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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Absolutely amazing! Jeanette. I love it
This is an absolutely amazing caesar dressing!! I didn’t make any changes and it’s definitely restaurant quality!! Thank you for sharing this!
I love this recipe!! I used to make a similar one a little more from scratch but then I’d get lazy and then of course there is the egg thing…
This is so easy and my husband begs for it, it’s so good.
I also love the picture of ingredients. I have the recipe copied down but when I’m almost brain dead, the pic of what goes in it makes it seem Do-able. Thanks so much for this!
What to use in Homemade Caesar salad dressing in place of anchovy paste?
Hi Janette, There’s really no substitute for anchovy paste — you can just leave it out.
Thanks for that!
Google ‘anchovy substitutes’. Here’s a link that has a few suggestions: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/444509
How long will this keep in refrigerator
Hi Mary, About a week.
This is THE BEST Caesar dressing I’ve ever had including fine dining Caesar dressings. I didn’t change a thing when I made it. The only thing I did upon tasting it was to make an immediate second batch because I knew the dressing would disappear quickly, and it has!!! Thank you for this recipe and many others.
This is so delicious I can’t believe I used to buy the Lighthouse Caesar dressing weekly. I have a son who is allergic to dairy. I double the recipe and put half in a different container without the parmesan. Then I add the parmesan to the remainder for the rest of us. He says it is delicious even without theparmesan. Also to be lazy sometimes I used really good parmesan from Costco – already shredded. It is good that way also.
Thank you for the recipe it was delicious
I alternate Anchovy paste by caned one
We enjoyed it
I had a couple of recipes for really good Caesar Salad Dressing, but my computer went belly up so I lost them. 🙁
I looked around and my Google-fu led me to this place. The recipe seemed way too easy, but I was in a hurry, so what the heck.
WOWZERS! Quick has met Easy who have met Delicious and melded into about the best Caesar Salad dressing ever. Wonderful job and thank you for sharing.
OMG! This is, without a doubt, the absolute best Caesar dressing I have ever had. And, it is so easy to make! I get requests from friends and family to make this all the time. We use it not only as a salad dressing, but also as a dip for veggie trays! Excellent!