Yum Yum Sauce is the creamy, tangy sauce that’s served at hibachi restaurants and Japanese steakhouses across the country. It’s perfect for drizzling over fried rice, dipping grilled shrimp, or serving alongside vegetables.
This homemade Yum Yum Sauce recipe comes together in minutes with pantry staples like mayonnaise, tomato paste, butter, and seasonings. After one taste, you’ll want to keep a batch in the fridge for easy weeknight dinners, cookouts, and family hibachi nights at home.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
Once you see how easy this sauce is to make, it’s bound to become a regular part of your dinner rotation. Here are a few reasons we keep coming back to this recipe.
- Ready in 5 minutes
- Made with pantry staples
- Easy to customize
- Better than bottled sauce
- Perfect for shrimp, chicken, steak, veggies, and rice
- Great for meal prep
What Readers Are Saying
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“I have been using this recipe for a couple of years and enjoy it immensely. It tastes as good if not better than what you get at the Japanese restaurants. Its not as watered down.” – Vickie⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This was very tasty. It is a good base recipe. I did a tiny batch so I could adjust it for my personal tastes. I used miracle whip instead of mayo and it still tasted just fine. The sauce went great with my hibachi dinner. For me, it did taste similar to what my local hibachi grill makes.” – April
Ingredient Notes
Mayonnaise: This is the foundation of the sauce, so use a good-quality mayonnaise for the best flavor and texture.
Tomato Paste: Adds rich flavor and gives the sauce its signature pink color. It also lets you control the sweetness better than ketchup.
Butter: A little melted butter adds richness and helps give the sauce that restaurant-style flavor.
Smoked Paprika: Along with adding color, smoked paprika brings a subtle smoky flavor that makes this sauce stand out.
Variations
One of the best things about homemade Yum Yum Sauce is how easy it is to customize. Try one of these simple tweaks to make it just the way your family likes it.
- Spicy Yum Yum Sauce – Add 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Taste and add more if you’d like extra heat.
- Ketchup Instead of Tomato Paste – Substitute an equal amount of ketchup for the tomato paste. Because ketchup is already sweetened, start with 1 tablespoon of sugar and add more to taste.
- Thicker Sauce – Use only 2 tablespoons of water for a thicker dipping sauce.
- Thinner Sauce – Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
How to Make Yum Yum Sauce
STEP ONE: Combine the ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a medium mixing bowl or food processor. At first, the mixture may look streaky from the tomato paste and melted butter, but don’t worry, it will come together quickly.
STEP TWO: Mix until smooth. Whisk or blend until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy. The finished sauce should be pale pink in color with no visible streaks of tomato paste remaining.
STEP THREE: Let the flavors meld. Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate. As it chills, the flavors have time to blend together, creating the creamy, tangy flavor that makes Yum Yum Sauce so irresistible.
What Is Yum Yum Sauce?
Yum Yum Sauce is a mayonnaise-based condiment known for its creamy texture, pale pink color, and sweet, tangy flavor. It’s a staple at many hibachi restaurants and Japanese steakhouses, where it’s commonly served with shrimp, chicken, steak, vegetables, and fried rice.
Depending on where you live, you may also hear it called:
- Hibachi sauce
- Shrimp sauce
- White sauce
Sexy sauce - Japanese steakhouse sauce
While the exact ingredients vary from restaurant to restaurant, most versions start with mayonnaise and seasonings, along with ingredients like tomato paste, butter, and paprika for flavor and color.
Tips for Success
These simple tips will help you get the best flavor and texture every time.
- Use full-fat mayonnaise: It creates the richest texture and closest restaurant-style flavor.
- Blend for the smoothest texture: A food processor or immersion blender creates an ultra-creamy sauce.
- Taste before adding extra sugar: Especially if you’re using ketchup instead of tomato paste.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Yum Yum Sauce is one of those recipes that actually tastes better after a little time in the refrigerator.
For the best flavor, chill the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving. If you can make it the night before, even better. An overnight rest allows all of the flavors to meld together.
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Give it a quick stir before serving if any separation occurs.
FAQ
What Does Yum Yum Sauce Taste Like?
Yum Yum Sauce is creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and savory with a hint of smokiness from the paprika. While it may look similar to spicy mayo, the flavor is quite different. Spicy mayo gets most of its flavor from mayonnaise and hot sauce, while Yum Yum Sauce has a sweeter, more complex flavor thanks to ingredients like tomato paste, butter, sugar, and seasonings.
Is Yum Yum Sauce Gluten Free?
Most homemade Yum Yum Sauce recipes, including this one, are naturally gluten-free. However, it’s always a good idea to check the labels on your mayonnaise and seasonings if you’re cooking for someone with a gluten sensitivity or allergy.
Does Yum Yum Sauce need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Because it’s mayonnaise-based, Yum Yum Sauce should be stored in the refrigerator.
How Long Can Yum Yum Sauce Be Left Out?
Yum Yum Sauce shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If it has been sitting out longer than that, it’s best to discard it.
What to Eat with Shrimp Sauce
Looking for more ways to enjoy homemade Yum Yum Sauce? Try it as a dip, drizzle, or sandwich spread with these family-favorite recipes.
- Quick Shrimp Stir Fry
- Air Fryer Blooming Onion
- Coconut Shrimp
- Easy Fried Rice
- Skillet Steak Bites
- Grilled Vegetables
- Crab Rangoon
*This post was originally posted on 10/22/2017.
Yum Yum Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 ounces mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Equipment
Method
- Add 16 ounces mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1/4 cup water, and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to a medium bowl or a small food processor. Stir or blend to combine.
- Check the flavor and consistency. For a spicy yum yum sauce, add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes to taste. For a sweeter sauce, add 1/4 teaspoon sugar at a time. For a thinner sauce, stir in additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix once more.
- Use immediately or pour the yum yum sauce into an airtight container and let it sit overnight in the fridge for best results.
Aubrey’s Tips
- Tomato paste vs. ketchup: You can substitute 2 tablespoons of ketchup for the tomato paste. Since ketchup is already sweetened, start with 1 tablespoon of sugar and add more to taste.
- Make it spicy: Stir in 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy yum yum sauce.
- For best flavor: While you can serve the sauce right away, letting it chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) allows the flavors to meld.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Jenny Carbajal says
Have to say tried this and it was so yummy Thankyou !!! Added cayenne instead of paprika because it’s what I had but my toddler approved it was so good
Pam says
I love this sauce. I make in very small batches and bigger ones depending on who I’m feeding. You just kinda gotta work with the seasoning for your own taste.i like mine spicy..
Ron says
So good! I’ve been spending way too much for this stuff at the stores. We added a pinch of salt, but otherwise just halved the recipe. Thanks for sharing- ignore the negativity, this was great!
Patricia McCoy says
This is my go-to yum yum sauce recipe. Thank you for sharing! Now that I’ve gotten comfortable with the basic recipe here, I also like to add some flare by adding ground ginger or some sriracha to spice it up. This is a VERY good recipe, just the way it is.
Kate says
I made this and my husband and I ended up liking it better then the sauce from the store. Thank you so much for sharing! I love that we can tweak it and make it just the right flavor for our little family.
Robert says
I was raised in Japan, and lived there for 9 years. I’m also an excellent cook especially with oriental dishes. Your recipe is excellent. The people with the negative comments either did something wrong with the recipe, or have periodontal disease, or other disease that affects taste.
Cheyenne says
Cut the recipe in half but used only 5 ounces of mayo, still tasted a lot like mayo. Skipped out on the onion powder because I didn’t have any on hand. Still tastes ok after I added extra paprika and garlic powder!
Atlas says
I think a tablespoon of smoked paprika is a bit too much. I think it should be a teaspoon instead. I also missed a little acid so I added some rice vinegar. Other than that the recipe was fantastic.
No one in particular says
This sauce was terrible, not even close. Don’t even try making it, it ruined sushi night
Hannah says
I think the key is letting it sit in the fridge overnight .. it tastes like seasoned mayo when you first make it but it is wonderful the next day! I’m vegan and I made it with vegan mayo and vegan butter it was awesome just how I remember yum yum sauce tasting! Thanks for the recipe (also I didn’t add any hot sauce or pepper flakes)
stephen martin says
I own a food truck and service hibachi style food and I love this recipe and so do all my
Customers. So if you don’t like, maybe you didn’t follow the recipe correctly.
Erica says
I mixed Mayo, ketchup, a little sugar, garlic & onion powder and a shake of sriracha seasoning and it was great even without letting it sit overnight! Thanks for the easy and delicious sauce for our shrimp!
Arthur Frymyer says
I made this exactly per directions and it seemed to be missing something. There is no salt in it. I thought about adding vinegar, but decided against it. Then I added some crab/seafood seasoning (probably a knockoff of Old Bay. Ingredients list celery salt, black pepper, paprika, ginger, etc.) Not sure how much, I just sprinkled it in. I’d guess about a teaspoon. Stirred it up and it was AWESOME! We’ll definitely be having fish and seafood more often!
fred says
Out of all the recipes I have tried and the bottled brands at the grocery store’s, I thought this one was the best. Some of the others had added vinegar which i did not want. i added a little less garlic powder and paprika. I like the sweet taste of yum yum sauce served at some restaurants.
Robert L. W says
Made this for Japanese tacos, added 1tsp ginger and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Refrigerated for 1 hour. It made a delicous binder for my grilled chicken Japanese tacos!
Erika says
I made this and thought it was awesome!! Keeping it cool overnight really helped and we added a little garlic to ours. Easy and yummy!!
Aubrey Cota says
Nice, thank you!
M Dianne Berry ( CookieZeal) says
Made this last night only going by my taste sensory…came pretty close! Instead of sugar added, I added a shot of Asian sesame dressing.
Thank you for putting this up so we can utilize simple condiments for what most are willing to pay top dollar for!
CookieZeal ( Dianne Berry) says
Thank you for taking time to share this. Folks will pay top dollar for something that takes only everyday simple condiments!
I made some last night based on my taste sensory and pleased to have come dern close. Instead of sugar, I gave it a shot of Asian sesame salad dressing.
Karen M. Chapman says
Now I know what I’m making for dinner next week! Yum!
Aubrey Cota says
Alright! I love when I can plan ahead.
johnny says
good lord – we made this and it tastes like a bowl of seasoned mayonnaise and has NOTHING in common with yum yum sauce at a hibachi joint OR yum yum sauce in a bottle from my local grocery store.
My wife was SUPER disappointed
Aubrey Cota says
I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work out the way you hoped. However I would encourage you to make it again, maybe add more of ingredients you like best and see if that changes your mind, keep in mind leaving it to refrigerate overnight definitely does make a difference. Good luck!
Crystal says
Make it the day before and let the flavors marinate. It tastes better
Cole says
yea I had the same results
kyle says
A tablespoon of smoked paprika is way too much; it’s all I could taste/smell. If you want to give the recipe another shot with a teaspoon that might work better.
Trista S. says
Agreed! 1 TBS of smoked paprika is WAY too much. I would also suggest using regular not smoked paprika as that smoked flavor can be overbearing. And leaving it sit overnight is key so that the onion & garlic powders “dissolve” and the flavors marry together.