This Homemade Thousand Island Dressing is creamy, slightly sweet, tangy and so delicious. And it's quick and easy to make with just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand!
It's great on salad (of course!), but you can also use it on sandwiches, burgers, for dipping, and lots more. And, just like all salad dressings, nothing beats homemade!
Jump to:
Now, right up front, I'll admit that I had two ulterior motives for making and sharing this Thousand Island salad dressing recipe today, which you'll be seeing in my next two posts.
One: Big Mac Salad (so incredibly good...the "special sauce" on a Big Mac is a variation on Thousand Island dressing).
Two: Turkey Reubens (one of the best sandwiches ever).
There are a few different origin stories for this classic dressing, but they all seem to agree on it being invented in the late 1800s/early 1900s somewhere in the Thousand Islands region located along the St. Lawrence River between New York State and Canada (fun fact: there are actually 1,864 islands).
There are many different recipes for this dressing, but the base ingredients that you'll usually find are mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, onions, and some vinegar for a little tang.
Traditionally, finely chopped hard-boiled eggs were added and used as a thickener, but I actually prefer this dressing without the eggs, and so I don't use them (and I don't think you'll miss them either).
I stick with just those base ingredients. They're really all you need for an excellent batch of homemade Thousand Island dressing that you can use in so many different ways!
Ingredients You Need
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Sweet pickle relish
- Onion
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Thousand Island Dressing
Tips & Tidbits
- Since the base of this dressing is mayonnaise, make sure you use a really good one (my favorite is Hellmann's (#notsponsored)).
- Chili sauce could be used in place of the ketchup.
- For that little bit of sweetness, be sure to use sweet pickle relish and not dill pickle relish.
- Finely dice those onions so they get nicely distributed throughout the dressing. You don't want big pieces of onion in there.
- Whisk or stir gently but thoroughly just until the dressing is well-combined.
- Although you could serve this dressing immediately in a pinch, it is so much better when you let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before you serve it so that all those flavors can blend and meld. You could even make it the day before.
- Want a little spicy heat? Add a little cayenne pepper, sriracha, or hot sauce.
- Keep the dressing stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.
If you've only ever had the bottled version of this dressing and maybe haven't been the biggest fan, I'm telling you, whip up a batch of this homemade version and see if it doesn't change your mind.
It's so much better, and it might even become a new favorite!
I hope you try this Homemade Thousand Island Dressing recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Salad Dressing Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onions
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Whisk or stir gently just until well-combined.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or longer) before serving to allow the flavors to blend and meld. Note: You can transfer the dressing to a jar, bottle, etc. before putting it in the fridge if you'd like.
- Enjoy on salads, sandwiches, burgers, as a dip, and more!
Notes
- Want a little spicy heat? Add a little cayenne pepper, sriracha, or hot sauce.
- Keep the dressing stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.
Karen says
In attempt to cut out as many additives and preservatives as possible, I am now making my own salad dressings. I needed some Thousand Island for Ruebens, so I made this recipe.
AMAZING! I can’t stress enough how good it is. Oh what a game changer! It definitely needs to rest overnight for the flavor to develop. It’s not as sweet as bottled dressing, but that can be easily adjusted if preferred. I can see this being used for a dip, sandwich spread, or many other things.
Did I say it was amazing?
Michelle says
Thank you so much, Karen! I'm so happy that you like it (I just made Ruebens with it too), and I appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!