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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Great recipe and thank you. I had all ingredients on hand and did not have to go back to the store Saved the page on my phone for future reference.
Whoops – I just wrote a review about the Caesar dressing and said I made 1/2 recipe. I didn’t, that was something else! I made the whole recipe. How long will it keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Lynn, It will keep about a week.
I made the Caesar dressing last night and it was perfect. (1/2 recipe) I did use 1 anchovy fillet in the dressing instead of the anchovy paste since my husband also wanted them on his salad. I also added a couple of teaspoons of red wine vinegar. It was fast, easy and delicious. My husband loves a good Caesar salad and he pronounced this version “Perfect”. Thank you!
I am looking forward to trying this recipe. The classic recipe is homemade mayonaise though. Oil and egg equal mayonaise. I have never used regular mayonnaise, so i thought i would try this recipe.
I’m not a huge mayonnaise fan, but I loved this dressing. I used the Hellman’s olive oil mayo, and it was great!
Absolutely LOVED this version of a Caesar Dressing! I love making homemade dressing and my hubby said it was the best so far!..and OIL FREE! Love!
Just a FYI – Mayo is the emulsification of oil and eggs, so this is not oil free.
Turned out perfect the first time I made it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love it.
Heaven! Absolutely the right balance of garlic, parmesan and sweetness! My son who orders Ceasar salad everywhere thought this was “THE BOMB”!
Best ever!
a total waste of otherwise good ingredients. I can’t fathom why people seem to like this recipe so much. It tastes exactly like what you’d expect it to, like you dumped a bunch of mayonnaise on your salad. There is no avoiding the distinctive mayonnaise flavor, and this is from someone who really likes mayonnaise. Only in the Midwest would a dressing like this be anything other then a joke. If you want Caesar dressing, that actually tastes like Caesar dressing, make anything other than this recipe.
You must be quite the miserable person to be so angry about a recipe. If you don’t like it, then move on and find another one. Find a hobby while you’re at it.
There must be something wrong with your taste buds fella. If you followed the recjpe, the mayo disappears in the background. The anchovy and dijon shines through.
Tim, Tim, Tim:
I take you for an internet troll. As such, you are miserable. You failed to misspell “caesar,” although it was a nice touch to fail to capitalize the first word of the first sentence in your post.
I have made this salad at least ten times this spring and it is by far the best caesar’s salad recipe out there. We use about six to eight minced anchovies preserved in oil instead of the anchovie paste. It is heaven. Jenn, you’re the best!
Wow, Tim…you’re just a plain mean troll … Penny spotted you a mile away… Buy your bottled stuff & keep it moving…(P.S. hope you read these) I’m going to enjoy this tonite! 🙂
After years of making egg and olive oil Caesar, my wife happened to ask for a creamier dressing. Used your recipe, but added 2 TBS red wine vinegar and used a full tin of anchovies. Put all the ingredients in a 4 cup chopper blender. Just got a big thumbs up from the Mrs. !