Horseradish: How to can your own homemade canned horseradish sauce (complete directions with photos )

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How to Make Homemade Horseradish Sauce

For refrigerator or freezer storage

(Photos coming soon)

You think making your own horseradish sauce is difficult or expensive?  Not at all! You won't believe how much more flavor it has than the store bought horseradish sauces. Perfect for shrimp cocktail, with prime rib or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding!

So, here's how to make horseradish sauce!  The directions are  complete with instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated.

Prepared this way, the jars have a refrigerator shelf life of about 1 or 2 months. The pungency of fresh horseradish fades within 1 to 2 months, even when refrigerated. For that reason the batch is small.  Let's be clear about storage: the USDA says that the prepared sauce should be stored only in the refrigerator or freezer, not at room temperature.

Directions for Making Horseradish Sauce

Yield: about 1 pint total, usually canned in 4 four-ounce jars or 2 8-ouce jars

Ingredients and Equipment

  • 3 or 4 horseradish plants (about 2 lbs of roots, minus the tops) to produce about 2 cups (or 3/4 lb) of freshly grated horseradish (see step 1)
  • 1/4 tsp powdered ascorbic acid (Fruit Fresh)
  • 1 cup vinegar (5% acidity) (note: I have successfully substituted lemon juice)
  • 1/2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt (optional - besides flavor, it helps with color and retaining pungency)

Pickled Horseradish Sauce Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the horseradish

The most important step!  You need horseradish that are FRESH and crisp.  Limp, old horseradish will make nasty tasting canned horseradish.  Guests will probably throw them at you.. Select firm, crisp horseradish. Remove and discard any soft, diseased, spotted and chewed up horseradish.

How much horseradish and where to get it

You can grow your own, pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. About 3 or 4 plants with of 1-inch diameter roots makes about 4 four-ounce jars - similar to the ones in the grocery store.

Step 2 - Wash the horseradish

I'm sure you can figure out how to scrub the horseradish in plain cold or lukewarm water using your hands or a vegetable brush. Wash horseradish roots thoroughly to remove as much dirt as feasible.

Step 3 - Trim the ends and cut into smaller pieces

Cut the small roots off and with a vegetable peeler and a sharp knife, peel off brown outer skin.

Step 4 -Grate the horseradish!

I prefer to use a blender, pouring the vinegar or lemon juice in to help liquefy the roots and keep the blender moving it around. But the peeled roots may also be grated in a food processor or cut into small cubes and put through a food grinder. Grating horseradish releases the enzymes that cause the hot flavor. And the finer the grind, the hotter the heat!

Step 5 - Mix in remaining vinegar, salt and ascorbic acid.

I prefer not to use any salt, and for ascorbic acid, I use "Fruit Fresh". Just mix them up (again I do this in the blender). Note that adding the vinegar stops the heat from developing, so if you like very hot horseradish, let the grated horseradish sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour, before adding the vinegar!

Step 6 - Store the jars in the refrigerator

Just put the lids on and put them in a colder part of your fridge!

Try to use them within 2 months!

 You're done!

 

 

 

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

  1. Jar lifting tongs to pick up hot jars
  2. Lid lifter - to remove lids from the pot of boiling water (sterilizing )
  3. Lid - disposable - you may only use them once
  4. Ring - holds the lids on the jar until after the jars cool - then you don't need them
  5. Canning jar funnel - to fill the jars
 Canning tools

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is it safe to can horseradish sauce in a traditional water bath? If so how long do you do process them?

A. No, the USDA's National Center for Home Food Preservation has not found a reliable, safe way to can horseradish, using home canning equipment (which includes both water bath canners and pressure canners). It's fine to prepare it and store it in the refrigerator or freezer!

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Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

[ All About Home Canning, Freezing and Making Jams, Pickles, Sauces, etc. ] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]

Home Canning Kits

This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!
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