This zesty, restaurant-quality Creamy Horseradish Sauce with sour cream and Dijon is the perfect way to liven up your condiment repertoire. Serve this versatile, easy-to-make sauce with beef, seafood, potatoes, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for your favorite appetizers.
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Why You Should Make Homemade Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Although the grocery store is filled with delicious condiments and dressings, I always love making my own sauces at home. They’re usually pretty simple to whip up with common refrigerator and pantry ingredients, with the added benefit of knowing everything that went into them.
Plus, the flavor of recipes like this Creamy Horseradish Sauce is customizable. Like your sauce zestier or milder? Adjust the quantity of horseradish up or down as needed. Like a sauce with a tangy punch? Stir in a bit more vinegar. With a homemade sauce like this, the ball is in your court to craft the perfect blend for you and your family.
Looking for more condiment, dressing, and sauce recipes? Check out my Roasted Garlic Horseradish Cream Sauce, Homemade Russian Dressing, Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing, and Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sour Cream. I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the richest, creamiest sauce.
- Refrigerated Prepared Horseradish. Grated horseradish root jarred with vinegar and salt. Read more about it, including my shopping tips, in my Prepared Horseradish guide. Lightly drain the horseradish before adding it to the sauce (no need to rinse).
- Mayonnaise. Adds richness, creaminess, and a tangy flavor to the recipe. I use Duke’s or Hellmann’s.
- Dijon Mustard. Brings another layer of complex tang and spice to the sauce. I use Maille Dijon Originale or Edmond Fallot Original Dijon Mustard.
- Worcestershire Sauce. Adds umami to the sauce to boost the flavors for a savory base that complements the horseradish.
- Fresh Chives. Adds a pop of freshness and a mild onion flavor to the sauce. We love the addition, but if you want a straight horseradish sauce without the little green flecks of chives, they can be omitted.
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar. Optional. Since the tanginess of vinegar-packed prepared horseradish and Dijon can vary by brand, only add extra acidity to the sauce if needed. I love using champagne vinegar, but you can also use white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar (adds a touch of sweetness).
- Kosher Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper. Prepared horseradish can vary in salt content, so I recommend seasoning this sauce to taste.
How to Make Creamy Horseradish Sauce
This recipe couldn’t be simpler to make–just put all of the ingredients into a bowl, and whisk it together until smooth. Once it’s mixed, cover the sauce and chill it in the refrigerator.
The only caveat is that this sauce can’t be a last-minute addition to a dinner menu. It needs a good resting period in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld.
This creamy Horseradish Sauce might taste a bit bland if you taste it immediately after mixing. You can refrigerate it for 4-6 hours, but I recommend making it a full 24 hours before serving for a balanced, full-flavored sauce.
After at least 4-6 hours, give the sauce a stir and adjust the seasonings and acidity to taste, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice or vinegar as needed. I find that sometimes I need a little splash of vinegar, and sometimes I don’t.
What to Serve with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
We love serving this horseradish sauce alongside a Prime Rib or Beef Tenderloin dinner for Christmas or Easter for a restaurant-quality finish. (Omit the cognac cream sauce if using the linked Beef Tenderloin recipe.)
A dollop of this sauce is fantastic with grilled steak and grilled or poached salmon fillets. Or, serve it with your favorite corned beef dinner for St. Patrick’s Day. (Try my Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage, Instant Pot Corned Beef, or Beer Braised Corned Beef.)
For side dishes, this Creamy Horseradish Sauce makes a great baked potato topping, drizzled over crispy smashed potatoes, or as a dip for french fries or roasted potato wedges.
Making sandwiches? Try using this sauce in place of the horseradish mayo in my Ultimate Steak Sandwich, or to add some zing to a French Dip sandwich.
If appetizers are on the menu, we love Creamy Horseradish Sauce as a dip for batter-fried mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, potato pancakes (such as my Corned Beef and Potato Cakes), and topping for beef or mushroom crostini. Try stirring it into egg yolks for a zesty deviled egg filling.
Recipe FAQ’s
Q. I like a mild horseradish sauce. How much prepared horseradish should I use?
A. For a very mild sauce, or if using a very potent jar of horseradish, try decreasing the quantity of horseradish to 2 tablespoons. Increase, to taste, after the sauce rests.
Q. How long can I keep this sauce in the fridge?
A. Tightly covered in the refrigerator, Creamy Horseradish Sauce will keep well for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.
Q. Can I use shelf-stable horseradish in this recipe?
A. Shelf-stable horseradish contains other ingredients and flavoring agents. I don’t recommend it for this sauce.
If you can’t find refrigerated prepared horseradish at the grocery store, it’s possible to make it at home using a food processor. For a tutorial, check out Andrew Zimmern Cooks: How to Prepare Fresh Horseradish.
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Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3-4 tablespoons refrigerated prepared horseradish , drained*
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (such as Duke's or Hellmann's)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (recommended, but optional)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- lemon juice or vinegar , if needed**
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, horseradish, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I usually use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to start). The horseradish flavor will be quite mild at this point.
- Cover the sauce and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably 24 hours, for the flavors to meld.
- After 4-6 hours, stir the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. If the sauce isn't tangy enough, add lemon juice or vinegar to taste, 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
- Store the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
