How to Make Thousand Island Dressing

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Thousand Island dressing is the favored accompaniment to many a dish, including crisp salads, seafood cocktails and crudites. It also makes a fine condiment for spreading on burgers and sandwiches. Did you know that the tangy yet sweet flavor of your favorite bottled version can be easily replicated, and indeed improved on, if you make it yourself?

Ingredients

Classic Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup (237 ml) of mayonnaise
1/4 cup (59 ml) of ketchup
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons of finely minced onion
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Dash of pepper

Low-Fat Thousand Island Dressing

1/3 cup (78 ml) of low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of finely minced red pepper
1 tablespoon of finely minced onion
1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely
1/4 cup of water
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Chunky Thousand Island Dressing

1 egg
1 cup (237 ml) of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
3 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons of chopped black olives
2 tablespoons of diced red peppers
Pinch of ground cloves

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Classic Thousand Island Dressing

1
Combine ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender.
2
Blend until a smooth. Blend all of the ingredients together to form a smooth, pinkish sauce. Add up to 2 tablespoons of water, to thin to the desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

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3
Refrigerate the dressing. Place the dressing in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. This time allows for the sugar to dissolve and the flavors to blend.
4
Serve. Thousand island dressing makes a wonderful accompaniment to crisp lettuce, freshly sliced tomatoes or a seafood salad. The dressing will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to one week.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Low-Fat Thousand Island Dressing

1
Combine ingredients. In a blender or food processor combine all of the dressing ingredients.
2
Blend until smooth. Blend the ingredients together until smooth. If the consistency is a little too thick for your liking, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of additional water to thin it out. Add salt to taste.
3
Serve and store. Serve the dressing over crisp salads, or use as a low-fat spread on sandwiches. It will keep, covered and chilled, for up to a week.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Chunky Thousand Island Dressing

1
Prepare the egg. Place the egg in a saucepan of cold water, then bring the water to a boil over a medium heat until the egg is hard boiled. Remove the egg from the hot water and leave to cool. Once cooled, peel the egg and chop it finely or push it through a sieve.
2
Combine the ingredients. Add the chopped eggs, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, cloves, sugar, relish, red pepper and olives to a medium bowl and stir until blended thoroughly.
- Unlike other Thousand Island recipes, this version does not contain any ketchup, so it will be white in color, rather than pink.
3
Chill the dressing. Place the dressing in a sealed container and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for up to an hour, letting the sugar dissolve and the flavors combine.
4
Serve and store. Serve the chunky Thousand Island dressing spooned over crisp salad leaves. It will keep in a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
5
Finished.