Classic Homemade Thousand Island Dressing Recipe for Salads & Sandwiches

This is unlike any Thousand Island dressing you’ll find in a bottle. Homemade is the way to go!

I’ll admit I never cared much for Thousand Island—until I started making it at home.

I cook a lot of Reuben-inspired dishes. We love the flavors, but I used to skip the dressing because the bottled versions and salad-bar tubs always seemed too sweet or stale. Making it fresh changed everything: homemade Thousand Island tastes bright, balanced, and clean—and you know exactly what’s in it.

Why Is It Called “Thousand Island Dressing?”

The name comes from a scenic region in upstate New York along the St. Lawrence River where a thousand small islands dot the water at the Canada–U.S. border. The dressing’s origin is tied to that area; a fisherman’s wife is credited with inventing the recipe, and it later gained popularity when it reached a New York hotel of the day.

For me, the turning point was making it at home. It avoids the overly sweet bottled taste and the off-putting salad-bar containers. Homemade is fresher, less cloying, and simply better.

What Does Thousand Island Dressing Go With?

Thousand Island is excellent on salads and as a dip for raw vegetables. But its true calling is Reuben-style dishes: a Reuben sandwich piled with corned beef feels incomplete without a proper Thousand Island. I started using this recipe for Reuben pinwheels—both inside the pinwheels and as a dip—and it was a huge hit.

I first created this dressing to accompany Reuben pinwheels. The pinwheels and dipping sauce together were incredible—my kids even ate it straight from a spoon.

I haven’t bought bottled dressing since.

What Goes Best With Thousand Island?

Some dishes practically demand Thousand Island—Reubens top that list. Beyond sandwiches, it brightens roasted or raw vegetables (raw broccoli is surprisingly great), dips, and creative comfort-food mashups. Here are a few ways I like to use it:

Reuben Pot Pie
Reuben Wonton Purses
Reuben Mac and Cheese
Reuben Breakfast Sandwiches (two ways)
Hot Reuben Dip

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Print Recipe

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

This is unlike any Thousand Island dressing you will find in a bottle. Homemade is the way to go!

Prep Time
10 minutes

Total Time
10 minutes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Servings: 1

Calories: 1287kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Ingredients

1/2 clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 hard boiled egg finely chopped
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients together. Refrigerate covered and use within 2 days.

Notes

Original Recipe: Food Network

Nutrition