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Russian Dressing

Russian dressing in a glass jar.
Russian DressingSara Bonisteel

Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing are often confused because both begin with a base of mayonnaise and ketchup or ketchup-style chili sauce, which results in a pink salad dressing. But where Thousand Island is a bit sweet and studded with pickle relish, Russian dressing is on the spicier side, with a hint of heat from horseradish and hot sauce. For more information about salad dressings and tips on making them from scratch, see our Homemade Salad Dressing Primer.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    10 minutes

  • Yield

    Yield: Makes about 1¼ cups

Ingredients

1

tablespoon finely chopped onion

1

cup purchased or homemade mayonnaise

¼

cup ketchup-style chili sauce or ketchup

4

teaspoons bottled (regular; not packed in beet juice) horseradish, or to taste

1

teaspoon hot sauce, preferably Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1

teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼

teaspoon sweet paprika

Fine sea salt

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. In a mortar and pestle, mash the onion to create a paste, or use a large heavy knife to mince and mash the onion into a paste. Transfer the onion paste to a small bowl and whisk in the mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sweet paprika. Season with fine sea salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: The dressing can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks.