The Yum Yum Sauce Recipe will be your favorite shrimp sauce recipe to make in the future!
The pink Yum Yum Sauce is flavorful and easily prepared fresh at home.
Wondering what's in the sauce, and what makes the yum yum sauce that special?
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📕 What is Yum Yum Sauce?
Yum Yum Sauce is a popular Japanese Hibachi Steak House Sauce.
Usually, this flavorful sauce is used as a shrimp dipping sauce or as a sauce served with steaks.
The yum yum sauce is a non-traditional dipping sauce and is not common in Japan, however, this shrimp dipping sauce is popular in the US and Canada mostly.
My Sauce obsession
A few months ago I found a tube of yum yum sauce in the supermarket shelf (the same one from here) and it looked like a lighter shaded cocktail sauce or it also reminded me of a shrimp Louie Dressing.
I bought it and served it that night as a dipping sauce with a batch of homemade fish sticks instead of the usual Tartar sauce for a change.
It was bombastic!
The tube was so small it got over quickly and because it was not cheap, I decided I needed to make my own!
The yum yum sauce recipe obviously needed mayonnaise and since it can't be that much different from a thousand island dressing I started to experiment with different ingredients.
Finally, I came to the conclusion that the yum yum sauce recipe needed to be creamy, slightly sweet, and sour.
My Yum Yum Sauce is even better than the store bought version!
🍅 Ingredients
To make this sauce, you require basic ingredients.
This includes Paprika.
Now if you don't have Paprika in your spice rack, go and buy some right now!
Paprika is an essential spice, and you are going to find many good uses for it to enhance your food in the future.
Paprika is a sweet and mild dried red capsicum/pepper, commonly used in central European cuisine and especially in the Austro-Hungarian cuisine.
So if you want to add some flavors and color to a dish you use Paprika powder as it is not spicy hot, compared to cayenne pepper or chili powder.
Then, of course, get some sugar, black pepper, mayo, and tomato paste and I like to add a few drops of lime juice too and Tabasco sauce to give the yum yum sauce recipe the extra edge if you know what I mean.
🔪 How to make it?
To prepare yum yum sauce from scratch you will need to combine all the above-mentioned ingredients for the pink shrimp sauce.
First, add the mayo to the mixing bowl and whisk it smooth so that no bits are left, then add all the other ingredients.
You can choose to add lemon/lime juice and Tabasco to make a different yum yum sauce flavor variation.
Another idea is to add a few drops of rice vinegar instead of the Tabasco and lime juice.
If you are adding more Tabasco you are making a spicy yum yum sauce.
Eventually, I want to try another yum yum sauce version with horseradish to give the pink shrimp sauce some bite.
Do not substitute the tomato paste for tomato ketchup in the yum yum sauce recipe.
It just doesn't turn out the same way it's supposed to.
📖 Recipe
Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon Mayonnaise *see Notes
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce not concentrated version
- ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
- 1 Teaspoon Powdered Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika Powder
- Few Drops Lime Juice optional
- Tabasco Sauce optional
Instructions
- In a bowl add the Mayonnaise and Tomato paste. Mix it all well.
- Then add the remaining ingredients, Black Pepper, Sugar and Paprika and combine to a smooth creamy sauce.
- If you want you can also add Lime juice and/or Tabasco sauce to your yum yum sauce for a little more flavor. Tabasco adds a bit of zing! Don't add too much lemon and Tabasco sauce as the acidity can turn the sauce more liquid. A few drops is enough.
Notes
- Create different yum yum sauce variations by using tabasco to make it spicy, by adding rice vinegar instead of lemon or by adding small amounts of horseradish or ginger paste to add some bite to your yum yum sauce.
- Try yum yum sauce with Japanese mayonnaise!
- Don't use homemade mayonnaise for that, it won't come out the same way.
- Use only tomato paste for this yum yum sauce. Don't use concentrated tomato mark or tomato ketchup.
- See for all serving suggestions and ideas in the post
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Nutrition
🍱 Storing
You can double the recipe too and make more.
In that case, store in an airtight container or jar with a lid in the fridge.
This comes handy when you intend to make the yum yum sauce recipe in advance for a planned BBQ or party.
It's so simple to make it fresh from scratch in less than 3 minutes that you don't really need to store a lot for the future.
There is no need to freeze the yum yum sauce, it holds well in the fridge if stored in a proper airtight container.
🍴 Uses
You have a few options and ways to use your yum yum sauce
We love to dip our shrimps/prawns or other seafood in a freshly made yum yum sauce.
I even got some fresh calamari the other day, fried them and enjoyed the calamari rings with the pink sauce.
You can also serve the sauce with chicken, such as Schnitzel, bite-sized nuggets or chicken roll-ups.
Any protein-rich white meat is well paired with the yum yum sauce.
Occasionally, I like to make myself a quick afternoon lunchtime wrap. I usually boil an egg and cut some cabbage and spring onions small and wrap it all up with an added drizzle of yum yum sauce to add some flavor.
Yum Yum sauce is high in flavor so at times you just need a little of it to change your whole food experience.
For example, you could also cut some carrot, celery, and radish into large sticks and use the yum yum sauce recipe as a dip.
That way you make sure to cover your amount of vegetable nutrition for the day and that too with a flavorful sauce!
Also, use the yum yum sauce for...
- japanese fried rice
- sushi
- seafood in general
- kani (imitation crab sticks)
- fish Tacos
- on salad variations
FAQs
You can prepare your yum sauce vegan and gluten-free by using mayonnaise or other ingredients which are labeled as vegan or gluten-free.
The yum yum sauce can only turn bad if you keep it outside at room temperature over a longer period of time. Also, make sure to store the yum yum in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with cling foil in the fridge. If you keep the yum yum sauce in the fridge uncovered, it will turn hard and unappetizing.
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Looks delicious and will definitely give this a try! Thanks😋
A simple and yummy sauce I make frequently is mayonnaise with sriracha, and a touch of Sesame oil (all to taste). Great on sushi.
Oh yeah! That's a great idea to serve sriracha mayo with sushi =D, In fact, I was just thinking of making sushi =D
Thank you for the idea!
This is a great dipping sauce and goes with just about anything. It is yummy with shrimp or calamari!
So simple and so tasty! I bet this is great on so many things 😛
I definitely have to try out this Yum Yum sauce. We love spicy foods and paprika is a staple in our house. This is an excellent dip for fish and vegetables.
Looks delicious any thing hot sauce and mayonnaise is my favorite. I need to try it for my self. Shrimp and this sauce sound wonderful combo.
OMG, this sounds so delicious!!! We love sauces/dips n the sweet-Savory ones are our Fav. I’ll have to try this soon 🙂
Now I know why is it called YUM YUM sauce. With all the flavors in this sauce, it is absolutely yum. It is a great dipping sauce for any meat.
This is bound to be a popular recipe! I know so many people who are just absolutely in love with yum yum sauce! I'm sure they'll want to make it at home.
This yum yum sauce sounds amazing not only for seafood but for other appetizers perfect for football season dipping options =)
This sounds tasty! I bet it is also delicious on fries!
My kids and I always giggle when the chef at the hibachi place we frequent serves yum yum sauce. It's the name. How awesome that you created your own version. I love homemade condiments!
Love the sound of this yum yum sauce! This is a great appetizer!
I have everything in the ingredient list to make this sauce. So simple to make and my boys would love this with some carrot and celery sticks. Love the beautiful color of the sauce. I have never tasted these from the bottle, but looks like I never might need to!
I'll take some yum yum sauce!! That sounds amazing, and like it would taste good with just about anything dipped in!
Making homemade sauces is so easy and they always taste amazing! Love how easy is this one to make!
I've never had yum yum sauce before, but it looks delicious with the shrimp!
Homemade sauces are the best. Sometimes we just don't realize how easy they are. This sounds fantastic.
This sounds like the most aptly named dish ever because it's making me say 'yum yum'!
This looks so good. I love making my own sauces so I can skip the bottle-trying this on soon.
I would dip carrots in this for sure
My family loved thousand island dressing (it was invented in Canada by a chef in the Thousand Islands!). It’s actually a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise with roughly chopped pickle. I’ve never had Yum Yum sauce, or at least I don’t know if I had it. I’m certain your recipe classes it up quite a bit.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
This sauce looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!
I love the sound of yum yum sauce..! With Prawns served with it - I'm in!! Oh I love such finger foods.. I could eat that sauce with a spoon,
This combo of savory, sweet and spicy really does sound yum yum!
I've heard of yum yum sauce but didn't know what it was. This kinda looks like the sauce they serve over Spicy Susan sushi, saving this. Gotta make this and see!
Exactly, it's a hibachi restaurant invention. 🙂
Yum Yum is the perfect name for this sauce! It would be delicious with so many different foods!
I can see why it's called Yum Yum sauce!! It looks right up my alley! Especially with succulent shrimp dipped into it! I can't wait to make this for hubby and I!