Japanese Aurora Sauce is a mayo ketchup sauce that is a perfect dip for deep-fried dishes, especially Tonkatsu (Japanese deep-fried pork cutlet). It’s not only versatile but also a breeze to make with just three ingredients.

Small bowl of Japanese Aurora Sauce, a creamy mayo-ketchup blend.

🙋‍♀️ What is Aurora Sauce?

Aurora sauce is originally a French sauce made by incorporating tomato purée into a basic béchamel sauce. It can be served with fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, or used as a pasta seasoning.

The Japanese simplified this recipe by blending Japanese mayo and ketchup to create their own version of Aurora Sauce.

❤️ Why this recipe works?

Quick and Easy: This Japanese Aurora Sauce recipe requires only three ingredients and can be prepared in under five minutes—simplicity at its finest. Plus, it’s a forgiving recipe, allowing you to play around with ingredients and quantities.

Versatile: This mayo-ketchup sauce has a multitude of applications. While it’s commonly used for Tonkatsu (Japanese deep-fried cutlet), it also makes a fantastic dip for various deep-fried dishes and even roasted vegetables such as butternut squash or sweet potatoes.

You can use it as a delectable sauce for burgers, hot dogs, tacos, and more.

Use this Japanese Aurora Sauce for:

Delicious Tori Karaage (or Tatsutaage Chicken), showcasing their crispy texture and mouthwatering Japanese flavors. — Tasutaage/Karaage Chicken (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Delicious and crispy air fryer rice paper chicken nuggets served on a plate. — Air Fryer Rice Paper Chicken Nuggets (gluten-free)

Golden and crispy fried silken tofu cubes with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth interior. — Panko Fried Silken Tofu / Soft Tofu

Readily Available Ingredients: Ketchup and mayo are pantry staples found in most households, right?

This Vietnamese Mayo is another simple variation of mayonnaise, not intended for use as a dip but rather as a fantastic addition to Vietnamese Banh Mi.

🥚 Ingredients for Japanese Aurora Sauce

You only need 3 essential ingredients for this recipe:

Ketchup: Japanese use ketchup instead of tomato puree for their version of Aurora sauce.
Mayo: I strongly recommend using Japanese Kewpie mayo for its exceptional flavor, although you can still make the recipe with Western-branded mayo.
Milk: This is used to thin out the sauce as needed.

🌟 Variations

You could season the sauce with some soy sauce.
For the vegan version, you could use vegan mayo instead.
Enhance the flavor with some garlic powder.
To make it spicier, add some dried chili flakes

📝 Instructions

Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and in just 3 minutes, your Japanese Aurora sauce is ready to go!

🫙 How to store

Prepare a big batch and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 7-10 days.

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