Rissian Dressing (Russian Dressing): Recipe, History & Uses

If you typed "Rissian dressing", you are almost certainly looking for Russian dressing — "Rissian" is a very common slip of the keyboard for "Russian", and this site uses it throughout. Below you will find an easy homemade recipe, the true story of where Russian dressing comes from, how it differs from Thousand Island, what to serve it with and how to store it. We also cover what people in Russia actually use to dress their salads, which is quite different.

Easy Homemade Russian Dressing Recipe

Makes about 1 cup (250 ml) · Prep time: 10 minutes · No cooking

Tip: chili sauce (the tomato-based American condiment, not an Asian chilli sauce) gives a slightly chunkier, spicier result than ketchup. Freshly grated horseradish is sharper than jarred, so start with less.

What Does Russian Dressing Taste Like?

Russian dressing is creamy from the mayonnaise, tangy and slightly sweet from the tomato, and has a noticeable nose-tingling heat from the horseradish. Worcestershire sauce adds savoury depth. Its colour is pinkish orange. It is less sweet and more assertive than Thousand Island dressing, which is why it stands up well to rich corned beef or pastrami.

Where Does Russian Dressing Come From?

Russian dressing is an American invention. It is most commonly credited to James E. Colburn, a grocer in Nashua, New Hampshire, who is said to have created and sold it in the 1910s. Colburn's dressing reportedly became popular enough to be supplied to hotels and retailers, and it spread across American menus in the following decades.

Why "Russian"? Nobody knows for certain. The most common explanation is that early versions included caviar, a luxury food strongly associated with Russia, which gave the dressing its name. Over time the caviar disappeared from most recipes, but the name stuck. Whatever the exact reason, it is a name, not a place of origin: you will not find "Russian dressing" as a traditional condiment in Russia.

Sour cream and dill are common in Russian cooking (see below), but they are not Russian dressing, which is an American sauce.

Russian Dressing vs Thousand Island

The two are often confused, and some restaurants use them interchangeably, but there are real differences:

• Russian dressing: mayonnaise + ketchup or chili sauce + horseradish + Worcestershire. Spicier, tangier, less sweet, smooth.
• Thousand Island: mayonnaise + ketchup + sweet pickle relish, often with chopped hard-boiled egg or onion. Sweeter and chunkier, with no horseradish.

Both are American. Thousand Island takes its name from the Thousand Islands region on the St. Lawrence River between New York and Ontario. Fast-food "special sauces" on burgers are usually closer to Thousand Island.

What about bottled "Russian" dressing?

Some supermarket dressings sold as "Russian" are quite different from the deli-style version above: they are thinner, redder, sweeter and based on oil, vinegar and tomato rather than mayonnaise, closer to a French or Catalina-style dressing. If a recipe calls for Russian dressing on a Reuben, the creamy mayonnaise-based kind is the one meant.

How to Use Russian Dressing

The Reuben sandwich

The classic use is the Reuben: corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread, grilled in butter, with Russian dressing spread inside. A Rachel swaps the corned beef for turkey or pastrami and often uses coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. Russian dressing's horseradish bite cuts through the rich meat and cheese.

Other ideas

• Burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches
• A dip for fries, onion rings or crudités
• A dressing for iceberg wedge salads or chopped salads
• Sauce for prawn/shrimp cocktail (it resembles a spicier Marie Rose sauce)
• A spread for turkey club sandwiches and wraps
• Drizzled over hard-boiled or deviled eggs

How to Make a Classic Reuben with Russian Dressing

Makes 1 sandwich

• 2 slices rye bread (seeded rye is traditional)
• 2 tablespoons Russian dressing
• 120–150 g (4–5 oz) thinly sliced corned beef
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• ⅓ cup sauerkraut, well drained and squeezed dry
• 1 tablespoon soft butter

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread.
2. Turn the slices over and spread the unbuttered sides with Russian dressing.
3. On one slice layer the cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut, then close the sandwich, buttered side out.
4. Cook in a pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes per side, pressing gently, until the bread is golden and the cheese has melted.
5. Slice in half and serve hot, with a pickle on the side.

Who invented the Reuben is disputed. One story credits Reuben Kulakofsky, a grocer in Omaha, Nebraska, in the 1920s; another credits Arnold Reuben, owner of a New York delicatessen. Either way, it is an American sandwich, and Russian dressing has been part of it for generations.

"Russian Salad" Is Something Else

Another source of confusion: in many countries, "Russian salad" (ensalada rusa in Spain and Latin America, insalata russa in Italy, salade russe in France) means a salad of diced boiled potatoes, carrots, peas and often egg or tuna, bound with mayonnaise. It descends from Russia's Olivier salad, named after the 19th-century Moscow chef Lucien Olivier. It has no connection to American Russian dressing, apart from the mayonnaise.

Russian Dressing and Other Pink Sauces

Many cuisines have a mayonnaise-and-tomato sauce. How they compare:

• Russian dressing (USA): mayo, ketchup or chili sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire. Tangy and spicy.
• Thousand Island (USA/Canada): mayo, ketchup, sweet pickle relish. Sweet and chunky.
• Marie Rose sauce (UK): mayo and ketchup, often with a dash of Worcestershire, lemon and cayenne; the classic prawn cocktail sauce.
• Fry sauce (Utah, USA): essentially just mayonnaise and ketchup, served with fries.
• Salsa rosada / salsa golf (Spain, Latin America): mayonnaise and ketchup, sometimes with a splash of brandy or orange juice.

Substitutions and Troubleshooting

• No horseradish? Use a little Dijon or hot English mustard for heat. The flavour will be different but still good.
• No Worcestershire sauce? A few drops of soy sauce add a similar savoury note.
• No chili sauce? Use ketchup plus a pinch of chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
• Too thick? Thin with a teaspoon of water, milk or lemon juice at a time.
• Too sharp? Add more mayonnaise, or a pinch of sugar.
• Too sweet? Add more horseradish and a squeeze of lemon.

Variations

• Lighter version: replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
• Extra-spicy: add more horseradish, a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce.
• Smoky: use smoked paprika and a little chipotle.
• Deli-style with pickles: a spoonful of finely chopped dill pickle adds crunch (it moves the dressing a little closer to Thousand Island).
• Vegan: use an egg-free mayonnaise and check that your Worcestershire sauce contains no anchovies.

Storage and Food Safety

• Keep homemade Russian dressing in a covered jar in the fridge and use it within about 5–7 days if made with commercial mayonnaise.
• If you make your own mayonnaise with raw egg, use the dressing within a day or two, and avoid serving it to pregnant people, young children, older adults or anyone with a weakened immune system.
• Don't leave it out at room temperature for more than about 2 hours.
• Stir before using; a little separation is normal. Discard if it smells sour or shows mould.

How Do Russians Actually Dress Salads?

Since "Russian dressing" isn't Russian, it's worth knowing what is. Salads in Russia are usually dressed with one of a few simple things:

• Сметана (smetana, smye-TA-na): sour cream, used on cucumber-and-tomato salads, in soups such as borscht and on pelmeni and blini.
• Подсолнечное масло (podsolnechnoye maslo, pad-SOL-nyech-na-ye MAS-la): sunflower oil, especially fragrant unrefined oil, used on sauerkraut, vinegret and fresh vegetable salads.
• Майонез (mayonez, ma-yo-NEZ): mayonnaise, which binds festive salads such as Olivier salad and "herring under a fur coat".
• Fresh herbs: dill (укроп, uk-ROP), parsley and green onion are sprinkled on almost everything.

If you want to taste these real Russian salads, see our guide to Rissian (Russian) food, which covers Olivier salad, vinegret and other classics.

Russian Dressing FAQ