This vegan thousand island dressing has hands down the best flavor ever! It’s made without mayo, uses easy to find whole food ingredients and can be used in so many ways!
This recipe even gets better the next day when the flavors really sink in. It’s not too sweet (because yuck), has the perfect tang, and creamy as ever without the need for mayo!
While this would go amazing on a salad, we also use it for our vegan buddha bowl, as a dip for french fries and even as a spread for burgers like this vegan veggie lentil burger!
How to Make Vegan Thousand Island
Homemade dressings are great because you can adjust the taste to your preference. You can also make sure all of the ingredients are dairy free, gluten-free, and plant based! Mix this recipe up in minutes and keep it on hand for tons of flavor all week!
Ingredients
- Raw cashews
- Dairy free milk
- Ketchup
- White vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Relish
- Red Onion
- Hot sauce
- Paprika
Step by Step Instructions
- Place cashews, milk, ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, hot sauce, paprika and salt into a blender and blend on high until nice and smooth.
- Add in the relish and onion and pulse until incorporated.
- Serve!
Ways to use Thousand Island
Use this vegan dressing recipe for all of your drizzling, dipping, and spreading needs. Here are some of our favorite plant based pairings:
- Green Salad
- Chickpea Burger
- Portobello Burger
- Vegan Panini
- Loaded Vegan Grilled Cheese
- The Ultimate Vegan BLT
- Vegan Pigs in a Blanket
- Crispy Oven Fries
- Eggplant Fries
- Veggie Tots
- Onion Rings
- Veggie Sticks
Preparation Tips
- To make this smooth without a high speed blender you can pre-soften the cashews by soaking them overnight, or boil for 25 minutes. You can also grind them (un-soaked) with a coffee or spice grinder.
- The amount of salt needed will depend on the ingredients you use, mix it in to taste.
- If you want more of a kick add more hot sauce, or leave it out for a completely mild dressing.
Storage Tips
- Seal the dressing in an airtight container.
- Keep it in the refrigerator.
- If your ingredients are fresh this Thousand Island will keep for up to 5-7 days.
Common Questions
Usually it does not contain dairy, but it does have mayo which is made from eggs, making it not vegan.
While Thousand Island dressing has many of the same qualities as popular burger sauces it isn’t always the same. Each recipe will vary, some are more tangy and some are more sweet, and use different ingredients.
Generally this dressing is made with mayonnaise, ketchup, and often relish. It can also contain spices, onion, or other acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar.
More Vegan Dressing and Sauce Recipes
Give your favorite recipes a flavor boost by pairing them with any of these plant based recipes:
The Best Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (see note)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain dairy free milk
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 – ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
- ¼ cup chopped red onion , finely chopped
Instructions
- Place cashews, milk, ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, hot sauce, paprika and salt into a blender and blend on high until nice and smooth.
- Add in the relish and onion and pulse until incorporated.
- Serve!
Notes
- If you don’t have a high speed blender, soak the cashews overnight to soften them. You can also boil them for 20-25 minutes if you forget. Another method is using a coffee or spice grinder to grind them dry (not soaking) into a very fine powder.
- Adjust the salt to your preference, this can depend on hot sauce used as some have a lot of salt.
- This makes about 2 cups, serving size is 2 tablespoons.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Sarah says
I made this to put on fries with grilled onions like In N Out and it was so good! Saving this one for sure.