Want to make your own homemade thousand island dressing at home? Try our version, with just a bit more zing. This recipe will add pizzazz to any dish.
This is Your New Secret Sauce
Everyone's heard of that special "secret sauce", the sauce that makes everything better. This could be it for you. Made famous by Big Macs everywhere, you can put on pretty much anything. It's great on any sandwich.
And YES, use it as your salad dressing. It's ideal in a salad with lots of veggies.
For us, Patty and I both look forward to a good old Reuben Sandwich. If you're going to make a Reuben, you'll need to have either a good Russian dressing or Thousand Island Dressing on hand.
They're pretty similar, but Thousand Island Dressing is more commonly found around here. Like any sauce, sure, you can pick up a bottle from the store, but like we always say, if you can make it at home, why not?
Homemade is so much better.
Thousand Island Dressing, the Madness Way
Why is this the recipe you need?
- Sriracha & Giardiniera! We're skipping the ketchup and chili sauce and using spicy sriracha and homemade giardiniera for some extra kick.
- Fresh Garlic and Onion. Much more flavor than powders.
- Adds bold heat and spice not found in traditional recipes
- Hard-Boiled Egg! Some recipes skip this crucial ingredient, but I love the richness it brings.
Let me show you how to make Thousand Island Dressing, my way.
How to Make Thousand Island Dressing - The Recipe Steps
- Add the garlic and onion to a food processor and process to form a paste. This fresh paste is key to the fresh flavor.
- Next, add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- Push the sauce through a sieve to smooth it out even more. It is so much better when you have a nice and smooth sauce.
- Use right away, or set into a bowl and refrigerate overnight until ready to use. Should keep 2 days.
It is very creamy. It's not only good on a Reuben, but also on baked rutabaga fries. Oh yes! We're having some of those on the side. Reuben recipe coming soon!
This dressing is perfect for St. Patrick's Day Recipes!
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Homemade Thousand Island Dressing in an airtight container in the fridge may allow to keep it for up to 5-7 days. It is best to consume the dressing within that timeframe for optimal quality and safety.
I do not recommend freezing thousand island dressing, as it is a mayo-based sauce and it can ruin the texture.
Homemade Thousand Island Dressing - the Madness Version
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ½ onion chopped
- ¾ cup mayo
- ¼ cup Sriracha a chili sauce is traditional, but we like a hot Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon giardiniera pickle relish is more traditional, but this is our version! I used a homemade giardiniara for this
- 1 hard-boiled egg chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the garlic and onion to a food processor and process to form a paste.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
- Push the sauce through a sieve to smooth it out even more.
- Use right away, or set into a bowl and refrigerate overnight until ready to use. Should keep 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Recipe Tips & Notes
- We get to tweak the normal recipe to our own personal preferences, which typically leans toward more spicy and more chili peppers. So! This particular thousand island dress recipe is our own Madness version, which includes Sriracha for the chili sauce, skips the ketchup, and uses giardiniera instead of a sweet pickle relish.
- Use it as your salad dressing. It's ideal in a salad with lots of veggies.
Try Some of My Other Popular Condiment Recipes
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Susan says
G’day Mike. I was looking for your version of a Reuben sandwich as I have just made up some corned beef from your recipe ( so good with the addition of Cajun spice! ) and after searching this website I couldn’t find one. You said “Reuben recipe coming soon” at the top of this blog. I’m salivating thinking of a Reuben sandwich. lol
Mike H. says
Thank you, Susan. I know right - I can't wait to share it, too... just had to push it for a bit later, but keep an eye out 😉 And in the meantime, enjoy my other sandwiches - I've got a few.
Jeremie says
I made my own corned beef, a month fermented, just to make your corned beef recipes. I made Corned Beef Hash Recipe Madness Style: way better with homemade corned beef.
And I just did this one: awesome recipe, thank you Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Jeremie. Glad you liked it!