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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Thank you for this recipe. It is very good and quick and easy. I was skeptical about the use of Mayo since I don’t really like it. But the dressing is excellent. I did not have Worcestershire, so I used coconut aminos. Delicious!
So so good & so simple. It was a hit with the hubby. Thank u!!
I make this recipe every week and use Duke’s light mayo to cut down on calories. I also chop up 2 large anchovies instead of using anchovy paste and make my own croutons. This is an exceptional recipe.
Jen, I’m finally commenting! Excellent recipe that I’ve made countless times as are your other dressings. I haven’t bought dressing at the store in over 35 years and you have great recipes. I do use freeze dried garlic powder because fresh garlic goes bad after a few days, even in the fridge. I also adjust the lemon based on how tart and sweet they are (everyone should do this with recipes as they aren’t consistent in taste or size).
Regarding mayo: I used to make Caesar dressing years back for manager training at the Chart House, we did the tempered yolk and oil. Mayo is supposed to be just egg, oil and some acid anyway. To bring it close to the original, I just use Kewpie which is a Japanese yolk based mayo. I have never been fond of Hellman’s even though I had grown up with my mom only using that and avoided it until I tried Duke’s. Duke’s is excellent for regular whole mayo and isn’t as vinegary. I did use it once for this and it was good but love my Kewpie.
This is my first try at making a Caesar dressing and I found the perfect recipe already. Delicious and simple! Perfection. Even my picky daughter liked it.
Perfect recipe!!!
Hands down, most delicious Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe!! WOW WOW WOW!!!
Will never buy shop bought ever again!
Thank you Jen 💕
Hellman’s mayonnaise is certainly not the best quality mayonnaise. If you look at the ingredients, there are things in there we don’t want in our bodies. The best I’ve found and only mayonnaise I use now is Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayonnaise and for anyone who doesn’t like avocado, you can’t even taste any avocado, it’s just the oil, and it only has real, pure ingredients in it.
Sooo, instead of making THIS CAESAR DRESSING and commenting (the actual purpose of the comment section), you chose to give us all a ‘lesson’ about mayonnaise? Did you make this dressing? If so, what were your thoughts on it? If your answer is NO, then why comment? I’m quite sure all of the adults here are capable of choosing which products they purchase. Jenn Segal is a classically trained chef and cookbook author with years of experience. If you haven’t tried her recipes, you’re missing out! Since you’ll be making this in YOUR OWN kitchen, you are free to use whichever mayonnaise you like…see how that works? 😜
This is my absolute favorite Caesar. Better than any restaurant. I always have extra and will run out of romaine, go to the store, and get more because I don’t want to waste any of it.
I also use it on Caesar chicken wraps.
LOVE this! I know there are two types of Caesar dressing one being the traditional made with olive oil and raw egg yolks which I do like but I’ve always preferred a mayo based one and in my opinion this version is simply the best ! I like to make this hours or preferably one day ahead before serving
I’ve also halved the recipe and used it for Chicken tortilla wraps or a chicken caeser sandwich