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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Easy and delicious. Highly recommended
I make so many of your recipes on regular rotation. I have your cookbooks, but honestly, I head to your website all the time. This salad dressing is a life changer!! I love Caesar salad. I don’t like the bottled dressings and I have tried dozens of recipes and have never been thrilled with any of them. I won’t even try the versions with raw eggs. And then I stumbled upon your recipe! Oh my goodness! It’s SOOOO good. I can now have Caesar salad any time I crave it, which is frequently! Thank you for another fantastic recipe Jenn!
Jenn, thank you for this delicious Caesar dressing! It made my husband very happy when I served him chicken Caesar salads tonight! I used your best grilled chicken recipe and he couldn’t stop praising my cooking! This will be a frequent addition to my summer meal plans.
I need to find that grilled chicken recipe 😀
Hi Della, here it is. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Fantastic, easy and it never fails to please, I also use it as a spread on sandwiches, such as a chicken Caesar, and a quick appetizer using endive. Fresh grated Parm, fresh lemon and quality mayo are key. thanks for ‘my house dressing’
Hi Jenn I’ve made this several times and I love it but I was wondering if using non fat Greek yogurt would work?
Hi Grace, Glad you like it! I’m assuming you’d like to replace the mayo with Greek yogurt? If so, you can get away with it but I would suggest reducing the lemon juice a bit because the yogurt adds some tartness to the dressing. Please LMK how it turns out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrP_M51p9lQ&list=PLVn1ZdfiPPpoLSzw3TRItSdvfk4buPHXB&index=13
First time making any Caesar salad and this dressing was DELICIOUS! So easy to make with ingredients I had in and it went down a treat with the whole family!! Thank you X
My go to dressing! Everyone raves!!
Made for the first time tonight, and it certainly won’t be the last time! I was looking for a recipe that isn’t egg-based because I do not have any pasteurized eggs and this mayo-based recipe is AMAZING. I will never, ever buy ceasar dressing again. Followed the recipe exactly as it’s written and it was perfection — I wound up eating so much salad I didn’t have any room left for my spaghetti! Easy and delicious, a definite keeper!
Amazing, had no anchovy paste, so mashed up anchovy fillets. Had mine with mackerel and was sublime.
The best Caesar salad dressing that I have ever had. I know the best when I taste it as I have a Caesar salad several times each week and at various restaurants. My only tweak was to add more lemon juice … I use 4t of fresh squeezed lemon juice.
I could eat this salad 7 days a week – it’s that good!
This dressing is amazing and simply delicious. This will be a spring staple! Anchovy paste and mayo are huge time savers.