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Quick, easy, and delicious, my Horseradish Sauce for Beef Tenderloin and Prime Rib is perfect for pairing with everything from everyday roast beef sandwiches to a gorgeous standing rib roast for the holidays. It takes just 5 minutes to make using a handful of easy ingredients!
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Prime Rib Horseradish Sauce
Okay, I'll admit it: I'm picky about my horseradish sauce. It's easy enough to buy a bottle at the store, but for me, not easy to expect that bottle to have the exact taste and creaminess you want!
Either it's too sharp, too mild, or just not creamy enough. And you know me - I love homemade sauce recipes, especially for beef. I've made au jus, homemade gravy, red wine reduction, and even an amazing blue cheese dressing, so why not make my own horseradish sauce, too?
So, I learned how to make horseradish sauce from scratch, and I am sharing it with you so you can enjoy the incredible flavor and texture homemade horseradish sauce offers!
Using a combination of prepared horseradish and a handful of simple, everyday ingredients, you can make a horseradish cream sauce you will want to pair with everything. It's great for roast beef sandwiches, prime rib, and more. You can even mix it into salad dressings. Enjoy!
Horseradish Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- Sour cream: I like the sharp, tangy flavor of sour cream, but you can use greek yogurt instead! For a milder sauce, use mayonnaise.
- Prepared horseradish: Typically sold in glass bottles or squeeze bottles in stores, prepared horseradish is very simple, zingy, and strong.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard has a strong vinegar bite that pairs wonderfully with horseradish. You can use stone ground or smooth.
- White vinegar: A little extra vinegar brings zing to the sauce. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Worcestershire sauce: With a blend of spices already included, Worcestershire sauce is a great way to add a bit of umami and a whole lot of flavor.
- Fresh chopped chives: This is my preference speaking, but I find that fresh chives add a unique flavor that onions can't provide, all while preserving that creamy texture.
- Salt and pepper: Added to taste!
Prepared Horseradish
Horseradish sauce uses a handful of easy ingredients, but the most important one is the prepared horseradish.
If you've never used prepared horseradish before, you can find it in a jar in the condiment aisle of any grocery store or in the refrigerated section near herbs. Common brands are Reese, Gold's, and Zatarain's. Make sure you're buying prepared horseradish and not a pre-mixed horseradish sauce! You can tell by checking the ingredients: prepared horseradish will only include horseradish root, vinegar, and spices.
Fresh Horseradish
If you don't want to use prepared horseradish or can't find it for any reason, you can also use freshly grated horseradish root. Horseradish is a root vegetable similar to mustard or wasabi, so you can find it in the produce section.
Remember that fresh horseradish root's flavor is not identical to the prepared, which is preserved with vinegar and spices. You may want to start small if you're using new to avoid an overpowering flavor.
How to Make Horseradish Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a bowl.
- Thoroughly whisk together until fully combined.
- Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Creamy Horseradish Recipe Expert Tips
- This sauce pairs with more than just prime rib roast and beef tenderloin dishes. Try it with steak, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or mayo and lemon juice as a main course salad dressing.
- You can use prepared horseradish or fresh, but if using fresh, start small and build up the flavor so you don't overpower your sauce. It will not taste the same as when prepared.
- Let the sauce rest! Like most sauces, creamy horseradish sauce ages well. It takes time for the flavors to meld, so I recommend making this sauce at least a few hours early.
Horseradish Sauce FAQ
Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish root combined with a mixture of vinegar and spices to preserve it in a jar. Horseradish sauce is a sauce made using a combination of prepared horseradish and other condiments and spices to create a sauce.
Creamy horseradish sauces generally do include dairy. In this recipe, for example, sour cream is used, which contains dairy. However, you can make horseradish sauce dairy-free by using a vegan sour cream replacement.
How to Store Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Store leftovers of this creamy horseradish sauce recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I prefer to store it in a mason jar and use it as a dip for vegetables or a spread for sandwiches.
I don't recommend freezing horseradish sauce! While the prepared horseradish alone can be frozen, it doesn't freeze well once made into a sauce.
What to Serve with Horseradish Sauce
Horseradish Sauce for Beef Tenderloin
Horseradish sauce for beef tenderloin is a classic and timeless combination! It's perfectly zingy to complement the richness of beef, bringing out the best in the flavors of both. Try it with any of my beef tenderloin recipes!
Horseradish Sauce for Prime Rib
Like tenderloin, prime rib pairs deliciously with homemade horseradish sauce. Give these prime rib recipes a try, along with my guide for cooking prime rib:
- Prime Rib Slow Roasted
- Standing Prime Rib Roast
- Boneless Rib Roast
- How to Smoke Prime Rib
- Grilling Prime Rib
Horseradish Sauce for Roast Beef
If you're like me, you grew up with the association of horseradish sauce for roast beef! My mom always loved the sauce so much, her roast beef sandwiches were more horseradish than beef. Who can really blame her? Check out my roast beef recipes, perfect for slathering with horseradish!
Horseradish Sauce for Steak
Lesser known but unbelievably delicious, horseradish sauce for steak is an unsung dinner hero. Pair your next steak dinner with horseradish and you'll never serve it without a side of horseradish sauce again!
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Horseradish Sauce Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish - up to ½ cup for extra spice
- 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon White vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Tablespoon fresh chopped chives - plus extra for garnish
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a bowl.1 cup sour cream,¼ cup prepared horseradish,1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard,1 teaspoon White vinegar,1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce,½ Tablespoon fresh chopped chives,salt and pepper
- Thoroughly whisk together until fully combined.
- Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- This sauce pairs with more than just prime rib roast and beef tenderloin dishes. Try it with steak and potatoes, carrots, broccoli, or even as a main course salad dressing with mayo and lemon juice.
- You can use prepared horseradish or fresh, but if using fresh, make sure to start small and build up the flavor so you don't overpower your sauce. It will not taste the same as using prepared.
Tiffany Mathison says
So good!!!!
Isabel Laessig says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Tiffany!
Theresa Franks says
An excellent recipe, Isabel! LOVED it! Thank you!👍💯💯💯👏
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you, Theresa! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it!