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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Yum!
Yes! Yes !! Yes !!!
authentic
We loved this dressing!
Served generously on top of grilled romaine with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
How many heads of romaine lettuce do you need for 10 people? I’m not clear on the definition of a “starter salad”.
Many thanks for you expert advice!!!
Hi Sandra, One large head (not heart) of romaine equals about 10 cups of torn lettuce, which should serve 4-5 small salads, so to serve 10, you’ll need 2+ heads. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this twice with substitutions as needed, fish sauce instead of anchovy paste and asofoetida instead of garlic. (husband doesn’t like garlic) Still really good, Especially with crab meat and poached prawns. I prefer freshly shaved grana padana so added on top instead of into dressing. Thanks for such an easy and delish caesar dressing!
Amazing recipe! I will never buy bottled caesar dressing again- rich, tangy, garlicky DELISH!
I wanted a Caesar dressing tonight and am trying to cut way back on ultra-processed foods. I’ve found homemade salad dressings are an easy change to make, and the Once Upon a Chef recipes are consistently good, so I was excited to try this. It was so easy to make—I had all of the ingredients to hand, just finely chopped a couple of normal anchovies rather than using a paste. My family are all wary of anchovies even though I love them, but this dressing was a huge hit. The recipe makes loads too—the rest is in the fridge waiting for another night.
Anchovy paste is also kept refridgerated at the seafood counter
I have been making this recipe since about the first time Chef Segal posted it. My husband is allergic to fish so we don’t use the anchovy paste, but I have made it both ways and both ways are absolutely delicious! It is my go-to dressing when I am asked to bring a salad. It is my go-to dressing when I make anything at all remotely Italian. I can’t remember a time when someone knew it was my homemade dressing, that they didn’t ask for the recipe. Casear dressing was always a dressing my husband ordered when we ate out and he likes this one best. I have never thought to try Chef Segal’s other dressings, so revisited her site today to do just that. I am sad about all of the years I went without looking up her other dressing recipes. I worked in management for luxury hotels with fabulous restaurants for over 30 years, and consider Chef Segal’s recipes top notch all the way! Thank you for sharing them Chef Segal!!
This is the first Caesars dressing I’ve liked after making it at home. I’m a chef ‘ie kind of home cook and I know perfection when it comes to taste. I’ve been catering for friends for about 30 years. I’ll give credit to you for this recipe. Excellent
I do the entire thing in my little magimix, throwing the garlic in whole and chopping that finely first then adding all the other ingredients and giving them a good blend. Rub a large wooden bowl with a clove of uncut garlic, add the dressing to the bowl and then add the torn up romaine lettuce hearts in stages until all the leaves are dressed. Topped with fresh, shaved parmesan reggiano and home made garlic croutons. I recently took my sons and daughters in law to a very high end restaurant in Malibu where they ordered Caesar salad to share. After one mouthful they all turned to me and said “yours is better”! And that was all about your dressing recipe!
Thanks for sharing this pro tip!
You rock. Your dressing is my go to for now and for always!!!!! Thank you so much “my chef”!!