Tartar sauce: the evidence is about its oil and its vitamin K

We found no study of tartar sauce itself, so what can be said comes from its base. In a double-blind crossover trial in healthy young Malaysian adults, 20 g a day of soybean oil mayonnaise for 4 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) and LDL by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with palm olein mayonnaise. HDL fell too, by 4.6 mg/dL (0.12 mmol/L), and the LDL to HDL ratio did not change, so this compares two mayonnaises and says nothing about eating mayonnaise against eating none. The sauce itself is salty and fatty in a way that depends on the recipe. USDA lists 667 mg sodium and 16.7 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the UK table lists 1080 mg sodium, 24.6 g fat and 16.2 g sugars. A tablespoon of 14 g comes to about 93 mg sodium on the USDA figure, and a 28 g dipping container to about 187 mg, both recalculated from 100 g.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Ready-to-serve tartar sauce contains 50.4 mcg vitamin K, 667 mg sodium and 16.7 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the USDA reference record. — food composition record, ready-to-serve tartar sauce Evidence E source
  Vitamin K 50.4 mcg, sodium 667 mg, fat 16.7 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• The UK composition table lists tartare sauce at 299 calories, 24.6 g fat, 16.2 g sugars and 1080 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), well above the USDA figures. — food composition record, UK tartare sauce Evidence E source
  Sodium 1080 mg vs 667 mg (USDA), fat 24.6 g vs 16.7 g, total sugars 16.2 g, vitamin E 10.10 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In US survey food codes, a tablespoon of tartar sauce weighs 14 g and a dipping container 28 g, giving about 93 mg and 187 mg sodium. — FNDDS food code for tartar sauce Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 14 g: sodium 93.4 mg, vitamin K 7.1 mcg; 1 packet 12 g; dipping-size container 28 g: sodium 186.8 mg, vitamin K 14.1 mcg

What your body absorbs

• In a trial in 12 women, absorption of vitamin K1 from salad rose in a straight line with soybean oil in the dressing from 0 to 32 g, and was highest at 32 g, the largest amount tested. — 12 women, 5 salads with dressings of 0, 2, 4, 8 or 32 g soybean oil (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Linear dose-response for phylloquinone chylomicron AUC across 0-32 g oil, highest at 32 g (P < 0.002), wide individual variation
• In a crossover trial in 12 adults, the meal eaten with 20 mcg labeled vitamin K1 changed its overall bioavailability up to about threefold (1.00 vs 0.46 vs 0.29). — 12 healthy non-obese adults, three meal types, 8 h sampling (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Relative bioavailability convenience meal 1.00, cosmopolitan 0.46, animal-oriented 0.29

What cooking and storage change

• In a 25-day crossover trial in 15 young adults, the hydrogenated form of vitamin K1 made when oils are hardened was absorbed less and had no measurable bone effect. — 15 young adults in a metabolic unit, 15 d restriction (10 mcg/d) then 10 d repletion with 200 mcg/d (n = 15) Evidence B source
  Dihydrophylloquinone less absorbed than phylloquinone, no measurable effect on bone formation or resorption markers
• In a 5-week trial in 8 adults, a hydrogenated soybean oil diet supplied 23 mcg per day of dihydro-vitamin K1 and raised its blood level from 0.12 to 0.56 nmol/L. — 8 healthy adults, two 5-week diets with soybean oil or partially hydrogenated soybean margarine (n = 8) Evidence B source
  Plasma dihydro-vitamin K1 0.56 vs 0.12 nmol/L (P = 0.002), plasma vitamin K1 unchanged
• In 1,716 Framingham adults, intake of the hydrogenated form of vitamin K averaged about 20 mcg a day and tracked with trans fat intake. — 803 men and 913 women, Framingham Offspring Study (n = 1716) Evidence C source
  Dihydrophylloquinone intake 21.3 mcg/d men, 19.4 mcg/d women; detectable plasma levels OR 1.84 (95% CI 1.31-2.58) top vs bottom intake quartile

What it does to your health

• In a 4-week crossover trial, 20 g a day of soybean oil mayonnaise lowered total cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) and LDL by 6.6 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) compared with palm olein mayonnaise. — healthy young Malaysian adults, 20 g/day mayonnaise for 4 weeks per period, 2-week washout Evidence B source
  Total cholesterol -9.7 mg/dL (-0.25 mmol/L) (P = 0.001), LDL-C -6.6 mg/dL (-0.17 mmol/L) (P = 0.016), HDL-C -4.6 mg/dL (-0.12 mmol/L), LDL:HDL ratio unchanged

What people believe that the data does not support

• A systematic review of 2 trials and 9 observational studies found no support for cutting vitamin K foods on warfarin, with effects seen only above about 150 mcg a day. — patients on vitamin K antagonists, studies to October 2015 Evidence C source
  Conflicting evidence, effect on coagulation may be detected only for intake above 150 mcg/day

Who this works differently for

• According to NIH ODS, people taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants need to keep their vitamin K intake from food and supplements consistent. — people taking warfarin or similar anticoagulants Evidence E source
  Sudden changes in vitamin K intake can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect
• In 43 warfarin patients followed for 5 weeks, a weekly change of 714 mcg dietary vitamin K shifted INR by 1 unit. — outpatients starting warfarin, Boston, mean age 60 (n = 43) Evidence C source
  Weekly change of 714 mcg vitamin K altered weekly INR by 1 unit; INR variability vs vitamin K change r = -0.600

The bottom line

The USDA record gives 50.4 mcg of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 7 mcg in a tablespoon, and that matters for one group. If you take warfarin or a similar anticoagulant, NIH advises keeping vitamin K intake consistent, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug effect. In 43 people starting warfarin in Boston, a weekly change of 714 mcg of dietary vitamin K shifted INR by 1 unit, which at about 7 mcg a tablespoon is roughly 100 tablespoons of sauce a week. A systematic review of 2 trials and 9 observational studies found an effect on clotting only above about 150 mcg a day. That review also found no support for the common advice to cut vitamin K foods when starting these drugs. It was mostly observational data, so the answer is not firm. Keeping your usual amount of sauce steady fits both findings. Oil helps vitamin K get absorbed. In 12 women eating salads, absorption of vitamin K1 rose in a straight line with soybean oil in the dressing from 0 to 32 g, with wide differences between people. No trial measured this with tartar sauce. When oils used to be partially hydrogenated, part of the vitamin K turned into a form that 15 young adults absorbed less, with no measurable effect on bone markers. Framingham adults took in about 20 mcg a day of it, in data from before the US removed partially hydrogenated oils in 2018, so this is mostly history for sauces sold now. We found no study on egg allergy, pregnancy or children for this sauce, so for allergies the ingredient list on the jar is the only guide to what a given sauce contains.

Sources

1. tsau-daily-r5-01 · USDA SR Legacy dataset
   Sauce, tartar, ready-to-serve, SR Legacy FDC 171826: vitamin K 50.4 UG, sodium 667 MG, fat 16.7 G per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2018, FDC 171826 (Sauce, tartar, ready-to-serve) · checked 2026-09-30
2. tsau-daily-r5-02 · CoFID dataset
   Tartare sauce, CoFID 17-722: Energy 299 kcal, Fat 24.6 g, Total sugars 16.2 g, Sodium 1080 mg, Vitamin E 10.10 mg per 100 g
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0), code 17-722 Tartare sauce · checked 2026-09-30
3. tsau-daily-r5-03 · USDA FNDDS dataset
   Tartar sauce, FNDDS code 81302050, fdc_id 2710173: 1 tablespoon 14 g; 1 packet 12 g; 1 dipping-size container 28 g; Sodium 667 MG, Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 50.4 UG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS, food code 81302050 (FDC 2710173) · checked 2026-09-30
4. tsau-daily-r5-04 · randomized controlled trial
   Women (n = 12) each consumed 5 vegetable salads with salad dressings containing 0, 2, 4, 8, or 32 g soybean oil. ... Across the entire 0-32-g range, soybean oil was linearly related to the chylomicron AUC and Cmax values for α-carotene, lycopene, phylloquinone, and retinyl palmitate. ... Absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins was highest with 32 g oil (P < 0.002).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-30
5. tsau-daily-r5-05 · randomized controlled trial
   We recruited twelve healthy, non-obese adults. ... Combining the tracer data with availability estimates for phylloquinone from the meals provides overall relative bioavailability values of convenience = 1.00, cosmopolitan = 0.46 and animal-oriented = 0.29.
   Br J Nutr, 2009 · checked 2026-09-30
6. tsau-daily-r5-06 · randomized controlled trial
   In a randomized crossover study in a metabolic unit, 15 young adults were fed a phylloquinone-restricted diet (10 microg/d) for 15 d followed by 10 d of repletion (200 microg/d) with either phylloquinone or dihydrophylloquinone. ... In comparison with phylloquinone, dihydrophylloquinone was less absorbed and had no measurable biological effect on measures of bone formation and resorption.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2001 · checked 2026-09-30
7. tsau-daily-r5-07 · randomized controlled trial
   Of the fats and oils analyzed, dihydro-vitamin K1 was only found in the hydrogenated products. The soybean oil diet contained 180 +/- 12 micrograms (mean +/- SD) of vitamin K1/day and nondetectable levels of dihydro-vitamin K1, whereas the stick margarine diet contained 199 +/- 7 micrograms of vitamin K1/day and 23 +/- 2 micrograms of dihydro-vitamin K1/day. After consuming each diet for five weeks, plasma dihydro-vitamin K1 concentrations were higher (P = 0.002) in all eight subjects when consuming the stick margarine diet (0.56 +/- 0.33 nmol/L) compared to the soybean oil diet (0.12 +/- 0.11 nmol/L).
   Lipids, 1996 · checked 2026-09-30
8. tsau-daily-r5-12 · cross-sectional
   An unintended consequence of the hydrogenation process is conversion of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) to dihydrophylloquinone. ... Geometric mean dihydrophylloquinone intake was 21.3 (95 % CI 20.4, 22.3) microg/d in men and 19.4 (95 % CI 18.5, 20.2) microg/d in women.
   Br J Nutr, 2005 · checked 2026-09-30
9. tsau-daily-r5-08 · randomized controlled trial
   Subjects underwent a randomized double-blind crossover trial, consuming diets supplemented with 20 g/day of either soybean oil-based mayonnaise (SB-mayo) or palm olein-based mayonnaise (PO-mayo) for 4 weeks each with a 2-week wash-out period. ... RESULTS: Treatments resulted in significant reductions in TC (diff = -0.25 mmol/L; P = 0.001), LDL-C (diff = -0.17 mmol/L; P = 0.016) and HDL-C (diff = -0.12 mmol/L; P < 0.001) in SB-mayo compared to PO-mayo without affecting LDL-C:HDL-C ratio (P > 0.05).
   Lipids Health Dis, 2016 · checked 2026-09-30
10. tsau-daily-r5-11 · systematic review
    Two dietary interventional trials and 9 observational studies were included. ... Median dietary intake of vitamin K1 ranged from 76 to 217 μg/day among studies, and an effect on coagulation may be detected only for high amount of vitamin intake (>150 μg/day). ... The available evidence does not support current advice to modify dietary habits when starting therapy with VKAs.
    Medicine (Baltimore), 2016 · checked 2026-09-30
11. tsau-daily-r5-09 · agency fact sheet
    People taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements because sudden changes in vitamin K intakes can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Health Professional Fact Sheet · checked 2026-09-30
12. tsau-daily-r5-10 · prospective cohort
    Forty-three patients (28 males and 15 females) completed the study and 17 dropped out. ... Multiple regression analysis (r = 0.848) indicated that a weekly change of 714 mug dietary vitamin K significantly altered weekly INR by 1 unit (p < 0.01)
    Int J Vitam Nutr Res, 2006 · checked 2026-09-30