This Yum Yum Dipping Sauce is a delicious copycat recipe of your favorite Japanese Hibachi sauce! It is so easy to make and totally versatile. It may be used as a dipping sauce for veggies, French fries, burgers, fried seafood, and so much more. It is Made with a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise spices, and a secret ingredient that elevates its flavor and makes it as good as the original!

Yum Yum Sauce with Vegetables, fish and baked chicken.

One of our page followers once asked me if I had a recipe for Yum Yum Sauce. I must confess that at that time, I didn’t know what she meant and had to Google it (boy, am I thankful for the internet at times!).

When I saw the recipe and its ingredients, I realized I had been making something similar all my life in the Philippines—a mayo-based sauce flavored with either tomato paste or ketchup and sometimes sweetened with a little sugar or perhaps even some condensed milk.

It is naturally used as a dipping sauce for fries (that’s camote/sweet potato fries for us) and fried chicken and, more commonly, as a dressing or perhaps even as a marinade.

Here are some of our recipes you can pair with this yummy dip – Coconut Chicken Strips, Fried Shrimp Spring Rolls, Camaron Rebosado (Filipino Shrimp Tempura), Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken Wings, and Sheet Pan Chicken Hibachi.

What is a YUM YUM SAUCE?

Yum Yum Sauce is a creamy, sweet, and tangy condiment, typically based on mayonnaise, ketchup, and spices, commonly served in Japanese steakhouses as a dipping or drizzling sauce

What can I use YUM YUM Sauce for?

Yum Yum Sauce is incredibly versatile and pairs well with a variety of dishes. Here are some popular uses:

Dipping Sauce: Perfect for shrimp, crab cakes, fish sticks, chicken tenders, potstickers, wontons, and vegetables like carrots and celery.
Drizzle: Use it over fried rice, noodles, poke bowls, or roasted potatoes for added flavor.
Spread: Enhance burgers, sandwiches, wraps, or paninis with its creamy texture.
Salad Dressing: Thin it with milk for use as a dressing for green salads or macaroni salads.
Accompaniment: Pair it with grilled meats like chicken, steak, or seafood for a hibachi-style experience. Its sweet and tangy flavor also complements both Asian-inspired dishes and everyday meals!

So when my other blogger friends asked me to join in the Dippin’ in January series, I already knew right away what I would make. I patterned the recipe after the well-known Japanese Steak House sauce called Yum Yum, hence I used the same title but I retained a little Filipino flavor thereby using Ketchup instead of the usual tomato paste.

I thought I will stick to what I am familiar with but if you don’t like ketchup use tomato paste instead. Of course, I was guided by my taste buds in making this, I made it similar to the one I made at home but also has the flavor notes of the Japanese Steak House version.

The addition of a little rice vinegar (which we don’t do in the Pinoy version) really made this sauce fantastic – it added extra tang (but no sourness) which contrasted so perfectly with the sweetness of the sauce.

This dipping sauce is versatile as you can use this as an accompaniment for fries, vegetable platters, chicken nuggets, and yes, even as a replacement for tartare sauce.

Honestly, whatever you dip in this sauce instantly tastes better! As with all my other recipes in this blog, feel free to tweak them to your own taste preference.

Even before I knew what a Yum Yum sauce was, I was already making something similar and always used it as the sauce for our favorite Chicken Scampi.

NOTES ON INGREDIENTS FOR Yum Yum Dipping Sauce

Mayonnaise – use a good quality mayonnaise and even the Japanese version if you could for a robust taste of the sauce.
Ketchup – I prefer using ketchup so it contrasts with the mayo component without overpowering it. Use tomato paste if you prefer.
Sugar – this will not overly sweeten the sauce but actually enhances the flavor and perfectly balances it.
Garlic Powder
Ground Paprika – will brighten up the sauce a little.
Water
Rice Vinegar – gives it that perfect amount of tartness without making it sour!

HOW TO MAKE Yum Yum Dipping Sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and well-blended. Refrigerate overnight (preferred) or at least for a few hours to allow the flavor to develop. As with any recipe, feel free to adjust the measurement to suit your taste. My family loves this as is but perhaps you prefer it sweeter or tangier. Please enjoy!

Yum Yum Dipping Sauce

Manila Spoon

A delicious copycat recipe of your favorite Japanese Hibachi sauce that’s so easy to make and totally versatile, too. No wonder it’s called yum-yum as it’s so yummy!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Save

Prep Time 10

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Asian Cuisine, Japanese

Servings

Calories 263 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 tbsp Ketchup
2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp ground Paprika
2 tbsp Water
2 tsp Rice Vinegar

Instructions

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and well-blended. Refrigerate overnight (preferred) or at least for a few hours to allow the flavor to develop. As with any recipe, feel free to adjust the measurement to suit your taste. My family loves this as is but perhaps you prefer it sweeter or tangier. Please enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.4gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 260mgPotassium: 19mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 78IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.1mg

Keyword best yum yum sauce recipe, creamy fry sauce, sauce with mayo and ketchup, yum yum sauce, yum yum sauce uses, yum yum sauce with ketchup

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The Yum Yum Sauce is one of the yummy dips featured in our DIPPIN’ IN JANUARY SERIES presented in collaboration with other foodie bloggers who are not only very talented, they are my friends, too.

We are dip no. 9, the last but hopefully not the least…as my other blogger friends have really outdone themselves in making such fantastic dips! They have set such a high bar that ours seem too simple but hope you like it anyway. 😀 Don’t forget to check out the other scrumptious dips showcased in this delicious project.

1. JALAPENO POPPER DIP by Moore or Less Cooking Blog
2. MELTING POT SWISS CHEESE FONDUE by Tampa Cake Girl
3. ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE BATTER DIP by Hun, What’s for Dinner?
4. PROSCIUTTO ARTICHOKE SPINACH DIP by Crumbs in my Mustachio
5. CRAB RANGOON DIP with WONTON CHIPS by Lemony Thyme
6. BLT DIP by Cooking from a Stay-at-home Mom
7. APPLE FRENCH TOAST BRUNCH DIP by Baking in a Tornado
8. SUCCULENT SALMON DIP by The Rowdy Baker
9. YUM YUM DIPPING SAUCE – that’s us!!!

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Last updated on April 7th, 2025 at 03:44 pm