No Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

I created this recipe several years ago while I had a friend over for impromptu drinks and apps after work. Thankfully most of my friends are always game for my food experiments. I decided to make a batch (or two) of steamed shrimp for us to have with our drinks, but I didn't realize I didn't have any cocktail sauce until after the shrimp were done. I thought, "No problem, I can make some!" Well, there was a problem because I didn't have any horseradish. I quickly improvised a dipping sauce from what I had on-hand, and we were really pleased with how it turned out.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Best used soon after making. This is somewhat of an "uh oh, I need something now!" sauce, and it's not designed to be kept long-term. For best results, use the same day. If you make this at Thanksgiving, definitely make a new batch for Christmas or New Year's!

Ingredients can be adjusted to taste. No matter how many times I've made this sauce, I still sometimes adjust the ingredients a tad. If it tastes too much like ketchup, add Worcestershire (recommend adding a dash or two more at a time). Not spicy or zesty enough? Add a little bit more garlic and Tabasco.

Need tips for cooking your shrimp for shrimp cocktail? Check out How to Make a Perfect Shrimp Cocktail from Cook the Story. For steamed shrimp, check out Old Bay Steamed Shrimp by Savory Experiments.

If you're looking for more cold appetizer ideas, see my Pecan & Parsley Cheese Ball or my Appetizer Collection.

No Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

Serving shrimp cocktail and don't have cocktail sauce or horseradish? Make this zingy shrimp dipping sauce without horseradish in a pinch! It goes great with cold or steamed shrimp.

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Sauces

Cuisine American

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce can add more to taste
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• ¾ teaspoon lemon juice can add more to taste

Instructions

 

• Using a small spatula, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until serving. This sauce is best when used soon after making.

Notes

All of the ingredients can be adjusted to taste. Typically the Worcestershire and Tabasco are the ingredients I slightly adjust as needed.

I transferred this recipe from my old blog, and the reviews didn't transfer with it. Here's what people were saying about this sauce:

• Dang! This is awesome! I usually am a little iffy when it comes to cocktail sauce in general but love trying new things and this is super tasty, Thank you!
• Thawed the shrimp. Cleaned the shrimp. Patted the shrimp dry because I hate it damp. Weighed the shrimp because I’m on a program that requires me to make sure I have a enough protein daily. Looked in the fridge and no cocktail sauce. No problem. I’ll make some like I always do. No horseradish! Googled for a recipe without horseradish and found this one. So quick and tasty. I think it will be a staple from now on!
• Thank you so much for this alternative cocktail sauce!! Hubby only likes cocktail sauce with his shrimp and we didn’t have it or horseradish. He said it’s pretty darn close!!
• I was in the same situation, but with some thawed cooked shrimp. No horseradish available so I made this recipe exactly and it saved the day. Nice spice to it too.