Fry sauce is Utah's defining condiment: roughly equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup, sometimes with sweet pickle relish, served with every order of French fries from Crown Burgers to Apollo to fast-food drive-throughs.

Don Carlos Edwards, founder of the Arctic Circle burger chain, invented fry sauce in 1948 at his Salt Lake counter when a customer asked for mayonnaise mixed into the ketchup. Within a decade the condiment spread across Utah; by the 1980s every Wasatch-front burger counter, drive-through and even McDonald's franchises in Utah served it. The 50/50 mayo-and-ketchup ratio is the canonical form, though commercial brands add pickle relish, paprika or buttermilk.

Where to eat Fry sauce in Salt Lake City

3 editor picks for Fry sauce in Salt Lake City, ranked by editorial score. All Salt Lake City signature dishes · Fry sauce across every city.

  • Crown Burgers

    Order The Crown burger with pastrami plus fry sauce and a gyro on the side.

    Crown Burgers on East 200 South, the Katsanevas family's burger institution since 1978, popularized Salt Lake's pastrami burger at its Greek-American counter.

    DetailsDirections

  • Pretty Bird Hot Chicken

    Order Hot chicken sandwich at the heat level of your choice plus a side of slaw.

    Pretty Bird Hot Chicken on Regent Street, chef Viet Pham's Nashville-style downtown fast-casual since 2018, anchors Utah's chef-driven hot chicken movement.

    DetailsDirections

  • Apollo Burger

    Order The Pastrami Burger with Apollo sauce plus a side of fries and a milkshake.

    Apollo Burger on Redwood Road, the Utah burger chain since 1984, serves charbroiled pastrami burgers and Greek-American sides, souvlaki included, six days.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves 45 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 120g mayonnaise (real, not light)
  • 120g ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Whisk mayonnaise and ketchup together in a small bowl until the color is a uniform pinkish orange.
  2. Stir in the optional sweet pickle relish and Worcestershire sauce.
  3. Season with paprika and salt to taste.
  4. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld.
  5. Serve cold alongside hot French fries, onion rings, or as a burger spread.

Editor tip. Real mayonnaise (not low-fat) and a sweet ketchup is the canonical Salt Lake ratio; resist adding hot sauce or mustard, which moves the sauce outside the Utah idiom.

Common allergens: Egg.