Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
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My family loves this rich and creamy Caesar salad dressing. It’s not overly garlicky or fishy — it’s just right.
Though most people buy Caesar salad dressing in a bottle, homemade is incredibly easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. There are many variations, but this rich and creamy version is the one my whole family loves. It’s not too garlicky and not too fishy – it’s just right. Unlike authentic Caesar dressings which are made with olive oil and thickened with raw eggs, this one has a mayonnaise base, which means you don’t have to worry if you’re squeamish about raw eggs. My kids love this dressing so much that they’ve learned to make it themselves. They don’t even wait for me to make a salad; while I cook dinner, they sit at the kitchen table with a big heart of romaine and dip the leaves in.
This recipe is part of my classic salad dressing collection, which includes go-to recipes for oil and vinegar based dressings, like vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette, as well as creamy dressings, such as buttermilk ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing, which are typically made with mayonnaise and dairy products.
What You’ll Need To Make Caesar Salad Dressing
Instead of whole anchovies, I use anchovy paste — makes it 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!)
For the cheese, it’s important to use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy; domestic Parmesan pales in comparison. You can always tell if it’s authentic 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.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
The dressing will keep well in the fridge for about a week. For a main course Caesar, try pairing this with my best grilled chicken. Enjoy!
Caesar Salad Dressing Video Tutorial
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Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
My family loves this rich and creamy Caesar salad dressing. It’s not overly garlicky or fishy — it’s just right.
Ingredients
- 2 small garlic cloves, 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 Real
- 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. The dressing will keep well in the fridge for about a week.
- Note: Anchovy paste can be found near the canned tuna in the supermarket.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: About 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 184
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 296mg
- Cholesterol: 13mg
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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My husband and I make Caesar Salads every other week. Each time we do, we use this recipe to make our sauce. We add our own unique tweaks by adding extra Dijon, but it’s such a good recipe.
Made this exactly as directions and it is perfect!!! Nothing else to say, Perfect!
Easy and quite delicious. Tastes classic like the ones I get from the restaurants. Makes me feel empowered that now I can build my own caesar salads instead of buying the premade bags that never has enough dressing!
This is an excellent recipe and has been my go to Caesar Salad dressing for years now. The only change I make is to reduce the anchovy by half (I only use 1/2 tsp) cause we don’t care for anchovies but I think using some is necessary for a well rounded flavour and tbh I doubt you’d ever know it’s there, even if you used the full amount. I also just eyeball the parmesan but close is good enough for a salad dressing and just to be safe sometimes I add a pinch more but it’s always delicious. Thank you for posting this.
Easy and delicious
I’ve made this so many times! Love it. I always do half mayo and half greek yogurt instead of all mayo.
I can’t find the ingredient amounts. What did I miss?
Hi Jan, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. If you scroll down a bit under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
This is my favorite go to Caesar salad dressing recipe!
This recipe is excellent. It is both easy to make and very tasty. In fact when I tell people it is home made caesar salad they comment that it is one of the best they have tasted and some say they dont have the time to do it. When I tell them the recipe they are surprised as was I when I made it the first time. Well done!!
PERFECT! I don’t think I’ve ever left a recipe review, but that’s mainly because I never follow them without making significant modifications. I followed this recipe to the letter. This Caesar dressing is AMAZING! My husband took a salad for lunch today too and texted me the same word after he had his. Just three days ago I had a Caesar salad with homemade dressing at a great restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale on vacation, and it was the best I’d ever had. Now this one is. It was also surprisingly simple to make. This is seriously perfect, and I’m a total food snob.