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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I’ve finally found it. The perfect Caesar dressing that is literally bomb proof. Gone are the days of broken emulsions, trying to figure out the right ratio of anchovy to garlic and parm cheese…this couldn’t be simpler. I just happen to stumble on your blog when I asked to make a Caesar salad for an event because I was tired of not having a go to dressing. To me, Caesar salad is simple so it depends on having an amazing dressing and a quality parm cheese (I also make my own croutons). This not only hits it out of the park but I’ve been making caesar salad all summer long now!
Delicious! I substituted crushed capers for anchovies and served it with homemade crotons. We loved it!
Made this dressing dozens of times
The best! Love it!!!!
Thank you
My go-to recipe! I’ve been on a Caesar salad kick lately and this recipe hits the spot.
Wow! This was soooo good. I’m definitely saving this recipe to use again
I have made this dressing many times, and it is now considered to be my specialty. Everyone loves it. My only addition is that I add additional Parmesan. And make my own croutons. I also toss the salad for each guest. They fill their bowl with romaine, cheese, dressing and croutons, I dump it in another bowl and toss completely. It is a sure hit! Thanks!!
100%! This is delicious! Great recipe!
Delicious. But—interesting that everyone seems to spell this dressing/salad “Caesar” when it was actually invented by a Mexican chef and named “Cesar”!
so easy and absolutely delicious!!!
This is hands down the best recipe I’ve ever tried, kinda mad at myself for not believing the 5star reviews sooner
This is my favourite go to dressing for Caesar salad. The family loves it and we won’t eat anything but this when having Caesar salad. So tasty.
Didn’t have everything but made it with what I did have – just was missing lemon juice but came out amazing. Thank you
I made this yesterday and it was an absolute hit! I prepared exactly according to the recipe…served alongside homemade pizza and got rave reviews! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Best Caesar dressing ever! I don’t use bottled anymore!
Love this recipe. But even more important, my family loves it even more. Thank you for sharing.
Love this, easy to make and high end restaurant grade!
Made this tonite. Sooooo ez and yum
I did not adjust anything and it tasted wonderful.
This is one I will make again.
Great dressing…about as close to made-at-your-table Caesar
Very, very good!
3 minutes to make, awesome taste, will never buy ceasar dressing again!
This dressing was delicious. I didn’t have anchovy paste so I put a few drops of fish sauce in it. And I used half mayo and half greek yogurt which probably changed the taste a lot but it was still really good.
Stuart-Long Island
One of my favorite recipes. Its perfect!!!!
When you are looking to make something special, to impress.
I toss it with romaine hearts, red onions, crumbled thick cut bacon, and homemade croutons.
Recipe was excellent.
I used low fat Hellmann’s.
Everyone had seconds.
All I can say is thank you for the yummy dressing! Can’t wait to have dinner !
This recipe is perfect! It’s delicious exactly as written. Every single recipe I’ve tried of yours is wonderful, and receive rave reviews! Thank you!
Awesome
Delicious and so quick. Thank you!!
It was amazing! Loved this recipe. Thank you!
(I didn’t have anchovy paste so I subbed 1/2 tsp fish sauce (I know?!) and I used miracle whip light and light Parmesan to keep the calories down.) It worked and was awesome!(Now I have a way to use up that bottle of fish sauce!)
This is so thick, what have I done wrong?
Hi Brooke, the dressing is naturally a little thick, but did you make any changes or adjustments to the recipe? Regardless, you can thin it out by adding some water. Just add it very slowly so you don’t make it too thin. It will also be much thinner at room temperature; it thickens up in the fridge.
Also, you can sub 2 tabl of mayo for sour cream. It seems to make it less thick.
Sure – Because sour cream is more tangy than mayo, feel free to add another few squeezes of lemon juice to the finished dressing if you feel like it needs it.
Brooke,
My dressing came out a little thick as well (but still delicious! Just thinned it a bit to my preference). The only difference I could find when I watched Jenn’s video… is that I had grated my Parmigiano-Reggiano a little thicker.
Thanks J, for mentioning the thickness of the cheese shred. I’ve been making this delicious dressing for more than a year with thicker than desired results. Changing to a finer shred made all the difference. I love reading review comments for tips like yours.
I added a tsp each of horseradish ,fish sauce and grainy mustard. Took it up a notch for sure! Great and simple recipe thanks
Why only a refrigerator shelf life for 3 to 4 days?
Hi Lauren, it may very well last longer than 3 to 4 days but I always err on the shorter side when telling people how long it will keep as I want to be conservative from a food safety standpoint.
This is my good go-to dressing (recipe)!!! I think it’s better than most restaurant caesar dressings. I use all the ingredients, but may add more garlic, Worcestershire sauce, or lemon juice. Just depend on my taste buds that day. I also use the dressing for other salads. So good that I don’t hesitate sharing the recipe with others. Thank you Jenn for sharing it.
This is the BEST Caesar dressing we have EVER had! Better then any restaurant or bottled!
Absolutely amazing! I’m never buying Caesar dressing again! I love that there’s no sugar!! 👏🏻 So quick and easy! Fantastic on grilled lettuce!!
Amazing Caesar dressing! I made this today for lunch and the only change was to substitute Fish Sauce for the Anchovy paste. I did not have the Anchovy paste and on Google this was listed as a sub. Next time I will use the paste, but I cannot imagine this dressing could be any better. We all loved it and plan to make a double batch later this week. Thank you!
Made this the other day and it is incredible. It’s hard to say if it’s the best Cesar dressing I’ve tasted but it’s the best in a Long time. I will say that it’s better the next day so make it early and allow it to mellow.
Made this tonight and soooo good and simple! Thanks Jenn!! Great as usual 💕
Wow! I am obsessed with this dressing! I made it the other day for a reception to serve 70-80 people. It was SO good and so easy. I had to make a few adjustments based on what I had: I used canned anchovies fillets, not the paste (the paste would have been easier). I used pre-grated parmesan cheese (the more expensive kind) because I didn’t have time to grate all that cheese, and the Parmigiano Reggiano was too expensive for the budget I was working with. I was bummed that I forgot to bring the Worshestire sauce so I panicked and put in about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Even with those changes, it turned out so good. I think I put a little too much dressing on the lettuce because it was so good. I got a lot of compliments on the salad and I plan to make it again at the end of the month for an even bigger crowd. I had about a cup of dressing left over and I am fighting with myself not to eat it with a spoon right out of the jar. I’ll have to wait for dinner so I can make another salad just to eat the dressing! THANKS SO MUCH for such a great recipe!
Love it
I make it with vega mayo for my daughter and no cheese. Still tastes great
Make sure to leave out Worcestershire for vegans too! What a recipe. Loved it. Used half yoghurt half Mayo. Used seedy Dijon and anchovy fillets but blended it so you would never know!
Yum!
Yes! Yes !! Yes !!!
authentic
We loved this dressing!
Served generously on top of grilled romaine with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
How many heads of romaine lettuce do you need for 10 people? I’m not clear on the definition of a “starter salad”.
Many thanks for you expert advice!!!
Hi Sandra, One large head (not heart) of romaine equals about 10 cups of torn lettuce, which should serve 4-5 small salads, so to serve 10, you’ll need 2+ heads. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this twice with substitutions as needed, fish sauce instead of anchovy paste and asofoetida instead of garlic. (husband doesn’t like garlic) Still really good, Especially with crab meat and poached prawns. I prefer freshly shaved grana padana so added on top instead of into dressing. Thanks for such an easy and delish caesar dressing!
Amazing recipe! I will never buy bottled caesar dressing again- rich, tangy, garlicky DELISH!
I wanted a Caesar dressing tonight and am trying to cut way back on ultra-processed foods. I’ve found homemade salad dressings are an easy change to make, and the Once Upon a Chef recipes are consistently good, so I was excited to try this. It was so easy to make—I had all of the ingredients to hand, just finely chopped a couple of normal anchovies rather than using a paste. My family are all wary of anchovies even though I love them, but this dressing was a huge hit. The recipe makes loads too—the rest is in the fridge waiting for another night.
Anchovy paste is also kept refridgerated at the seafood counter
I have been making this recipe since about the first time Chef Segal posted it. My husband is allergic to fish so we don’t use the anchovy paste, but I have made it both ways and both ways are absolutely delicious! It is my go-to dressing when I am asked to bring a salad. It is my go-to dressing when I make anything at all remotely Italian. I can’t remember a time when someone knew it was my homemade dressing, that they didn’t ask for the recipe. Casear dressing was always a dressing my husband ordered when we ate out and he likes this one best. I have never thought to try Chef Segal’s other dressings, so revisited her site today to do just that. I am sad about all of the years I went without looking up her other dressing recipes. I worked in management for luxury hotels with fabulous restaurants for over 30 years, and consider Chef Segal’s recipes top notch all the way! Thank you for sharing them Chef Segal!!
This is the first Caesars dressing I’ve liked after making it at home. I’m a chef ‘ie kind of home cook and I know perfection when it comes to taste. I’ve been catering for friends for about 30 years. I’ll give credit to you for this recipe. Excellent
I do the entire thing in my little magimix, throwing the garlic in whole and chopping that finely first then adding all the other ingredients and giving them a good blend. Rub a large wooden bowl with a clove of uncut garlic, add the dressing to the bowl and then add the torn up romaine lettuce hearts in stages until all the leaves are dressed. Topped with fresh, shaved parmesan reggiano and home made garlic croutons. I recently took my sons and daughters in law to a very high end restaurant in Malibu where they ordered Caesar salad to share. After one mouthful they all turned to me and said “yours is better”! And that was all about your dressing recipe!
Thanks for sharing this pro tip!
You rock. Your dressing is my go to for now and for always!!!!! Thank you so much “my chef”!!