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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My family loves this dressing. I follow the recipe directions exactly, but omit the salt because we feel there is enough in the anchovy paste and cheese for our tastes. I use the same quality ingredients recommended in the recipe.
Loved this dressing! Really tasted like restaurant style and so much better than anything I tried from grocery stores. My stomach is not tolerant of fresh garlic so I had to omit 🙁 but it was really good anyway. Thanks!
Hello Jennifer, your caesar recipe is really nice. Really simple but awesomely tasty. Thanks and greetings from Germany.
Hi there! I’ve lived abroad about 7 years now, and got married couple years ago. Made this for the wife and it was a sensation. Until now, she didn’t believe raw lettuce could be safe, much less delicious, to eat. A big thanks to you for helping me show there is more to ‘American food’ than hamburgers and pizza. My tweak is cooking the minced garlic in olive oil for about ~30 seconds on which mellows the garlic and adds a pleasant texture.
This recipe is wonderful. I will never buy caesar dressing in the store again. Thank you!
Oh I did add a couple tsp of water to thin it out and I used the anchovy paste (and would not omit).
I made this two nights ago. My youngest daughter, who loves caesar salad, proclaimed that it “tastes just like it’s from a restaurant” and brought some to school to let her friend taste it because she was so happy with it. I LOVE the taste and you cannot omit the anchovy paste. I don’t need to buy store bought again. This recipe is amazing and thank you!!
I loved this recipe! I’m generally not a mayo fan but I’m not a raw egg fan even more. I used the organic roasted garlic mayo from Hellmans which is a little more mellow and it turned out great. I would totally make this again, so easy.
I voted to make the grilled chicken caesar salad for a big family birthday party tomorrow, I’ve NEVER made homemade Caesar dressing before but after seeing the 5 ⭐️ rating and reading reviews I figured I’d give it a try. I had to run out & get romaine anyway at my local Italian store and they had the anchovy paste! I just finished and it is fantastic! I have to stop eating it otherwise I won’t have enough for tomorrow!
How do I save this recipe? Thanks!
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Hi Brenda, so glad you like the dressing! You can save any recipe by going through these steps:
-Click on the Print button immediately under the name of the recipe
-Select the Print function from your browser menu
-You’ll then see a dialogue box with the various print options. Look for the drop-down menu in the bottom left corner of the box. It should say PDF.
-Click on the drop-down and select “Save as PDF”
-Save it on your computer. (You can create a folder specifically for recipes if that will make it easier for you to find them.)
You could also use this app which helps to store/organize recipes. Hope that helps!
This is so helpful! Thanks!
Recipe Gallery is an AWESOME app! When I go to the grocery store and decide to make something on the spur of the moment, I know exactly what I meed!
I don’t usually comment but this is just so easy and delicious! I eyeball it & make homemade croutons. .the Caesar dressings at the store are so full of nasty GMO and chemicals Easy ingredients to keep on hand. I crave this !! Thanks !
I have made it three times now but tonight I used Hellmann’s mayonnaise with olive oil and it was even better! It was perfect…not too thin and not too thick. I stopped ordering cesar dressing out because it usually doesn’t taste good and the bottled dressings are full of artificial ingredients. Thank you!