🇯🇵 Japanese
Yum Yum Sauce
⏱ 5 min (plus 1 hr chill)
🍞 ~2g
🍽 8 (2 tbsp each) servings
⭐ 5/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Yum yum sauce isn't actually from Japan — it was invented at American hibachi restaurants and became the white-pink dipping sauce kids will literally fight over. The traditional restaurant version is loaded with sugar; this T1D-friendly version skips it without sacrificing the magic.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Standard restaurant yum yum has 6-8g sugar per 2 tbsp — this version cuts it to under 2g
- Uses monk fruit instead of granulated sugar
- Mostly fat-based, so it doesn't spike — great for dunking lower-carb proteins
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise (0g)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (0g)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (3g total)
- 1 tsp monk fruit sweetener or allulose (0g)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (0g)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (0g)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (0g)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (1g total)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, skip for spice-shy kids) (0g)
- 2-3 tbsp water to thin (0g)
Directions
- Whisk mayo, melted butter, and tomato paste in a bowl until uniformly pink.
- Add monk fruit, rice vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne if using. Whisk smooth.
- Add water 1 tbsp at a time until you hit drizzle consistency.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour — the flavors need that nap to come together.
- Stir before serving. Keeps in the fridge for 7 days.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Let your kid pick their dipping vessel — a tiny ramekin feels fancy and helps you eyeball portion
- Drizzle it over steak instead of dipping for a hands-off mealtime
- If they're skeptical of "pink sauce," call it "Benihana sauce" — instant credibility