Thousand Island Dressing (2024)

FAQs

What is Thousand Islands dressing made of? ›

Thousand Island dressing is an American salad dressing and condiment based on mayonnaise that can include olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, tomato purée, and ketchup or Tabasco sauce.

The original recipe can mostly be traced back to the early 1900s in Thousand Islands, New York, where the tangy pinkish condiment got its namesake.

What does Thousand Island dressing taste like? Thousand Island dressing is fairly sweet. The ketchup offers sweetness, as does the bit of added sugar. (You can leave that out if you like a more tangy dressing.)

To start, both are mostly made from a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup, but generally, Russian dressing is a little spicy while Thousand Island tends to be on the sweeter side. Each may include chili sauce in addition to, or sometimes instead of, ketchup.

By looks alone, you may wonder if Big Mac sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing with a different name. The answer is no… but they are similar. Both of the condiments have a creamy consistency and include pickle relish.

Because of similarities in color and taste, many people assume that In-N-Out's burger sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing, i.e. a blend of mayonnaise and ketchup. However, Thousand Island has a thicker consistency and is slightly spicier than In-N-Out sauce.

As the company tweeted out in 2012, the Chick-fil-A sauce is just a mixture of honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and ranch dressing. Yes, that's it.

Sauce - A traditional Reuben sandwich uses creamy Russian dressing for the sauce, but Thousand Island dressing is another popular option that tastes really similar, albeit slightly sweeter with a bit less kick than Russian dressing.

What is Russian dressing now called? ›

In the United States, Russian dressing has largely been supplanted by Thousand Island dressing, which is sweeter and less spicy than Russian. Other combinations of mayonnaise and ketchup, but without the spicy ingredients, are known as fry sauce or other names, and typically served with French fries or tostones.

The fundamental components of Thousand Island dressing are mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickles, but everyone has their own special twist on this classic.

Though both condiments are tomato-based, their recipes differ. The Thousand Island dressing combines ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, vinegar, minced onion and garlic. In contrast, the French dressing is composed of olive oil, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, sugar, and paprika, among other seasonings.

As for that flavor, don't be fooled — McDonald's special sauce is not just Thousand Island dressing in disguise, as many believe. While they certainly bear some similarities, there are notable differences that introduce the subtle differences that make Big Mac sauce so craveable.

Fry sauce is “slightly sweet, totally creamy, with just a hint of tang from the vinegar,” according to food blog Buns in My Oven. Thousand Island, on the other hand, usually has chunky mix-ins involved, like pickles and onions, as Eater notes.