Creamy, tangy and a little bit sweet, this quick and easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing is made with ingredients you already have on hand.
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Homemade Thousand Island Dressing: Call me crazy, but Thousand Island Dressing has been a favorite of mine since I was a child.
So whenever we went out to eat, I always got 1000 Island on my salad. As an adult, not much has changed. It is still the dressing I ask for the most when I order a salad, especially at the restaurants that I know make their own “homemade” version of the recipe.
This is my favorite homemade thousand island dressing. It’s creamy, tangy, and has the just-right amount of sweetness. I’m not even kidding you when I say it can be made in 5 minutes. And with a handful of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.
Oh, and did I mention it’s 1000 times better than what you can buy at the store. ;)
So What Is Homemade Thousand Island Dressing?
In short, thousand island is an American dressing that is mayonnaise-based and made up of many ingredient variations. Each variation concoction’s result ends up creamy, tangy, and with a touch of sweetness.
Where Did Thousand Island Dressing Get It’s Name?
The dressing dates back to a small resort village of Clayton, N.Y. A fishing guide named George LaLonde, Jr guided visiting fishermen through the scenic, fish-filled waters of the 1000 Islands. George served his fishing parties shore dinners.
The dinners became very popular and always included a different and unusual salad dressing. George’s wife, Sophia, created the dressing. And although she created it, she wasn’t the one who named it.
You can read who did name the dressing and other fun and interesting facts about the dressings name and origin here.
What Is 1000 Island Dressing Made Of?
This recipe combines the most common pantry and refrigerator staples making it the perfect from-scratch homemade dressing recipe.
Ingredients for Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
It Only Takes 8:
You will notice that I use dry minced onion. I do that because it extends the life of the homemade dressing.
You can use raw onion, but remember it will only be good for as long as the raw onion lasts, which would be about a week.
It’s best to make the dressing and let it sit overnight in the fridge rather than using it right away. Doing this gives the minced onions time to absorb the liquid, which softens them.
As you can see, there’s nothing fancy about those ingredients, but they sure come together and make a delicious dressing that’s perfect for showing off any fresh green salad.
How To Make Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Let me tell you, it couldn’t be easier!
- Gather the ingredients you’ll need for the recipe.
- Measure them out and into a bowl.
- Using a whisk, stir everything together until smooth and creamy.
- Chill the dressing until you’re ready to serve.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
I especially love using this homemade thousand island for the taco sauce in my Cold Taco Salad recipe. And it’s delicious combined on a tossed salad with these delicious Crispy Homemade Garlic-Herb Croutons.
Although this recipe tastes great, and I wouldn’t change it, it can be tweaked to suit different taste buds.
The original recipe (from the story above) is a homemade thousand island dressing with eggs (hard-boiled). But many variations have surfaced over the years.
That’s what’s so great about making it homemade. You can change the flavor and still have a delicious dressing with a few tweaks and additions.
My motto with this homemade recipe is less is best. For instance, I do not like my dressing swimming with pickle relish. This recipe has just the right amount of relish to the dressing ratio for my family and me.
If you prefer a thousand island dressing without relish, you could certainly leave it out. But then it wouldn’t really be thousand island, would it?
So as I’ve said, I don’t like too much relish in my dressing, yet I think the amount in this recipe is just right without overpowering the creamy texture that I love.
The same goes with the minced onions. Oh, and I’m a garlic lover. I love, love, love it! But I can do without it in this recipe, which says a lot because I usually put it in about everything.
I do always add a couple of twists of black pepper from the pepper grinder at the table. But I eat pepper on everything!
TWEAKS + VARIATIONS
- You can use chili sauce instead of ketchup. I’ve tried it – it’s not my jam, but if you like it, go for it.
- If you like more pickle relish, add to your heart’s content by all means.
- Adjust the sugar – you can play with it to find the sweetness that’s just right for you.
- You can add garlic powder if you’d like.
- Fresh raw onion (and garlic) can be used, but keep in mind it will shorten the shelf life.
- You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t have pepper. You can definitely add it if you want. I like adding a couple of twists of cracked black pepper when I serve it.
- I often add several drops of hot sauce to this recipe. Love it!
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FAQs About Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Do You Love Thousand Island Dressing?
I hope by now you’re thinking you’ll give this recipe a try. Even if thousand island isn’t your favorite, you might find that you like this homemade version. And if you don’t think you’d like it on salads, but you love Reuben sandwiches, it’s quite possible you’ll love this thousand island dressing for Reubens.
I hope you’ll give it a try, love it, and come back to tell me in the comments!
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Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish heaping; drained (save juice) and then squeezed between paper towels to remove excess juice still on pickles.
- 1 tsp minced onion (dry)
- 1/4 tsp paprika heaping
- 1/4 tsp salt heaping
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs + 1 tsp sugar heaping
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk all ingredients together.
- Cover and refrigerate – overnight is best.
- Store covered leftovers in the fridge for up to two weeks – maybe longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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