My 4-Ingredient Secret Sauce Goes With Everything

I love a sauce that has it all: One that’s a little salty, a little sweet, and has lots of tang. One that comes together in a couple of minutes with ingredients I already have on hand and without the need for cooking. And one that pairs well with all kinds of dishes so that I can make a big batch and use it all week on anything I make.

And this is it! Meet my creamy maple-mustard sauce. Think honey mustard but elevated, creamy, and complex. Dare I say… luxurious?!

It's made with just four pantry staple ingredients: maple syrup, whole-grain or Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and a touch of garlic powder. Just whisk it all together, pour it into an airtight container, lick the bowl (I won’t judge), and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

A Note on Mustard

This recipe works equally well with whole-grain and Dijon mustard, but halve the amount if you’re using Dijon—two tablespoons instead of four. Dijon mustard has a much stronger flavor than grainy mustard and overpowers the sauce if you use more. Yellow mustard can work in a pinch, but the pungent, acidic flavor isn’t my favorite here.

How To Make My 4-Ingredient Creamy Maple-Mustard Sauce

To make four to six servings (about 2/3 cup), you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I prefer Hellman’s or Kewpie)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, maple syrup, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and salt. Use a small whisk or a fork to mix everything together until well-combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

What To Serve With My Maple-Mustard Sauce

This sauce is delicious on so many things. It’s perfect for drizzling over roast chicken and roasted veggies, a great dip for fresh vegetables, a condiment to slather onto sandwiches, a dipping sauce for your kids’ nuggets—I could go on! After recipe testing it for this article, I even stirred it into pasta with zucchini—unconventional but so wonderful!