This white, creamy sauce made from freshly grated horseradish used to be a regular dish in Czech families. Paired with dumplings and a slice of meat, horseradish sauce was considered a comfort food that provided energy for the entire day.
➜ About Czech horseradish sauce
Czech horseradish sauce is like a soothing hug for your taste buds! It starts with a velvety roux of butter and flour, then gets richer with a blend of stock and cream whisked into the roux. After some cooking, just before the sauce is ready, I toss in a handful of freshly grated horseradish for a kick. The final step is to balance the sauce with a little sugar and lemon juice.
Czech horseradish sauce is served warm, usually with a few pieces of yeast dumpling and a slice of smoked meat, ham or pork roast.
The Czech name for horseradish sauce is „Křenová omáčka.“ Here is a short audio clip so you can hear how the name sounds in native Czech:
➜ Horseradish sauce ingredients
- Fresh horseradish root: Czechs make the sauce from fresh horseradish, which can be bought in Czech stores in the vegetable section. Be careful, fresh horseradish is quite pungent and, when shredded, can irritate the eyes and nose, similar to chopping onions. On the other hand, this is a sign of freshness and a confirmation that the sauce will have a strong horseradish flavor.
- Beef broth: For a richer flavor. If you don't have beef stock, use chicken or vegetable stock.
- Cream: I used heavy whipping cream with over 30% fat. If you want a lighter version, combine the cream with milk.
- For seasoning: salt, granulated sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- All-purpose flour and unsalted butter: to make roux for thickening the sauce.
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
➜ How to peel and shred horseradish root
The horseradish root must first be peeled and finely shredded. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Then, grate the horseradish on a hand grater on the side with small holes.
➜ How to make roux for horseradish sauce
NOTE: According to this recipe, horseradish sauce is made using béchamel, a light sauce of butter, flour, and cream. It is a traditional specialty, mostly used in French cuisine. Bohemian grandmas typically thickened their sauces with a mixture called "zátřepka," which was simply flour whisked with milk. Béchamel adds more flavor and smoothness to the sauce.
Other well-known Czech sauces, such as Koprová dill sauce or Rajská tomato sauce, are prepared in a similar way.
I prepare the roux in the same pan in which I subsequently make the sauce. Therefore, choose a pan that has enough high sides or use a saucepan.
To make the roux, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, then stir in the flour. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to foam slightly. Gradually add the lukewarm stock in small batches, whisking well each time.
Because the horseradish sauce is light, do not let the roux sauté too long so that it does not turn brown.
➜ How much horseradish should I add to the sauce
The amount of horseradish added to the sauce depends on how fresh your horseradish is. The fresher the horseradish, the more intense the sauce will be, and the less horseradish you will need. Start by adding a tablespoon at a time, stirring, and tasting to see if you can smell enough horseradish in the sauce.
Season the sauce with salt, sugar, and lemon juice. The sugar balances the flavor of the horseradish, and the lemon juice adds a touch of acidity. Again, I recommend seasoning gradually and checking the intensity by stirring and tasting the sauce.
➜ Straining the sauce
The sauce can be served in two ways: you can leave the shredded horseradish in the sauce, giving it a rough texture, or you can strain the sauce. I chose the second method for a smoother result. Strain the sauce through a sieve with a coarser rather than a finer mesh. Use the rounded side of a spoon to push the sauce down over the edges of the strainer.
➜ Serving
When the horseradish sauce is ready, it's time to go to the table! The sauce is served warm with slices of yeast dumplings and a piece of meat. The best accompaniment is smoked meat, cooked ham, or pork roast as a meaty side dish.
Or skip the meat altogether and serve a halved hard-boiled egg instead.
➜ Useful tips
- Like other béchamel-based sauces, horseradish sauce thickens over the next day. To reheat, stir in a tablespoon or two of water and heat the sauce in a pot on the stove.
- Store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 4-5 days. This horseradish sauce freezes well. Transfer the cooled sauce in an airtight container to the freezer and use it within 3 months.
- If you can't get fresh horseradish root, you can substitute canned horseradish. You will need to adjust the amount of horseradish added to the sauce to taste, as each brand makes horseradish paste with a different formula.
More Czech recipes
- Svíčková sauce
- Green beans in cream sauce
- Grated apple horseradish (Czech vejmrda)
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Czech Horseradish Sauce (Křenová omáčka)
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Ingredients
Roux:
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Horseradish sauce:
- 3 cups beef broth lukewarm
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 5 ounces horseradish root
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar or less
Instructions
- First, remove the tough skin from 5 ounces horseradish root with a peeler, then shred it finely on a hand grater.
- Make a roux: Melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour in 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and stir until the mixture begins to foam slightly. It takes about 1 minute.
- Combine 3 cups beef broth (lukewarm) with 3/4 cup whipping cream. Reduce the heat on the stove to low and start adding the creamy mixture to the roux in small batches. Whisk thoroughly after each addition to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a minimum. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, as the flour tends to sink to the bottom.
- Season the sauce with 1 teaspoon salt, add 2 teaspoons granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Throw in the shredded horseradish. TIP: Gradually add and adjust the seasonings (sugar, salt, and horseradish) until the flavors are balanced. The sauce should have a fairly pronounced horseradish taste with a slightly sweet flavor and a touch of acidity.
- Strain the sauce through a coarse-mesh strainer. Use the rounded side of a spoon to push the sauce through the strainer. Discard the remaining horseradish in the strainer.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 4 portions of horseradish sauce.
- Serve the horseradish sauce warm. Pair it with sliced dumplings and smoked meat, ham, or sliced pork roast.
- Keep in mind that fresh horseradish, when grated, can irritate the eyes and nose.
- The sauce with the roux needs to simmer for about 20 minutes. During this time, the sauce will soften and thicken.
- Similar to other sauces made with a béchamel base, horseradish sauce tends to thicken as it sits overnight. When reheating, simply add a tablespoon or two of water and warm the sauce in a pot on the stove, stirring until heated through.
- Keep any remaining sauce in the refrigerator, where it stays fresh for 4-5 days. Horseradish sauce freezes nicely too. Just transfer the cooled sauce into an airtight container and store it in the freezer, ensuring to use it within three months.
Song
she is really good cook
Petra Kupská
Thanks for your kind words!
Ric
hi petra,
when should the cream be added?
I see it on the ingredients but don't see when to add it?
Petra Kupská
Hi Ric, thank you for noticing! You're right, I forgot to mention it in the recipe! I always mix the cream with lukewarm stock and pour this mixture in batches over the roux. I have added this information to the recipe. Once again, my apologies!
Ric
Hi Petra,
Thank you for the update. I was in the middle of making the sauce when I noticed that the cream was not included in the directions. I was concerned about the cream curdling, so I held off until after I strained the horseradish. It was very thick, so it took some effort to strain the sauce. I let it cool and then I added the cream. I will add it to the stock next time. The sauce turned out well anyway, we served it with roast beef and potatoe.
Petra Kupská
Hi Rick, thank you for your feedback! I am glad you decided to give the horseradish sauce a try and that it turned out well. I checked the instructions again, and in the third step, it says to mix the cream with the stock and pour this mixture over the roux. As for the horseradish, some people leave it in the sauce, others strain it. I prefer the latter, using a strainer with larger holes (not a fine mesh) so that the sauce can run down smoothly. Either way, I am glad you did well and enjoyed the sauce with your family! Greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra