Horseradish sauce: what is in the jar depends on the recipe

The one trial that put horseradish itself into a meal found no significant effect. In a single-meal crossover, 8.3 g of horseradish in a brunch did not change appetite, later food intake or energy balance in 22 young normal-weight men. What a spoon of sauce delivers depends on the recipe, and recipes differ widely. USDA's reference sauce is oil-based, with 50.89 g of fat, 8.233 g of saturated fat and 91.3 mcg of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the fat and vitamin K come from the oil. For people taking warfarin or similar anticoagulants, NIH advises a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug's effect. That advice is about total intake and does not name this sauce. The UK table lists a different recipe at 8.4 g of fat, 15 g of sugars and 910 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g). A US survey tablespoon weighs 16 g, so the label on your own jar tells you more than either table.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA's reference horseradish sauce is an oil-based sauce with 50.89 g fat, 8.233 g saturated fat and 91.3 ug vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g). — US reference food record (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: fat 50.89 g; saturated fat 8.233 g; vitamin K 91.3 ug
• The UK composition table lists horseradish sauce at only 8.4 g fat but 15 g sugars and 910 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), a different recipe from the US one. — UK reference food record (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 153 calories; fat 8.4 g; total sugars 15.0 g; sodium 910 mg

What a real portion looks like

• US survey portions for horseradish sauce are small: 16 g per tablespoon or per regular sandwich, 32 g when the amount is not specified. — US food survey portion weights Evidence E source
  1 tablespoon 16 g; 1 packet 12 g; quantity not specified 32 g

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover trial of 12 adults, the pungent compound allyl isothiocyanate from 3 g mustard was absorbed about 1.3 times better with a meal containing meat. — 12 healthy volunteers, single meals (n = 12) Evidence B source
  AITC absorption about 1.3-fold higher with meat-containing meal

What cooking and storage change

• In a crossover RCT of 22 adults eating Ethiopian kale, the raw-leaf preparation contained allyl isothiocyanate and the cooked one did not. — 22 healthy adults, 5-day intake periods (n = 22) Evidence B source
  Raw preparation contained AITC; cooked contained none

What it does to your health

• In a crossover RCT of 22 young men, 8.3 g horseradish in a meal did not change appetite, later food intake or energy balance. — 22 young normal-weight men, single test meals (n = 22) Evidence B source
  No significant DIT, appetite or energy intake effect; heart rate down, diastolic BP up vs placebo

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a crossover RCT of 46 adults, allyl isothiocyanate or mustard briefly raised DNA strand breaks, and the damage disappeared quickly. — 46 adults, 10-day periods plus acute challenge (n = 46) Evidence B source
  % tail DNA 8.3 (AITC) vs 3.2 (control) at 3 h; no difference after 10 days
• In 259 patients patch-tested for food-related contact dermatitis, only 2 reacted clearly to allyl isothiocyanate. — 259 patients with suspected contact dermatitis from vegetables and food, Denmark 1994-2003 (n = 259) Evidence C source
  0.8% positive; 16.6% doubtful

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU did not authorize the claim that horseradish supports respiratory health, so it cannot be used on labels. — EU health claim assessment Evidence E source
  Non-authorized
• A claim that horseradish soothes and supports the digestive tract was also rejected in the EU register. — EU health claim assessment Evidence E source
  Non-authorized
• The urinary infection evidence for horseradish is for a licensed root-plus-nasturtium medicine: over 90 days it cut recurrences to 0.43 vs 0.77 on placebo, which a spoon of sauce does not replicate. — Adults 18-75 with chronically recurrent UTIs, 90 days, per-protocol Evidence B source
  Mean recurrent UTIs 0.43 vs 0.77 (p = 0.035)

Who this works differently for

• NIH advises people on warfarin to keep their vitamin K intake from food and supplements consistent. Sudden changes can raise or lower the drug's effect, so the advice covers total vitamin K, including from horseradish sauce, rather than avoiding one food. — people taking warfarin and similar vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants Evidence E source
  Sudden changes in vitamin K intake can raise or lower the anticoagulant effect

The bottom line

Horseradish health claims have not passed regulators. The EU did not authorize claims that horseradish supports respiratory health or soothes the digestive tract, which means the evidence was judged insufficient at assessment. The urinary infection evidence is for a licensed medicine combining horseradish root with nasturtium. In adults aged 18 to 75 with chronically recurring infections, it cut recurrences over 90 days to a mean of 0.43 against 0.77 on placebo (p = 0.035), in the per-protocol analysis. The bite comes from allyl isothiocyanate. In 12 adults, this compound from mustard was absorbed about 1.3 times better with a meal containing meat. In a trial of 22 adults eating Ethiopian kale, a related plant, the raw preparation contained it and the cooked one did not. We found no data on how much is left in a jar of sauce. Some people should be careful, though the evidence is thin. In 46 adults, pure allyl isothiocyanate or mustard raised DNA strand breaks at 3 hours, 8.3% tail DNA against 3.2% on control, and the change disappeared quickly, with no difference after 10 days. What those short-lived breaks mean for health is unclear. Skin allergy to the compound was uncommon in one clinic series: 2 of 259 Danish patients patch-tested for food dermatitis reacted clearly, and 43 more had doubtful reactions. That result is about skin contact in clinic patients and says nothing about allergy to eating the sauce. We have no card on children, pregnancy, medicines other than warfarin, or the allergens in a sauce's other ingredients, so this page cannot speak to them, and the ingredient list on your own jar is the place to look.

Sources

1. hrsc-daily-r8-01 · dataset
   Sauce, horseradish | FDC 171833 | per 100 g: total fat 50.89 g, saturated fat 8.233 g, vitamin K 91.3 ug
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2018, Sauce, horseradish (FDC 171833) · checked 2026-10-01
2. hrsc-daily-r8-02 · dataset
   Horseradish sauce | CoFID 17-314 | per 100 g: Energy 153 kcal, Fat 8.4 g, Total sugars 15.0 g, Sodium 910 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, Horseradish sauce (17-314), OGL v3.0 · checked 2026-10-01
3. hrsc-daily-r8-03 · dataset
   Horseradish sauce | FNDDS 81302060 | 1 tablespoon: 16 g | 1 packet: 12 g | Quantity not specified: 32 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Horseradish sauce (FNDDS 81302060, FDC 2710174) · checked 2026-10-01
4. hrsc-daily-r8-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Absorption of AITC from mustard was about 1.3-fold higher following consumption of the meat-containing meal compared with the non meat-containing alternative.
   Br J Nutr, 2007 · checked 2026-10-01
5. hrsc-daily-r8-06 · randomized crossover trial
   Twenty-two healthy subjects consumed a B. carinata preparation from raw (allyl isothiocyanate-containing) or cooked (no allyl isothiocyanate) leaves for five days in a randomized crossover design.
   Nutrients, 2018 · checked 2026-10-01
6. hrsc-daily-r8-04 · randomized crossover trial
   In a five-way placebo-controlled, single-blind, cross-over trial, twenty-two young (age 24·9 (SD 4·6) years), normal-weight (BMI 21·8 (SD 2·1) kg/m²) males were randomly assigned to receive a brunch meal with either pepper (1·3 g), ginger (20 g), horseradish (8·3 g), mustard (21 g) or no spices (placebo)...Subjective measures of appetite (P>0·85), ad libitum EI (P=0·63) and energy balance (P=0·67) also did not differ between the treatments.
   Br J Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-10-01
7. hrsc-daily-r8-07 · randomized crossover trial
   In summary, DNA damage appeared to be induced in the short term by AITC and AITC-rich products, but that damage disappeared quickly, and neither AITC nor AITC-rich products affected DNA base excision repair.
   J Nutr Biochem, 2013 · checked 2026-10-01
8. hrsc-daily-r8-08 · cohort study
   Only 2 patients (0.8%) had a positive reaction (+) to allyl isothiocyanate and 43 patients (16.6%) had a ?+ reaction.
   Contact Dermatitis, 2004 · checked 2026-10-01
9. hrsc-daily-r8-09 · regulatory decision
   POL-HC-7269 Horseradish root (Armoracia rusticana) ;; Active ingredients of horseradish can support the respiratory system health. Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7269, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-01
10. hrsc-daily-r8-10 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6643 Armoracia rusticana Soothes the digestive tract/ /helps support the digestive system /a source of mucilage which support the mucous membranes Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6643, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-01
11. hrsc-daily-r8-11 · randomized controlled trial
    For the per-protocol population, the mean number of recurrent UTIs in the study period was 0.43 versus 0.77 for the placebo group. This result is statistically significant (p = 0.035).
    Current Medical Research and Opinion, 2007 · checked 2026-10-01
12. sf-hrsc-vkw-1 · agency advice
    These drugs antagonize the activity of vitamin K, leading to the depletion of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors. People taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements because sudden changes in vitamin K intakes can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect [45].
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-10-08