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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Made this tonight for dinner. Delicious!!!
OMG! This is so good! I made it last night to add a salad option to our BBQ. This is going to become a staple in our house.
Look at all those positive reviews! This is a real winner. I am a purest and usually like to make a dressing like this the old fashioned way with egg and oil. Why bother! The mayo completly replaces the need for those and tastes even better. I love not having raw egg in there too. I used real whole white anchovies (4-5) and minced them into a paste. I only used 3/4 cup of mayo instead of a cup and i may reduce the mayo even more next time since I like the powerfull burst of flavors. The more mayo added, the more creamy and less bite the dressing will have. Superb recipe just the way it is! i would give it 5+ stars if i could. Taste like Jacobs Steakhouse Toronto ON homemade ceasar dressing with is served table side for $25…
this is a great dressing for romaine.
can i use this for a pasta salad?
do i need to increase liquid ingredents
Sure, I think this would be delicious tossed into a pasta salad! If you find it’s too thick for that, you could thin it out with a bit of olive oil and/or a touch more lemon juice.
i love this recipe! But it’s so thick we’ve been using it as a dip…was looking for a way to thin it out so it could be poured – would adding more olive oil do that without messing with the favors? thanks!
That ought to work, Karen. But you may also want to try letting it come to room temp before thinning it out. It’s much thicker when cold. Hope that helps and so glad you like the dressing!
FANTASTIC!
I was always too lazy to make my own Caesar dressing and concerned about the eggs that normally get added. I went to toss up a salad and realized that I had no store bought dressing in the fridge. I whipped this up in no time! Tastes great! My husband didn’t even notice the difference. Thanks for this fantastic recipe.
I’ve probably made this dressing 5 or 6 times and it’s my favorite dressing. I often have all the ingredients already on hand. I mince the garlic and mix everything else in the food processor so it’s really simple and easy. I actually prefer this dressing to any restaurant-style Caesar out there. I like to add red bell pepper and and sometimes salmon or chicken but I make the recipe exactly as the recipe is written – it is perfect as is.
This recipe was perfection. I didn’t have anchovy paste so I chopped up 4 anchovies. It was better than any Caesar salad we ever got in a restaurant! Not too salty either.
Could you give me the nutritional values if I use Helmann’s low fat Mayo. I am on weight watchers and this mayo has no point value. Thanks very much. Love this dressing. Keep in fridge all the time.
Hi Donna, I use a program called Edamam to calculate nutritional information for my recipes. I tried entering this recipe using low-fat mayo and for some reason, it didn’t recognize the ingredient/update the calculations. So sorry I can’t be more helpful!!
Donna, I am a weight watcher as well and found two different counts for Your mayo. One was 0 points for a tablespoon and other was 1 point for a tablespoon. Either way, I think it’s a winner.
This is far the best Caesar salad dressing that I’ve ever had. It has become a weekly ritual in my home in having it available since we’re salad loving people. And I like the fact that it’s homemade using fresh ingredients without having all the store bought inferior ingredients, which are just not healthy for you. Plus, I make everything by scratch, that way I know what’s going into my food without guessing. So far I have given this recipe to a few friends who also enjoy homemade salad dressings, and it’s been a big “Hit” with them too. Thank you Jen, this is a “Keeper” for sure!
Beast Caesar dressing flavor I’ve found. Beats the “famous restaurant” dressing by miles.