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Lighter than bottled dressing, this Easy Thousand Island Dressing recipe is quick and simple to throw together at a moment’s notice with ingredients you readily have on hand. Perfect for topping your classic “house salad” and fantastic as a sandwich spread.
Why I Created This Homemade Dressing
I didn’t realize it until now but I’ve always had my hand in some sort of culinary job almost my entire life. When I was little, I used to help my grandfather make pierogi from scratch by spilling orange juice in the filling.
THEN, I became a hostess at the local Pizza Hut when I was 16. This job was the absolute worst. I was in charge of the salad bar and seating people which were two odd jobs to pair together but the restaurant was near our local ski resort and was convenient for my friends to pick me up when I suddenly would {cough, cough} become sick and need to leave.I fell in love with the Thousand Island Dressing, filling my plate with veggies and a bowl of dressing to use as a dipping sauce when the crowds would die down.
It’s the tangy, creamy, slightly sweet flavor that I love, and it’s super thick, more like a sandwich spread or secret sauce for a burger than a dressing but it coats salad greens in kind of a nostalgic way. Making my salad a bit more like comfort food, not quite Mac and cheese but definitely not a light, healthy salad.
This homemade Thousand Island Dressing recipe is lighter than most and leans into being a bit more healthy but with the same tangy creaminess you know and love in your favorite bottled dressing.
Pantry Ingredients Make This Magical
- Yogurt – To lighten up this recipe, I use plain low-fat greek yogurt. It’s creamy and tangy, adding that signature flavor that’s classic in homemade salad dressing. You can use full-fat greek yogurt or regular yogurt as a substitute, if you prefer. This version is great for a low calorie diet.
- Mayonnaise – Classic Thousand Island Dressing is made with a base of mayonnaise. To keep that signature flavor, I added a small amount of good mayonnaise. It’s just enough to give it the same flavor without the calories.
- Vinegar – Most salad dressings have white vinegar or distilled vinegar in the mix, I use apple cider vinegar for the hint of sweetness and added probiotics. You can substitute with any vinegar you have on hand.
- Relish – One signature ingredient is relish and I use my homemade pickle relish. You can use any sweet pickle relish you have on hand.
- Hot Sauce – A hint of heat is not necessary but we love the balance and contrast of flavors Hot Sauce adds to the dressing.
- Seasoning – Simply season with kosher salt and black pepper. You can also add garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika to amplify the flavors.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Thousand Island Dressing
Making 1000 Island Dressing is incredibly easy….even if you decide to go with a recipe that uses the hard boiled egg. Homemade Thousand Island ingredients are easy to find and can be whipped together in a bowl.
- In a small bowl, add the yogurt (or sour cream), mayonnaise, ketchup, vinegar, sweet relish, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
This Creamy Dressing is good for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing leftover thousand island dressing.
To lighten up my easy Thousand Island Dressing recipe, I used low-fat plain greek yogurt to keep the consistency kind of on the thicker side. It’s a lot thicker than the Blue Cheese Dressing which I like to mix things up a bit but not so thick that you could stand a spoon in it.
The pickle relish adds some tart sweetness to it and sometimes I’ll even add a bit of the juice if I want to thin things out. This Thousand Island Dressing is simply amazing and ready in minutes, great on any greens you like!
What is Thousand Island Dressing?
Thousand Island Dressing is a salad dressing popular in the United States made with a mayonnaise base. It originated in the Thousand Islands region on the upper St. Lawrence River between Ontario and New York State. It’s commonly used to top salads, dip French fries and as a sandwich spread because of its thick, creamy consistency.
And when I was working on the recipe, I did a little research, did you know that the original recipe has hard boiled egg in it? And not a chopped egg, one that’s been pressed through a sieve?
That just seemed like a lot of work, and mess, so I skipped it but feel free to add that to your recipe and let me know what you think.
Russian Dressing vs. Thousand Island Dressing
Everyone always asks me if Russian Dressing is the same as 1000 Island Dressing and the answer is just so simple, they’re basically the same except Russian Dressing is usually smoother and slightly spicier than Thousand Island. Thousand Island dressing has more relish, onions and other seasonings giving it a chunkier texture and sweeter taste. Oh, and there’s that egg, too.
How To Use Thousand Island Dressing
- I like to sub out the blue cheese dressing on this Wedge Salad with Thousand Island for a sweet twist. It’s so fantastic on iceberg lettuce you hardly need anything else.
- It’s amazing on these mini Reuben Sandwiches
- This Patty Melt wouldn’t be the same without it.
- I love to Americanize my French Dip Sandwich with a smear of dressing, too.
More Easy Salad Dressings
- Easy Greek Vinaigrette
- Avocado Ranch is like the BEST thing ever.
- Quick and Easy Blue Cheese Dressing
- And don’t save this Champagne Mimosa Dressing for special occasions.
- Our FAVORITE Miso Ginger Dressing
- The Best Catalina Dressing
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Thousand Island Dressing Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, vinegar, relish, hot sauce, salt and pepper to combine.
- Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
When did Thousand Island become spicy? Doesn’t the hot sauce give it a kick? I ask this because I truely can not tolerate any spiciness. Sometimes it’s hard to find healthy recipes that don’t include hot sauce or peppers ect,,,
You can leave the hot sauce out of the recipe. It’s not spicy at all but gives it a peppery flavor so if you’re sensitive to that then you can leave it out, it will still be delicious!
Can you tell me how much is a serving size?
It’s about two tablespoons.
Servings 0? And is it 92 calories per T? Or what?
92 calories per two tablespoons.
Easy to make and so much better than bottled. My go to for seafood and simple wedge salads.
Love this! Thank you!
I chopped up some pickles and used some of the brine instead of using relish, it worked out really well! So happy I’ve finally started making my own dressing because I’m constantly going through bottles with how many salads we make, and our little ones will only touch green leafy dishes if it’s smothered in thousand island dressing! Thanks for sharing!
I only eat leafy greens if smothered in thousand island, too! I’m so glad you shared your tip with the pickles, I’m going to definitely try that!