Best Yum Yum Sauce

Name: Best Yum Yum Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Japanese Inspired
Ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise (vegan if desired); 1 tablespoon melted butter (use coconut oil for vegan); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar, maple syrup, or honey; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 2 tablespoons water

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This Yum Yum sauce recipe is a flavor-packed savory sweet sauce using 7 pantry ingredients and one bowl. Stir it together in 5 minutes and put it on shrimp, fried rice, veggies, and more!

There’s nothing like a great sauce recipe to spice up a taco or a bowl meal, and here’s one that’s become a favorite or mine over time: this Yum Yum sauce! It’s a tasty way to amp up flavor and a little goes a very long way.

I originally created this Yum Yum Sauce recipe to go on my popular Crispy Cauliflower Tacos, but it’s so delicious that I love using it for dipping many other things. It’s great with sauteed shrimp or roasted broccoli!

5 Star Reader Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Make this all the time, it is SO GOOD. We use Veganaise. We discovered it with your cauliflower tacos, but also delicious on salads, burgers, and eggs!” -Laura

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “So great; used it on salad. Added sweet pickle relish and 1 more tablespoon of tomato paste. Awesome — closest thing to good homemade thousand island yet!” -Katie

What Is Yum Yum Sauce?

Yum Yum sauce is a condiment used at Japanese steakhouses, typically used on seafood. It’s a mayo-based sauce, typically made with tomato paste, a little butter, a hint of sugar, and a few other seasonings.

And before we go any further: this stuff is delicious. Creamy, savory, and a little sweet, the uses for Yum Yum sauce are endless. Try it on tacos, eggs, roasted or raw vegetables, as a dip for fries, with shrimp, over salmon, steak: anything you like!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Mayonnaise: Use a good full-fat mayonnaise you like the taste of: it makes the creamy body of the sauce. I always use an olive oil mayonnaise (by the brand Graza, which is easy to find at many grocery stores).
Melted butter: I experimented with removing the butter in this one, but it tasted very strongly of mayo. Adding the butter helps to smooth out the sauce, so I would not suggest omitting it. You can also use coconut oil or vegan butter for vegan.
Tomato paste: This adds color and a savory depth; you can also use ketchup as a substitute.
Maple syrup or honey: Most versions call for white sugar, but you can also use a natural sweetener like maple or honey.
Garlic powder and paprika: These round out the flavor.

How To Make Yum Yum Sauce

I wish I could share some deep secrets about how to make Yum Yum sauce. But it’s so simple I can’t even say anything except: throw the ingredients in a bowl and stir! Yes, it’s that easy. Scroll down to the recipe card below!

Pro tip: Make it a few hours ahead if you can. The flavor is noticeably rounder after the flavors meld.

Tips For Adjusting The Flavor

Here are a few ways to adjust the flavor of this sauce to your liking:

Start at the low end of sweetness. One reader felt that this sauce was too sweet. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more only if it needs it.
Add acid. A ½ to 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar can sharpen the flavors; it’s what most hibachi versions use. One reader Molly landed on red wine vinegar and said it made it taste like what she was expecting!
Go smoky. Swapping in smoked paprika for sweet paprika adds a savory undertone.
Add heat. A squeeze of sriracha adds a nice touch of heat.

Ways To Use Yum Yum Sauce

If you’re not sure how to use this delicious condiment, here are a few recipes we think would pair well with Yum Yum sauce:

Drizzled over easy vegetable fried rice
With grilled shrimp skewers, seared tuna, or crab cakes as a dipping sauce
Spooned over easy baked salmon or a salmon poke bowl
As a dip for baked sweet potato fries
Inside my cauliflower tacos with yum yum sauce, which is how many readers find this recipe
On a chicken burger, on eggs, or on a rice bowl

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftover Yum Yum sauce in an airtight container or squeeze bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Don’t let it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

I don’t recommend freezing this sauce, because mayo can separate after freezing.

Dietary Notes

This Yum Yum sauce recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, use vegan mayo and coconut oil (see below).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is yum yum sauce just mayo and ketchup?

Close, but the butter, garlic powder, paprika, and a touch of sweetener are what make it taste like the restaurant version rather than fry sauce.

Is yum yum sauce the same as Thousand Island dressing?

They’re related but not the same. Thousand Island includes pickle relish and more vinegar, giving it a chunkier texture and sharper tang. Yum yum sauce is smoother, sweeter, and best for drizzling.

Is yum yum sauce the same as spicy mayo?

No, spicy mayo is mayonnaise plus sriracha or chili paste, with heat as the whole point. Yum yum sauce isn’t spicy.

Why is it called yum yum sauce?

No one really knows. The name appears to have come from American hibachi restaurants.

Can I make yum yum sauce without mayonnaise?

Not really, but you can use vegan mayonnaise as a plant-based substitute.