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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OUTSTANDING!!
Stick to the recipe, I’ve adjusted with garlic, lemon juice and worchestershire and nothing is like the exact recipe. This is an easy recipe that I’ve made at least 10 times. I can’t get enough of it. Thank you so much!
Delicious! I added a bit of tabasco to mine and left out the salt. I also have never used Dijon, it was excellent! Thank you.
Just made this and it’s easy and delicious. I’ve made Ina’s before (which I enjoy) but that requires my food processor…. This was just so easy for a weeknight! I’ll be serving it with your best grilled chicken. Thanks again for another great recipe. You are my go to!!!
I love this recipe. It is so easy and tastes perfect. I used it all summer on my homegrown romaine lettuce.
For those who say it isn’t homemade because of store bought mayonnaise, you must also mean store bought Worcestershire sauce as well as Dijon mustard. Here are links to those three. https://practicalselfreliance.com/homemade-worcestershire-sauce/ https://www.servedfromscratch.com/dijon-mustard-from-scratch-2/ And https://www.inspiredtaste.net/25943/homemade-mayonnaise-recipe/
Frankly, it tastes great as it is!
For Heaven’s sake!!! Caesar dressing is not Caesar dressing without raw egg yoke. Anything else is a fake! Please stop this silly politically correct nonsense!
If you want a vege version then *call it that*!!
You are absolutely right and real Caesar dressing does not contain mayonaise!!!
But mayonnaise is made with egg yolk; it isn’t vegetarian (nor are anchovies). By all means make your own emulsion of egg yolk and oil in place of the mayonnaise.
This is so good!! I like to make a batch at the beginning of the week and make a salad each night to serve before dinner. Our 7 year old could take or leave most salads, but when I make a Caesar with this dressing she will scoop tiny portions for my husband and I and keep all the rest for herself.
Store-bought mayonnaise, yuck.
I love this recipe and make it CONSTANTLY. I like it a little stronger than written though, so I simply use the recipe as written and then use slightly less mayo. I often use my own homemade mayo, and then it need a little more salt. (Hellman’s is salty! ). Also makes a good chip dip if you ask me
This is the best Caesar dressing I’ve ever made! So easy and so delicious! I love dipping my finger in it to ‘test’ it!
Thank you!!
hands down: the BEST caesar salad dressing!