This Horseradish Cream Sauce Delivers Bold Steakhouse Flavor At Home

In my 20s, I loved getting all dressed up for a fancy steakhouse dinner. 💅🏼💃🏻 Sure, the steak was always delicious…but can we agree that the restaurant sides and sauces were the real stars of the show?

This creamy horseradish sauce is my favorite way to recreate this experience at home. The horseradish brings a sharp, satisfying kick while the sour cream smooths it all out. It’s punchy but totally balanced –exactly what you want alongside something rich.

I love serving a dollop of horseradish sauce with steak, but it also holds its own with holiday centerpieces like Garlic and Herb Prime Rib and buttery-tender Herb-Crusted Roasted Beef Tenderloin. 

And it’s so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever waited for a dinner reservation. I’ll take a restaurant-quality dinner in the comfort of my sweatpants any day. 😉

This is the best creamy horseradish sauce for steak, prime rib, and beef tenderloin, and even salmon or roasted potatoes. It’s creamy and tangy, with just the right kick of heat – the perfect complement to rich meats!
An overhead shot of ingredients in white dishes on a black surface: sour cream, horseradish, dijon mustard, and lemon juice.
You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this sauce: bottled horseradish, sour cream, Dijon, and fresh lemon juice.

While I usually preach fresh is best, I always use prepared horseradish here. It’s already finely grated and bottled with a dash of vinegar and salt, so it has plenty of punchy flavor – and it’s way easier than tracking down a fresh root and grating it by hand. You can find it in the condiment aisle near the jarred olives.

How to Make Horseradish Sauce With Sour Cream

This homemade horseradish sauce doesn’t require any chopping – just some quick scooping, measuring, and whisking in a bowl. It’s ready in 2 minutes tops!

A bowl of creamy horseradish sauce topped with cracked black pepper, with a gold spoon resting inside, on a dark background.
Simply combine sour cream, prepared horseradish, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and mix!

🥣 This recipe is written to deliver an unmistakable, taste-bud-tingling punch of heat. If you’re craving even more kick, just stir in extra horseradish, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired spice level.

A bowl of creamy white horseradish sauce topped with chopped chives and cracked black pepper, with a gold spoon resting inside. The bowl is placed on a dark surface.
This creamy horseradish sauce is easy to whip up and keeps well for up to two weeks in the fridge. Perfect to make ahead for steak night, holiday hosting, and more!
A bowl of creamy horseradish sauce topped with chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper, with a spoon scooping some out.
Serving horseradish sauce with steak is a no-brainer, but it’s a lot more all-purpose than you might think! Add a spoonful to corned beef, lamb, pork, or serve it as a dip for crudité and chips. The options are limitless!
A close-up shot of a slice of beef tenderloin topped with sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans on a stoneware plate.
Just a spoonful and you’ve got the steakhouse experience right at home – no dress code required!
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An overhead shot of mixed homemade horseradish sauce topped with black pepper and chopped chives in a stoneware bowl atop a black textured surface. A striped cloth and small dishes of chopped chives and black pepper sit alongside it.

5-Minute Creamy Horseradish Sauce (for Steak, Prime Rib, Roast Beef, & More!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Sauces & Condiments
  • Method: No-Cook
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This Creamy Horseradish Sauce adds bold, feisty flavor to anything rich or roasted!

Made with 4 simple ingredients in just 2 minutes, it strikes the perfect balance of cooling sour cream and nose-tingling horseradish.

Dollop over prime rib, beef tenderloin, baked potatoes, or crispy veggies for a zippy, steakhouse-worth dinner!


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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 ½ – 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

Instructions

  1. Mix the creamy horseradish sauce: To a medium bowl, add the sour cream, prepared horseradish, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Season with 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Whisk to combine well. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely before serving or serve immediately.An overhead shot of sauce being mixed with a gold spoon in a stoneware bowl atop a black textured surface.
  2. Serve: This creamy horseradish sauce is the perfect pairing for a hearty protein like beef. Spoon it over Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Garlic and Herb Prime Rib, or a quick and simple steak—this Cast Iron Steak and this Perfectly Grilled Steak are my go-to recipes. Creamy horseradish sauce is also a great topper for a simple baked potato or dip for roasted veggies and potato chips. Enjoy!An overhead shot of mixed homemade horseradish sauce topped with black pepper and chopped chives in a stoneware bowl atop a black textured surface. A striped cloth and small dishes of chopped chives and black pepper sit alongside it.

Notes

  • Horseradish is a root vegetable native to Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It packs an intense punch of zingy heat—not spicy, but similar to wasabi and mustard seed. While you can purchase fresh horseradish and grate it yourself, I always opt for “prepared” horseradish. Prepared horseradish is a condiment consisting of already-grated horseradish that’s preserved with a little vinegar and salt. You can find it in most conventional grocery stores near jarred cocktail onions and olives.
  • Storage: Leftover creamy horseradish sauce will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 Tbsp
  • Calories: 61
  • Sugar: 1.4 g
  • Sodium: 126.3 mg
  • Fat: 5.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.9 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 2.1 g
  • Fiber: 0.2 g
  • Protein: 0.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 17 mg

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