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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This is a great recipe! I used Hellman’s mayo with Olive Oil- tastes great for almost 75% less fat. It is MUCH better than any light mayo- life’s too short:) Today I massaged it into Tuscan Kale and let it sit for about 20 min to soften the fibers in the kale- just like the restaurants!
This has to be a record for number of five stars for one recipe. Nice job.
WOW this is the best dressing. I made this for Easter. My whole family went crazy for it. When leaving our sons house my granddaughter said: Nana can you make me a whole bunch of that dressing? They were dipping carrots & celery into a bowl of it. Only change I made was I used whole anchovies as I could not find the paste. I also shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over it. It is wonderful. Thanks for all your great recipes.
How many anchovy fillets did you substitute for the 1 tsp of anchovy paste?
Excellent, first time making homemade Caesar dressing and this recipe is a keeper. I added extra garlic and doubled the anchovy paste and lemon. I also used Just Mayo brand, a vegan substitute that doesn’t have eggs in it. Tastes better than Mayo, really. The dressing was awesome. My guests loved it so much they took home a few servings each. Thank you!
This by far the best Caesar recipe ever. If I ask some one “what can I bring?” this is it. It’s now a staple at all our holiday dinners. I follow the recipe exactly.
Made this last night and it was great! I can a can of anchovy filets so I used a mortar and pestle to pound that up with the gloves of garlic. This is a great recipe!
I started making this dressing about a year ago and my wife loves it so much she has a salad everyday. This is so much better than any bottled Ceaser’s dressing and very easy to make. We don’t use any bottled dressings anymore.
This is the best no-egg ceasar dressing recipe I’ve ever found. Just the right amount of everything. Most importantly my kids love it!!
WAY too much mayo. I’d use closer to a fourth or half cup, and then double up on the lemon and dijon.
Actually, Rachel, I, too, was turned off by the massive amounts of mayo, not just in this recipe, but in most salad dressings. This recipe is so good, though, I did some adjustments to make it to my liking. I substituted Vegan Grapeseed Veganaisse for Mayo. The grapeseed version is the only version of Veganaisse that I can tolerate, BUT, I am not a vegan. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly as it is..hmmm…okay, a added maybe a touch more anchovie paste and a touch more dijon. I like to get a little zing in the old gullet, and the dressing is perfect. I”ve made a fresh batch in my house every week for the past 6-7 months. It is that good.
Hello Jenn,
How much romaine, croutons and shaved parmesan do I put with your Caesar salad dressing, which serves 10 starter salads. That is the number of people coming to dinner.
Many thanks,
Carol
The dressing is the perfect amount for about 10 medium salads (about 2 cups of romaine per serving). In terms of the croutons, for 10 salads, I would suggest either buying a bag of croutons or you could double this recipe for homemade croutons. For the cheese, just purchase a wedge of fresh parm and put that on to taste. Enjoy!
Since I have been on an elimination diet, I have been making more recipes and needed a good caesar dressing. I made this without the anchovy paste, and used Veganaise (I can’t have eggs) instead of mayo. It is better than any restaurant version…and my family didn’t even know they got the vegan mayo. They loved it! Thank you!!!!