have never failed me!!) and it was a winner – even my husband said it was better than the store-bought one!Reply
- Jacki henry says
This is now my preferred mayo. Goes with anything. I make my base mayo with a stick blender and add the extrasReply
- Anne-Marie Dooner says
Really really good sauce. Definitely a keeper.Reply
- Amanda says
Love it! Make it all the time 😉Reply
- Suzy says
Oh my goodness this recipe is amazing. I always chose the burger in a restaurant as I’ve not been able to make one as well. However this sauce just takes an ordinary burger into an extraordinary level. We used what was left to dip our chicken tenders in. Again it was incredible. Hubby has requested I make a jar to keep in the fridge.Reply
- Kerrie says
Hey Nagi, how many days can I have the Special Burger Sauce in the fridge for? I am hoping to make your burgers camping and want to also make the sauce to accompany 😊🤞 thank you for all you do! Kerrie
Reply
- Lucy says
I used Fehlbergs (in Australia) hot sweet chipotle pickles and pickle juice. It doesn’t make the sauce hot, just gives a added flavour element.Reply
- Victoria says
Hello! I love your recipes! I am allergic to pickles (darn). Is there anything that could be substituted, or would it still be good without them?
Reply
- Marin says
Pickled co*cktail onions (in a jar) work as a good substitute!
Reply
- Jo says
Oh Nagi, this is an other winner at home !! Thank you so much for sharing all your beautiful recipes
Reply
- Alexa says
Delicious!!! Best burger sauce I’ve ever had, no contest. You’ve done it again, Nagi!Reply
- Sandy says
I made this tonight – an absolute winner!!Reply
