Earlier this week I made some amazing steak fries and I needed a dipping sauce for them that was equally as epic. Plain old ketchup was just not going to do, so I made some Comeback Sauce. Comeback Sauce is a creamy, tangy, sweet, and savory sauce that’s great for dipping, dunking, drizzling, and smearing onto just about any food. It’s not called “comeback sauce” for nothing. It will keep you coming back for more. And more. And MORE. (I “accidentally” ate an entire bunch of broccoli in one sitting, thanks to this delicious sauce.)
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“I made this with oven roasted broccoli tonight and it was GOOD! Moreish. Comeback is a good name for it because I’m going to be coming back! It was nice to have a tasty side dish recipe. So often I just steam carrots.”
Kathleen
What is Comeback Sauce?
This unique sauce is said to have originated in a Greek restaurant in Mississippi, but it quickly spread throughout the entire south. The original sauce had a base of mayonnaise and Heinz Chili Sauce (a tomato-based sauce not to be confused with Sweet Chili Sauce), plus some other seasonings.
There are many interpretations of this addictive sauce, with each person putting their own spin on the original as it spread across the region. Because Heinz Chili Sauce is not something I keep in my pantry, I made a few substitutions to create a similar flavor profile using items that I keep on hand, and in the process put the Budget Bytes stamp on the classic comeback sauce.😉
Comeback Sauce
Servings 5 2 Tbsp eachIngredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise ($0.80)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp hot sauce* ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Comeback Sauce – Step by Step Photos
Combine the ingredients: Add ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, 1/8 tsp hot sauce, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and ⅛ tsp salt to a bowl.
Stir the ingredients together until smooth. Serve or refrigerate until ready to eat!
Shown with roasted broccoli – toss broccoli in oil, then roast at 400ºF for about 30 minutes, or until you reach your desired level of brown.
What Do You Serve it With?
What can you not serve it with is probably a more appropriate question! I think comeback sauce is a fantastic all-purpose dip for roasted vegetables to dress them up a bit. It’s also perfect for dipping in crudités or our crispy air fryer French fries or serving with just about any appetizer. I personally LOVE serving it with my tuna patties at parties or gatherings. It’s also great smeared onto burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, coconut shrimp tacos, or wrap sandwiches. I also wouldn’t be opposed to using this as a salad dressing on a wedge salad or using it to make an extra flavorful batch of coleslaw!
Storage Instructions
Homemade sauces can be a bit unpredictable when it comes to shelf life—it really depends on the freshness of your ingredients and how cold your fridge runs. That said, I like to play it safe and stick to a 5-day max.
I whipped this up to put on top of my tuna patties and it was so freaking delicious. I didn’t have any hot sauce on hand so I used a little bit of chili garlic sauce. I love that you can play around with the ratios of the ingredients to tweak it to your liking.
Drooling so much just thinking about this sauce! I love it on the tuna patties (your recipe too!) and waiting for the broccoli to finish roasting so I can eat it with this awesome sauce. Thank you for the recipe, Beth and team!
This recipe changed the game for me in the kitchen!
In true Budget Bytes fashion, my BF and I just made a homemade version of hibachi takeout with leftover veggies and shrimp from our fridge/freezer. We made a teriyaki style sauce to stir in with the noodles. But the piece de resistance is that comeback sauce makes an excellent substitute for the pink dipping sauce you get at the restaurant! Thanks for the inspiration, Beth and Budget Bytes team!
Thanks to Beth, I bought and cut up my first whole pineapple. The fresh pineapple was $1.50, the sliced pineapple was $3.99. Not only did I save $2.50, I saved some plastic from the dump. I reinvested my savings in a bag of cooked, peeled shrimp and used this comeback sauce as the dressing for Shrimp Louis. So good! Once again Budget Bytes for the win! Thanks Beth and team!
Isn’t it so shockingly awesome how the fresh pineapple is way, way better tasting than the canned! If you are in to grilling at all, you have got to try the fresh pineapple, seared for just a couple seconds on both sides, grilled. It is out of this world delicious!
Hi, Jeri Ann! Great suggestion about grilling the pineapple! I have a sensitive palate and too much fresh pineapple really hurts me — because it contains a corrosive enzyme called Bromelain, and applying heat actually breaks it down and makes it more palatable.
Best, Marion :)
Can you post ingredient weight measurements instead of or in addition to volume measurements?
I doubled the recipe and used some for dipping homemade fries. Saved the rest for dinner and used it to coat spaghetti noodles, paired with homemade chicken meatballs that I covered in a homemade version of Nashville hot sauce. When I tell you this pairing was so delicious, I mean this flew out of the pot! I reccomend anyone try it if you like spicy meatballs! And the tangy comeback sauce for the noodles was just what the meatballs needed to even out the flavor. I was very proud of this combo, and will be saving this recipe for future dinners!
This sauce is fantastic! It really makes oven roasted broccoli sing, in addition to anything fried. Thanks for sharing!
Made this and your roasted cauliflower recipe. So so so good.
Was that restaurant Glorybound Gyro Company in Hattiesburg? It is so good! I had no idea that this sauce is widely known.
believed to be The Rotisserie in Jackson sometime in the late 1920’s
I made this with oven roasted broccoli tonight and it was GOOD! Moreish. Comeback is a good name for it because I’m going to be coming back! It was nice to have a tasty side dish recipe. So often I just steam carrots.
I honestly have no idea why people are saying this is bland and tasteless. I use vegan Worcestershire and my family loves it.
There are very few BB recipes that leave me disappointed. This was one. Went back to see if I forgot an ingredient…nope. Just kind of blah; not very flavorful.
What a great and easy to pull together addition to a meal. We used it for fries, but I could see many other uses. My only question is about the inflection of the name. Is it comeback like that was a great comeback to that comment, or come back like please come back because I miss you? Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m going to try making this soon. Do you think fish sauce would be a good substitute for the Worcestershire?
Hi Colin, I don’t think fish sauce is a good sub for the Worcestershire sauce. They taste very different, IMHO. If you don’t have Worcestershire, I’d just make the sauce without. There are a lot of other flavors in this sauce so I think it will still be delicious.
Didn’t mean to reply to your comment. ☠️ Sorry!
Yum! I served these with sweet potato fries and pickle-brined chicken tenders and it was delicious with both!