Sweet and tangy Mayo Ketchup may be the perfect dipping sauce you’ve never heard of. This zesty blend of mayonnaise and ketchup is traditionally a dip for Tostones and other Puerto Rican delicacies. (Don’t you dare put fried food on a Puerto Rican table without Mayo Ketchup, homie!) But it’s also fabulous used as a sandwich spread, a salad dressing, or a marinade. Did I mention this mayo Ketchup recipe is ridiculously easy to make?
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All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
What Is Mayo Ketchup?
A staple of the Puerto Rican table, Mayo Ketchup is also a popular condiment in many different countries, where it can be known as fry sauce, salsa rosada, or pink sauce. The combination of mayonnaise and ketchup creates a rich and creamy dressing with slightly honeyed and tart notes. The two ingredients complement each other perfectly, creating a sauce that is surprisingly flavorful and versatile, like Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart.
Ingredients For Mayo Ketchup
You can now find this delicious concoction at many supermarkets, but making your own is much cheaper. Plus, you can doctor it up with a few extra ingredients to make it your own. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of adobo seasoning for depth and grate a fresh garlic clove to add pungency. Here’s what you’ll need to make a basic Mayo Ketchup:
- Mayonnaise: adds richness and body to the sauce. Feel free to use vegan mayo here, if you’re plant-based.
- Ketchup: provides sweetness and acidity. It also gives the sauce its signature salmon pink color.
- Hot Sauce: adds a spicy kick. Use your favorite brand. Hot pepper brine is also fantastic. In a pinch, add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
What TO PAIR With It
Mayo Ketchup is a perfect dip for anything fried, and Tostones are an uber-traditional pairing. You can also try it with Air Fryer Fried Chicken, Oven Baked Steak Fries, fish sticks, and Baked Zucchini Fries. PS I love it as a spread on Tomato Sandwiches(stand down, traditionalists!) or a Smash Burger.
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Mayo Ketchup
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.40)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.10)
- 1 tsp hot sauce ($0.14)
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot sauce to a small bowl.
- Mix ingredients until no white streaks remain. Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 30 days.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
How to Make Mayo Ketchup – Step by Step Photos
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To a small bowl add 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, and 1 teaspoon hot sauce.
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Mix ingredients until thoroughly combined and no white streaks remain. Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight for up to 30 days. Serve with your favorite crispy fried or oven-baked foods. Tostones are my favorite but the possibilities are endless!
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Some people need to take a nap. Geez. It’s Budgetytes, not L’Snooty Gourmet. Move on.
I have been cooking meals for my family for over forty years. The last several of those years I have been making recipes from Budget Bytes, many of which have become family favorites. Ketchup mayo? I had never even heard of it but I’m going to make it next time we have burgers and fries. I agree that just because a recipe seems basic and unnecessary to some doesn’t mean that someone out there not might benefit, even someone who is an experienced cook.This time it was me. Thanks for the recipe.
The comments on this post are wild! For anyone who wants an explanation as to why a website would post such a basic recipe, one reason is for SEO (search engine optimization) purposes. Posts like this helps drive new traffic to the site, getting new readers in the process AND, yes, those clicks earn the site money. Which is needs to operate, because the content is free. I have noticed a lot of blogs I follow posting basic, evergreen how-to guides as a way to get new clicks and stay relevant down the line. If you want this website and others like it to continue to post new content, this is something they do to make sure their website is profitable. So knowing that, maybe you can tolerate some “basic’ recipes every so often! On top of that, not everything you find basic is so to other people.
Adding fresh minced garlic, any vinegar and pepper bring it to the next level. Add finely chopped pickles or pickeled peppers for another route.
I agree with Barb.
I love mayo ketchup! I like to put mustard in it occasionally and some relish if I have any on hand :) I’ve never put hot sauce, tho. I’ll have to try it next time I make a sandwich!
Thank you for providing me the ratios! Never thought of adding hot sauce
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I love that it introduces me to something new! Like so many of the Budget Bytes recipes it is a simple, affordable concoction that will allow me to sample a cuisine and culture that I don’t have ready access to by just shopping my pantry. Thank you Budget Bytes Team!
Thank you for your sauce recipes – all of them.
So simple but with blasts of flavour.
I am making this right now to eat with veggies that have been steamed.
May try TOSTONES one day as well.
I have bought bags of plantain chips from dollar store BUT they have palm oil.
I am trying to keep my 60,000 miles of blood vessels unclogged.
Thank you for sourcing Healthy and reasonably priced food.
XO W
Thank you for your sauce recipes – all of them.
So simple but with blasts of flavour.
I am making this right now to eat with veggies that have been steamed.
May try TOSTONES one day as well.
I have bought bags of plantain chips from dollar store BUT the have palm oil.
I am trying to keep my 60,000 miles of blood vessels unclogged.
Thank you for sourcing Healthy and reasonably priced food.
XO W
I’m so pleased I found this! I had the pink sauce a while ago and wondered what it was. I figured it was ketchup and Mayo, but could not get the flavor or proportions right. Added the hot sauce and followed the recipe and now it’s the way I had it at the restaurant a few years ago. Very good!
I have been making Mayo Ketchup sauce for over 40 years. Loved it with fish sticks, great in pasta tuna salad, on turkey sandwiches and as a dressing in tossed salads. Recently started adding worsteschire sauce and sweet paprika to the mix, adds an extra sparkle.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This “recipe” could’ve easily been included with the tostones recipe. Posting it separately is a transparent attempt to increase ad revenue by making readers click two links instead of just one.
This website is going downhill fast. Beth never should’ve outsourced to so many other writers. Their recipes are almost never as good as hers, and it’s gotten to the point that whenever a new recipe is posted, I check to see if Beth posted it. If not, then I usually just ignore it and move on with my day unless it’s something that looks really good (which often is not the case).
I feel the same, but there isn’t much point in posting about it as the author Monti will just argue and get defensive in the comments. As silly as it is for this to be a “final straw” I’m
feeling like my time with this website has come to a close… much appreciation to Beth for many great years of affordable recipes!
I second Jill’s comments. I appreciate the need for additional content creators, but the condescending, argumentative and defensive tone in response to comments is incredibly off putting. Part of why I read this blog is for Beth’s rational and intelligent tone which keeps the focus on successful cooking and tends to shut down any drama.
Hi Brad! The reason I asked Monti to post this individually is because it’s useful for so many other things than just Tostones, and if someone was looking for instruction on how to make mayo ketchup (several thousands of people actually Google it every month), I want them to be able to find it here, but Google won’t show it to them if it’s hidden within the tostones blog post. :) I’m flattered that you like my recipes so much and hopefully, you’ll stick around for those and find a few other gems in the mean time. ;)
Brad, have you ever paid Beth for using her recipes? We are all browsing her recipes for FREE to use at home! So, I wouldn’t rush to poo-poo someone depending on ad revenue in order for her to maintain her online presence and keep on providing us with recipes that are FREE for us to use. It’s the way it works. Don’t like it? Buy a cookbook. The end.
Jeez guys, lighten up!!! I’m 71 y/o and love to cook. I also love Budgetbytes for fresh ideas when I’m stumped. Mayo & ketchup reminds me of the amazing Thousand Island dressing my wonderful Aunt Anna made us: mayo, chili sauce and a little horseradish. To an 8 y/o it was magic and I still make it. Thanks Beth et al for all the wonderful recipes and offering encouragement to people at all levels of expertise!
This website is going downhill. Beth, where are you??
Hi Holly, Beth hasn’t gone anywhere. It was actually Beth’s decision to include a separate post for Mayo Ketchup. I hope that helps you feel more confident that while our site is expanding to be inclusive of a much wider audience, our fearless leader is still at the helm calling the shots. A similar though slightly more complex version of my Mayo Ketchup recipe has been published (and purchased) by both the Washington Post and Spruce Eats.
I’m here! :D But it’s far too much work for just one person, so I’m onboarding help. 😅 It may be a bumpy ride for a while, but it’s either that or I self-destruct. 😆
I remember that feeling with my all of clients. I’m glad you are taking measures to get help! I’m a fan who isn’t liking all the changes, but I’m willing to stick it out because there is so much excellent content on your site! If you want feedback that’s not in the comment section (kinda volatile), maybe put a survey that goes just to you. Thanks so much for all of your efforts.