Creamy, tangy and loaded with finely chopped pickles, this Cheesecake Factory-style Tartar Sauce is made for crisp fried fish and seafood.
Photo by David Erickson
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Tartar Sauce
The Cheesecake Factory Tartar Sauce is a cool, creamy accompaniment with pickle, lemon, caper and mild onion flavors that balance rich fried seafood.
Chop the pickles, capers and onion very finely so they disappear into the creamy base instead of making the sauce chunky. Give it at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving so the flavors can come together.
Quick Recipe Overview
- Best For: Fish & chips, fried shrimp, crab cakes and fish sandwiches
- Flavor Profile: Rich and creamy with pickle tang, fresh lemon, mild onion and briny capers
- Skill Level: Very easy
- What Makes It Like the Restaurant: A smooth mayonnaise base with finely chopped pickles, capers and fresh seasonings for a mild, balanced seafood sauce
Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory story began with Evelyn Overton, who baked cheesecakes from her Detroit basement before moving with her husband Oscar to Los Angeles and opening a bakery in 1972. Their son David opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1978.
What began partly as a showcase for Evelyn’s desserts quickly became known for something much larger: an enormous made-from-scratch menu. The restaurant says its kitchens now prepare more than 250 dishes, with sauces, dressings and other components made fresh in-house.
That scratch-kitchen approach helps explain why even something as simple as tartar sauce deserves attention.
The Sauce That Completes the Fish & Chips
Tartar sauce is one of those simple condiments where balance matters more than complexity.
The classic American version combines mayonnaise with pickles and other tart ingredients to cut through fried seafood. At The Cheesecake Factory, tartar sauce accompanies the restaurant’s Fish & Chips, served with hand-battered fried fish, french fries and coleslaw.
This copycat keeps the sauce creamy and relatively mild, using dill pickle, a little sweet relish, capers, lemon and onion. The result complements crisp fish without overwhelming it with vinegar, sweetness or herbs.
The Cheesecake Factory Tartar Sauce Recipe
The Cheesecake Factory Tartar Sauce is a creamy, mildly tangy seafood sauce with finely chopped pickles, capers, onion and fresh lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped Dill Pickles
- 1 tablespoon Sweet Pickle Relish well drained
- 1 tablespoon finely minced White Onion
- 2 teaspoons Capers drained and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise, dill pickles, sweet pickle relish, onion, capers, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, sugar, salt and black pepper to a medium bowl.
- Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice, if needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Stir well before serving cold with Fish & Chips or other seafood.
Notes
- For the closest texture, chop the pickles, capers and onion very finely rather than leaving large pieces.
- In a hurry, substitute 4 tablespoons good-quality dill pickle relish for the chopped pickles and sweet relish.
Related Copycat Recipes
- Legal Sea Foods Tartar Sauce – Creamy, tangy, and loaded with bright pickle flavor, this classic sauce brings seafood to life.
- Gulf Coast Restaurant-Style Shrimp and Grits – Juicy shrimp served over creamy grits with rich Southern flavor
- Big Boy Tartar Sauce – Creamy, tangy sauce with pickle bite that belongs on burgers and fried fish
Get All New Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes as Soon as We Publish Them
Just Follow Us on on Your Favorite Social Media Sites and Never Miss a New Recipe.
Stay in Touch, Get More Recipes from All of Our Sites and Help Us Spread the Word about Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes to All Your Friends.
Thank You.
Questions People Ask
What does The Cheesecake Factory serve tartar sauce with?
The restaurant serves it with its Fish & Chips alongside french fries and coleslaw.
Should tartar sauce use dill or sweet pickles?
This version uses mostly dill pickle with a little sweet relish for a balanced restaurant-style flavor.
Are capers necessary?
They add a subtle salty, briny flavor, but the sauce will still work if you leave them out.
Can I make the tartar sauce ahead?
Yes. It actually tastes better after chilling for several hours, which gives the flavors time to blend.
What else can I serve with tartar sauce?
Try it with fried shrimp, crab cakes, fish sandwiches, fish sticks or other breaded seafood.
Related Recipes
Calhoun’s Tarragon Tartar Sauce
This Calhoun’s Tarragon Tartar Sauce recipe blends mayonnaise, acidity, and fresh tarragon for a bright, herb-forward sauce.
Creamy, fresh, and balanced.
A seafood sauce favorite.
Make Calhoun’s Tarragon Tartar Sauce at Home
Captain D’s Tartar Sauce
This Captain D’s Tartar Sauce recipe blends creamy mayonnaise with pickles and herbs for a tangy seafood sauce.
Creamy, tangy, and classic.
A fast-food seafood favorite.
Make Captain D’s Tartar Sauce at Home
Spotlight Recipes
Gulf Coast Restaurant-Style Grilled Snapper Veracruz
This Grilled Snapper Veracruz recipe tops fresh snapper with tomato, olive, and caper Veracruz sauce.
Bright, briny, and clean.
A coastal seafood restaurant favorite.
Make Grilled Snapper Veracruz at Home
Red Lobster Fried Catfish
This Red Lobster Fried Catfish recipe fries seasoned catfish fillets until crisp and golden.
Crispy, flaky, and well-seasoned.
A seafood restaurant favorite.
Make Red Lobster Fried Catfish at Home
Photo of “Fish & Chips At Cheesecake Factory” is by David Erickson and is used by permission under the Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode.en. Photo of “Cheesecake Factory” by Niall Kennedy and is used by permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode. Thank you, David and Niall. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is original to Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes. Recipe created by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes based on information from the restaurant and other sources on the internet – many courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
Share this Cheesecake Factory Tartar Sauce recipe using the Facebook, X, Pinterest or Email buttons below.
It takes 10 seconds and helps another seafood lover make the creamy, tangy finishing touch that belongs beside a hot plate of Fish & Chips.