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Creamy, tangy, and a little spicy, this easy Russian dressing recipe comes together in minutes with everyday ingredients.
A good Russian dressing recipe is worth having in your back pocket, especially if you love a classic Reuben sandwich. This one combines mayonnaise, ketchup, sour cream, dill relish, and prepared horseradish and comes together in minutes. It’s also delicious on other deli sandwiches, salads, and smash burgers, or as a dip for fries and fried seafood.
It is similar to Thousand Island dressing, since both typically combine mayonnaise with ketchup or another tomato-based sauce. Russian dressing generally has more bite from ingredients like horseradish, while Thousand Island tends to be sweeter and also sometimes calls for chopped hard boiled eggs.
“Just made this, slathered on pastrami sandwiches and as dressing for the accompanying coleslaw – great balance of flavors!”
What You’ll Need To Make Russian Dressing
- Mayonnaise & Sour Cream: Form the creamy base of the dressing. Use a good-quality mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Ketchup or Chili Sauce: Either works well here, so use whichever you prefer or have on hand.
- Dill Relish: Adds tang and a little texture. Be sure to use dill rather than sweet relish.
- Prepared Horseradish: Gives the dressing its characteristic kick. Be sure to use prepared horseradish, not horseradish sauce.
- Shallot: Adds a mild onion bite without overpowering the dressing.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Russian Dressing
Combine the ingredients: Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup or chili sauce, dill relish, horseradish, and shallot to a medium bowl.
Whisk until smooth: Whisk until everything is well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. The dressing will keep nicely in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Homemade Dressings You’ll Love
Russian Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons ketchup or chili sauce
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons dill relish
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 heaping tablespoon finely minced shallot
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup (or chili sauce), relish, horseradish, and shallot. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Absolutely the best Russian dressing I have ever had. Made exactly as the directions said. Tastes so fresh. It has a delicious, delicate, light, yummy, taste that is beyond any bottled dressing I have ever had. Will never buy Russian dressing in a bottle again. I just can not beleive how easy it is to make and how delicious it tastes.
Added a pinch of sugar for balance. Excellent!
This sauce is awesome! I used a crunchy chili and garlic sauce, also added 1 garlic clove (pressed) and a “smidge” of dill pickle juice as well as the relish, but changed nothing else. I made it for reuben sandwiches, and everyone liked it so much it’s now a dip for fries, chips, chicken tenders and vegetables. It’s also really good to use as a dressing for salads.
I made this just as you shared it – except I substituted plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream. As is everything I make from your site, it was absolutely delicious on our “big-everything-but the kitchen-sink salad.
This is delicious. I didn’t have chili sauce so I used ketchup as suggested and added a teaspoon of hot sauce. Great recipe. Thank you.
What are your thoughts on using one teaspoon onion powder instead of the shallots?
Hi Matt, I’d definitely opt for shallots if possible, but in a pinch, I think you can get away with onion powder (keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself).
Added 1/2 T worcestershire,
a dribble of hot & sweet jalapeno juice, 1/4 t onion powder, and 3 splashes of tabasco, as horseradish wasn’t very hot. Yum!
Is chili sauce or ketchup better?
I really think they’re equally good.