This Shrimp Cocktail Sauce recipe is just about the easiest appetizer you can make and it is always a huge hit!
After years and years of having babies and little kids, Nathan and I are pretty used to doing New Year’s Eve at home. We make appetizers, play games, and tell the kids it is midnight when it is only 10 p.m. (Typically their excitement and sugar high keeps them from checking the clock . . . don’t judge us and our tired ways.)
One of our very favorite New Year’s Eve appetizers is Shrimp Cocktail Sauce. We can whip it up in under five minutes and it is great with cold jumbo shrimp. You’ll want to grab this three-ingredient cocktail sauce recipe – it is a million times better than what you will buy at the store and so simple.
Cocktail Sauce Ingredients
Just three ingredients are needed for this cocktail sauce recipe, skipping added sugars and preservatives that can be found in store-bought cocktail sauce. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including all ingredient measurements.
- Ketchup
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice squeezed from lemons is always best in recipes.
- Horseradish: A root vegetable that looks similar to parsnips and gives the recipe a little kick. You’ll look for a small jar labeled “fresh ground horseradish.” Don’t use bottles of horseradish sauce; that is not the same thing as fresh horseradish.
How to Make Cocktail Sauce
This easy cocktail sauce recipe is so simple to make. Simply add your ketchup, lemon juice, and horseradish to a bowl and stir to fully mix everything together.
You can see the full measurements with all the tips and tricks in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I think this recipe is perfect as is, but tastes vary. It is easy to customize the flavor to make your own cocktail sauce fit your taste. If you make it and find that it is too spicy from the horseradish, add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. If you find that it is too bland, add up to another tablespoon of horseradish.
Tips and Tricks
- Choosing horseradish for cocktail sauce: You are looking for something that says “Fresh Ground Horseradish.” It is sold in small jars and can be found in the refrigerated section of US grocery stores near the refrigerated pickles. When you look at the ingredients, horseradish should be the only thing listed. Avoid bottles labeled “prepared horseradish” or “horseradish sauce” by the BBQ and ketchup.
- Make it more mild: To do this, you can toss in 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. You get the same great horseradish taste without so much of its “bite.”
- Make it stronger: To give it a stronger taste, keep the recipe as is, but just add in a little more horseradish, up to one tablespoon.
Storing Leftovers
Any leftovers that have had shrimp dipped in them should be discarded. If you have sauce that hasn’t been used and hasn’t been dipped in, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six months. Always use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers and discard if it tastes or smells different from when you originally made it.
Appetizers to Serve with Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
If you make this amazing Shrimp Cocktail Sauce or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment below the recipe card and let me know what you think!
Cocktail Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground horseradish (read what you are looking for here)
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 pounds cooked cold shrimp for serving
Instructions
- Mix together the ketchup, horseradish, and lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust if necessary. I think this recipe is perfect as is, but tastes vary. If you make it and find that it is too spicy from the horseradish, add 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. If you find that it is too bland, add up to another tablespoon of horseradish.
- Leftover cocktail sauce that has been dipped in should be discarded. Sauce that hasn't been dippped in can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Always use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers and discard if it tastes or smells different from when you originally made it.
Joy Carlson says
This recipe is near perfect. It needs about 1/4 tsp salt to marry all the flavors. I added a little powdered onion and powdered garlic for my own personal taste, but it’s fine without it. I love that it doesn’t have Worcestershire or hot sauce. Just that great horseradish tingle!