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Homemade Russian Dressing For A Reuben Sandwich

Our homemade Russian Dressing is tangy, slightly spicy, and seriously addicting! This recipe is the perfect sauce for a Reuben Sandwich and more!

Homemade Russian Dressing, the perfect sauce for a Reuben Sandwich

What’s The Difference Between Russian Dressing And Thousand Island Dressing?

Thousand Island Dressing and Russian Dressing are incredibly similar sauces, but there are a few key differences.

Thousand Island dressing:

  • Includes bits of relish, pickles, onions, and hard-boiled eggs, making it sweeter and tangier
  • Is made with a mayonnaise base

Russian dressing:

  • Gets a distinct spiciness from horseradish and garlic
  • Is made with a plain yogurt or sour cream base
The classic grilled Reuben Sandwich is the perfect combination of crispy toast, flavorful corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, and creamy Russian dressing. | www.CuriousCuisiniere.com

What Is The Sauce On A Reuben?

People tend to use the names Russian Dressing and Thousand Island Dressing interchangeably nowadays.

Because of this, many restaurants just serve their Reuben sandwiches with Thousand Island Dressing, since they often already have it on hand.

But, Russian Dressing was the staple that made the sandwich famous.

Our homemade Russian Dressing is tangy, slightly spicy, and seriously addicting! It's the perfect sauce for a Reuben Sandwich and more!| CuriousCuisiniere

Making Our Homemade Russian Dressing Recipe

The dressing you choose for your Reuben sandwich is up to you.

Even if you don’t have either on hand, it’s really easy to whip up a batch of homemade Russian Dressing with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!

Yogurt, ketchup, and horseradish (prepared or fresh) start the base for this dressing. Then they combine with a little garlic and paprika to make this super simple and incredibly addicting sauce

What are you waiting for?

More Dressing Recipes You May Enjoy

If you’d like to try your hand at creating more of your own salad dressings from scratch, here are some classic dressing recipes to get you started. 

You can use them for sandwiches, dips, or on salads! Making your own salad dressing is an easy endeavor that will make you feel quite accomplished in the kitchen!

Yield: 1/2 c of dressing (8 (1 Tbsp) servings)

Homemade Russian Dressing

Our homemade Russian Dressing is tangy, slightly spicy, and seriously addicting! It's the perfect sauce for a Reuben Sandwich and more!| CuriousCuisiniere

Russian Dressing for a reuben and more. It's a tangy, slightly spicy, and all-around addicting sauce!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 c plain yogurt, or sour cream
  • 3 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp fresh grated horseradish, or prepared horseradish
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions

  1. Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Dressing can be used immediately, but the flavor will improve if refrigerated for at least 10 minutes before using.
  3. Store the dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 Tbsp

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 15

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Maxeem

Wednesday 3rd of August 2022

I made this for a Reubox (substituting corned beef with lox or smoked salmon slices) and it was an awesome flavor combo with the dill soaked sauerkraut and swiss.

The only thing I would add is I prefer organic ingredients for everything and I was slightly dismayed with Heinz's organic ketchup which is a tad on the sugary side. So if people are going organic I would use a homemade ketchup or find an alternative off brand organic ketchup which can be a little more savory and less sweet.

But that's not your recipe's problem, this is a great way to start experimenting with the East Coast classic Russian Dressing. Cheers!! Really hit the spot.

Sarah Ozimek

Wednesday 10th of August 2022

Thanks for sharing Maxeem!

Judy

Friday 8th of January 2021

After adding a couple heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise and a heaping teaspoon of dill relish a little bit more sour cream and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, it finally tasted the way I remembered it from the deli.

Sarah Ozimek

Friday 8th of January 2021

Thanks for sharing Judy. If the deli makes their dressing in house, then every one will be a bit different. Glad you found the tweaks that fit what you were looking for!

IDA

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

EXCELLENT better than any Restaurant We have ever had. Thanks

Sarah Ozimek

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

So glad you enjoyed the dressing!

Josh C.

Sunday 13th of May 2018

I made this (both types: plain yogurt / sour cream) at the same time, to go with a corned beef brisket that I slow cooked to make some Reuben sandwiches, for my Mom on Mother's Day (as they are one of her favorite sandwiches). :)

We both preferred the recipe with the plain yogurt (I used greek plain yogurt). As for the garlic clove, I used the minced garlic that came in a little jar for a couple bucks, and I also added a touch more garlic :)

Recipe is great, well done!

As for the recipe with the sour cream, mom said she would prefer it on a salad and favored the dressing with the yogurt for the Reuben Sandwich.

PS Mom usually only likes mustard on the reubens, but she liked the dressing so much that she didn't use mustard!! haha ;)

Sarah Ozimek

Monday 14th of May 2018

Thanks so much for sharing your test! We're so glad she loved the recipe. What a wonderful Mother's Day meal!

Joe

Friday 30th of March 2018

Addicting? Addictive.

Sarah Ozimek

Tuesday 3rd of April 2018

Very true Joe!

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