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This Comeback Sauce recipe will have you coming back for more! It’s a creamy, zingy sauce perfect for dipping fries or slathering on burgers or sandwiches.
Here’s a dipping sauce we’ve discovered that’s got us hooked: Comeback Sauce! If you’re from Mississippi this is no news to you, of course. But once we found out about this meld of all our favorite condiments, we’ve been making it on repeat!
Comeback Sauce is creamy, tangy, savory, and so irresistible it will have you coming back for more (as the name suggests!). It comes from Mississippi and it’s perfect for dipping fries, sauteed shrimp, grilled chicken, or slathering on burgers and sandwiches.
Ingredients in comeback sauce
Comeback Sauce is similar to sauces like remoulade and Russian dressing: it’s a combination of mayonnaise and chili sauce or ketchup and other seasonings. It originated at a restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1930’s (apparently either the Mayflower Cafe or Rotisserie Restaurant, though no one knows for sure).
Once we tried Comeback Sauce, we knew it would be perfect for dipping grilled shrimp or roasted vegetables! It’s creamy and tangy, with a hint of backend heat (but you can customize the heat level). Here are the ingredients in our version:
- Mayonnaise: Use the highest quality mayo you can find (you’ll taste the difference).
- Ketchup: Many Comeback Sauce recipes use chili sauce. We don’t have a favorite brand and it can be harder to find, so we used ketchup instead.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon adds savory and spicy elements; yellow mustard also works.
- Hot sauce: Hot sauce adds a bit of heat, but you can omit if desired.
- Worcestershire sauce: This salty condiment adds complexity. Use our Worcestershire sauce substitute if you prefer.
- Onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika: These spices round out the flavor.
Storing leftovers
This sauce recipe makes ⅓ cup, so you may want to double it if you like a lot of sauce. It lasts for up to 2 weeks refrigerated.
Ways to use Comeback Sauce
We originally made this creamy dipping sauce to go with our grilled shrimp kabobs. It was so satisfying that we now make it for all sorts of uses! Here are some of our favorite items to dip into this Comeback Sauce recipe:
- French fries like baked fries or sweet potato fries
- Shrimp like sauteed shrimp, grilled shrimp, shrimp burger, or shrimp kabobs
- Chicken like grilled chicken or homemade chicken nuggets
- Salmon like salmon bites or grilled salmon
- Burgers like portobello burgers, salmon burgers, or shrimp burgers
- Vegetables like grilled vegetables, roasted vegetables, roasted broccoli, grilled broccolini, and more!
Dietary notes
This Comeback Sauce recipe is vegetarian (with Worcestershire sauce substitute) and gluten-free. For vegan and plant-based, use vegan mayonnaise and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Comeback Sauce has a unique flavor profile that’s tangy, slightly sweet, and a little spicy. It’s often described as a blend of remoulade and barbecue sauce.
Comeback Sauce is incredibly versatile! It’s delicious on burgers, fries, chicken, seafood, and even vegetables.
Homemade Comeback Sauce typically lasts for about 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
It can be, depending on the amount of hot sauce used in the recipe. You can adjust the spiciness to your liking.
Comeback Sauce
This comeback sauce recipe will have you coming back for more! It’s a creamy, zingy sauce perfect for dipping fries or slathering on burgers or sandwiches.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ⅓ cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Frank’s)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. Stores refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
This was great! I added some horseradish and used in on Fourth of July for grilled vegetables.
In Utah we call this fry sauce, and we put it on fries and basically anything else it sounds good on. I like the name “Comeback Sauce”, and I’m happy to hear that the people of Mississippi love it. When we travel we have a hard time finding it. Guess we need to travel to Mississippi!
We enjoyed this sauce years ago at the Shabbat table of a rabbi and his family. It was lovingly known as “the pink stuff,” and used on everything. I’m thrilled to find a recipe for it.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Would there be a good stand in for the mayo?
Unfortunately not.