Homemade horseradish sauce is really easy to make and so much tastier than store-bought sauce. Use it on beef, chicken or seafood.
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Table of Contents
What is horseradish?
Horseradish is a root vegetable. It’s long and has coarse skin like a carrot.
After it’s peeled, the root is often grated or ground and mixed into condiments like creamy horseradish sauce, cocktail sauce or mustard.
Horseradish has a very distinct, spicy flavor. It’s not spicy like a chile pepper. It’s that special spice that clears your sinuses.
You can buy a fresh horseradish root, but it’s a little easier to buy prepared horseradish, which is sold in jars or bottles. Prepared horseradish is usually made by shredding horseradish root and combining it with vinegar, water, canola oil and natural flavors.
Take a look at the jar because it does come in different spice levels and potencies. I like Silver Spring Prepared Horseradish. It has just the right amount of zing.
Ingredients
- Sour Cream
- Heavy Cream: Use more or less, depending on how thick you want your sauce.
- Prepared Horseradish: Look for this at your grocery store near the pickles, in the deli section or in the refrigerated section near the lunch meat and cheese. You’ll find it comes in different spiciness levels.
- Lemon Juice: This adds a pop of acidity to balance the cream.
- Garlic Powder and Kosher Salt
- Chives: You can use dried chives or fresh chives
- White Pepper: I use white pepper instead of black pepper to minimize the black flecks.
Substitutions: You can use milk or half and half instead of cream.
See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make horseradish sauce
- STEP ONE: Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl.
- STEP TWO: Stir until everything is combined. The texture will be slightly coarse. Refrigerate until ready to use.
PRO TIP: If you like thinner horseradish sauce, add more cream or milk.
How to serve horseradish sauce
Horseradish sauce is a great condiment or dip to serve alongside prime rib roast or steak. It’s also fantastic smeared on roast beef sandwiches.
But it’s not just good on beef. Try it with chicken or seafood like salmon. It’s even great on veggies and baked potatoes.
Storage
Store this creamy horseradish sauce recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Use jarred prepared horseradish, not jarred horseradish sauce
- For creamy horseradish, use heavy cream
- When using dried chives, crumble them in your hand to release essential oil
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes the words are used interchangeably. Horseradish on its own is a root vegetable. When that root is peeled, grated and combined with other ingredients, including milk or cream, you get creamy horseradish sauce.
Not quite. Horseradish sauce is a condiment that is made by combining fresh grated horseradish or prepared horseradish with sour cream, cream or milk, an acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and spices. Sometimes mayonnaise is also added.
Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish mixed with vinegar, oil and spices. It’s sold in jars, but doesn’t include cream or milk.
Horseradish has a pungent pronounced flavor that is tangy and a little peppery. It can be mild or spicy. The spicy versions clear out your sinuses. Because the flavor can be strong, sour cream, mayo or dairy are used to cut the tanginess.
Recipes that go great with horseradish sauce
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Homemade Horseradish Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
- 5 oz jarred prepared horseradish
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried chives, crushed
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Combine everything together in a small bowl. The texture will be slightly coarse. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
