Late Night Cravings · Recipe
Quick Kewpie Burger Sauce
↓ Jump to RecipeMy wife Snappy wanted Kewpie sauce that she saw on TikTok. She sends me videos regularly which I consider to be “inspirational” in nature, because the recipes are iffy at best. She’s from New Orleans, and I’m from the Southwest, so my recipes always tend to be a bit of a blend of both.
An important thing to keep in mind when you’re building your burger: by default, a delicious umami-filled burger — cheese (umami), bacon (umami), maybe mayo (umami), perhaps garlic powder (umami), high-quality fatty beef (umami) — is often missing acid, which is where pickles usually come in. And if you’re like us and you hate raw tomatoes, you’re really limited to pickles for that brightness. Kewpie plus pickle brine brings in some acid and helps take a great burger to the next level. Or put it on anything and everything.
The Kewpie and ketchup is the foundation. After that, you just lean it toward the meal you’re going to have. That’s what I do with most of my recipes — it’s why there are so many optional add-ons. In reality, I look in the fridge and adjust based on feel, but these optional add-ons should give you a good base to think about what might be a good fit.
If you come up with any different add-ins, please post below — I’d love to try them myself!
The Ledger · Recipe
Quick Kewpie Burger Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 parts Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 part ketchup
- Pickle brine — at least a splash (amount to taste, but don't skip it)
- Hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne (just a little)
- Smoked paprika, or a single drop of liquid smoke
- Worcestershire, or a few drops of soy sauce
- Yellow mustard (optional — especially good on pretzel buns)
- A small pinch of MSG (optional)
Method
- Start with the backbone: 3 parts Kewpie to 1 part ketchup. Everything else is a layer on top of that.
- Add pickle brine — this one isn't really optional. The amount is up to you, but at least a splash is what brings the acid that cuts all that umami. Start with a little, you can always add more.
- Layer in a little hot sauce or cayenne, smoked paprika (or a drop of liquid smoke), and Worcestershire or a few drops of soy sauce.
- If you're on pretzel buns, add yellow mustard — the sharpness plays off the malt and salt of the bread better than Dijon. Add a small pinch of MSG if you like.
- Mix everything together, taste, and adjust the acid last — pickle brine is forgiving for small corrections.
- Use right away or refrigerate; it keeps for about a week.
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