This rich and creamy Healthy Thousand Island Dressing is easy to make, much healthier than the store-bought kinds, and packed with delicious flavors. It’s a salad dressing staple in my home and soon it will be in yours too!
There’s nothing like a tasty sauce to elevate a dish from good to great. Whether you’re eating french fries, salad, or tacos- I guarantee that pairing the dish with a good sauce would make it infinitely better. As a major sauce addict with tons of different sauce recipes here on my website, maybe I’m biased, but I stand by my saucy beliefs!
Thousand Island Dressing is one of those insanely versatile sauces that work well with a ton of different foods. Unfortunately, the store-bought versions tend to be incredibly high in calories, carbs, and fats. This healthy homemade version is just as delicious (if not more) than the unhealthy ones, making for the perfect guilt-free indulgence.
I’ve used this dressing on all my favorite salads, sandwiches, and burgers. I’ve even used it as a dipping sauce for baked potato wedges and it has yet to disappoint. This Healthy Thousand Island Dressing recipe has the perfect combination of savory and sweet to make everything taste a little more delicious.
Once you try this recipe, you can say goodbye to those unhealthy and expensive store-bought dressings and hello to your new favorite homemade version! Serve it up on salads, wraps, burgers, or as a dipping sauce for raw veggies and baked fries.
What is Thousand Island Dressing?
Thousand Island Dressing is an American salad dressing and condiment that is traditionally made with a base of mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet relish. While we don’t know the exact origins, we do know that the salad dressing was invented in the early 20th century in the Thousand Island area of New York (hence the name). The original recipe calls for a hard-boiled egg pushed through a sieve, which is used as a thickening agent in the dressing. However, in this recipe, we’re going to keep it simple and opt-out of this component. Feel free to add a hard-boiled egg if you’d like!
What’s in this homemade dressing?
This flavorful and healthy salad dressing recipe comes together with under 10 ingredients. The best part is that you probably have most of these items at home already! The key ingredients you will need for this recipe include:
- Greek yogurt: While the traditional version uses mayonnaise on its own as the creamy component, we lighten up this recipe by using mostly Greek yogurt with a little bit of mayonnaise.
- Mayonnaise: I like to use light mayonnaise to keep this recipe on the healthier side, but you can use whichever kind you prefer.
- Ketchup: Any kind of ketchup will work for this recipe.
- Sweet relish: I use regular sweet relish, but you can also find sugar-free sweet relish at the store if you want to keep the recipe low-sugar.
- Worcestershire sauce: This ingredient has a strong umami flavor that helps to balance out the sweet ingredients for a sweet and savory combo.
- Onion: We use minced fresh onion in this recipe to add some depth to the texture and a nice, sharp bite.
Recipe Tips
Here are some tips to help you when making this recipe:
- For a sugar-free recipe, you can easily find sugar-free options of any of the ingredients we use.
- To make this recipe vegan, simply swap out the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt for your favorite dairy-free alternatives.
- If you don’t have fresh onions at home, I would recommend leaving this ingredient out altogether rather than substituting it for onion powder.
- To store this dressing, I have found that using glass containers like mason jars keeps it fresh for the longest amount of time.
- If you prefer your dressings with a bit of heat, add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce.
What to Serve With This Dish
While this recipe makes an incredible salad dressing, it can be used for so much more! Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe:
- Use it to dress your favorite salad
- Spread it onto a wrap or sandwich
- Add it to the top of a grilled burger
- Bake it into sandwich sliders like mini Reubens
- Use it as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables or baked potato wedges
How to Store Homemade Salad Dressing
This dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. I have found that keeping it in a glass jar or container keeps it fresh for the longest amount of time, so if you have a mason jar or glass Tupperware container then I would highly recommend using that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this dish:
What is Thousand Island Dressing made from?
Thousand Island Dressing is traditionally made with mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet relish, and hard-boiled egg as the base. We switch it up a bit in this healthier version and add flavorful ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, sweet paprika, and minced onion. We also combine the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for a lightened up twist.
Can you freeze salad dressing?
Yes and no. While oil-based salad dressings tend to do pretty well in the freezer, dairy-based salad dressings like this one should not be frozen. The dairy will likely separate in the freezer, leaving you with a runny and clumpy mess once it’s thawed out.
More Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes
Like this tasty salad dressing recipe? You’ll love these!
- Homemade Green Goddess Dressing
- The Best Skinny Ranch
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Light Italian Dressing
- Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing