The Herby 4-Ingredient Sauce Your Burgers Absolutely Need

Fresh off-the-grill meat patties, toasted bread buns, and colorful veggies all laid out, your homemade burgers are almost ready. The only thing needed left is a sauce to bring everything together. Mayo, ketchup, mustard, or barbecue sauce — those are the usual choices. A creamy, herby dill sauce rarely makes the list, but it's high time it does. This is no ordinary burger condiment, and that's exactly why it's so great.

The flavorful dill sauce requires only a few key ingredients, most of which can be customized. It starts with a creamy base, which could be sour cream, crème fraîche, or even mayonnaise if you want. A squeeze of citrus juice balances out all that tangy richness, along with seasonings to layer in savory, spicy, or any flavor hint you prefer. Last but not least — the dill. Freshly chopped and beautifully aromatic, its herbaceous vibrancy is the highlight of the sauce, brightening just about anything it touches.

With burgers, in particular, the dill sauce brings a refreshing contrast needed to balance out all the heaviness that this dish possesses. Clinging to every bite, it coats the juicy meat and crisp veggies in a lightness you never knew they needed — at least not until you taste this wonderfully harmonized smoothness.

This dill sauce can be quite a chameleon with its ability to seamlessly fit into a wide range of burgers. It's a revelation on a classic ground beef burger, but you can also slather it onto various spin-offs and have a decent meal regardless. Try it with a lamb burger or a turkey burger if you want something just a notch lighter. Even vegan burgers — whether we're talking with chickpea, white beans, or quinoa patties — are all much better with just a drizzle of this sauce.

Lemon, dill, and salmon, in particular, is a foolproof combination. It works like a dream in bagels, and will no doubt be just as great in your burgers. You can even throw in some capers to add tangy pops of flavor. Salmon burgers, of course, are a bit heftier in terms of flavors, but rest assured it's still well-harmonized.

Maybe take the opportunity to inject a bit more greens into your burgers as well. Leafy veggies like spinach and kale can be molded straight into the meat patties for extra earthy notes that complement the dill sauce. Other than that, veggies that often accompany dill in other dishes like cucumber and Swiss chard are also marvelous additions. Last but not least — the cheese. While all the usual varieties will still do the trick, consider using feta cheese for a tangy lightness similar to the dill sauce.