14 Innovative Ideas for Repurposing Leftover Cocktail Sauce

Summer isn’t just the best time of the year to go to the beach and enjoy outdoor activities. It’s also the season of seafood. We’re talking everything from lobster rolls, served absolutely drenched in butter, to cups of clam chowder served with crunchy oyster crackers. If you go up to the condiment counter at your local seafood shack, chances are you’ll see some staples, like ketchup, tartar sauce, and mayo, alongside one of the best and more flavorful seafood-adjacent condiments: cocktail sauce. 

Classic cocktail sauce is typically reserved for shrimp, though it was first paired with oysters, not shrimp. Its ingredient list is dynamic and multi-dimensional, as it covers the entire spectrum of sweet (ketchup), savory (Worcestershire sauce), spicy (hot sauce and horseradish), and acidic (lemon). This is what makes it such a great foil to relatively neutral (and salty) proteins like shrimp and oysters. Though, cocktail sauce has a ton of utility outside of just seafood. If you’re looking for a way to make use of the rest of the bottle of grocery-store cocktail sauce, check out some of these fun and creative suggestions.  

If you look at the ingredient list on a Bloody Mary recipe, chances are that you’ll find a lot of similarities between it and the ingredient list on a bottle of cocktail sauce. There is a tomato base of some sort, along with ingredients like hot sauce and lemon juice. While the vodka in the classic cocktail may not be a mainstay in the cocktail sauce, it’s easy to see how a dash of the sauce could make for a better Bloody Mary. 

Cocktail sauce was practically made for the Bloody Mary, especially when seafood flavors are involved. The hint of horseradish in the sauce will really elevate those savory notes in the cocktail, and the addition of ketchup will heighten its complexity and umami profile. The Tabasco in the sauce will also be very present as you sip, so make sure that you modify your Bloody Mary recipe to avoid making it too hot. If you want to take things a step further, you can also dunk your grilled shrimp garnish into the cocktail to soak up that cocktail sauce flavor. 

A plate of eggs is a simple way to start the day, and you get a powerful boost of nutrients to boot. But a plate of dry eggs or an omelet that’s just a tad overcooked isn’t always our taste buds’ idea of a fun time. But when you pair it with cocktail sauce, you get the one-two punch of ketchup and hot sauce, with a magical sprinkle of horseradish thrown in there. The bite just works together, and it can really give a ho-hum plate of eggs some dimension.

You don’t need to add a lot of cocktail sauce to your egg dish for it to be effective, either. Just a drizzle should suffice. You can also use it for egg dishes that are more than just eggs. For example, try pairing it with a shrimp egg foo young, which is essentially just a flavorful shrimp omelet with Asian-inspired ingredients like sesame oil and soy sauce.

There are tons of store-bought sauces to elevate your burger out there, from pesto and garlicky toum to ranch dressings galore. Cocktail sauce may not have been one that you’ve considered yet — though it might be about time to try it. Cocktail sauce is often made with ketchup, so it’s easy to see the potential trajectory for how it can be used in lieu of plain ketchup on your burger. Plus, the sharpness of the horseradish will cut through the richness of whatever patty variety you opt for, whether poultry, beef, or plant-based. Add some fried onions for crunch or stick some bacon in it to make the cocktail sauce stand out even more. 

The best type of patty to pair with cocktail sauce is anything in the seafood family. Think about a salmon burger, which craves that sharp bite from the sauce. A shrimp or crab-based patty, albeit more uncommon, would also really be elevated with the addition of this piquant and deeply savory sauce. 

Ah, meatloaf. For some people, it’s the definition of comfort food, while for others, it’s a dish relegated to decades past. If it’s still on the regular meal rotation in your home, you may want to consider giving it a spicy and modern boost with the help of cocktail sauce. The biting, punchy flavor of the sauce will add a unique profile to the meat and make it all the more tantalizing.

You can add the cocktail sauce to the meatloaf itself as well as the glaze that you spoon on top of it. As with any meatloaf add-in, you want to avoid being too heavy-handed with the sauce, as adding too much may cause it to fall apart as it bakes. You may also want to dilute your glaze with a little bit more ketchup, as the signature of a good meatloaf is a sweet, slightly tacky, and barely-caramelized glaze. You should also par-bake the loaf without the glaze before spooning it on about mid-way through the cooking time to ensure that it has the perfect consistency. 

Have you ever looked at your tomato sauce and thought, “Yep, not fiery enough?” Well, after you try adding a little splash of cocktail sauce to it, you may think differently. Cocktail sauce is an incredibly dynamic ingredient, which is why it can add a unique edge and enliven a jarred pasta sauce. If you’re opting for a sauce with a tomato base, like a ragù or a bolognese, you can add a little dash of your favorite cocktail sauce and season as necessary.

Although a red sauce may seem like the most obvious pasta sauce to add a dash of the condiment to, you can also turn your Alfredo sauce spicy by adding a little bit of cocktail sauce to the pot as it’s cooking down. The horseradish will cut through the richness of the cheese sauce, while the acidity will offer a bit more balance to every bite. It would be all the more delicious if you decided to cook up some garlic butter shrimp with it, too. 

There are so many different sauces that you can serve your meatballs with besides marinara. Pesto would add a uniquely herby bite, whereas cranberry sauce or grape jelly would balance out the savoriness with a juicy and fruity essence. Cocktail sauce is another option that you may not think about reaching for but should really try. 

Start with a cocktail meatball sauce recipe, which often calls for grape jelly and brown sugar. You can add a couple of drops of cocktail sauce to the mix, though you’ll want to balance it out with enough fruity and savory flavors, too. A meatball absolutely floating in cocktail sauce isn’t anyone’s idea of a fun time, as it may be too peppery and piquant. But when you get that balance from other elements, like the grape jelly and the brown sugar, it makes for a better bite. You can also make your own sauce by combining a little bit of cocktail sauce with Worcestershire and brown sugar to help bring out the savory and the sweet flavors, and let the meatballs soak it up as they simmer away. 

Deviled eggs are a great food all on their own. They can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion, and if you throw a plate of them out at your next springtime gathering or brunch, we can guarantee that they won’t be there for long. 

If you’re looking to add a spicy twist to your egg bites, turn to that container of cocktail sauce. For one, you can make a seafood-inspired deviled egg by adding a dash of the sauce to the yolk filling, along with ingredients like mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, and topping it with a whole shrimp. You’ll get a tasty contrast if you grill up the shrimp with some Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, and the grill marks would add to the visual appeal of the platter, too. 

The horseradish in the cocktail sauce is a great contrast to the cooling mayonnaise. Plus, the tomato-forward profile of the sauce will bring an unexpected umami and savoriness to the deviled eggs — not to mention, a whole lot of spice. 

There are some sauces that people have come to associate with tacos, including the likes of salsa, sour cream, and queso. However, these Tex-Mex spreads are far from the only ones that you should be putting on your table for taco Tuesday. Cocktail sauce is one of the many sauces that should also be in your taco toolkit. It’s bright and acidic, thanks to additions like vinegar and/or lemon juice, which will cut through a dense or particularly greasy protein. And if spice is your thing, that sinus-tingling horseradish is just what the doctor ordered. 

The key is to be strategic about how you pair your cocktail sauce with your proteins. One no-brainer option is a blackened shrimp taco, seeing as how cocktail sauce and shrimp already know one another so well. You can also use it for crab or fish tacos, too, as the bright horseradish will be the perfect contrast to the fresh-from-the-sea flavors. As far as non-fish options go, you’re better off sticking to something in the turkey or the chicken family, as the sauce won’t have to compete with overly rich flavors (like it would in a beef or pork taco). 

One of the hardest parts of using sauces in the kitchen is finding ways to get those flavors onto your food. Not every food is the perfect vehicle for a dipping sauce, and schmearing the sauce all over your finished and ready-to-serve food may be a bit too much in terms of flavor. But if you make a marinade out of that sauce, you have a way to slowly and intentionally infuse those flavors into your food as it cooks.

To make a cocktail sauce marinade, you’ll want to combine this flavor-forward sauce with other ingredients, like lemon juice, chili powder, and even a little bit of sherry before adding it to your protein. You don’t need to let it sit too long, as the more time you allow it to marinate, the more that protein will denature. For shrimp, you may only need to let it marinate for about 10 minutes. If you’re using it for a steak marinade, you may want to combine the sauce with simpler and less spice-forward ingredients, like oil, soy sauce, and garlic, and marinate it for at least 30 minutes. 

If you want to transform your cocktail sauce into a tasty dipping sauce, your best bet is not to dip your mozzarella sticks or onion rings into it as-is. In order to tamp down that heat and make its flavors a little more balanced, you’re going to want to mix it with something that can complement its big personality, like mayonnaise. Mayo is super creamy and doesn’t have much of a flavor on its own, which makes it the perfect vector for cocktail sauce. 

This spicy mayo variant, which is occasionally referred to as Marie Rose sauce, unites the two condiments together as one. In general, you’ll want to use slightly more mayonnaise in your recipe than you do cocktail sauce, as the latter has a more powerful flavor and has the potential to overrun the flavors of your sauce if you use too much of it. But, you can always taste and add a dash more of cocktail sauce as you go. 

There are so many uses for your cocktail sauce-infused mayonnaise. Besides a dipping sauce for nearly anything, you can also use it to replace the regular cocktail sauce served with your shrimp or schmear it on a sandwich. 

There are a whole host of delicious alternatives for classic pizza sauce out there, though your local artisan pizzeria may not have jumped on the whole “cocktail sauce pizza” thing yet. Pesto and buffalo sauce, maybe, but probably not cocktail sauce. But if you like to be creative with your homemade pizza, using cocktail sauce to add flavor is certainly one way to do it. 

Depending on the type of pizza you’re making, you can drizzle your cocktail sauce straight on your pie like you would with ranch or barbecue sauce. This would work best for either a marinara sauce-based pie or a white pie with an olive oil base (in lieu of sauce). Horseradish and sausage are strange bedfellows, but are surprisingly delicious together on a pizza. You can also use it for a shrimp pizza, especially if you pair it with a bed of fresh arugula. Create better synergy between your flavors by marinating your shrimp in the cocktail sauce beforehand, or stirring it into the tomato sauce before slathering it on your pie. 

There is an innate appeal to sloppy Joes that we can’t entirely pinpoint. Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor, or maybe it’s knowing that your mouth and lap will inevitably be coated in sauce when you reach for a bite. 

The standard sloppy Joe recipe is comprised of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and the like, so it’s easy to see how a little dash of cocktail sauce can enhance the savory notes and subtly sweet flavor of the sauce. The horseradish will also add that sinus-clearing burn to every bite, making you appreciate its complexity even more. 

The key is not to go overboard with the cocktail sauce. You should get a subtle flavor boost from it, rather than distance yourself too much from the classic sloppy Joe flavor. The interplay between the savory, sweet, and now spicy is what makes this sandwich so good. 

Baked potatoes, in all of their starchy glory, are a fantastic side dish. You can pair them with poultry and steak, or even turn them into a whole meal by slathering on some inventive and tasty toppings. While you may have already tried the classic trio — sour cream, cheese, and broccoli — cocktail sauce may be a little out of your wheelhouse, until now. 

This condiment actually makes a great complement to a carby potato because it packs a lot of flavor into a little package. Its spiciness and savoriness will cut through the starchiness of the potato and remain at the front of your palate as you eat it. If you’re worried about the horseradish punch, you can always add a dash to some sour cream to cool off the flavors a bit and make each bite more rich. 

Ketchup, mayo, or mustard on a sandwich isn’t too strange, but what about cocktail sauce? This flavorful condiment will bring a little bit of warmth to your sandwich, and it can mesh with all of the flavors you already have going on. 

There are right ways and wrong ways to use cocktail sauce for your sandwich, and it really all depends on what ingredients your sandwich already includes. For example, cocktail sauce would be a great drizzle on a shrimp po boy, as the horseradish would cut through the greasiness of the fried shrimp, while the savoriness would help round out the flavors. You can swap it out for the hot sauce portion of the mayo in our recipe, or drizzle it on separately. It could also breathe new life into a BLT, as the spiciness would counteract the greasy bacon and make for a unique bite. Or, keep things simple and add a swipe onto one side of your grilled cheese sandwich to give it a spicy twist.