Russian Dressing

This homemade Russian dressing recipe is a cinch to make and tastes so much better than store-bought! It’s great on salads, sandwiches, and burgers and makes a great dip for vegetables and French fries.

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Why You’ll Love This Dressing

1. Great flavor. This dressing is balanced and hits all the right marks. It’s creamy, lightly sweet, and tangy with a little kick of heat. This is my Goldilocks Russian dressing—just right.
2. Easy to make. This simple recipe takes less than 15 minutes to whip up using one bowl. (For the best flavor, I recommend chilling the dressing for an hour before using it.)
3. Customizable. You can easily adjust the recipe from mild to spicy by dialing up or down the quantity of horseradish and hot sauce, to taste.
4. Versatile. You can use this Russian Dressing on sandwiches, salads, burgers, and as a dip—it’s great with veggies, but I also love dipping my fries in it! 

This Russian dressing recipe is pourable and spreadable. It isn’t as thick as Blue Cheese Dressing, but not as thin as an oil-based dressing, like Balsamic Vinaigrette. This dressing is smooth and velvety, with little pops of crunchy cornichons interspersed throughout.

What Is Russian Dressing?

Russian Dressing is a creamy, tangy, lightly spicy condiment made from a base of mayonnaise and tomato ketchup (or ketchup-based chili sauce). Despite its name, Russian Dressing isn’t actually Russian.

Its origins have been traced to James E. Colburn, a grocer from Nashua, New Hampshire in the early 1900’s. This Washington Post article (an interesting read!) quotes Hobart Pillsbury, who credited Colburn as “the originator and first producer of that delectable condiment known as Russian salad dressing” in his voluminous 1927 work, New Hampshire Resources, Attractions and Its People, a History.

Why did Colburn call his creation “Russian” dressing? Some sources, such as the late Craig Claiborne of the New York Times, attribute it to the possible inclusion of caviar in the original recipe. Others, including the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, instead attribute it to the use of pickles, which are central to Russian cuisine.

Russian Dressing vs. Thousand Island Dressing

Russian Dressing and Thousand Island Dressing are similar condiments. Both are made from a mayo-ketchup base, which gives them their creamy texture and characteristic salmon color. While you might see these dressings used interchangeably, they actually have a few key differences.

First and foremost, Thousand Island Dressing is sweeter, while traditional Russian Dressing is more robust since it contains horseradish. Thousand Island also often contains hard-cooked eggs and citrus, like orange or lemon juice or zest.

Though quite a few “Russian Dressing” recipes call for sweet pickle relish instead of tart cornichons, this is actually more characteristic of Thousand Island Dressing. 

Ingredient Notes

Russian Dressing is simple to make, but for me, there’s a clear line that differentiates “meh” dressing poured onto a salad out of obligation, to an excellent one that you want to slather onto a slice of rye bread with a heavy hand. Here’s what I use:

• Mayonnaise. Use a good quality store-bought mayo, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s, or make your own.
• Ketchup. I like to use Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup, which doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners.
• Prepared Horseradish. Grated horseradish root pickled with vinegar and salt. Look for refrigerated jars of prepared horseradish at the grocery store, such as Kelchner’s. If the horseradish is very liquidy, lightly drain it before adding it to the dressing.
• Cornichons. Minced cornichons bring the acidity needed to balance the creamy, sweet, and spicy flavors of the dressing without adding extra vinegar. Since these tiny pickles pack a good flavor punch, you don’t need a lot of them. I use Maille or Three Little Pigs.
• Onion. I most often use a sweet onion variety, like Vidalia. If you prefer a more tart dressing, use a regular yellow onion. I find red onions a little too sharp for this dressing. Grating the onion using the large holes of a box grater brings out the juices and incorporates the onion into the dressing better than chopping.
• Worcestershire Sauce. Adds umami to the dressing.
• Paprika. I like to use smoked paprika for a hint of smokiness in the background, but you can use sweet paprika instead if you prefer.
• Hot Sauce. Add just a couple of dashes, to taste, for another pop of vinegary heat. The amount you use will depend on your personal tastes and how robust your horseradish is. Use your favorite hot sauce here, such as Frank’s Red Hot or Tabasco.

Making and Storing Homemade Russian Dressing

Like most salad dressings, Russian dressing only takes a few minutes to whip up. While you can use it right away, its flavor improves significantly after a trip to the fridge.

After mixing all of the ingredients together (you’ll just need a bowl and a whisk), I recommend covering the dressing and refrigerating it for at least an hour for the flavors to meld. This Russian Dressing recipe is even better when you make it a day in advance of serving.

Homemade Russian dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Ways to Use It

Although I love Russian dressing on a good NJ diner-style Chef’s Salad, house salad, or a variation of a Classic Wedge Salad, I use it on sandwiches far more often.

Russian dressing is the classic condiment for a griddled Reuben (I also use it on my Reuben Sliders and in my Reuben Dip). It’s a staple in NY and NJ deli and diner fare–I especially like it spread onto a Corned Beef Sandwich with Coleslaw.

A now-closed delicatessen in my hometown always used Russian dressing on a sandwich they called the “Rocky Hill” (named after a small NJ borough): sliced turkey, crisp bacon, melted Swiss, coleslaw, and Russian on marble rye. It was a twist on a Rachel sandwich, and always a favorite growing up.

Russian dressing is also fantastic on an All-American Burger (it has the air of those famous “secret sauces”), and makes a great dip for crudités. I also use it as a dip or sauce for my Corned Beef and Potato Cakes (one of my family’s favorite recipes for using leftovers from St. Patrick’s Day!).

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5 from 5 votes

Russian Dressing Recipe

by Amanda Biddle

Whip up a batch of homemade Russian dressing with this easy, customizable recipe. This tangy, zesty, creamy dressing tastes better than store-bought and is perfect for deli-style Reuben sandwiches, salads, and more.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings (2 tablespoons)

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's or Duke's)
• ▢ 1/3 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon refrigerated prepared horseradish , or additional, to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons grated onion (sweet Vidalia or yellow, see note)*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely-minced cornichons
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ a few dashes of hot sauce , to taste

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Instructions 

• Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavors to develop. (For the best flavor, make it the day before you plan to use it.) If you like your Russian dressing spicier, season to taste with additional horseradish and hot sauce.
• Store, tightly-covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

*To easily grate onion, use the large shredding holes on a box grater. I like to use a sweet onion variety, such as Vidalia. For a more tart dressing, use yellow onion.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 28mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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.

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This post originally appeared on Striped Spatula in 2019. We have since updated it with additional information to best serve our readers.

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