Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

What's the secret sauce? This vegan thousand island dressing recipe is perfect for a sandwich, burger, salad dressing, or dip. So dip, dip away.

My vegan thousand island dressing recipe comes to mind when I think about the famous secret sauce I used to eat as a kid. Not only does vegan thousand island dressing taste great on a salad, but thousand island dressing is also great on sandwiches and burgers. Furthermore, a thousand island dressing can also be a dip for vegetables.

Jump to:

• Dressing Ingredients 
• Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Vegan Sauces, Dips and Dressings to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

To master vegan thousand island dressing, all you need is the ingredients in my vegan French dressing recipe, and then add diced dill pickles. Yes, the true secret is the pickles. Although some people prefer sweet pickles, I like dill pickles. But the choice is yours. 

I use vegan thousand island dressing on my vegan tempeh Reuben. Regardless of your sandwich, salad, or dips, vegan thousand island dressing is the secret sauce you are searching for.

Dressing Ingredients 

• Raw Cashews: Raw cashews provide the creaminess to the Thousand Island Dressing. However, if you have a nut allergy or avoid eating nuts, see the substitutions below.
• Organic Ketchup: Besides absorbing less pesticides, a study from the University of Barcelona found that organic tomatoes actually contain higher levels of phenolic compounds, which have been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, and even some forms of cancer
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar provides acidity to the dressing.
• Agave: Agave is a desert plant harvested to make tequila and sweet syrup. It was traditionally believed to have healing properties.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavors in the dressing.
• Pepper: Pepper adds depth of flavor.
• Water: Water acts as an emulsifier in the absence of oil.
• Pickles (Sweet or Dill): Choose sweet or dill pickles depending on personal preference.

Dressing Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of cashews, try almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds or hemp seeds.
• For a nut-free option, swap the cashews for white beans, silken tofu, or vegan plan unsweetened yogurt.
• If you don't have ketchup, use tomato paste instead. In recipes requiring ketchup, tomato paste can be substituted using a 1:1 ratio, which means one tablespoon of tomato paste for every tablespoon of ketchup. Remember that ketchup tends to be a bit sweeter than tomato paste, as it has added sugar, which can affect the taste of your finished dish.
• Instead of apple cider vinegar use white vinegar.
• Maple syrup of date syrup mimics the flavor of agave in recipes.
• Skip the pickles if you don't like them.

In fact, without the pickles, vegan thousand island dressing is vegan French dressing. So, if you don't like pickles, skip them and still enjoy the yummy secret sauce. 

Serving Suggestions

Since I love sauce, why not make healthy sauces at home? 

For instance, vegan thousand island goes perfectly on a vegan tempeh Reuben sandwich. 

Instead of using vegan cashew mayo on a vegan BLT, use vegan thousand island dressing instead.

Choose your favorite salad, like my roasted vegetable salad, and give it a little thousand island love.

Another one of my favorite recipes to top with secret sauce is a beet burger. 

Furthermore, this dressing is also a yummy dip for your favorite veggies!

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• If you don't own a high-quality blender, soak the cashews overnight, drain, and rinse before blending.
• A quick way to soften cashews, seeds, or other nuts is to boil them for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse them before blending.
• A lower calorie and nut-free option is to use white beans, silken tofu, or unsweetened vegan yogurt.
• Do not blend the pickles into the dressing; instead, finely chop them and stir them into the dressing.
• Refrigerate for a few hours to chill before using.
• The dressing with last up to 5 days refrigerated.

Enjoy vegan Thousand Island dressing on salads, sandwiches, or as a dip for vegetables!

Vegan Sauces, Dips and Dressings to Try!

If you love this vegan thousand island dressing recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

📖 Recipe