14 2-Ingredient Sauce Mixtures Perfect For Dipping

Whether you're hosting friends for a casual aperitivo, need a quick flavor boost for a weeknight meal, or just want to elevate your snacking game, crafting a simple dipping sauce is always a great choice. As a professional chef for nearly a decade, let me tell you, you don't need a pantry stocked with exotic, expensive ingredients to create a delicious dipping sauce. Sometimes, all it takes is a little exploration of your kitchen to utilize tasty ingredients you already have on hand.

With years of experience developing new sauces for various restaurant menus, I've realized that it's often best to keep things simple. With just two common ingredients, you can create the perfect sauce for dipping anything from crispy French fries to a vegetable crudité. The next time you're putting on your apron and heading into the kitchen, use this list as your guide to whip up a delicious 2-ingredient sauce mixture that's perfect for dipping anything your heart desires.

There are a few legendary fast food items that definitely made their mark on history, like the Secret Sauce from In-N-Out, McDonald's classic Big Mac sauce, Chick-fil-A's iconic sauce, and, of course, Raising Cane's tangy Cane Sauce. What do all of these savory sauces have in common? They are all absolutely delicious and can easily be replicated at home with just two simple ingredients: mayonnaise and ketchup. Now, of course, making a dipping sauce with just mayonnaise and ketchup won't taste like biting into a Big Mac — however, it's pretty close.

The two ingredients together create an undeniable, rich, creamy, and tangy sauce with a slightly sweet tomato flavor from the ketchup. There's no need to buy a fancy bottle of ketchup and an artisanal jar of mayonnaise for this sauce; simply anything from your standard grocery store shelves will do just fine. Slather it on smashed burgers, sandwiches, dunk chicken nuggets into it, or serve it on the side with a batch of crispy French fries. Whether you want In-N-Out Burger's secret sauce or McDonald's Big Mac sauce, this creamy and tangy combination will satisfy any craving.

Combining a drizzle of honey and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard is the simplest and fastest way to create the sauce everybody knows and loves — honey mustard. The sweet and tangy flavor is mouthwatering when served as a dipping sauce. The sharp, slightly spicy flavors of the Dijon mustard provide an excellent contrast to the honey's natural sweetness. Whether you serve it with a plate of crispy sweet potato fries, drizzle it over a tray of oven-roasted vegetables, or as a dipping sauce for salty homemade pretzels, it will surely become your go-to 2-ingredient sauce mixture.

If you want to make this sauce, be sure to pick up a jar of Dijon mustard and not the typically standard yellow mustard you'll find in squeeze bottles. Apart from flavor, the difference between Dijon and yellow mustard is their ingredients, color, and texture. Dijon is made from either brown or black mustard seeds, white wine, and verjus, an acidic juice that's a byproduct of wine production. It has a bolder flavor and pale yellow color with a creamy, silkier texture. Yellow mustard, on the other hand, is made from yellow mustard seeds, white vinegar, and turmeric, resulting in a milder flavor, thinner consistency, and brighter yellow color. While yellow mustard is delicious, it's best to leave it for ballpark hot dogs and use Dijon mustard for this delectable sauce.

Sriracha spicy, fiery flavor mixed with the umami-rich, slightly sweet flavor of Japanese mayo is the perfect combination to drizzle over a tuna poke bowl, dip sushi rolls in, spread on sandwiches, or dunk veggies in. Oddly enough, spicy, creamy sauce is also an amazing dipping condiment for a steamed artichoke. The earthy flavor of the artichoke offers a nice contrast to the spicy kick of the sauce.

While there is a sriracha shortage still happening throughout the globe, you can find plenty of alternatives to the spicy hot sauce in Asian grocery stores, like chili oil or the Indonesian chili paste, sambal. Also, don't skimp on the Japanese mayonnaise on this one. Just like Dijon mustard, the taste and texture are almost completely different from standard American mayonnaise.

Japanese mayonnaise only uses egg yolks compared to American mayonnaise, which uses whole eggs. As a result, the Japanese version has a creamier custard-like consistency. Additionally, it often includes rice vinegar and MSG, giving it the distinct umami and tangy flavor the condiment is known for. The delicious savory flavor perfectly harmonizes with the fiery heat of the sriracha, creating a 2-ingredient sauce that you won't be able to resist.

If you find yourself out of A1 steak sauce, don't fret! You can mix ketchup with a bit of Worcestershire sauce for that same tangy, sweet, and savory flavor. The sweet tomato taste of the ketchup paired with the deep, savory umami notes of the Worcestershire sauce can be a game-changer in your two-ingredient sauce arsenal.

You might be wondering why Worcestershire sauce tastes so salty and funky. Well, it's because of its unique blend of ingredients and its 18-month fermentation process. The condiment is primarily made of vinegar, molasses, sugar, garlic, shallots, tamarind, spices like cloves and celery seeds, and most importantly, salt-cured anchovies. The anchovies give Worcestershire its notable rich flavor and salty taste.

Combining these two sauces works exceptionally well with meat dishes. Try serving it alongside grilled steaks, burgers, meatloaf, or chicken wings. You can even incorporate it into stews, braised meats, and casseroles for a savory umami flavor boost.

While soy sauce and sesame oil is frequently used to season stir-fries, noodle dishes, rice bowls, marinades, and vegetable dishes, they also make an incredible dipping sauce. When combined, these two condiments are excellent for dipping everything from pan-fried dumplings to Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Spring Rolls. Both ingredients are pantry staples in many Asian cuisines, where they are often used together in a variety of ways. The salty umami notes of soy sauce complement the warm nuttiness of sesame oil.

You can find both ingredients at most standard grocery stores today. When shopping, be sure to choose a bottle of toasted sesame oil — not untoasted. Toasted sesame oil has a richer, more intense nutty flavor and a deep, dark brown color, while untoasted has a much milder flavor and lighter color. Toasted sesame oil is typically reserved as a seasoning oil or garnish due to its high smoke point.

Looking for a refreshing dipping sauce for a crudité platter of vegetables? Well, look no further. Try mixing a bit of plain Greek yogurt with freshly chopped dill to create a tangy and herbaceous dip that's so good, you'll want another bite. The tangy, subtle sourness of Greek yogurt combined with the bright, grassy, and slightly sweet flavor of fresh dill will create one of the most delectable two-ingredient sauces you'll ever taste.

It's essential to use Greek yogurt in this recipe to capture its tangy, sour flavor. Greek yogurt stands out for its unique flavor and production process. It's made by straining regular yogurt to remove the milk serum that separates from the milk solids during the heating process, often referred to as whey. This process gives Greek yogurt its thick and luxurious texture. While regular yogurt can be substituted, it will lack the acidic flavor. If you only have regular yogurt on hand, try adding a squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of white vinegar to mimic Greek yogurt's tangy flavor.

Bored of dipping your fish and chips in tartar sauce? Try mixing together a dollop of sour cream with a spoonful of malt vinegar for a super creamy and ultra-tangy sauce.

The reason why both of these ingredients are so acidic is due to the added cultures and fermentation process they undergo. Sour cream is made by fermenting heavy cream with a lactic acid bacterium for about 12-24 hours, giving it its signature thick texture and tangy flavor. Malt vinegar is simply fermented vinegar made from malted grains of barley. The barley and fermentation process supply the vinegar with its tart, nutty, lemony flavor profile and dark brown color. It's actually the same grain used to produce beer — you can find malt vinegar at most standard grocery stores.

Despite both ingredients being quite acidic, the punchy tang from the malt vinegar cuts through the creamy acidity of the sour cream, creating a delicious, balanced flavor. Serve the sauce alongside steaks, pot roast, pierogies, roasted potatoes, or drizzle it over this Baja Fish Taco Bowl.

Name a more quintessential 2-ingredient sauce mixture than olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The fatty, fruity flavor of the olive oil combined with the sharp, acidic taste of the balsamic vinegar creates a beautiful symphony of flavors. You can use it as a dipping sauce for any type of bread, whether a slice of focaccia, sourdough, or a crusty baguette, or simply use it as a salad dressing.

To obtain the best flavor, opting for high-quality olive oil, like extra-virgin, is essential. Extra-virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil you can purchase. To be considered extra-virgin, the olive oil must be made exclusively from the first press of the olives and processed without any heat or chemical solvents. It has a much more intense olive flavor with a richer and more complex profile compared to regular olive oil.

For balsamic vinegar, it's key to pick up a bottle that's been made in the Italian cities of Reggio Emilia or Modena. If the balsamic vinegar comes from these cities, it will have a stamp called the "indicazione geografica protetta," or the I.G.P. This guarantees that the vinegar's quality, reputation, or other characteristics are linked to its specific geographic origin in Italy. Traditional balsamic vinegar flows like syrup and has an incredible, rich, and sweet flavor. You can typically find a bottle of balsamic vinegar with this stamp in specialty or Italian grocery stores.

Walk into any dim sum restaurant and you will most likely find a bottle of soy sauce and black vinegar on the table. This allows diners to use it as a seasoning or dipping sauce for their steamer baskets filled with soup dumplings, pork bao buns, shrimp shumai, glazed chicken feet, and pickled vegetables.

When combined, these two ingredients offer a complex flavor profile with notes of umami and saltiness, complemented by a touch of sharp acidity. Black vinegar's astringent flavor perfectly balances the sometimes overwhelming saltiness of the soy sauce. When you're not using it as a dipping sauce for everything on a dim sum menu, try serving it with fried chicken to cut through the oily flavor or as a sauce for steamed fish.

Black vinegar is a Chinese fermented vinegar with a deep, dark color. It's commonly used throughout East Asian cuisine to add a tangy, aromatic twist to dishes. You can buy it at most Asian grocery stores along with various types of soy sauces to pair with it.

Looking for a delicious sauce to serve alongside this Loaded Ground Beef Gyro Recipe? Try mixing a spoonful of tahini and a squeeze of lemon juice to create the perfect dressing. Tahini naturally has a nutty flavor similar to peanut butter, and adding a squeeze of lemon juice will provide a bright, citrusy, tangy element that balances the richness of the paste.

Tahini, also known as tahina, is a delicious sesame seed paste typically used as a thickener or flavoring agent in a variety of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes. Tahini is usually made by grinding sesame seeds in either a mortar and pestle or a blender until it becomes a creamy, silky smooth paste. You can find it at Middle Eastern supermarkets and occasionally at some standard grocery stores. Serve this sauce with a batch of fresh pita bread, kebabs, a crudité of vegetables, or grilled meats.

Do you prefer sweet treats over salty snacks? If so, try mixing a caramel sauce with sea salt and dipping some sliced apples, dark chocolate, dried fruit, or even pretzels for a delectable sweet and salty snack. Adding a sprinkle of salt to caramel enhances the warm, nutty, buttery flavor of the caramel to the next level. You can use table salt, however, it tastes even better when you use a flaky salt instead. A flaky salt has thin, flat, plate-like crystals that are a bit larger than fine table salt. They have a delicate, crunchy texture that's excellent inside a velvety caramel sauce.

It might be hard to find caramel sauce at a standard grocery store — but don't worry, it's actually pretty easy to make at home. You can either use this delicious Salted Caramel Sauce Recipe or you can use this hack and make it with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

Looking for the creamy, spicy sauce to dip your nachos and taquitos in? Try mixing some tangy cream cheese and spicy salsa to create the ultimate dip. Cream cheese's distinct creamy, acidic, and slightly sweet flair will pair superbly with any type of salsa you combine it with.

Since there is a vast variety of salsa available, each boasting a unique flavor profile and spectrum of spice levels, it's somewhat of a choose-your-own-adventure when it comes to taste. If you want a dip that's not too spicy, try mixing in a spoonful of salsa verde, the tomatillo-based salsa. Craving a fiery flavor? Then, you should mix a bit of habanero amarilla salsa and cream cheese for a spicy, hot, delightful dip. If you're looking to keep it simple, just mix together cream cheese with this Classic 5-ingredient Pico De Gallo Recipe.

Next time you're having people over to watch the big game or having a backyard barbecue, this is a perfect quick dip to whip up. Serve it alongside a basket of tortilla chips, sliced vegetables like carrots, celery, bell peppers, and radishes, toasted bread, or even with pita chips.

Sweet chili sauce is a commonly used condiment in Thai cuisine. You can find it on the table at most Thai restaurants, where hungry customers often drizzle it over stir-fries, noodle dishes, rice bowls, curries, or serve it as a dipping sauce with fried food. If you've ever eaten a crispy egg roll dipped into sweet chili sauce, you know how delicious it is.

If you want to take the condiment up a notch, try mixing it with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. The lime juice and sweet chili combined create a bright, acidic, and tangy sauce that's perfect for dipping or drizzling anything you're cooking up in the kitchen. You can find sweet chili sauce at Asian grocery stores and occasionally in the sauce aisle at regular supermarkets. Pick up a bottle the next time you're out shopping and try making this tasty 2-ingredient sauce.

If you haven't used za'atar before, you are truly missing out on some major flavor. Za'atar is a spice blend that is used in a wide range of Middle Eastern, Levantine, and Mediterranean dishes. It's typically made with a combination of ingredients like oregano, marjoram, cumin, sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt. You can even find some za'atar blends that have dried orange zest, dill, and ground Aleppo pepper. With all these ingredients, za'atar doesn't have one singular flavor. Its complex flavor profile boasts an earthy, herbal, nutty, tart, lemony taste that'll have you hooked.

When this exotic spice blend is combined with a tangy Greek yogurt, it makes one of the best 2-ingredient sauces you'll come across. It tastes absolutely amazing by the spoonful, but it's even better when served as a sauce for grilled meats, falafel, pita, salads, sliced vegetables, and rice dishes. If you're looking to ditch the French onion dip, try serving this sauce mixture with a bowl of crispy potato chips instead.