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    Home / Recipes / Sauces, Dips & Dressings

    Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

    Published: Mar 22, 2025 · Modified: Mar 22, 2025 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    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.

    Vegan thousand island recipe in a bowl with a spoon.

    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:
    • Vegan Thousand Island Dressing Ingredients 
    • Thousand Island Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
    • How to Make Vegan Thousand Island Dressing
    • 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 this vegan Thousand Island dressing on my vegan tempeh Reuben. Regardless of your sandwich, salad, or dip, it is the secret sauce you are searching for.

    Vegan Thousand Island Dressing Ingredients 

    Dressing Ingredients: Raw cashews, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, maple syrup, and water.
    • 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.
    I am spooning the thousand island dressing in a bowl.

    Thousand Island 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.

    How to Make Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

    The recipe is in a bowl with a spoon on the table and a picnic napkin.
    • Blend all ingredients except the pickles.
    • Dice the pickles and stir into the blended dressing.
    • Refrigerate until cool.

    In fact, without the pickles, this vegan dressing recipe 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, this dressing goes perfectly on a vegan tempeh Reuben sandwich. 
    • Instead of using vegan cashew mayo on a vegan BLT, use this vegan dressing recipe.
    • 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. 
    Beet burger with dressing on top.

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

    Recipe FAQs

    What can I use instead of Thousand Island Dressing?

    Russian Dressing is another ketchup and mayo-based salad dressing. It's very similar to Thousand Island Dressing with two main differences – it's made with horseradish instead of (or in addition to) relish and often includes chili sauce.

    Is Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing vegan?

    A deliciously fresh-tasting and diet-friendly salad dressing, the Walden Farms Vegan Thousand Island Dressing contains near zero sugar, fats, calories, and is kosher, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and contains no GMO's.

    What can I use in place of cashews?

    Sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, white beans, tofu, or vegan unsweetened yogurt.

    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!

    • 4th of July Recipes
      Vegan 4th of July Recipes
    • Mango Salsa
    • vegan calamari recipe
      Vegan Calamari
    • Creamy Balsamic Dressing Recipe
      Creamy Balsamic Dressing

    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

    Vegan Thousand Island Dressing

    Kathy Carmichael
    What's in the secret sauce? Vegan thousand island dressing recipe is perfect for a sandwich, burger, salad dressing, or dip. So dip, dip away.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Sauces, Dips & Dressings
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 53 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Dressing

    • ½ cup raw cashews Soaked overnight but not necessary; or boil for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse.
    • ½ cup organic ketchup
    • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 2 Tablespoons agave you can sub maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • ½ cup water
    • ½ cup of diced pickles sweet or dill

    Variation 1 and 2: (If you are allergic to nuts)

    • Substitute ½ cup Vegenasie for nuts and reduce water to ¼ cup or
    • Substitute ½ cup silken tofu for nuts and use ½ cup water
    • Substitute ½ cup silken tofu
    • Substitute ½ cup sunflower or hemp seeds

    Instructions
     

    • Blend all ingredients except the pickles.
    • Dice the pickles and stir into the blended dressing.
    • Refrigerate until cool.

    Video

    Notes

    • 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 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 53kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 334mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 63IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.4mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Koreen

      March 24, 2025 at 6:19 am

      5 stars
      Delicious 😋

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        March 25, 2025 at 6:41 am

        Hi Koreen! I'm so glad you liked the Thousand Island Dressing! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

        Reply
    2. Kate

      June 08, 2023 at 8:59 am

      Outstanding

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        June 08, 2023 at 3:50 pm

        Hi Kate! I'm so glad you liked the thousand island dressing. It's one of my favorites! Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
    3. Marci Scott

      December 29, 2022 at 9:28 am

      Sub for cashews? And how much would you recommend?

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        December 30, 2022 at 6:38 am

        Hi Marci, the substitutions are in the recipe card at the bottom. You can use silken tofu and reduce the water by 1/2. Or you could also use plain plant-based yogurt, and do not add any water. Sunflower seeds are another option and include the same amount of water. I hope you enjoy the salad dressing.

        Reply
    4. Karissa

      March 01, 2022 at 11:37 pm

      5 stars
      Best thousand island dressing ever! I used beans instead of cashews and this was honestly the best I’ve ever eaten, vegan or not! Thanks for an amazing recipe, Kathy!

      Reply
    5. Elaine

      December 04, 2020 at 12:21 pm

      Your VEGAN THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING is outstanding! And, it freezes well. I can't wait to try your other salad dressings!

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        December 04, 2020 at 1:52 pm

        Hi Elaine, I'm so glad you liked it. I've never frozen it, but good to know. It never lasts that long in my house haha. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it. Stay safe and healthy!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kathy! I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based recipes. I believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet!

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