Name: The Best Vegan Burger Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise; 2 Tbsp dill pickle juice; 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste; 1 Tbsp yellow mustard; 1 Tbsp horseradish*; 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp smoked paprika; 1/4 tsp celery salt; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

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This is the BEST vegan burger sauce recipe! It’s tangy and flavorful with just a hint of spice and a touch of sweet. It’s like a vegan version of the Big Mac sauce! Perfect as a vegan burger condiment or sandwich spread; great for dipping fries or for making a vegan burger salad! It’s easy to make with simple ingredients you probably have in your house right now.

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All the best burgers boast a “special” or “secret” sauce. I was very wary of burger sauce when I was a kid because nobody would ever tell me what was in it!

“It’s a ‘secret’ sauce!” they’d say and walk off laughing like it was the best joke I hadn’t already heard a dozen times in my young life.

But now that I’m grown up and I’ve figured out the secret, I make my own. Now, I’m all about the super special secret sauce.

What is burger sauce?

Burger sauce is typically a classic combination of mayo, ketchup, sometimes mustard, pickle juice, and other spices. I say “other spices” because it’s so easily customizable to your personal tastes!

It’s sometimes referred to as a “special sauce” or “special burger sauce” and there are as many versions of this burger condiment out there as there are burgers to put them on.

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Why is this the BEST vegan burger sauce?

It is absolutely everything I want to taste on a burger, all combined in one smooth sauce.
It has just the right amount of spicy to sweet to tangy ratio.
There are a ton of substitutions or ways to customize it for your wants and needs.
This vegan burger sauce recipe uses simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now!
It’s not only great for slathering all over your veggie burgers or meaty vegan burgers, but it is also ideal for dipping fries and doubles as a great dressing for vegan cheeseburger salad!
NO ONE will even know it’s vegan! All your family and friends will love it.

Ingredients in the best vegan burger sauce: vegan mayonnaise, pickle juice, maple syrup, celery salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, tomato paste, yellow mustard, and horseradish.

What’s in vegan burger sauce?

Here, we’ll go over the ingredients along with some notes to help you achieve the best results. The full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!

For our vegan burger sauce, we are going to use:

Vegan mayonnaise – You can use store-bought vegan mayo or your favorite recipe.
Dill pickle juice – from a jar of dill pickles!
Tomato paste – I prefer tomato paste plus a dash of maple syrup instead of straight up ketchup
Yellow mustard – This is sometimes referred to as “American mustard” outside the US
Prepared Horseradish – Make sure you check the ingredients; some contain eggs
Maple syrup – Get a good-quality maple syrup and not pancake syrup

Spice Cabinet: garlic powder, smoked paprika, celery salt, ground black pepper

Head-on close up shot of a homemade plant-based burger on a bun with a slice of lettuce and vegan burger sauce / special sauce dripping down the side.

How to Customize Dairy-Free Burger Sauce (substitution options)

For the vegan mayo: If you’re looking to avoid oil, you could either use your favorite oil-free mayo (or mayo recipe), or you could use thick, unflavored/unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. The end result will depend on the yogurt quality. You want to use something super thick and creamy with no flavor or sweetener.

For the pickle juice: I wouldn’t recommend skipping this if you can help it. If needed, you could start by replacing it with the same amount of relish or 1 tsp white vinegar or rice vinegar.

For the tomato paste: Feel free to sub ketchup for the tomato paste. If you do this, I would also cut the maple syrup unless you like the extra sweetness. You could also try BBQ sauce!

For the maple syrup: You can also use agave or date syrup in place of the maple.

For the mustard: Feel free to use your favorite mustard here. We like yellow mustard in this, but stone ground mustard would be delicious and so would dijon mustard! You may be able to sub apple cider vinegar, but cut the amount down or it will affect the texture.

For the horseradish: This adds a really nice touch of spice and kick, but feel free to omit it if you don’t have it or you don’t like spicy. Some hot sauce could also do the trick if it’s just the first one there.

For the spices: Feel free to play around with the spices in this sauce! That’s part of the beauty of it! Paprika can replace the smoked paprika. Regular or smoked salt can replace the celery salt, onion powder can be added or subbed for garlic powder, and a dash of cayenne pepper can replace the black pepper.

How to Make Vegan Special Sauce

This recipe is almost too easy to be its own blog post — almost. First, just grab a mixing bowl and a whisk. You don’t even need a food processor!

Step 1: Mix everything together.

Once you have your mixing bowl, the first step is easy! You’ll start by mixing all the ingredients together with the whisk until everything is totally combined.

Process shots showing the process of how to make vegan burger sauce. The first shot is a bowl with all the ingredients in it before mixing them. The second is the bowl after being whisked with the whisk still in it.

Step 2: Let it sit in the fridge.

The next step is harder. Waiting.

Finally, you’ll cover the bowl and let sit in the fridge 1-2 hours. This step is optional, but it allows the sauce to thicken a bit and it totally takes the flavor of this vegan burger sauce to the next level!

After 24-48 hours, the flavor is even more intense so plan ahead if you want the best results!

How to Serve Copycat Vegan Big Mac Sauce

Serve this vegan burger sauce cold as a great condiment at cookouts, parties, bbqs, or anything involving burgers.

This vegan burger sauce is a great way for vegans to dress their plant-based burger patties or favorite veggie burger.

It’s a great addition to the classic burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion, and dill pickles! It also goes great with more exotic, artisanal type burgers. Spread a little (or a lot) on your burger buns and dig in!

You can also use this sauce as a dipping sauce some crispy baked french fries or a sandwich spread. It makes a great salad dressing for a side salad or maybe a loaded vegan burger salad too! Oh, and two words: cheeseburger nachos.

Overhead shot of vegan burger sauce in a jar with a spoon sticking into it. There are french fries and pickles to the side.

How to Store Leftover Burger Sauce

Leftover vegan burger sauce will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. For the best experience, we do not recommend freezing this sauce, as it will affect the texture.

More Vegan Recipes for Sauces

If you make this vegan burger sauce, we totally wanna hear how it went and what you put it on!

Rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in your burger-licious photos on Instagram. If you’re not already hanging out with us over there, we are @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.

We can’t wait to hear what you think! Cheers!