5 Minute Puerto Rican MayoKetchup (Pink Sauce)
This 5 minute mayoketchup (also known as pink sauce) is our go-to dipping sauce in Puerto Rico. Made with three super simple ingredients (garlic, mayo, and ketchup), it comes together in a pinch and goes great with chicken, burgers, plantains, and so much more.
Mayoketchup is the original pink sauce.
As the name suggests, it’s made with mayonnaise, ketchup, and garlic. The result is a creamy (thanks to the mayo), tangy (hello ketchup), and super flavorful garlic-y sauce. It’s the perfect mild alternative to Pique, Puerto Rico’s version of hot sauce.
It’s a popular condiment throughout the Caribbean and can be found accompanying Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican recipes.
It can also be found in some South American countries, where it’s often called “golf sauce” or “salsa rosada”.
In Puerto Rican recipes, we traditionally enjoy mayoketchup with plantains (like these tostones), burgers, empanadas (like these shredded chicken empanadas), fried chicken (like these chicharrones de pollo) or seafood.
Ingredients
As mentioned above, the ingredient list for this sauce is super simple:
- mayonnaise – use your favorite kind of mayo, any kind will do!
- ketchup – same goes for ketchup as with mayo, any kind will do.
- garlic – this can be substituted with garlic powder if it’s all you’ve got. Just make sure you aren’t using garlic powder with added salt as the recipe doesn’t need any additional salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Start by grating the garlic with a microplane.
Hint: if you don’t have a microplane, mincing your garlic works too! The smaller the dice, the better.
In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix well to combine.
Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. Buen provecho!
Substitutions & Additions
Check out some of these easy subsitututions & additions to customize your mayoketchup:
- Vegan – swap out the mayonnaise for a vegan mayo and enjoy an entirely plant based version of mayoketchup.
- Garlic – remember you can use garlic powder if you don’t have any fresh garlic or want something a little less strong. Just make sure you aren’t using garlic powder with added salt as the recipe doesn’t need any additional salt.
- Spicy – toss in a few pinches of your favorite spices like sazon, adobo, paprika, cayenne, or even hot sauce for a bit of added flavor.
- Lime – add a squeeze of lime juice for a hit of acidity to play off the sweet and salty flavors.
- Sofrito – for a hit of fresh herbs and veggies, add a few teaspoons of sofrito to your pink sauce (this may change the color slightly!)
What to Eat it With
Mayoketchup is one of those condiments that seems to go with just about anything savory!
Here are some of my favorite places to use it:
- as a substitute for regular mayo in sandwiches
- as the perfect condiment on a burger
- as a dip for fried fish, seafood, and/or chicken
And some traditional Puerto Rican recipes that are perfect with pink sauce:
Storage
You can make your mayoketchup in advance and store any leftovers in an airtight jar in the fridge. I like using these weck jars for sauces like this one.
The pink sauce shoud keep for up to 4 days in the fridge if using fresh garlic. If using powdered, it should last for up to 2 weeks.
Buen provecho,
5 Minute Puerto Rican MayoKetchup (Pink Sauce)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Sauce, Dip
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Caribbean, American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This 5 minute mayoketchup (also known as pink sauce) is our go-to dipping sauce in Puerto Rico. Made with three super simple ingredients, it comes together in a pinch and goes great with chicken, burgers, plantains, and so much more.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 clove garlic, grated (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix well to combine. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 days. Buen provecho!
I worked on a ship that went between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico, and half of my crew was Puerto Rican. I whipped up a meal that had tostones, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to recreate this dip. This recipe was just as good as all the ones I had before!