Made with simple ingredients, my Yum Yum Sauce, is a delicious condiment made famous in Japanese steak houses. It takes minutes to make and is a condiment with so many uses that your whole family will love!
The traditional name of this famous Japanese steakhouse condiment is Yum Yum Sauce. But you may have heard it referred to as seafood sauce, Japanese vegetable sauce, steakhouse sauce, Japanese white sauce, yummy sauce, pink sauce, Sakura sauce, or hibachi sauce.
But whatever you call it, I know you’re going to be calling it delicious!
Yum Yum sauce was traditionally served with shrimp, but you’ll enjoy using this delightfully delicious condiment for dipping, drizzling, and enjoying with seafood, chicken, vegetables, rice, noodles, and so much more.
If you enjoy making homemade sauces, check out my burger sauce recipe, copycat Chick-fil-A sauce recipe, and copycat Taco Bell quesadilla sauce.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients needed to make my homemade Yum Yum Sauce recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
*Add your favorite hot sauce or a little cayenne pepper for a spicier sauce. If you prefer a tangy sauce, use apple cider vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. You can also replace the sugar with honey.
What is Yum Yum Sauce?
It is a wildly popular Japanese Steakhouse Shrimp Sauce made with mayonnaise, tomato paste, melted butter, rice wine vinegar, and seasonings.
If you’ve ever been to Japanese hibachi restaurants, I’m sure you’ve enjoyed this delicious pink sauce. It’s also become trendy, and you may see it incorporated into Japanese-style seafood appetizers at your favorite restaurant.
But if you ever visit Japan, you won’t find this mayo-based sauce served in Japanese restaurants. It was developed to serve in Japanese American restaurants.
How to make Yum Yum Sauce
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make yum yum sauce in your home kitchen.
In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, tomato paste, smoked or sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, granulated sugar, melted unsalted butter, salt, and black pepper.
Whisk the ingredients until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add a little water as needed to get the desired consistency.
- For best results, allow the sauce to chill for at least one hour, overnight is best.
They couldn’t have picked a better name for this mayo-based sauce because it is indeed a yummy sauce! It’s one of my favorite sauces for dipping french fries, and it also makes a delicious salad dressing.
Store any leftover yum yum sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe FAQ’s
This delicious condiment is made with mayonnaise, tomato paste (or ketchup), rice wine vinegar, melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika ( or sweet paprika), granulated sugar, and a little water to thin the sauce out.
Although both are mayo-based sauces, they are quite different. Sriracha mayo has quite a kick, while yum yum sauce is mild and sweeter.
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Yum Yum Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste or ketchup
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon water as needed
- hot sauce *optional to taste
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, tomato paste, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, granulated sugar, melted unsalted butter, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Add water as needed to get the desired consistency.
- For best results, allow the sauce to chill for at least one hour, overnight is best.
Hayley Dhanecha says
This sauce was so good! Turned out so well, I made some for my friends too. Thanks for the recipe.
Veronika says
This sauce was so good! It reminds me of my favorite fry sauce I make but with tomato sauce. It comes together in literally minutes too!
Lauren says
This yum yum sauce came out perfect! We used it with tempura vegetables. Will use this recipe again!
Jackie says
I love yum yum sauce, especially with hibachi, and decided to make some at home and found this recipe! OMG so good! Even better than what they serve at the restaurants!
veenaazmanov says
Such a perfect name to this yummy sauce. It was so easy to make and was a perfect spread for my sandwiches.
Megane says
This really is yum. I can’t believe it is my first time trying it. So tasty! Thanks for another delish sauce recipe.
Jordan says
Ohhhh my. This is my new go-to dip for everything! I can’t get enough of it. It’s obviously good on Asian foods, but I’m loving it with grilled chicken and sweet potato fries too.
Cathleen says
I am all about a good sauce, and this one was a winner! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I am so excited to be able to make it at home whenever I want 🙂
Marta says
I stopped going to Japanese steakhouses here because the food was always a disappointment. The yum-yum sauce is one thing I missed, but with this amazing recipe, I feel okay about never going back. It was perfect and so addictive.
Tracy says
My husband said this was better than the sauce at our local Japanese steakhouse! Such a great recipe, thanks!
Doris Buesking says
Can’t wait to make it! Sounds very tasty!!