Homemade Traditional Salad Cream Recipe

Salad cream is the original creamy British salad dressing and this recipe makes the perfect salad cream. More piquant than mayonnaise, it makes use of hard boiled egg yolks rather than raw egg, and adds mustard for extra flavour.

Revisit happy childhood memories with my recipe for a wonderful traditional sauce. 

What is Salad Cream? 

Salad cream is the original British salad dressing. Ubiquitous until the mid 1980s when enthusiasm for world foods made mayonnaise much more popular, it’s the dressing many of us grew up with, slathered over butterhead lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and boiled eggs. I remember it being served up for lunch at Primary school. I wasn’t a fan then, although the memory is tinged with some nostalgia! 

See also

• A great use for salad cream: my tomato egg and salad cream sandwich
• Or a cheese, tomato and salad cream sandwich
• A full list of all my salad dressing recipes is a great source of inspiration

It was everywhere in my childhood, when avocado pears were new and exotic treats and olive oil was more likely to be found at the chemist’s shop than the grocers. Back in the 1970’s and 80’s, the British diet was very different from what it is today! However, salad cream has a much longer history than you might think.

When Mrs Beeton published her salad cream recipe (two versions, numbers 507 and 508!) in 1861, she referred back to a verse by the early 19th century cleric Sydney Smith. Smith used mashed potato rather than cream in his recipe but in all other respects it is still recognisable. 

The first commercial version became available in 1914 when Heinz started producing their salad cream in Harlesden. In 2018 the brand caused something of a furore when they proposed a change of name to ‘sandwich cream’, a notion quickly rejected by the nation! 

Salad Cream vs Mayonnaise  

In the 1940s, the British Ministry of Food set out to define minimum standards for salad cream and mayonnaise, describing mayonnaise as ‘similar to, although usually more viscous than salad cream’. From a cook’s point of view, the recipe for mayonnaise generally contains no cream and is an emulsion of raw egg yolks with oil and vinegar. In salad cream recipes, on the other hand, the eggs yolks are boiled first.  So no raw egg in salad cream. 

Sauces thickened with cooked egg yolk exist in classical French cuisine too, in the form of sauce gribiche. 

My Homemade Salad Cream Recipe

Crying out for crisp iceberg lettuce, this is the perfect dressing for a simple fuss-free traditional salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato. It is utterly delicious,  mousse-like and almost fluffy in texture. It’s a a far cry from the stuff in the bottle, so if you have never tried homemade salad cream, or indeed hated the stuff at the time, do give this recipe a try. 

It’s really not difficult to make and I have included my hacks for the perfect consistency every time – just see the Pro Tips below.  

Salad Cream Ingredients

• Cream – Double or heavy cream.   You can also successful substitute crème fraiche
• Sugar – Just regular granulated white sugar.  
• Hard-boiled egg yolks – The easiest way to hard boil eggs is to bring to the boil in a large covered pan. Once boiling, turn the heat off and leave for 12 minutes before plunging into very cold water. (You need to do this to stop that unattractive black coating forming around the yolk.) 
• Mustard – Two teaspoons of Dijon or other mild mustard, or use just a dab of English mustard.
• Lemon Juice – To extract more juice from a lemon, roll it on the counter under the heel of your hand before you slice it in half. 
• Vinegar – White wine or cider vinegar.

Not Pictured / Optional

• Milk – Any type.
• Cayenne Pepper – If you want to add a dash of heat. 

How to Make Salad Cream

First, grab your ingredients. See notes above. 

Step one – Peel and halve the eggs, remove the yolks and set the whites to one side.  Juice the half lemon. Put the egg yolks, mustard, sugar, lemon juicie and white wine vinegar into a mini blender or high-sided bowl. 

Step two – Whizz to make a smooth liquid. You can use a stick blender or electric mixer if you prefer. 

Step three – Add about half the cream. Blend slowly, adding more cream as you go.   

Pro Tip 

Because of the acidity and speed of the blender, the salad cream will suddenly thicken. You should therefore go slowly, gently pulsing and adding more cream until you have the perfect consistency. Don’t worry if it is does become too thick, though – we can easily fix that. 

Step Four – Taste and mix in a little pepper and salt to season. If the salad cream is too far thick, briefly whizz in a splash of milk to thin it. At this stage it is better to have it a bit too thick than too thin. 

Step Five – Transfer the freshly made salad cream to a serving bowl or jug. If necessary, stir in a further small splash of milk by hand to thin it to the perfect consistency. 

Pro Tip

Use a jam funnel to transfer to a glass jug or bowl. This will help to avoid splashes of salad cream round the top of the dish.  

Fresh salad cream will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.   

Hints, Tips and Suggestions for Salad Cream

• Use crème fraiche in place of the cream.
• Use this salad cream recipe as a base for sandwich spread, adding finely chopped vegetables.
• As a dip with a huge plate of crudités – see our tips for the perfect crudité platter! or make a bowl of homemade tortilla chips or melba toast. 
• Stir in some chopped fresh green garden herbs – basil, chives and parsley would all be delicious. 
• Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat. 

What Can I Do With Leftover Hard Boiled Egg Whites?

• Chop them up and scatter over a salad.
• Add into any recipe that uses whole boiled eggs. 
• Fill with salad cream and serve as a retro salad cream devilled egg < possibly my favourite!
• Pop into your dog’s bowl at dinner time alongside their usual food. (I do not recommend feeding dogs large quantities of egg white without yolk, but one or two is fine.)

More Easy Sauce Recipes

• BBQ sauce – smoky, sweet and tangy and far better than in a bottle from the shop!

• Sandwich spread – the British classic. Crunchy and tangy. As good in a sandwich or as a dip

• Burger Sauce – Essential in a burger, great for dipping your chips in!

• Hot cheese dip – the ultimate cheesy, gooey comfort food, made with tasty strong cheddar.

• Peri Peri Sauce – Vibrant, piquant and punchy. Perfect for homemade Nandos!

• Tahini Dressing – Creamy dreamy tahini dressing that goes with everything!

• More easy sauce recipes!