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    Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe

    Published January 20, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    No reason to ever buy this homemade easy to make delicious thousand island dressing from the store again, because this is the real deal.

    Whether you’re eating a steak or even vegetables, it’s all about the sauce.  If you are a sauce fan then definitely try using this Thousand Island dressing on my cheeseburger recipe or grilled chopped salad.

    mason jar with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe


     

    Thousand Island Dressing

    Thousand island dressing is a tasty creamy dressing or sauce in some instances, that is jam-packed with pickles, hard-boiled eggs, spices, and vegetables for an incredibly delicious flavor.  The dressing got its name from the area in which it was created, Thousand Island, New York, and was created by a fisherman’s wife, Sophia Lalonde.  Originally created as a sauce, it quickly became popular to use as a dressing on salads.

    Here are some of the original ingredients in this generation’s old recipe:

    • Mayonnaise
    • Chili Sauce
    • Green Bell Pepper
    • Hard-Boiled Eggs
    • Pimentos

    Believe it or not, pickles are not a part of the early versions of this recipe, but instead finely minced bell pepper was used.  It has since expanded and there are quite a few more ingredients that are featured in a thousand island dressing.

    How to Make Thousand Island Dressing from Scratch

    Use these simple to follow procedures for how to make this tasty dressing recipe:

    Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.

    bowl of chopped hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise

    Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, fold together all of the ingredients until completely combined.

    whisking together a bowl of thousand island dressing

    Is This the Same as Russian Dressing?

    Russian dressing is different from thousand island in both flavor and ingredients.  It most often uses ketchup instead of chili sauce and in addition uses prepared horseradish.  Russian dressing definitely has more of a zip to it while thousand island is much tangier in taste.

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time.

    How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    chef notes + tips

    • Instead of using sweet relish, try using minced bread and butter pickles as I did.
    • If you’re having a hard time finely chopping the hard-boiled eggs, try running them on a cheese grater.
    • In case you do not have access to pimentos, sub out with roasted red bell pepper.
    chunky thousand island dressing in a jar

    More Dressing Recipes

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    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Video

    Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe

    5 from 11 votes
    No reason to ever buy this homemade easy to make delicious thousand island dressing from the store again, because this is the real deal.
    Servings: 12
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
    • ½ peeled and small diced yellow onion
    • ½ cup small diced bread and butter pickles
    • 2 tablespoons pimentos
    • 2 finely chopped hard-boiled eggs
    • ¼ cup chili sauce
    • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
    • 2 dashes hot sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

    Instructions

    • Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
    • Using a rubber spatula or a large spoon fold all of the ingredients together until they are completely combined.
    • Refrigerate until ready to use.

    Notes

    Chef Notes:
    • Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time.
     
    • How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
     
     
    • If you’re having a hard time finely chopping the hard-boiled eggs, try running them on a cheese grater.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 502mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 215IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American