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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If I use whole anchovies instead of paste , how many would I use?
I’d suggest starting with 2 (but if you want more anchovy flavor you can use more). Hope you enjoy!
I have just made this dressing without anchovy as we are fans of it. Without the anchovy
it is simply lovely.
I found the right recipe.
Thank you.
I have always followed recipes from google but this one in particular deserves a review. I loveeee this dressing and so did my boyfriend. It is so easy to make and tastes delicious. This dressing literally tastes like restaurant quality dressing. I have spent years trying to buy a good caesar dressing, but each time I purchased one from the store I would be disappointed and toss it out. However, this one is perfect!!! Thank you sm for sharing :).
I’ve rated this dressing before, we adore it, but had to come back to share how we used it tonight because we always have extra and think if others do too they might enjoy using their leftovers this way. Tomato Carpaccio! Just put some dressing on a plate, top with sliced (ideally heirloom) tomatoes, top with a pinch of kosher salt, more dressing drizzled, julienned basil, capers, and the recipe calls for more Parmesan, but we found it perfect without extra as the dressing brings plenty with it. When my daughter first saw the dish she expressed disappointment that it wasn’t caprese
Just noticed the end of my review didn’t save! Once our daughter tried it she absolutely loved it!
This was PERFECTION. I did not have anchovy paste so I replaced that with capers – I could not tell the difference.
I will be making this tonight, can’t wait. But a heads up on the anchovy paste, I’m in Canada and any place I’ve lived it is kept in the fish department refrigerated section NOT where the tin salmon, tuna, etc is kept. Only mention this incase you can’t find it 🙂
Could not find our favourite Caesar sauce so I made your recipe it was delicious thank you.
I now on your mailing list for other recipes you have.
Thank you😊
Best Caesar dressing I’ve had
This is an extremely good dressing. I’ve used lime juice when out of lemons. I’ve also cut back on mayo and replaced with sour cream. Keep your ratios intact and it is amenable to those kind of substitutions. Thanks again, Jenn.
I was wondering about the sour cream! Good to know it worked!
Best Caesar salad dressing of all time! Better than restaurants!