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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It was soo good I doubled up the ingredients but used half Greek Yogurt and a cup of Mayo😀
This recipe is AWESOME!! The best I’ve ever made. I used canned anchovies instead of the paste. This will be my go to homemade dressing!
OMG this recipe is PERFETTO!!! The best Caesar dressing I have ever made. I did add fish sauce instead of anchovy paste since I had it on hand, but otherwise made it exactly as stated. You know what I’m having for dinner :o)
This is absolutely the BEST Caesar salad dressing that I have ever had! And so easy to make! I never liked Caesar salad before I had this dressing! Now I can’t have it often enough!! I had my neighbors over for dinner and they loved it, too! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us!!!
I made this to go with grilled romaine. I followed the recipe exactly and it was very good and flavorful. I don’t like a lot of anchovy flavor but this recipe has a nice balance.
This recipe is perfect! No changes needed, though I like the suggestion below from the user who added a few drops of Tabasco for a kick!! Totally going to try that.
This is my FAVORITE Caesar dressing recipe!!!! Been making it for years. Only thing I do different is add more lemon juice.. I love lemons. Which gives it a thinner consistency (makes it easier to pour)! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
This recipe is a GODSEND! Thank you so so much! My husband does all our shopping and always buys me fat free ranch ….everytime. He means well but man have I been itching for some Ceasar! We are vegetarian so I substituted the mayo with hellmans vegan mayo, the Worcestershire sauce with liquid smoke and the anchovy paste with soy sauce. It worked perfectly! Oh my goodness was the best salaf in my life! Haha ! There’s plenty for more salads. Thank you so much! I’m sharing this with my cooking group on fb!
2 months later and I made this again! This time I didn’t measure as I was holding baby and had 2 other ones running around so it was a tad bit different. Overall was delicious on my vegetarian chicken wrap! Thank you it’s a keeper!
Sorry for saying this….
It should be noted that Mayonnaise is made from a raw egg (or raw egg yoke) and seed oils. So like 3 cups of seed oils. New evidence is being presented that shows long duration consumption of seed oils are more dangerous for human health, such as significantly increasing cardio vascular disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome risks. Even mental acuity is compromised over the long term. The oil in store bought mayonnaise typically uses cotton seed oil, (crisco) which has health ramifications, (decades of abuse is usually required to create the scenario of your body breaking down and laden with disease), and it would be highly recommended not to use it. These dangerous seed oils are produced through subsidies by the US government, so financially incentivized.
No one plans on living off of caesar dressing, Dan. Did you even try the recipe before giving your two cents and submitting a rating?
Oh Dan. My Hellman-loving grandparents all lived into their 90’s. So another dollop for me please!
Ditto- I’m from the South- Dukes mayo all my life! Yummmm
This is so true Dan. Thank you for posting.
I agree with you completely and most of the time avoid Hellman mayonnaise. But I am going to use this recipe since having a few tablespoons very rarely isn’t going to kill me. I just want you to know that I appreciate your information. It wasn’t well received but it is true so thank you for posting about seed oils and the damage they do.
Agreed Lynn. There is nothing wrong with making informed choices. I’m not sure why people get upset and health information. He judged nobody and didn’t say to never do it. Nor did he chastise the recipe nor the author. Very defensive people unfortunately. Such is life. I appreciate your reply. We are all out of something in common. Enjoy !
So good!!! We add tobasco sauce to give it a little kick. We have it at least once a month. 🤩