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 favorite Caesar dressing, and my children’s favorite. My family will not use jarred Ceasar dressing after making this. Definitely use fresh Parmesan, it makes a huge difference. We add extra anchovy paste, as we like our dressing more “fishy”.
Loved the simplicity of this delicious caesar dressing. I only used half the called for amount of salt.
Anchovies add so much umami….whether whole or paste. Just like fish sauce, they are off-putting on their own but united with other ingredients, they shine in a very subtle way. Using mayo and not raw egg just seems the way to go. Thanks!
Beautiful sauce!
Easy, fast and tastes great! Thank you
By far the best Ceasar dressing recipe! Thank you!
Not even close to real Ceasar salad dressing. Sorry.
So what’s the definition of real Ceasar dressing?
Completely disagree with Petr. I have never EVER had a Caesar dressing this good from any store or restaurant outside of a 5 star steak restaurant that made the dressing at the table. I’m so grateful to Jenn for pulling this recipe together for us commoners who are unable to frequent 5 star restaurants. My entire family loves this dressing. It is exquisite. Thank you!
Oh, we SO disagree. This dressing is OUTSTANDING!!! We make it often.
This is delicious! I used to make my Ceasar dressing the traditional way, raw egg, evoo, etc., then after thinking it through one day, I thought why not just use some mayo in place of the egg and oil? Its practically the same thing, so after I tried it….wow, the best ceasar dressing ever!! From then on its been the only way I make it!! So much better than any restaurant or store bought dressing, so many want to put vinegar in and that just doesn’t taste right. Anyway, I love Ceasar dressing made this way, it’s perfect! I did make my own mayo, super easy in the blender, and it has a raw egg in it. Those of you thinking you are avoiding it, are not. This is delicious Ceasar dressing, as good as any, and I’ve eaten them at some top shelf restaurants. Thank you.
I made this and it was great. These people saying they left out the anchovies because they don’t like it are killing me. Caesar dressing has anchovies in it. So if you like normal Caesar, you like anchovies in it. You probably just didn’t know they were in there. Don’t omit it. Put it in there or it’s not going to taste like Caesar. Come on people. Great recipe. In my repertoire forever now.
Hi Jenn, I love this recipe. All my family loves it . My only problem is it tends to be a little too thick . Do you have suggestions for thinning it out?
Hi Karen, glad you all like this recipe! You can thin it out with a bit of olive oil and a little lemon juice.
If I have a jar of minced garlic how much do I use..?
You’ll need about 1 tsp. minced garlic. Enjoy!