Hey! I'm Des!
Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.
French Fry Dip and Burger Spread – Burgerville Copycat
French Fry Dip is the perfect creamy dip for all your french fry cravings. With mayo and relish, it also makes a great burger spread.
Have you ever been to the Pacific Northwest? If you have, or if you live there like me then you are familiar with Burgerville. If you are not familiar with Burgerville and live in the Pacific Northwest, or plan to visit, do yourself a favor: GO.
I guess I shouldn’t say Pacific Northwest because Burgerville is really only in Southwestern Washington and Northwest Oregon. As in, it’s not in Seattle.
As in there isn’t one within 80 miles of me.
It’s tragic really. I grew up in Southwestern Washington and I loved Burgerville. Whenever we got fast food, I’d prefer Burgerville hands down over all of the other burger places.
And the reason why, besides the unbelievable milkshakes, the walla walla onion rings in the summer and the fact that they use Tillamook cheese on their burgers, is the spread that they put on their burgers.
I would always order a Colossal Cheeseburger Basket with fries, a coke and extra spread for dipping my fries.
Friends, every bite was heaven.
And every time I go home I have to stop there at least once. But let me tell you it’s not enough and I got to thinking maybe, just maybe in between visits I could make the spread at home.
After looking at the ingredients list, I decided to give it a go. It took me a couple of tries to get it right but I think I’ve got something that totally satisfies my craving when I can’t get back home. And today I’m sharing it with you.
What makes a good french fry dip or burger spread?
It’s gotta be creamy so that means it’s gotta have mayo. A good french fry dip and burger spread is also slightly sweet. This dip gets a little bit of sweetness from sweet pickle relish and a pinch of sugar.
For a bit of saltiness, chopped pickles or dill pickle relish is also a good addition.
Finally, the mustard. There are so many different kinds of mustard out there. So many dijon and stone ground versions out there but for fry sauce, you don’t need anything fancy. Instead, you’re going to want good ol’ fashioned yellow mustard. It gives the subtle vinegar taste you want and the yellow color.
So the next time that you make yourself a batch of french fries. Or maybe a Fried Pickle Burger, make sure that you’ve got this french fry dip to serve along side. You’re going to love it!
Note: Recipe originally posted 2014. Updated with new photos and nutrition facts in 2020.
French Fry Dip and Burger Spread - Burgerville Copycat
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dill relish
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve as a spread for hamburgers or a dip for french fries.
Notes
Nutrition
Hey! I'm Des!
Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.
Dennis Mattson
July 28, 2024 at 9:00 amGrew up in Portland, OR.. then lived in Fishers Landing, Camas 2 yrs before moving to Las Vegas in ’97….
and NOTHING Compares to either Burgerville USA, or Julianio’s Pizzeria on Mill Plain
My usual was 2 cheeseburgers with extra spread and a barrel of fries.. depending what seasonal items were on the menu.. the Walla Walla Onion Rings, Deep Fried Asparagus, and Blackberry Shakes were the ultimates.. it’s the first and last place I visit when I make a trip home with a few stops in between.. and I always come home with at least two jars of their spread..
After I try this recipe I’m going to fiddle with it a bit using the valuable info from the comments..
Deseree
July 29, 2024 at 11:55 amOh those onion rings are SO good! I hope this recipe helps bring back memories for you! :)
STACEY
June 17, 2024 at 4:41 pmI loved Our Daily Bread! I buy spread to bring home when ever I am in Oregon. I love to dip my fries in it!
Deseree
June 18, 2024 at 6:45 pmIt’s so good! :)
Jairus Minsky
March 4, 2024 at 1:55 amI worked at “our daily bread” across the street from BV in St.Johns. And would walk over and order two cheese burgers (extra sauce please..?), a “barrel” of the only fries that legitimately could compete with McDs. , and a chocolate shake….oh my, all with a killer view of the St. John’s bridge and that amazing grey. Green backdrop. I moved to Arizona later and made BV ch brgrs as close as I possibly could have . You are right on target. I always knew there was a tomato element. I found that the level of soft vs toasty the bun was was almost equally important. BV Never needed to change anything. About that menu.
Oh honorable mention…the chicken sandwich, and the “baked ham and cheese” were close competitors with that burger.
Ps. Of course I never told anyone in Arizona that there was a BV.
Your sauce is perfect. Eating it now with hot dog thx..
Arin Marcus
February 21, 2024 at 5:24 pmForgot the first ingredient- mashed hard-boiled egg yolk.
Also forgot the last ingredient – dried minced onion, which should soften in the sauce overnight.
In the original recipe, the relish is a mustard/hamburger relish that has a small amount of tomato paste included with the mustard.
Andrea
April 14, 2023 at 9:43 pmOlympia WA here we have big Tom’s and they have great goop. To me it taste like they put a couple hard boiled egg yolks in the sauce. Just blended in with the rest so you don’t even see it. But I don’t think it has dill relish In it I couldn’t find dill relish so I chopped up a little bit of a dill pickle in it and it was great I love your goop recipe.
Sheila
May 11, 2022 at 3:12 pmWow! This is amazingly good. I can’t wait to try it on a burger.
Deseree
May 12, 2022 at 9:17 pmSo happy to hear that, Sheila!! Hope you enjoy it on burgers too :)
Melanie Harvey
January 31, 2022 at 8:47 amI love the ingredients question should I use regular mayo or miracle whip?
Deseree
January 31, 2022 at 11:41 amUse regular mayo! The miracle whip will be too sweet for this :)
Shari
January 26, 2022 at 4:00 pmMade this today,, Just waiting on my Burger 🍔 and Air-fryer fries 🍟 It taste awesome,,, Thank you so much for sharing Bon appétit😋
Deseree
January 27, 2022 at 12:19 pmYou are welcome!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Ryan
January 11, 2022 at 5:57 pmOriginal recipe hand mixed in mid 90s before outsourced:
30lbs mayo
7 pounds yellow mustard
1 gallon red hamburger relish
Yours is great too!
Deseree
January 13, 2022 at 9:51 amOh good to know! Thank you! :)
mickel lewis
July 19, 2021 at 9:13 pmLove me some burgerville! Did they use this on the ham and cheese sandwiches too?
Native Oregonian
June 5, 2021 at 5:15 amI have never been more compelled to comment on a recipe than I am now! This recipe is delicious and tastes just like BV’s spread, which I have enjoyed since I was a kid. Thank you for putting this together.
I am so baffled by the bullying comments made about this recipe! Realizing that someone must have been treated in a similar bullying manner that in turn propels them to do the same is rather sad.
Perhaps these folks also don’t understand that the BV recipe from their website lists each individual ingredient of mayo, sweet relish, mustard etc.. As with any homemade recipe that includes mayo or mustard nobody breaks those ingredients down further. Simply because not all brands used by the folks making it are going to be the same.
Deseree
June 5, 2021 at 5:24 pmThank you for taking the time to leave a comment! Bullying comments come with the territory, you can’t make everyone happy.BUT I am so happy that you this recipe :)
Christine @ myblissfulmess
March 21, 2021 at 7:29 amThis looks AMAZING!!! I was born and raised in Vancouver, WA and I’ve always LOVED Burgerville. I live in Indiana now and no Burgerville in sight. SO, I thank you for this! I have it saved and it’s so close to grilling season, I can’t wait to try this on our burgers. This is going to be amazing! I’ll be sure to come back to let you know, but seriously, this is going to be amazing! Thank you Deserree!
Deseree
March 23, 2021 at 9:20 pmYou are welcome, Christine!! Hope you enjoy it!
Lisa
September 25, 2020 at 7:19 pmJust made this sauce for dinner tonight with our Traeger hamburgers and omg!! It was so tasty and my husband loved it! He said that’s dang near close to the original! I didn’t have relish so I minced up some sweet pickles that seemed to do the trick. Thanks for sharing I will be making this again! 👌🏼
Deseree
September 25, 2020 at 8:37 pmThat is so great to hear! And I’m kinda jealous of the Traeger hamburgers, I need to get me one of those!
Exorigonian
April 16, 2020 at 8:15 amThank you for the recipe it sounds like a good starting point for experiments also i apologize for the Oregonion comments they have no respect for themselves or others that’s why I moved 3000 miles away to spend time with Human being’s
Wendy
March 28, 2020 at 5:57 pmYou’re the best!! My dad and I are in Vancouver WA and love the BV sauce too.. they just started charging for extra sauce, so we were hoping to find a recipe for it. We didn’t have any dill relish so just used dried dill instead, and it worked great! We might even like this better than the BV version! 😄
Deseree
March 30, 2020 at 3:09 pmYay! I am so happy to hear that Wendy!!
Jill
March 3, 2020 at 12:34 pmI grew up with Burgerville and even worked there in High School. On whom I looked for a copycat recipe and found YOU!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!! I now live in West Virginia and long for a taste of home.
Deseree
March 3, 2020 at 1:34 pmYou are SO welcome Jill!!
Eric
January 16, 2020 at 2:03 pmThank you thank you thank you. This recipe has improved the quality of my life. I’m making burgers at home and they taste like Burgervillle! I’m so grateful for you. If you are like me and can’t do dairy and eggs anymore Veganaise works just as well for this and you can’t tell the difference. I smash Beyond burgers and fry them paper thin and I swear it’s exactly the same as Burgerville.
Deseree
January 16, 2020 at 4:08 pmYou are SO welcome Eric!! I am glad that you enjoyed it so much. And it is wonderful to hear that Veganaise works well for this too!
T
January 4, 2020 at 6:56 pmI appreciate your recipe! I Can’t believe all the shade you received over burger sauce. Damn people!! Desiree, you handle it all so well. Apparently don’t **** with folks and their Burgerville, burger sauce.
NW OREGON NATIVE RECIPE HACKER, really! Did you have a bad day? Figure your rage out and not on a food blogger.
Jason
November 26, 2019 at 1:39 pmSo I actually made this recipe and it’s delicious! Thanks for figuring it out!
Deseree
November 26, 2019 at 10:32 pmYou’re welcome Jason! So happy you enjoyed it!
NW Oregon native recipe hacker
September 29, 2019 at 8:55 pmMy “kind” attempt at a comment is far closer then your so called attempt at cloning burgerville sauce. if you knew to read the ingredients list posted at the official burgerville website it clearly shows there’s ketchup and garlic powder and lime juice concentrate in the recipe and no granulated white sugar..Deseree your not a real recipe hacker..your just a hack…and by the way there isn’t any dill relish in it either..it’s all sweet relish that’s why you don’t need to add any table sugar to this recipe. There’s Plenty of sweetners in the ketchup and sweet relish you didn’t get in your epic kitchen failure. If your as seasoned in the food industry as you claim to be in your bio you would know how to use the internet to do your research on the recipes your trying to copy from reliable sources..I feel sorry for the readers that waste the time and kitchen Staples to make this bitter disapointment
Deseree
September 30, 2019 at 5:38 pmFirst of all, it is “you’re”. Second, you are more than welcome, and since you’re being so incredibly rude, encouraged to find your recipes elsewhere. Have a great day!
Stacey
September 26, 2019 at 5:48 pmThank you so much for posting. I had a Burgerville in the town I grew up and love the spread for fries and burgers. I will be trying this recipe out with great hopes and expectations!
Deseree
September 27, 2019 at 9:03 pmHope you enjoy it!
Annette
September 4, 2019 at 6:00 pmWorked for BV HQ for 22 yrs. The relish is supposed to be red hamburger relish and no sugar in the recipe.
Deseree
September 4, 2019 at 8:54 pmHow great you worked with them for so long! Without the actual recipe on hand, I did it by taste. This tastes very similar to the spread. Thanks for your comment!
NW Oregon native recipe hacker
August 31, 2019 at 3:16 pmDeseree You need to look at the burgerville sauce ingredients list ..it has garlic powder in it so this is not a good representation of bv sauce not mention you added waaaay to much sugar in your feeble attempt at cloning it. Try again
Deseree
August 31, 2019 at 4:03 pmThank you for your kind attempt at a comment. This tastes close to me but that’s the beauty of cooking for yourself, if you don’t like something, change it! :)
Bob Cronos
July 30, 2019 at 8:18 pmI’ve been eating at Burgerville since 1969 and this is much better than the sauce they serve today… Tried a number of times to make it myself without much luck… Using both sweet and dill relish is brilliant! Nice job…
Hint: Mix it up in a 1/2 pint or (for double recipe) pint canning jar, slap on a lid and store in fridge… Excellent on ham sandwiches too…
Shawn
July 9, 2019 at 8:36 pmI’ve lived in Vancouver WA all my life and I know some people that used to make the spread in house years ago! Hint… You got the recipe wrong! You need mayo, yellow mustard and red hamburger relish. Mix it up and let it sit in the fridge over night then try it. It’s perfect!!
Deseree
July 10, 2019 at 8:32 amI appreciate your comment, but ask, have you tasted my recipe? Because this tastes just like the Burgerville spread too :)
Gary J.
June 27, 2019 at 6:00 pmThanks for the recipe! I send a jar now and then to relatives in Arizona. Fortunately, I live close to two Burgervilles but I didn’t want to go out in rush hour traffic so this really helps!
Melissann Herrron
May 9, 2019 at 2:00 pmI looked at the menu for Burgerville and am deeply regretting living across the country. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Ashley
March 16, 2019 at 5:56 pmOMG Thank you for much for doing this for us ❤️ I grew up in Vancouver WA Then moved to Arizona at 18 well I’m still here and I miss burgerville so much my aunt has brought me a jar of sauce during a visit twice but that’s not enough. I’m so excited to try this out 😄😃😀
Deseree
March 17, 2019 at 12:21 pmYou are so welcome! I hope it brings back all the good memories for you!!
Mattie Hughes
March 11, 2019 at 11:16 amI have always made this dip for my hamburger’s and fried never add sugar to it before, thanks will tried with the sugar.
Billy
February 15, 2019 at 2:20 pmNext time I’m craving a dish with pickles in it I’m making this for sure. Thanks so much for sharing!
Cathy
February 4, 2019 at 8:45 amOooh yeah….this is totally my kind of dip!
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity
February 3, 2019 at 6:38 pmThat looks SO good! I am sure my husband will love this!
Brandy O'Neill
January 29, 2019 at 5:01 pmOkay this sounds amazing! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Sabrina
January 29, 2019 at 10:57 amThis is such a good copycat! The perfect afternoon snack.
Chrissie Baker
January 29, 2019 at 10:06 amWhat a scrumptious dish! I am going to make this! Yum. Thank you.
Cindy F
January 28, 2019 at 10:20 amCan’t wait to try this! It is rare when I get to eat at Burgerville since the closest one to me is in The Dalles! Their sauce is the bomb!
Deseree
January 28, 2019 at 11:46 amRight?! It is SO good!
Vancouver WA resident
January 13, 2019 at 4:01 pmPerfect!
Kelly Baze
November 8, 2018 at 11:31 amAnother Battleground grad here, and Burgerville was my jam! Used to sneak over there before wrestling practice and scarf it down…then wander into practice smelling like dinner. lol Coach Carlisle made me run alot of sprints back then for making the heavier wrestlers suffer, but I was the featherweight so I could get away with it. ;-) Thanks for bringing this back to me…nowhere else has ever had a sauce that even comes close to
Burgerville U.S.A.!
Deseree
November 8, 2018 at 9:26 pmhahaha I love that memory thank you for sharing! And you’re welcome! :)
karla
April 7, 2018 at 11:54 amOh, and it was quite a bit yellower back in the 70s. More mustard than they use today.
Deseree
April 7, 2018 at 6:35 pmThat is interesting Karla! I’m always interested in how things were originally done. I didn’t try it then was it less sweet than it is today?
karla
April 7, 2018 at 11:51 amI knew a person who worked at BV in the late ’60-’70s. She said it was made in the back with ingredients they had for the burgers. So no sweet relish. (Recipe may have changed over the years and we’ve adjusted to it), but original would have sliced pickles – “hamburger chips” chopped fine, mayo, yellow mustard, sugar. ?? finely diced onion/ grated. JMHO.
kathy
February 24, 2016 at 5:21 pmHi ,and thanks a mill for the recipe. Only one question, when you say mayonaise do you mean miracle whip?
Deseree
February 24, 2016 at 5:32 pmYou’re welcome! When I say mayonnaise I mean mayo not miracle whip. Miracle whip is a bit sweeter. if that is all you have you could try using that and using less of the sweet relish. I’ve never tried it that way though so I can’t say for sure :)
Traveling GM
May 22, 2015 at 10:06 amOh yum – I grew up in Camas, then moved to Vancouver. Now live in Arizona and my first stop whenever I go home is Burgerville. Thanks for the recipe!
Hannah Grady
March 19, 2015 at 12:39 pmThis tastes exactly like it! You nailed it! Thank you from the bottom of my Burgerville lovin heart!
Deseree
March 19, 2015 at 3:14 pmYou’re welcome Hannah! I am so happy to hear it, especially from another Burgerville lover! :)
CAF
October 19, 2014 at 10:07 amI lived in Vancouver for a year and then Battle Ground 6 years when I was growing up. Now I’m living back in my home state half way across the country. I’m currently pregnant and have been CRAVING burgerville, specifically the sauce, so maybe this will calm the craving (which I haven’t even tasted in over 8 years!)
Rock Ranger
July 13, 2014 at 9:31 amMy wife had a blond moment at the 92nd and Powell Burgerville. She and our daughter drove up to the window without stopping at the order station. When asked how she could be helped at the window, she replied “I’ll be right back.” She left the window, drove all the way around the store and went to the order station. Our daughter nearly hurt herself laughing so hard. I wonder how the staff dealt with this. We dubbed this Burgerville the Jericho one. Reciting the incident still gets laughs 20 years later.
Rock Ranger
July 13, 2014 at 9:24 amThanks much for sauce recipe. Loved this on the single burger. My family lived in Gresham 15 years. Now in MI. Burgerville is another on my list of things I miss a lot. Halo Burger here not even close in quality or taste. Sonic and Checkers/Rally try. Miss Walla2 onion rings and seasonal berry shakes. Used to munch burgers and watch trains at Vancouver station once in a while.
Monica Kubicz
April 18, 2014 at 11:02 amThank you for posting this!! I grew up in Vancouver as well so I love Burgerville…..especially the sauce and the onion rings over the summer. Unfortunately I haven’t lived in the area in 15 years……I married a soldier and have lived all over the world since. It’s a must stop when we make it back home!!
Deseree
April 18, 2014 at 8:58 pmOoooh I LOVE their onion rings too! You’re welcome and thank your husband for his service! :)
housepea
April 3, 2014 at 3:12 pmMmm, Burgerville. I grew up in Portland, so I am happily familiar with Burgerville. Also a Seattleite now, so I will definitely be making this. Thanks for figuring out the recipe. :)
Deseree
April 4, 2014 at 2:00 pmThank you! I hope you enjoy it :)
Robyn
April 3, 2014 at 11:01 amWhere in Southwestern Washington did you grow up (if you don’t mind my asking)? I am from Vancouver (near the mall) and love getting Burgerville every time I go back to visit family.
Deseree
April 4, 2014 at 2:01 pmI grew up in Vancouver too! Near the Fort :)