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. On weight watchers so instead of 1 cup mayo, I used 1/2 cup 0% Fage yogurt and 1/2 cup mayo. Still delicious and much more point friendly at 1.5 points/tablespoon. A little goes a long way.
Amazingly Delicious and simple recipe!!!
Made it several times, we like with a little extra spoon of anchovy paste.
Invest in good mayonnaise, Organic Trader Joes Mayo by far beats all Hellmans in the world. And invest in good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ( don’t use shredded in the store cheese), work that muscle. Fantastic recipe, my picky Italian husband wants to have it everyday :))
I could not find Italian anchovy paste so I used Moroccan. Anchovy pastes seem to differ in strength of flavor. Totally agree with Katherine that a little more anchovy paste may make it perfect. You can add a little more if needed at the end. Great dressing.
I never leave reviews because I am frankly just too lazy. But this dressing was incredible. I could eat it with a spoon (actually did). No more bottled ever. A keeper in my permanent files!
This dressing is perfect. I’m a big garlic fan and this dressing brought a lot of bold flavours to a classic dish, while keeping it creamy and smooth. Caesar salad is often overlooked as an over-used side that ends up being bland – happy to say that with this recipe, that won’t be the case in my kitchen anymore!
I stopped ordering Caesar salad in restaurants because they are either too soggy, too tangy, too bland etc. The first time I made this salad I used pecorino romano cheese, put all the ingredients in a blender and it was very good but a little strong and rather thick. I made it tonight and used a good quality parmigiano reggiano, added a drop of water and whisked the ingredients. It was excellent! A perfect dressing for Caesar salad with grilled chicken! I have made at least five of your recipes and so far we’ve enjoyed them very much! Thanks Jenn
I was skeptical because this didn’t see like a classic recipe for dressing, but I made it last night for a dinner party and it was FABULOUSLY delicious. Thank you. I’m a believer. I love that I didn’t have to deal with anchovy fillets and egg yolks with young women (as guests) that may or may not be pregnant. This is a much safer way to prepare the dressing.
This recipe is so delicious that I will not buy bottled dressing again. The dressing tastes so fresh and it is easy to make.
I just made this recipe!!! So easy, to perfect! Made my whole life smile!
The BEST dressing!
Wow! what a tasty Caesar dressing this is. I followed the ingredients exactly, only using the flat anchovies in the tin rather than the paste in the tube. The fillets are so soft it is a snap to chop them into a paste with a knife on the cutting board. I had a large organic romaine head of lettuce and used it all with the dressing. We had it with Jenn’s cedar plank salmon and some fried potatoes. It was all good, but the salad went so fast I had to make a second batch. No reason to buy bottled dressing in the store. Home made is so superior and Jenn’s recipe is easy.