Creamy yet spicy, this classic Remoulade Sauce is sure to kick up all the Cajun and Creole dishes you love. Whisking mayonnaise, mustard, and a few other simple seasonings create something magical. This recipe is delightful on fresh homemade crab cakes, fried fish, tacos, or store it in the fridge for another night!
Spicy, creamy, and full of Cajun flavor – this remoulade sauce recipe is the perfect dip to accompany just about any dish!
Whether for crab cakes at a party, a dip for Baked Potato Wedges, or simply to add a bit more flavor to Blackened Salmon, you can’t go wrong with this recipe!
Don’t be turned off by the ingredient list. It has 10 ingredients, but they are all super easy to find at your local grocery store. Most are likely already in the pantry!
And trust me when I say, don’t leave any of them out! They each bring a special and unique flavor to this sauce that you don’t want to miss.
(But if you still have trouble locating any of them, there are a few simple swaps you can make.)
What is Remoulade Sauce?
Remoulade sauce is a traditional Louisiana sauce with a mayonnaise base. Oftentimes you will find it also includes Creole mustard, paprika, garlic, and Cajun or blackened seasoning. In the recipe below it also gets a bit of kick from Louisiana-style hot sauce and a tang from pickle relish and prepared horseradish.
Remoulade sometimes gets confused with tartar sauce. Tartar sauce is made with a few of the same ingredients, mayonnaise and pickles, but does not have the spicy components that remoulade contains. (i.e. Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, or paprika.)
You can tell the difference between the two sauces by their variation in color. Remoulade sauce will typically have more of a red hue while tartar sauce is more of a white color.
Ingredients
Remoulade sauce is made up of a few simple and easy-to-find ingredients:
- Mayonnaise – Duke’s mayo is my go-to, but Hellmann’s and even an avocado oil-based kind will work great.
- Mustard – Creole mustard is used in this recipe, but spicy or regular mustard will do the trick.
- Pickle relish – Dill or sweet both work, but will affect how sweet the sauce is. In a pinch, finely dice up pickles in place of relish.
- Lemon juice – Adds a bit of freshness to the sauce. Freshly squeeezed is best, but bottled juice will work, as well.
- Paprika and Cajun seasoning – These spices give it the flavor we know and love! Try this Blackened Seasoning for a little less heat.
- Horseradish – Make sure you do not leave this ingredient out! It’s super important to get that authentic flavor. However, decrease the amount used for less of a kick.
- Hot sauce – A Louisiana style is best. (Such as Tabasco sauce.) Other types of sauce, like Sriracha, will work but will affect the flavor.
- Fresh garlic – Use minced garlic if possible. Feel free to sub ¼ teaspoon garlic powder if you do not have a clove.
Adjusting the Spice
As mentioned previously there are a few ingredients that give this Louisiana-inspired sauce its spicy flavor. This particular recipe is about a 3 on a scale of 1-10.
If you are not a huge fan of spice you can make the following adjustments:
- Decrease the amount of hot sauce or leave it out completely.
- Make sure you buy a mild Cajun or blackened seasoning. Also, blackened seasoning tends to be a little less spicy than Cajun seasoning blends.
- And don’t forget to double-check that the paprika is not “hot.”
- Add some salt or capers for additional flavor.
Want to make it spicier? Try these additions:
- Mix in some finely chopped jalapenos.
- Sprinkle in some additional cayenne pepper.
- Add in extra Cajun seasoning
How to Make Remoulade Sauce
The basic steps for making this remoulade sauce are easy to follow.
Combine and Whisk
Once you have gathered all of your ingredients, simply place them in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well combined.
To save dishes and clean up time, mix them together in the jar or glass container you’ll be storing it in.
Refrigerate and Serve
Refrigerate sauce for 1-2 hours or up to 24 hours before serving. This step is critical, so don’t skip it! Letting the sauce rest for a few hours allows all of the flavors to meld together before serving.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: This sauce should be made at least 2 hours ahead of time, or 1-2 days before for best flavor. Time is saved already!
- To Store: Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: Freezing mayonnaise tends to cause separation, freezing is not recommended.
Store-Bought Brands
While I am obviously a huge proponent of making this easy recipe from scratch, there are a few brands that sell prepared remoulade sauce if you are short on time:
My word of caution with purchasing store-bought is the quality of ingredients used. Many of them use only soybean oil (and not a mix of oils) and high fructose corn syrup.
If you would like to be more in control of the types of ingredients used (like avocado mayonnaise or using relish without a ton of added sugar) then stick to making this recipe at home!
FAQs
Typically associated with Cajun food from New Orleans and Louisiana in general, remoulade sauce begins with a mayonnaise base and enhanced with mustard, seasonings, hot sauce, and horseradish.
Remoulade sauce goes on just about anything you might put mayonnaise on. Try it on fried pickles, sandwiches (especially po’boys), crabcakes, fried fish, or fried green tomatoes.
Aioli is an emulsified sauce, usually made from oil, garlic, and egg. It can be seasoned, but it is closer to mayonnaise. Remoulade is a sauce that begins with an aioli, like mayonnaise, and kicked up with spices.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Gather ahead. Collecting all of the ingredients ahead of time will make the process of putting the sauce together much quicker.
- Save dishes. Save a step by mixing everything together in the bowl or container you will be storing the sauce in.
- Some like it hot. This recipe is easily adjustable depending on how spicy you like it! Add some spice, or decrease the amount used for desired flavor.
- Whisk away. Don’t be afraid to use a little elbow grease. Really combine the ingredients until everything is well blended. The sauce needs to be well mixed so all the flavors will come together evenly.
- Chill then serve. Do not skip this step. Allowing time for the sauce to rest really marries the flavors.
Make it a Meal
There are so many dishes and recipes you can serve with this flavorful sauce:
Remoulade Sauce Recipe
Creamy yet spicy, this classic Remoulade Sauce is sure to kick up all the Cajun and Creole dishes you love. Whisking mayonnaise, mustard, and a few other simple seasonings create something magical.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 3 Tbsp. Creole mustard or spicy
- 2 Tbsp. pickle relish dill or sweet
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
- 2 tsp. prepared horseradish
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. hot sauce such as Tabasco
Instructions
-
Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
-
Store remoulade sauce for 1-2 hours or overnight so the flavors can meld together for best taste.
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Serve remoulade sauce with baked potato wedges, over fried fish, with crab cakes or chicken and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: This sauce should be made ahead of time for the best flavor.
- To Store: Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: Freezing mayonnaise tends to cause separation, freezing is not recommended.
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Niki Ebersole says
Is the mustard powder or prepared? Thank you
London Brazil says
Creole or spicy mustard, the prepared condiment, is called for in this recipe.
Lesley says
We’re used to a Danish remoulade sauce. This spicy delight was a revelation! Now becoming one of our go to recipes for so many dish accompaniments. Thank you!
PS: love the crab cakes too!!😊
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lesley! So glad it’s a new go-to. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
L Roman says
Thank you for this recipe, so glad I found it. Well I put it together with pantry items I had on hand as I limit trips to the store these days. No relish, but I did have olive tapenade and used 1 tbls. Alas, no horseradish bit it turned out delicious just the same. I made this before breakfast and could not stop tasting it. This will go great with bang bang shrimp for dinner later.
London says
So happy you enjoyed it! And sounds like you made some great substitutions. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Nancy says
Lots of spice and full of flavor. Made this remoulade sauce to go with some bbq-spiced shrimp.
London says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy!! Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂 I bet the bbq shrimp were amazing!
Anonymous says
Absolutely love remoulade sauce. I cannot wait to make this at home!
London says
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
Cody Elliott says
I made it exactly as the recipe stated. I thought it tasted like too much mayo, and was a tad bit salty. I am letting it sit in the fridge, to blend and will taste it later. I noticed an asterik by the mayo, but never an explanation of why it was there. Next time, I think I will cut down on the mayo a little bit.
London says
Thank you so much for your honest review, Cody! It definitely largely depends on the type/brand of ingredients used. The asterisk next to mayo is that you can use avocado oil mayo if Paleo or Whole30 (mentioned in the recipe notes.) Thanks for your comment!