Benihana Yum Yum Sauce — Price, Calories, Ingredients & Recipe (2026)

What Is Yum Yum Sauce?

Yum Yum Sauce — also known as shrimp sauce, white sauce or pink sauce — is the most famous condiment in Japanese steakhouse dining. Creamy, tangy, faintly sweet and blushing pink, it is the sauce Benihana chefs squirt from squeeze bottles onto hibachi shrimp, chicken and fried rice. Guests love it so much that extra portions (about $2.50) are one of the most common add-ons in the restaurant.

The sauce is mayonnaise-based with tomato, vinegar, garlic and a whisper of paprika and sugar. It is served complimentary with hibachi dinners, and Benihana also sells bottled versions in grocery stores. Our copycat recipe below nails the restaurant flavor with pantry ingredients.

Yum Yum Sauce Ingredients

• Mayonnaise
• Tomato paste or ketchup
• Rice vinegar
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Sugar
• Melted butter
• Water (to thin)
• Salt and white pepper

Yum Yum Sauce Nutrition Facts

Nutrition values are estimates based on standard restaurant preparation and may vary by location. Ask your local Benihana for their current official nutrition guide.

Copycat Yum Yum Sauce Recipe (Make It at Home)

Love Yum Yum Sauce but can’t get to Benihana? This copycat recipe captures the signature flavor at home.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp melted butter, cooled
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pinch of white pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, rice vinegar, garlic powder, paprika, sugar, salt and white pepper in a bowl until completely smooth.
2. Whisk in the cooled melted butter.
3. Thin with water, one tablespoon at a time, until it ribbons off the whisk like restaurant sauce.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour — the flavor improves as it rests.
5. Stir before serving. Keeps 7-10 days refrigerated.
6. Serve with grilled shrimp, chicken, fried rice or as a burger and fry sauce.

Final Thoughts

Yum Yum Sauce is the soul of the Benihana table — and now you can make it at home in five minutes. Whisk up a batch and every stir-fry night gets an upgrade.