Last updated on February 10th, 2020 at 10:56 am

Reuben sauce is a creamy condiment full sauerkraut, onions, horseradish, and pickled mustard seeds. All the flavors of a Reuben sandwich and perfect for sliders, burgers, and hot dogs!

Serve this easy condiment on Corn Dog Bites, Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog Bites, and Mini Crescent Dogs!

What’s on a Reuben?

Aside from the corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, the dressing is what completes it! But what dressing?

The sauce debate rages on between 1000 island and Russian dressing with the only difference between the two is a little sweet or a little spicy!

What is the difference between Russian and Thousand Island dressing?

Russian dressing is made with chili sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and mayo. Thousand Island dressing is made with ketchup, sweet pickle relish, onion, and a little garlic.

They look the same but the 1000 island dressing is sweeter because of the sweet pickle relish and the ketchup. Russian dressing starts with chili sauce as a base instead of ketchup and also includes more spicy ingredients.

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If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious easy Sauce for a Reuben Sandwich recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

Reuben Sandwich Sauce

Imagine a Reuben sandwich but in a sauce! Ok, not a full Reuben because the sauce doesn’t actually contain corned beef, but all the flavors that remind you of it.

The Reuben sandwich is layers of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and sauce. There is a lot of debate as to whether it is 1000 island dressing or Russian dressing.

For my Reuben Sauce, I decided to combine the two, along with some sauerkraut and onions to make a sauce that is delicious enough to stand on its own!

Feel free to spread it on a Reuben sandwich, hamburgers, hot, dogs, grilled cheese, and these fun little corned beef and Swiss appetizer toasts.

How to make Reuben Sauce

Step One: Sweat some onions with toasted caraway seeds and sauerkraut until tender.

Step Two: Mix this with the rest of the dressing ingredients to create this unique condiment that you can use on so many things.

Step Three: Enjoy this! The Swiss cheese in the dressing adds some thickness to it and another layer of tanginess! Imagine this Reuben Sauce in your scrambled eggs!!

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can make the Reuben Sauce up to a week in advance! Just keep it stored in the fridge.

Do I have to add the horseradish?

Feel free to leave out the prepared horseradish and/or hot sauce if you want to keep the heat down.

Can I make this with cabbage or coleslaw?

I guess you could, just make sure the cabbage is fully cooked. You can use coleslaw or pickled cabbage. But you might miss the tangy flavor from the kraut.

How long does Reuben Sauce last?

If you keep it stored in the fridge in an air tight container, it will last for 1 week. It doesn’t freeze well either.

Once I made this Reuben Sauce I just had to try it out on something. I didn’t have a burger or hot dog lying around but I did have some small cocktail toasts and corned beef.

I toasted small pumpernickel and whole wheat toasts, topped with sliced corned beef and some shredded Swiss cheese. Once they were all warm and the cheese was all melty, I topped them with this cool Reuben Sauce!

Brooks came home and ate all these mini, open-faced, Reuben sliders. Good thing I already took all the photos.

Try this in your Reuben Deviled Eggs and Reuben Skewers. It’s gluten free and vegetarian too!

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Other tangy condiments:

• Pickled Cabbage
• Pickled Red Onions
• Whole Grain Mustard
• Olive Salad

Reuben Sauce

Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes

This Reuben Sauce is a spicy condiment of sauerkraut, onions, horseradish, and pickled mustard seeds for any sandwich, burger, or hot dog!

Print

Ingredients

Reuben Sauce

• 1/2 cup onion (chopped fine)
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons pickle relish (dill)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1/2 teaspoon pickled mustard seeds

For Serving

• sliced corned beef
• Swiss cheese
• pumpernickel and wheat toasts for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized skillet, combine the olive oil and caraway seeds.
2. Heat over medium high heat, cook the caraway seeds for 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the sauerkraut and onion to the pan.
4. Cook until onions are tender and golden brown.  Appr 8 mins.
5. When cooked, remove to a mixing bowl.
6. Add in the remaining ingredients stir to completely combine.
7. You can serve this Reuben Sauce warm or cold.
8. I recommend serving it on small cocktail toasts with some sliced corned beef and Swiss cheese.

Notes

*If you like this recipe, please leave me a comment and rate it with some stars.  Thank you!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1009Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 1151mgCarbohydrates: 82gFiber: 14gSugar: 9gProtein: 46g

This nutrition information was generated via a third party, Nutritionix, and can not be held liable for any discrepancies in the information provided.

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