Thousand Island Dressing
Know exactly what’s in your creamy and delicious Thousand Island Dressing when you make your own with this easy recipe that’s ready in no time!
A TANGY DIY DRESSING RECIPE
Making your own salad dressing like this Thousand Island Dressing only takes a few minutes and is even better than the bottled original stuff. I really love making my own homemade condiments when I have time. The taste is just beyond compare and you can whip it up a lot faster and easier than you might think! What I really love about this recipe is that it’s literally two steps. No long list of things to buy (you probably have most of these ingredients on hand) and no long list of instructions!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Thousand Island dressing is a creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet condiment with a pretty unique flavor profile. It’s a versatile dressing with a hint of sweetness from the relish, balanced by the tanginess of the mayo and ketchup. The overall taste is rich, zesty, and savory, making it a popular choice for salads, sandwiches, and dipping sauces.
It is not overly sweet, I personally like it this way, if you want it a little sweeter, add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar.
Other than a delicious salad, you can use your homemade dressing as a condiment on burgers and sandwiches. It’s kind of like Big Mac sauce, so it goes great on cheeseburgers and other burgers alike. It’s also something different to dip things like French fries in.
Usually this homemade dressing should be gluten free, all depending on what ingredient choices you make. The biggest culprit to making this NOT gluten free is your mayo choice. Typically, mayo is naturally gluten free, but some brands have added gluten in it and others may be made in a warehouse that processes other foods that have gluten. So, if you need this to be gluten free, I’d suggest looking for a certified gluten free mayo.
Generally, ketchup and sweet relish are naturally gluten free, but some brands use wheat derived vinegar in their recipes which may make them not gluten free. So, again, look for a certified gluten free brand.
Lemon juice is naturally gluten free and generally spices are too. But, some manufacturers have been sneaking gluten in, so always check spice labels.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. I do not suggest freezing it to try to make it last longer.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- mayonnaise– pick your favorite brand (I like Hellman’s, JFG or Duke’s) See my FAQ’s above if you need this recipe to be gluten free.
- ketchup – We prefer Heinz but obviously use what you normally enjoy. You can even make your own homemade ketchup.
- sweet pickle relish– Dill Pickle Relish or chopped up dill or bread and butter pickles can be used in place of the sweet relish. Or maybe even try your hand at making a Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish!
- dried onion flakes– You can also use freshly grated onion in place of the onion flakes.
- lemon juice – it’s really best if you used fresh squeezed. The bottled stuff can have a really artificial taste that can mess up the other flavors in this.
- sweet paprika– Use smoked paprika for a hint of smokiness.
- salt – you can adjust the salt levels to your needs or preferences.
HOW TO MAKE THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, onion flakes, lemon juice, paprika, and salt.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour so the flavors can combine. Don’t skip this part – it really makes a difference!
Serve and enjoy your dressing on various dishes and salads.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Caesar Salad Dressing (no anchovies)
- Olive Garden Salad Dressing
- Mayonnaise Salad Dressing
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Homemade Velveeta
- Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
- Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
- Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix
- Homemade Ranch Seasoning
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Beau Monde Seasoning
- Homemade Bisquick
- Comeback Sauce
- Raising Cane’s Sauce
Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish, 1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes, 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour so the flavors can combine. Don’t skip this part – it really makes a difference!
- Then enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This recipe makes 1 1/3 cups of dressing. We estimate this to be about 11 servings.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
We are heading to the Oregon Coast and catching fresh crab. Made this dressing for my homemade Crab Louie I plan on making. It is also a great dipping sauce for fresh crab as well. Tastes excellent, thank you.
This was delicious!! I replaced the mayo with a plant based mayo and it was so good!! No one could tell the difference. So many compliments on this recipe. Thank you!!
This recipe is the 100% Thousand Island Dressing remake!! My family couldn’t tell the difference!
perfect!
I am making Rueben sandwiches for dinner tonight. I whipped this up for the Sammie’s, and it’s so good! And easy! I had everything I needed, except the onion flakes. I used onion powder instead. Thank you for the recipe!
Made this tonight for our Rubens and it was amazing!!!
Fantastic! So freakin good! We made HM In & Out Flying Dutchman burgers and animal fries! Happy Fam
I followed the recipe and it is so delicious. This is easy to make and so much better than store bought. I used the smoked paprika and it was not overwhelming -just perfect. Thank-you for sharing your recipe!
This dressing was good but I felt it was missing something. I added a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and it was spot on!!!!
I wanted 2 tell u thanks for the recipe. I make this All the time. My family loves it. Thanks for sharing
You are so sweet to take the time to come back and comment! I can’t tell you how much that means to me!
Waaaaay better than anything in the store, and it’s so easy to whip up! The hour “sit time” is necessary, but this dressing is even better the next day. My tip is double the recipe. My crowd started dipping carrots and celery in it.
Awww Jeanette – this is SO awesome to read! Yay!! Thanks so very much!