If you love Thousand Island dressing like I do, you’ll love this Russian Dressing! Both sauces have similar origins and start with a combination of mayonnaise and ketchup or a tomato-based chili sauce. This takes 5 minutes to prepare and is tangy, slightly spicy, and deliciously addicting! Top your next sandwich with this dressing, toss it into a salad, spread it on a burger, or dip it with fried seafood!
I always loved making Russian Dressing. My late grandmother first showed me when I was learning to cook. I remember making her my Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce with some pasta and spinach. Anyway, her version of Russian dressing had some horseradish, dijon mustard, some lemon juice, and dill relish in it. This dressing normally consists of ketchup or a chili sauce and mayonnaise as the base. People have added dill relish (which is something I do), finely minced shallots or garlic, or chopped hard-boiled eggs. Its name may contain Russian in it, but it’s actually not from Russian roots. It was created by James E. Colburn, who was a grocer. He invented the spread in 1924 and it is now widely used as a spread for a Reuben sandwich, a dip for fried seafood (or Chicken Tenders!), salad dressing, or topped onto a burger.
Its cousin, Thousand Island Dressing, is made with similar ingredients, but sweet relish is used along with lemon juice and minced onion. Vinegar is also used in the recipe.
How to make Russian Dressing
Just like all dressings, it takes 5 minutes to prepare and is best enjoyed within 4 hours of chilling. I always made her version of Russian Dressing, even though it may have differed throughout the years of making it because I couldn’t remember exactly what she put. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Mayonnaise: You can use light mayo if you’re counting calories, otherwise greek yogurt works well too. It might have a tangier taste to it.
- Ketchup: The second mandatory base to this dressing.
- Dijon Mustard: For a bit of tang.
- Horseradish: I used prepared horseradish.
- Sugar: I only use a little bit to cut some of the acidity. My grandmother did the same thing.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This isn’t required, but it gives such great flavor.
- Dill Relish: The main difference between Russian dressing and thousand islands is the relish used. Russian uses dill, while thousand island uses sweet.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 24 hours before serving to get the best taste.
Tips & FAQs:
- Is Russian Dressing the same as Thousand Island Dressing? They’re similar, but not the same. Both recipes start with ketchup and mayonnaise as the base. Russian Dressing uses horseradish, dill relish, minced shallot or garlic, and some hot pepper sauce. Thousand Island Dressing uses lemon juice, sweet relish, white vinegar, and some sugar. The taste difference is that Russian Dressing has a bit more spice and tang.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Why does Homemade Russian Dressing go bad faster than bottled Russian dressing? The bottled stuff has preservatives in it, therefore, it’ll keep longer than homemade. I prefer homemade regardless of storage time, just to avoid most preservatives they put in there.
- Slather it on your next Reuben sandwich! Use it as a dressing for your salad. Dip some fried seafood, french fries, or chicken tenders in there. Top it on a burger. Or, my favorite use, boil some rice and mix some Russian dressing in there!
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Russian Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp chili sauce (such as sriracha)
- 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup dill relish
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving or overnight.
Notes
Is Russian Dressing the same as Thousand Island Dressing? They’re similar, but not the same. Both recipes start with ketchup and mayonnaise as the base. Russian Dressing uses horseradish, dill relish, minced shallot or garlic, and some hot pepper sauce. Thousand Island Dressing uses lemon juice, sweet relish, white vinegar, and some sugar. The taste difference is that Russian Dressing has a bit more spice and tang.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Why does Homemade Russian Dressing go bad faster than bottled Russian dressing? The bottled stuff has preservatives in it, therefore, it’ll keep longer than homemade. I prefer homemade regardless of storage time, just to avoid most preservatives they put in there.
Slather it on your next Reuben sandwich! Use it as a dressing for your salad. Dip some fried seafood, french fries, or chicken tenders in there. Top it on a burger. Or, my favorite use, boil some rice and mix some Russian dressing in there!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
166.13Fat (grams)
15.78Sat. Fat (grams)
2.46Carbs (grams)
6.15Fiber (grams)
0.24Net carbs
5.91Sugar (grams)
3.38Protein (grams)
0.48Sodium (milligrams)
372.73Cholesterol (grams)
8.82The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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