Thousand Island Dressing

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Homemade Thousand Island dressing is a creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet dressing with a rich texture and a burst of flavor. This recipe is the perfect addition to your salads, sandwiches, and dipping sauce for French fries!

If you love making homemade dressing in your own kitchen then you need to check out my recipes for Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing, Creamy Feta Dressing, and Green Goddess Dressing too!

A jar of thousand island dressing with bowl of salad in the background.

How many of you thought that Thousand Island Dressing was just mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickle relish mixed together? Yep, I thought that as well. There are many variations of this dressing, but my favorite is this homemade version!

What you’ll need

Mayonnaise
Hard-boiled eggs
Sweet pickle relish
Black olives
Red bell pepper
Worcestershire sauce
White vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Granulated sugar
Ground cloves
Sea salt and black pepper

Check out the printable recipe card below for the complete recipe and detailed instructions.

Tools used

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A bottle of thousand island dressing with a bowl of salad in the background.

How to make Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Place all ingredients in a large mason jar or bowl of a food processor.

Thousand island dressing ingredients in a mason jar.

Blend/process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Thousand island dressing in a mason jar being blended with a stick blender.

Secure the lid on the jar, or pour into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Serve chilled as a delicious dressing for salads, sandwich spread, or as a cocktail sauce for shrimp.

Thousand island dressing in a small bowl and drizzled over a shrimp salad.

Expert Tips

If you prefer your dressing chunky, simply chop all ingredients and mix thoroughly in a large bowl.
Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.

FAQ’s

What can I substitute for sweet pickle relish?

You can substitute sweet pickle relish with finely chopped sweet pickles or gherkins, or you can also use chopped dill pickles if you prefer a slightly tangier flavor.

How can I adjust the consistency of the dressing?

If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it out by adding a small amount of milk or cream until you reach the desired consistency. If it’s too thin, you can thicken it by adding more mayonnaise.

Can I make this recipe without an immersion blender or food processor?

Absolutely! Finely chop the bell pepper, hardboiled eggs and olives to ensure that they blend seamlessly into the dressing, and whisk together with the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.

What is Thousand Island Dressing?

According to Wikipedia “Its base commonly contains mayonnaise and can include olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, tomato purée, ketchup, or Tabasco sauce.

It also typically contains finely chopped ingredients, which can include pickles, onions, bell peppers, green olives, hard-boiled egg, parsley, pimento, chives, garlic, or chopped nuts (such as walnuts or chestnuts).”

Well no wonder there are so many different versions of this dressing with a list like that! This also means that you can customize this dressing to your liking. Simply leave out ingredients you don’t care for, or make substitutions to create the perfect dressing.

This version is is not a thick, sticky, sweet goo like the processed dressings that you find in the grocery store. It is light, and tangy, with complex flavors that blend perfectly together. The ingredient list may sound bizarre, but this dressing is delicious.

How to use Thousand Island

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Enjoy!!