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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Comments
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This is the best recipe and is number one on my list. Better then any restaurants. 10 Stars from me. Must use Hellman’s. Miracle Whip completely different taste and not as good.
This is a fantastic recipe. I’ve made if many times.
Love this recipe, it is definately a keeper! We had my son over for dinner last night and he raved over it. This is full of flavor and so easy to make ~ thank you for sharing it 💖
This is the BEST Caesar salad dressing that I’ve ever had. Rich and flavorful and downright delicious. I make a double batch; one for my dressing and one for my cut-up veggies. I always try to have this on hand, as it’s that good. No store-bought toxin dressings for me. I’m always making my own, as at least I know all the ingredients that are in it and that’s important to me.
After trying your recipe I’ve decided to never buy the caesar dressing from store again! So good!!
Absolutely delicious! This is a huge hit in our family. I think it’s the best creamy caesar dressing I have ever tried! Thanks so much for yet another incredible recipe, Jenn x
No joke – my husband, who is a huge Caesar’s salad fan, said this was the best salad dressing ever. It was very easy to make, which I loved. We will be making it again!
Make it all the time. Great recipe!
So easy to make and can now estimate the measurements. This has become our go to dressing. Thank you!
“Best yet” – the mother
Fantastic recipe, made it a few times now. Last night I used fish sauce instead of the anchovies and Aioli instead of Mayo and omitted the garlic, even better!!
I made this recipe, it is wonderful. Will use it from now on.
Great dressing, easy to make. I made it last night and will have it again tonight.
Best salad dressing ever! This has been my go to recipe for a Caesar for the last year or two. Thank you!
Will be making this tonight with confidence…all of Jen’s recipes impress! I noticed many folks mention only having whole anchovies. With other Caesar dressings I’ve made, I put a couple of anchovies, the salt, and the garlic in a mortar and pestle and mash it until I have the consistency needed. It’s simple and works quite well…IF you have a mortar and pestle…😉
Otherwise, just mashing the anchovy into a paste with a fork works well
While I’m sure many people will like this dressing, the fact is it isn’t Caesar. Anyone who has eaten store bought Caesar and liked it would not know the difference. I am a medical microbiologist who specializes in tropical diseases. Eggs north of the Rio Grande cause human infections in less than 1 in a million children. Let them learn what real Caesar tastes like as part of their introduction to the wonderful world of fine foods. All of my children were able to make the real thing for the family themselves before they were 12 years old and their children are learning the same. If you’re really worried about Salmonella, heat the eggs to 70 Celsius. It’ll kill bacterial pathogens and not totally coagulate/destroy the egg. I also see the logic in the mayo substitute because it shares some of the ingredients, but it “ain’t” eggs and olive oil. Philip Stuart
That is exactly what I do, too. 🙂
Wow! This was REALLY good. Served over Romaine with some red onion slices it was GREAT!
I’ve made this at least 8-10 times and it is great. A few times I had to omit the anchovies for some guests, but still great.
And I like many other recipes on your site!
Once again you have created a sensational salad dressing. I love this so much!! Thank you as always from a fellow chef!
This is an amazing dressing ever. Definitely a keeper. Thx
Even though my own personal taste had me adding a bit more anchovy and pepper, this recipe is perfect. Using tonight for chicken caesar wraps, but can think of soooo many other uses. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your recipe as it’s become one of my fav to make. It’s yummy and easy to assemble.
Look no further. THIS is the best!
This is so delicious. Used fish sauce since out of anchovy paste. It is so good we ate some of it as chip dip with crinkle chips. Yum!
Absolutely delicious and so easy!
The absolute best!
I use this dressing every day and love it! I ad 1/4 cup sour cream and thin it a bit if needed with half and half. It’s delicious!
Hi Jenn. I love the flavor of this dressing, but I find it’s a bit thick to toss with the Romaine. Is there any way to thin it out a bit? Thank you!
Hi Mary, I’d add some water just a bit at a time until you get to your desired consistency. Hope that helps!
Yes add olive oil a bit at a time
There’s a trick that helps with that: put the dressing on the sides of the bowl rather than directly on the lettuce, then start tossing. The dressing will get where it needs to be. 🙂
I followed this recipe fairly close, lowering the amount of mustard and mayo a bit and adding in some frank’s red hot and additional lemon juice. It still tasted just a bit too mayo-y though the flavor is very comparable to typical store-bought dressing in my opinion (like renee’s mighty caesar but less garlicy). Regardless I recommend giving this a go in a pinch especially if you aren’t fond of the oil and egg method.
Excellent as written!
I have no idea why this has no many good reviews. This dressing is DISGUSTING. All you can taste is mayonnaise. I had to try to cut it down by adding more lemon juice and worchestershire. 0/10 stars.
I didn’t have quite enough mayo so I used mayo and plain Greek yogurt. Best dressing I’ve ever had.
Agree I cut down Mayo by 1/3 and still had to add 2 tablespoons olive oil
I agree. Not good at all
Yep, agree. The recipe would be unusable as written. I, too, cut the mayo down to 1/4 cup, increased the lemon juice by 0.5 tablespoons (or so–I don’t really measure), added a few shakes more Worcestershire sauce, a bit more kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. Jenn does provide good basic recipes.
Time consuming because I opted to grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano myself and mince a tin of anchovies… but well-worth the outstanding results!!! Used all the juice from the lemon which was about 5 Tbsp… 1 1/2 cups Duke’s mayo… almost a cup of parmesan… heaping tablespoons each of fresh minced garlic, anchovies, Maille Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Went easy on salt and heavy on fresh ground black pepper. Made about 2 cups of dressing that filled a small mason jar. Had a heaping tablespoon each of minced garlic and anchovy remaining… so put those together with some of the anchovy oil in an airtight container to refrigerate and use in my next batch of this fabulous Caesar dressing!!!
Have made this three times now, so good!! Followed the recipe exactly, wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks! 😀
Omg i just made this dressing for the 3rd time! It’s incredible!!! My friends and family love it !! What else do you have?
This was amazing! Admittedly, we were doubtful, mayo in Caesar dressing?!?! It was SO good. Beyond belief good. Better than most, if not all other Caesar dressings I’ve tried including restaurants! YUM!
Oh my goodness! This was awesome!!! I didn’t have anchovy paste on hand so I used capers instead! Delicious!
I have shared this recipe with so many friends! It’s the best!
Fantastic! Much better than I expected. And, soooo easy!
Has anyone ever made this with Greek yogurt?
Hi Emily, I’m assuming you’d like to replace the mayo with Greek yogurt? If so, you can get away with it but I would suggest reducing the lemon juice a bit because the yogurt adds some tartness to the dressing. Please LMK how it turns out!
This is my one and only go-to recipe for Caesar, it is amazing!
My family loved this dressing recipe! I make homemade dressing all the time and this is a new family favorite. They even wanted to use it as a dip for fresh veggies.
Used this with Tuscan Kale and croutons. Great recipe. Suggest increasing lemon juice for a brighter dressing.
This recipe is outstanding! My family loves it, and we make it all the time. Job well done 👏
Very good dressing! Very easy and it was delicious on a Caesar salad. I probably won’t buy Caesar dressing any more.
Made this yesterday WOW! Everyone loved it!
I just made this and “OH MY”!
FANTASTIC!!! 🙂 quick &easy, and the flavor is just unbelievable. I make this salad once a week for dinner, sardine paste and romaine salad are a ‘must have’ in my fridge. Thank you Jenn!
My go- to Caesar dressing!! It’s the BEST!
calories per serving ?
Hi Kayla, 2 tablespoons have 184 calories. You can see all the nutritional info under the recipe.
Unbelievable dressing, we love it and it’s the only one we make
Love this dressing! Made this recipe for the first time today after having been disappointed with a different Caesar dressing recipe I had tried the day before. This one is perfect – all of the flavors/ingredients are well balanced, and I didn’t change a thing. I’ll be making this again and again.
Doesn’t taste good. Look for an authentic recipe instead.
this recipe is the bomb! I love caesar salad because of the dressing I just tweak it a little bit for our liking like instead of regular mayo I use Vegenaise which is just as good and instead of Parmigiano I add nutritional yeast I that way I can indulge in it without feeling that guilty about eating this with everything!! thanks for this recipe! It is a hit every time I do it thanks to you.
This dressing is so dang delicious that we have eaten a big salad every night with dinner using this recipe for the past SIX MONTHS and no other dressing and we STILL are not tired of it. Every guest wants the recipe.
Simple and amazing.
Fantastic. I am so glad to have found this recipe, thank you.
I would highly recommended this it is rich, creamy and delicious.
I loved this Caesar Dressing, especially that I could make it immediately as I already had the ingredients in stock at home.
I made my second batch within 2 weeks. (There are only two of us for each meal and you did say it served 10).
We have had it with chicken/lettuce/croutons, with new potatoes, smoked mackerel, tuna nicoise.
The second time we microplaned the parmesan and I used the ‘whizzy stick’ hand blender to get a really smooth result
I rarely pass on recipes, I was sharing this as soon as I had finished making it.
Its a keeper. Thank you.
How do you get anchovy paste out of the tube. This be my third attempt. Thanks Fiona
Hi Fiona, I would just apply some pressure from the bottom of the tube (just like you would with toothpaste). 🙂
You have to pierce the end of the tube with the outside of the cap.
Unscrew cap, turn cap over, place it back on tube to pierce tube.