While you certainly can buy pre-made Thousand Island dressing what you may not know is you probably have all the ingredients to make this classic sauce already in your kitchen. With just seven ingredients you can whip up homemade Thousand Island dressing in just a few minutes.
And while I love this dressing on salads, including a classic wedge salad, there are many other uses as well! You can drizzle this over a sandwich or burger (it’s very similar to Big Mac sauce). Or use this in a cold pasta salad or quick coleslaw. Thousand Island dressing also makes a great dipping sauce for things like French fries or chicken tenders.
Related: Next up, learn to make your own Chick-fil-A sauce, BBQ sauce or Ranch.
Ingredients
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Sweet relish
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar – or white vinegar
- Salt
You may also want to add a little cayenne or a dash of hot sauce, like Tabasco, if you want to add some heat to this dressing.
Directions
Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and stir together until well combined.
Use this dressing right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Tips & Substitutions
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar or even rice vinegar.
- While I prefer red onion, any onion or shallot can work well for this recipe.
- To make this Thousand Island dressing recipe vegan-friendly, simply swap the mayo for a vegan mayo such as Vegenaise.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Thousand island dressing called that?
The name comes from the Thousand Islands region, along the upper St. Lawrence River between the United States and Canada. It is believed the recipe may have been invented or at least became popular in this region.
Is Russian dressing the same as Thousand Island?
No, but they are similar. One big difference is Russian dressing contains horseradish.
Get our FREE recipe guide with our most popular recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
A creamy, homemade salad dressing made with mayo, ketchup and five other ingredients.
Instructions
-
Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
-
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and stir together until well combined.
-
Use this dressing right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Notes
If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar or even rice vinegar.
While I prefer red onion, any onion or shallot can work well for this recipe.
To make this Thousand Island dressing recipe vegan-friendly, simply swap the mayo for a vegan mayo such as Vegenaise.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Thousand Island Dressing
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
