Late Night Cravings · Recipe
Quick Kewpie Burger Sauce
↓ Jump to RecipeKewpie is the right base for this — it’s already richer and more umami-forward than regular mayo thanks to the extra egg yolks and a subtle acid edge. You need less work to get somewhere interesting.
The whole thing is a ratio with a backbone and a series of optional layers. Three parts Kewpie to one part ketchup is your smash-burger sauce; everything after that is you deciding how alive you want it to feel. Pickle brine for funk, a whisper of heat, a touch of smoke to flatter the bacon, Worcestershire to tie the savory together.
It comes together in about ninety seconds and keeps for the week. Works on smash burgers, bacon cheeseburgers, pretzel and brioche buns — or as a dip for fries when the burger’s already gone.
The Ledger · Recipe
Quick Kewpie Burger Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 parts Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 part ketchup
- Pickle brine (to taste)
- 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.
- Layer in pickle brine, 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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