5-Star horseradish Sauce for Bold Roast Beef

If you’re making a prime rib or a big holiday roast beef, you simply can’t stop at the meat! It needs that sharp, zesty counterpoint to cut through all that rich flavor. Trust me on this one; that’s where **horseradish** comes in. I’m Carla, and after years of testing kitchen shortcuts for busy families, I’ve landed on the absolute winner: this **Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe** is the easiest one you will ever make for your roast. It’s simple, reliable, and gives you that perfect restaurant-quality kick. Forget those jarred sauces that taste flat; this one will be a staple at your table. You absolutely need to check out my full holiday roast recipe, but first, let’s make the sauce!

Why This Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe Works So Well

This sauce stands head and shoulders above anything shelf-stable. It’s the reason I keep it in my rotation even when I’m not making a huge roast. You get that immediate, bright punch that only fresh application of **horseradish** can give you. It’s one of those **quick homemade sauces** that instantly elevates a simple dinner plate. Plus, it tastes amazing as a **tangy steak sauce** all week long!

Flavor Profile: The Perfect Zesty Condiment

What I love most is the balance. It’s creamy from the sour cream, yes, but that **horseradish** delivers a truly spicy kick right up front. It hits the back of your throat perfectly, which is exactly what you need to balance out rich prime rib or fatty roast beef. It’s zesty, sharp, and bright—everything a classic roast dinner condiment should be.

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Beginner Friendly Sauce Recipe Success

This is the epitome of my cooking style here at Carla’s Cooking: high flavor, low effort. You don’t even need to turn on the stove! This is genuinely a **beginner friendly sauce recipe** that comes together faster than opening a jar. If you can stir ingredients in a bowl, you can make this sauce perfectly. Check out my peppercorn sauce if you need another quick side!

Ingredients for Your Homemade Prepared Horseradish Sauce

When you look at this ingredient list, you’ll see why this is such a dependable recipe. There’s nothing complicated here—just pantry staples that do the heavy lifting to create that sharp **horseradish** flavor we love. You only need six core things, plus optional chives if you want a little green pop at the end. Precision matters in sauces, so I always measure this out carefully to ensure the perfect consistency.

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained (this is essential!)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (Optional—I love adding these in!)

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Horseradish

So, let’s talk about customizing! If you want something tangier than the standard creamy sauce, don’t be afraid to swap out some or all of that sour cream for heavy cream. It makes the texture a little richer, too. Remember, the star here is the prepared **horseradish**, and you are the boss! If you love that powerful heat, go ahead and add an extra spoonful. If you’re serving folks who aren’t as brave, hold back a bit. That’s the beauty of making it yourself—you control the spice level completely.

How to Make Creamy Horseradish Sauce Recipe in Minutes

Okay, now for the fun part—mixing everything! Since we are keeping this recipe incredibly easy—no cooking involved here at all—the mixing process is quick, but you have to do it right. Grab a medium bowl; this isn’t a job for a stand mixer, just a quick whisk or spoon works perfectly. First things first, get your sour cream, the prepared **horseradish** (make sure you’ve drained that excess liquid off the jar!), that little bit of Dijon punch, and the lemon juice all together right away.

Stir everything until it looks smooth and uniform. Don’t overdo it, but make sure there are no white streaks of sour cream hiding anywhere. Once that’s mixed, toss in your salt and pepper, give it one final gentle stir, and if you’re feeling fancy, fold in those fresh chives. You can find my recipe for quick creamy garlic sauce if you want another fast condiment idea!

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The Critical Step: Chilling Your Horseradish Sauce

This is where I always tell people, “Don’t cheat!” Even though this is technically a ‘no cook’ method, you absolutely have to let this sauce rest. Cover that bowl up tightly with plastic wrap and tuck it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Why? Because the sour cream, lemon, and strong **horseradish** need time to talk to each other! If you serve it right away, the flavors are too separate. When you chill it, that zesty flavor mellows and blends, making the final result so much richer and better for your roast beef.

Serving Suggestions: The Best Sauce for Prime Rib and More

Now that you have this perfect, zesty condiment, the real question is what marvelous thing are you going to slather it on? Since we designed this to be the **Best Sauce for Prime Rib**, that’s where you absolutely must start! The strong, cool punch of **horseradish** slices right through the richness of the fatty roast, balancing every single bite. It’s traditional for a reason, folks.

But don’t let that stop you! This isn’t just a holiday centerpiece star. Think of it as one of those versatile **sauces to pair with steak** year-round—a cold slice of leftover roast beef sandwich suddenly becomes gourmet with this slathered on. I even use a little bit on leftover ham or turkey sandwiches when I’m making lunch the day after a big meal. It’s just so much brighter than standard mustard or mayo. If you are planning a smash burger night, you might want to tweak this by adding a little ketchup for my smash burger sauce vibe, but for beef roasts, this is the winner.

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It works wonders with pan-seared steaks, too. It’s a lovely alternative if you’re looking for something lighter than my peppercorn sauce. Just dollop it cold right next to that perfectly cooked meat!

Exploring Other Horseradish Uses: Beyond Creamy Sauce

While my creamy sauce reigns supreme for prime rib, I know some of you food adventurers out there want to dig deeper into the world of **horseradish**! It’s such a versatile root, and not all uses involve dairy. People often ask me about making **Homemade Prepared Horseradish**—the stuff that’s usually just the grated root mixed with vinegar. That’s a whole different beast—it hits you much harder!

We also see a lot of interest in traditional methods, like the Polish Chrzan, which is wonderful but requires a little more commitment than my 5-minute sauce. If you want to explore the world of gut health benefits, I found this fascinating guide on fermented horseradish benefits that you might enjoy checking out. Keep exploring, and don’t forget to look around my whole recipe collection when you’re done!

Using Fresh Horseradish Root Recipes

If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a fresh **horseradish** root, you are in for a treat, but be warned! The flavor is intense, much sharper, and faster-hitting than the prepared stuff we used in the sour cream base. When you use the fresh root, you usually grate it finely and mix it immediately with white vinegar. The vinegar stops the enzyme reaction that creates that sharp heat, preserving it perfectly for sauces, relishes, or even just standing alone as a zesty condiment.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips for Your Spicy Cream Sauce

Since this **horseradish** sauce is so simple and relies on fresh dairy, you might wonder about making it ahead of time, especially if you’re planning a big holiday meal. Good news! This sauce actually gets better after a little rest. I always whip it up the morning before a big dinner, or maybe the night before if I’m super busy. Cover it up tightly—I mean really covered well—and keep it snug in the fridge.

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Because it’s full of that sharp **horseradish** and lemon, it holds up really nicely. You can definitely plan on using it for up to about a week, though honestly, it rarely lasts that long at my house! The flavors just keep melding together, making it a fantastic, one-less-thing-to-worry-about winner for any big spread.

Frequently Asked Questions About Horseradish Sauce

I get so many questions about this spicy sauce after people try it the first time! It’s amazing how something so simple can cause so much discussion. Here are a few things folks often ask me when they are planning their menus for **classic roast dinner sauces** or just looking for a reliable **tangy steak sauce**!

Can I use fresh horseradish root instead of prepared in this recipe?

Yes, you absolutely can, but it changes the process a bit! If you use fresh root, you have to grate it very fine—we are talking almost dusty. Then, you mix that grated root with a splash of white vinegar right away before adding it to the sour cream mix. The vinegar locks in that signature heat. If you just dump the raw root into the cream, it can be overpowering, or worse, it loses its kick too fast! For a *quick homemade sauce*, grabbing the prepared stuff is my regular move, but fresh is always king if you have the time.

How long does this creamy horseradish sauce last in the fridge?

Because this recipe uses sour cream, it lasts quite a while, especially compared to sauces made with whipped cream! I generally feel confident serving leftovers for up to a full week when it’s stored tightly covered in the coldest part of my fridge. That said, the flavor changes slightly after day three. The initial sharp bite softens a tiny bit as the **horseradish** mellows into the cream, but it’s still wonderfully delicious!

Is this sauce suitable for all red meats, not just prime rib?

Oh, goodness, yes! Please don’t think this is just a one-hit wonder for a giant roast. This is one of the best zesty dipping sauces around! It’s fantastic dolloped on a thick, juicy steak fresh off the grill. I’ve stirred a little extra into leftover shredded roast beef to make amazing sandwiches. And honestly? If you’re having burgers for dinner, a spoonful of this tangy sauce beats ketchup any day. It’s the perfect spicy addition to almost any meat dish.

Estimated Nutritional Data for Horseradish Condiment

When we talk about making our food delicious, we also need to know what’s in it, right? Even though this **horseradish** sauce is so delightfully simple, it still has some nutritional info worth knowing! Since this is a homemade condiment, remember these numbers are just estimates based on the standard amounts of sour cream and prepared horseradish we used—your exact results might vary a little bit. Use these figures as a general guide for your meal planning!

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 85
• Fat: 8g (5g saturated)
• Carbohydrates: 3g
• Protein: 1g
• Sodium: 120mg

Because this sauce relies on dairy and flavor boosters like Dijon, it does contain saturated fat, but it’s a small serving size, so it’s perfect for doctoring up a plate of steak or roast beef without worry. It’s a flavorful, low-carb addition compared to heavy starch sides!

Share Your Bold Flavor Enhancer Recipes

Now that you’ve got the blueprint for the **best creamy horseradish sauce**—the one that makes any roast beef shine—I really want to hear from you! I spend hours in my kitchen perfecting these recipes so they work for your busy life, and knowing how they turn out for you makes all the effort worthwhile.

Did you make it? How spicy did you go with that prepared **horseradish**? Tell me in the comments below! I absolutely love hearing about your favorite meat pairings—was it prime rib? Maybe you tried using it as a zesty condiment on a baked potato instead? Don’t be shy; share your results and your rating for this recipe.

If you have any tricky questions or just want to say hello, you can always reach out directly via my contact page. Happy cooking, and I hope this bold, tangy sauce becomes a permanent feature on your dinner table!

Best Creamy Horseradish Sauce for Prime Rib

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Make this simple, zesty, and creamy horseradish sauce at home. It is the perfect pairing for roast beef or prime rib.

• Author: Carla Davis
• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Total Time: 35 min
• Yield: About 1.5 cups 1x
• Category: Condiment
• Method: No Cook
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (optional)

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, prepared horseradish, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice.
2. Stir the ingredients together until they are fully mixed and smooth.
3. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Mix again to combine.
4. If using, stir in the fresh chives.
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to blend.
6. Serve cold alongside roast beef or prime rib.

Notes

• For a tangier sauce, use heavy cream instead of sour cream, or a mix of both.
• If you prefer a stronger horseradish flavor, add more prepared horseradish to taste.
• This sauce is a great alternative to standard steak sauces. If you are looking into meal planning for your weekly dinners, this sauce is a quick addition.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 85
• Sugar: 2
• Sodium: 120
• Fat: 8
• Saturated Fat: 5
• Unsaturated Fat: 3
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 3
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 1
• Cholesterol: 25