Quick outline:
- Why sauce matters on a smash burger
- What I tested at home (with real people and a messy grill)
- My go-to recipe with exact amounts
- Tweaks I liked, and one I didn’t
- Real-life results, plus a few fails
- Final thoughts and a simple plan
The Tang That Makes It Sing
I’m Kayla, and I’m fussy about burgers. The patty should be thin and crisp. The bun should be soft and a little shiny. But the sauce? That’s the spark.
If you want the blow-by-blow notes from every messy round of testing, you can scroll through the full tasting diary on this page; warning, it’s burger-nerd heaven.
I tested five smash burger sauces over two long weekends. Some from big names. Some from TikTok. One from my neighbor who swears by pickle juice. I also made my own blend. Spoiler: the winner was simple, cheap, and fast. For reference, the folks over at CopyKat lay out a dead-on clone of Smashburger’s legendary Smashsauce, and reading their ingredient list convinced me that a good smash burger sauce doesn’t need more than a couple of pantry staples.
That comparison isn’t random—earlier I did a dedicated taste test of the real thing at home, and my honest review of the In-N-Out sauce copycat heavily influenced how I balanced the sweetness here.
How I Tested (Yes, My House Smelled Amazing)
- Tuesday night: quick dinner with my kids. No fancy stuff. Just hot griddle and buns.
- Saturday: backyard cookout. Eight adults, five kids, plenty of noise. I kept a score on a sticky note.
- Sunday: cold sauce test. Fries and carrot sticks for lunch. Because real life.
- Office lunch: I brought a jar for fries day. It vanished in twelve minutes.
After that backyard run, it hit me that a laid-back cookout is basically the culinary version of a no-strings relationship—everyone shows up, gets what they want, and leaves happy. If the phrase “friends with benefits” makes you nod, Friends with Benefits breaks down how that same low-pressure dynamic can play out in everyday relationships, and it’s a fun, insightful detour while you’re waiting for the grill to preheat. And if you’re in Colorado’s Front Range and want to bypass complicated dating apps for something just as straightforward as this sauce, Skip the Games Longmont gives a quick, no-nonsense guide to local meet-ups so you can spend less time swiping and more time enjoying whatever’s sizzling on the grill.
I tried brands too. Hellmann’s and Duke’s mayo both worked. Claussen dill pickles chopped fine beat sweet relish. Heinz ketchup tasted better than store brand here. For mustard, plain French’s did fine. Crystal hot sauce gave warm heat without yelling.
My Go-To Smash Burger Sauce (The Keeper)
Makes about 1 cup. Good for 8 to 10 burgers.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayo (Duke’s if you have it; Hellmann’s is great too)
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons very fine chopped dill pickles (or dill relish)
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice (from the jar)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of sugar (about 1/4 teaspoon), only if your ketchup is not very sweet
- 2–3 dashes mild hot sauce (I use Crystal)
Steps:
- Stir everything in a bowl till smooth.
- Taste. If it feels flat, add one more teaspoon pickle juice.
- Chill 20 to 30 minutes. It thickens and the flavors come together.
- Spread on both buns. Don’t be shy.
Note: If your sauce looks thin, a spoon of mayo fixes it fast. Too tangy? A tiny pinch of sugar helps. Too sweet? Add another shake of mustard.
Real Results From My Kitchen
- Kid test: My son hates pickles. He still ate two sliders. He said, “It’s like burger fry sauce but less sweet.” I’ll take that as a win.
- Neighbor test: I set out two bowls—one with sweet relish, one with dill. Dill won 7–3. The sweet one made the burger taste like a fairground corn dog. Not bad, but not right here.
- Work test: I packed it with frozen crinkle fries. It made sad fries happy. One coworker asked if it was Chick-fil-A sauce. Not quite. Less sweet. More smoke.
- Next-day test: Day two, the paprika came forward more. Even better on a patty melt with grilled onions.
Little Tweaks That Worked
- Extra smoky: Swap smoked paprika to 3/4 teaspoon, and add 1/8 teaspoon cumin. Great on bacon burgers.
- Sweet heat: Use 1 tablespoon ketchup plus 1 tablespoon spicy ketchup. Keep the rest the same. I serve this for game day.
- No-mayo swap: Use 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon mayo. It’s lighter, still creamy. My friend Lena, who doesn’t love mayo, liked this one.
- Pickle swap: Chopped Claussen spears beat pre-made relish for crunch. The small cubes matter.
- Creamy house-style: I borrowed the idea of a touch more mayo and a whisper of onion powder from Pinch of Yum’s smash burgers with house sauce, and it rounded out the tang nicely.
And one tweak I didn’t love:
- Fresh minced garlic. It was sharp and a little harsh on a thin patty. Garlic powder blended better.
Sauce vs. Store-Bought Bottles
I tried two bottles for fun:
- Heinz Burger Sauce: a little candy-sweet. Good on fries, but it buried the beef. 6/10.
- Trader Joe’s Magnifisauce: closer, but still sweeter than I want. 7/10.
My homemade? 9/10. It lets the crusty beef shine.
Common Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t)
- Too much relish. It turned watery and slid off the bun. Keep it to 2 tablespoons.
- No rest time. Fresh mixed sauce tastes “sharp.” Rest 20 to 30 minutes if you can.
- Only saucing one bun. It tasted dry. Spread on the top and bottom bun, thin layers.
- Leaving the bowl in the sun. It got sad and loose. Keep it cool.
What I Put It On Besides Burgers
- Patty melt with onions and Swiss. Holy moly.
- Crispy chicken sandwiches. Add shredded lettuce and pickles.
- Tater tots. My husband ate the last of it straight with a spoon. No notes.
- Turkey smash burgers. The sauce helps with lean meat.
- Tossed into chopped lettuce, pickles, cheese, and crumbled beef for a quick lunch—basically this Big Mac-style salad, but faster.
My Smash Burger Flow (Short and Sweet)
- 3 ounces beef, high heat, smash hard with parchment, salt and pepper.
- Cook 1–2 minutes; scrape, flip, a quick cheese melt.
- Buttered potato bun. Sauce both sides. Add two stackers of pickles.
- Eat while standing over the counter because patience is overrated.
Final Take
This sauce is the one I keep in a jar, right next to the mustard.
If you want to taste how a restaurant nails that same balance, the smash burgers at Bistro le Clochard are a master class in letting a bright, tangy sauce amplify crisp seared beef.
It tastes bright, a little smoky, and not too sweet. It plays nice with that crispy beef edge. You know what? It even saves a boring weeknight burger.
Make it once. Taste it cold the next day. If you don’t lick the spoon, I’ll be shocked—but hey, I’ve been wrong before.