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. 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:

• Louisiana Fish Fry
• Braswells Seafood 

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

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:

Blackened Salmon

Baked Potato Wedges

Blackened Shrimp Tacos

Air Fryer French Fries

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

Crab Cakes

Salmon Burgers

Air Fryer Fish