This Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe is perfect to serve on prime rib, steak, chicken, and sandwiches. Mayo and sour cream make it creamy, while roasted garlic, Dijon mustard and horseradish give it all the flavor. It's more than just a horseradish mayo, it's a sauce that has its own personality.
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If you love a good sauce recipe, you're in the right place! This horseradish sauce is basically a sibling to my roasted garlic aioli with thyme, and if you've never done it, roasting garlic is a great kitchen skill to know to make those cloves smooth and spreadable. If you're a make-everything-from-scratch person, my avocado oil mayo recipe is the perfect base for this sauce. Curious about what to do with the leftovers? My beef dip sandwiches are the perfect next-day move. And if you like a little heat, my sriracha aioli is great alongside it, especially on my pure beef burgers.
Why You'll Love This Horseradish Sauce
- It's creamy, bold, and balanced. Mayo and sour cream mellow the bite of the horseradish, so you're left with a creamy horseradish sauce with real flavor, not just heat.
- Ready in 10 minutes. If your garlic is already roasted (or you skip that step and use minced garlic), all you need is one bowl and a whisk.
- Make it ahead of time. This is the perfect sauce to make a day in advance for holiday dinners so the flavours have time to meld.
- It goes way beyond prime rib. It's great on steak, roast beef, chicken, burgers, sandwiches, or used as a dipping sauce.
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Ingredients For The Sauce
- Horseradish: Use prepared horseradish, and for a spicier alternative, look for the "extra hot" version.
- Mayonnaise: A good homemade mayonnaise is an excellent choice for this recipe, or you can use any version of store-bought (regular, light, or plant-based).
- Sour Cream: Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt for a lighter version.
- Roasted Garlic: Roasting the garlic mellows the garlic's flavor and makes it almost sweet-tasting instead of harsh. If you want to use plain garlic, only use one clove.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This can be substituted for white wine vinegar or rice vinegar if you're out of apple cider vinegar.
- Chives: Fresh chives can be swapped for dried chives, finely diced green onions or a little bit of dill.
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below.
Quick & Easy Variations
- Make It Spicier: Use extra hot horseradish, a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a dash of your favorite hot sauce.
- Make It Mild: Add extra sour cream and start with less horseradish.
- Add Herbs & Spices: Stir in some fresh dill, parsley, thyme, paprika, or chipotle chili powder.
- Dairy-Free (Vegan) Version: Use plant-based mayonnaise and plant-based sour cream or Greek yogurt.
If you love creamy homemade sauces like this one, try my homemade ranch dressing, creamy taco salad dressing, or spicy mayo recipe.
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How To Make Horseradish Sauce
Step 1
In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir well using a spatula or a whisk until smooth.
Step 2
Serve over prime rib, steak, roast chicken, as a spread on beef dips or as a dipping sauce for homemade french fries.
Expert Tips For The Best Horseradish Sauce
- Let it chill. For optimal flavor, cover and let the horseradish sauce sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
- Add additional horseradish a little at a time. To make the sauce spicier and give it more kick, add some more horseradish, but just remember you can always add more, but you can't take it back out.
- Use full-fat dairy. Using light mayo and Greek yogurt gives the sauce a thinner, less rich taste compared to using full-fat mayonnaise and sour cream.
How To Store Leftovers
Store leftover horseradish sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, and give it a quick stir before serving. I do not recommend freezing this sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a creamy sauce made using prepared horseradish mixed with a creamy base of mayonnaise and sour cream. Mine adds mashed roasted garlic, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, chives, and spices as well.
Kind of, horseradish mayo is usually just horseradish stirred into mayonnaise. Horseradish sauce like mine adds more ingredients for a more robust, flavorful sauce. And horseradish aioli leans into the garlic. So add more roasted garlic and a splash more apple cider vinegar to make this sauce an aioli.
It is usually caused by excess liquid from the jar of horseradish, some brands are runnier than others. Try to drain off any excess liquid from the jar to keep your sauce thick and creamy. To fix a thin sauce, stir in an extra spoonful of mayo.
If you made this Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
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Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- 3 Tablespoons Prepared Horseradish
- ½ head Roasted Garlic mashed
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chives finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk or stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, prepared horseradish, roasted garlic, apple cider vinegar, fresh chives, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (refrigerate for 30 minutes for optimal flavor).
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Notes
- Mayonnaise: Full-fat mayo or my homemade mayonnaise is best, but you can use light, plant-based, too.
- Sour Cream: Again, full-fat sour cream is best here too, but it can be swapped for plain Greek yogurt for a lighter version.
- Prepared Horseradish: Some brands are runnier than others, drain off excess liquid or the sauce could turn runny. For a spicier version, use "extra-hot horseradish".
- Roasted Garlic: Roasted garlic gives this sauce massive flavor, if you prefer, raw garlic can be used instead, but only use one clove minced so it doesn't overpower the sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Can be substituted for white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, and give it a quick stir before serving.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Jessica says
I'm dying to know what you're putting this sauce on. I'm team prime rib and steak sandwiches, but I also won't judge if it ends up on a baked potato or is licked straight off the spoon!