Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
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This homemade Caesar salad dressing is rich, creamy, and so much better than store-bought. Toss it with crisp romaine, crunchy croutons, and plenty of Parmesan for a classic Caesar salad everyone loves.
There are countless Caesar dressing recipes out there, but this is the version my whole family loves. It’s rich and creamy, and not too garlicky or too fishy—it’s just right.
Unlike traditional Caesar dressing, which is made with olive oil and thickened with raw egg, this version has a mayonnaise base, making it perfect for anyone who’d rather not eat raw eggs. My kids love it so much that they’ve learned to make it themselves. They don’t even wait for me to make a salad; while I’m cooking dinner, they’ll sit at the kitchen table with a big heart of romaine and dip the leaves right into the dressing.
“Without a doubt, this is the best Caesar salad recipe I have found and I’m 73 years old!”
What You’ll Need To Make Caesar Salad Dressing
- Anchovy paste: Instead of whole anchovies, paste makes the recipe easy, especially if you’re squeamish about anchovies (just hold your nose and add it in; the dressing needs every last bit to taste like the real deal!)
- Mayonnaise: Used in place of the raw egg and oil found in traditional Caesar dressing; gives this version a rich, creamy texture. Use Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: You can always tell if it’s authentic from Italy by looking at the rind, which is embossed with the name over and over. If the cheese is already grated, it should be labeled “Parmigiano-Reggiano,” not “Parmesan.”
- Fresh lemon juice: This brightens the rich dressing and balances the Parmesan and mayonnaise. Freshly squeezed makes a noticeable difference.
- Garlic: Caesar dressing needs garlic, but it can easily take over. This recipe uses just enough to give the dressing a little bite without overpowering the other flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Caesar Dressing
Begin by whisking together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Next, whisk in the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and pepper. That’s all there is to it! The dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it chills; if it’s too thick, simply whisk in a teaspoon or two of water until it reaches your desired consistency.
How to Make Caesar Salad
Place chopped romaine in a large bowl and add just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Toss well, then add homemade croutons and freshly grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve it as is, or turn it into a main course by topping it with grilled chicken, salmon, steak, or shrimp.
Video Tutorial
More Salad Dressings You’ll Love
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (see note)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I like the brand Maille)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust to your liking, then serve or refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Anchovy paste can be found near the canned tuna in the supermarket.
- Storage: The dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week and will thicken as it chills. If needed, whisk in a teaspoon or two of water to thin it to your desired consistency.
- To make a Caesar salad: Toss chopped romaine with enough dressing to generously coat the leaves. Add homemade croutons and freshly grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and toss again. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I used Hellman’s light mayonnaise and replaced the anchovies with 1/2 tsp of Thai Kitchen fish sauce. My husband liked it, and he is the Caesar dressing lover so I’d say it’s a winner! I did think it was a bit too thick, which is probably easy to fix in the future with a little water, as mentioned in the Q&A.
I made this dressing tonight since I decided to do a steak, roasted rosemary potatoes and Caesar salad meal. This type of meal is classic Americana but good ingredients/recipes make all the difference. This dressing was easy to assemble and is absolutely delicious. The only addition I made was to add a dash of cayenne pepper to add some kick. But this will be my go to Caesar dressing from now on AND I do not have to coddle eggs or worry about salmonella. This recipe is well worth making. Thank you Jenn.
Hi Jen, love your recipes, but…don’t like fish sauce and not a fan of anchovie paste, can I get away with no paste in the dressing? or would 1/8 tsp be enough? and would it still be fishy?
Hi Rose, the dressing will taste a little different but you can get okay with omitting it. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn, I used about 1/4tsp of anchovy paste and it was perfect, not fishy at all yet just the little hint of umami (?) needed.
Glad to hear it came out nicely — thanks for the follow-up!
This was absolutely delicious. I love not having to put raw egg in it. A keeper!
I used Hellman’s lite mayo and added a bit more lemon juice to get just the consistency I wanted. This is an easy, very delicious Caesar Salad Dressing!
Victoria, BC 🇨🇦
I worked in restaurants where we made Caesar salad at the table, of course back then we used raw egg and oil, to me this is better, and everyone scarfs it down.
I’ve tried so many Caesar recipes and this one is truly the BEST!! I’ve made dozens of times. So glad you shared this. I add a little Tabasco to mine. Thank you!!!
I always refer to this dressing recipe when I make a caesar salad. It is delicious!!
Delish!! I had to add more lemon juice to get the right dressing texture. Tastes wonderful. Will never buy bottled dressing again.
I agree with you that Maille is the very best Dijon, but Trader Joe’s Dijon is a close second and at $1.69 for 13 oz I can buy about six jars of TJ’s Dijon for every one of Maille. For what it is worth, TJ’s Dijon is made in Dijon, France, and Maille’s in Canada.
This dressing is excellent.