Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The raw egg thing isn’t as cut and dry as it seems. First, the risk that the egg has mesurable amounts of salmonella is about 1:20,000. If the egg is mixed at room temp with an acid and left to sit at room temp, the salmonella is greatly reduced. Pasteurized eggs are completely safe, and available at the grocery store right next to the normal eggs, and except for a cloudy white they are exactly the same as raw eggs. Either way, I find it strange that we pump our bodies full of terrible processed food and hydrogenated oils, but worry about raw eggs.
Paul,
My response to your comment is that obviously you have never contracted salmonella from eating some type of food. My 14 year old daughter had it once and was hospitalized and I got it many years later and was hospitalized for 4 days. Positive culture for months. Mine was a wide spread outbreak and they eventually identified the culprit–alfalfa sprouts. You just have to be this sick once to have a life long fear of eating possibly dangerous food.
Ginny
I would also like to know how long this will last in the fridge please
Hi Cheryl, Thanks so much for your comment. So glad you enjoyed the dressing! I’m reluctant to say exactly how long the dressing will keep b/c I’m not a food safety expert but I usually keep mine around for 4-5 days. Hope that helps!
Jennifer
Wow easy and amazingly good! Just wish I knew how long it keeps in fridge?
Most recipes I’ve found online use raw eggs which basically make the dressing last a couple of days on the fridge and therefore making storebought more convenient (though full of preservatives). How long will this dressing last in the fridge? Id love to make a big batch and have it on hand for a quick salad. Thanks!
How long is the dressing good for in the fridge please?
Absolutely fantastic recipe! I’m a big lover of Cesar salad anyways but making the dressing the traditional way is too time consuming and I don’t like feeding raw eggs to the kids. This is spot on for taste and really quick to make. The only thing I did was add a touch more Worcestershire because I like the “meatiness” it imparts. Thanks so much for a new standard in my kitchen.
I tried this recipe and it was great. My husband totally liked it. I am not a fan of anchovies but you can’t even taste them.
This was an AMAZING Caesar Dressing. I don’t buy store bought dressings anymore b/c of the hidden MSG and/or HFCS. So if I can’t make the dressing we don’t eat it! That’s been the case with Caesar Dressing…we haven’t had it in many, many months. I’m sooo happy that I stumbled onto this website with these normal/elegant recipes that anybody can really make. I also couldn’t find Anchovy Paste, so just used 1 whole real Anchovy. I just chopped it up with my PC food chopper and no smell. I used this dressing for a Shrimp Caesar Salad….Yum! I’d serve this to my dinner guest proudly.
I would be more worried about the pasteurize eggs, I feel comfortable giving my kids raw eggs as long as they are organic cage free eggs, there shouldn’t be a problem…. Mayo=yucky
Jessica…you can make your own mayo with your own choice of ingredients…it is easy.