Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This will be your go to Caesar salad dressing! It’s so easy to make and the flavor is far better than any bottle could pack in. Don’t let the anchovy paste be optional if you can help it, because it helps provide that classic Caesar taste. Just like one other reader mentioned, if it turns out too thick then add a little milk.
Hi,
I made this without anchovies, a good thing, not sure quite how to season to taste otherwise? Not a big fan of ranch. I went to ‘pantry’ (kitchen cabinet) and found that I was fresh out of 1000’s of islands, so I made this, ’cause I could. Headed out for more 1000’s of islands. I also thinned it down with oat milk. 🙂
This is without a doubt THE BEST Caesar salad dressing I’ve tasted!
Quick, easy and tasty. Every time I serve it, I get recipe requests. Our new family favourite.
Thank you Jenn for your fabulous recipes! I’ve tried SO many of them and every one is 5 stars!!!
🙂
Hands down the best caesar dressing that doesn’t use eggs. I’ve tried many, even pioneer woman, and this one blows them out of the water. My 4 yo twins gobbled it up and wanted to dip anything and everything in it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thank you! This dressing is delish!
At long last, a delicious (and easy) caeser. Excellent consistency, excellent flavor! Into the bookmarks it goes!
This is literally the best recipe I have ever gotten off-line. Ever. It is my go to recipe for hosting dinners/attending dinners it is my go to recipe for hosting dinners/attending dinners. , And it’s so quick and easy to whip up and lasts for at least a week so we eat it on a regular basis in our home as well. Literally every single person who has ever eaten a salad that I’ve made with this dressing has asked for the recipe and then has added it to their regular rotation as well.
I love Once Upon a Chef recipes! They’re all delicious! This caesar dressing is my new favorite dressing. My husband requests it weekly! I am serving this Caesar salad and Once Upon a Chef’s grilled chicken to guests tomorrow night!
Perfect perfect perfect! I’ve been craving Caesar salads a lot lately and decided it was time to try making a from-scratch dressing.. so glad I did! Wow! Also made some homemade croutons for the salad and couldn’t stop dunking them in the Caesar dressing : ) I topped our dinner salad with your Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts, which were also phenomenal. Thank you!
In our high school hospitality class, we have a monthly luncheon in partnership with the health centre for the elders in our community. This month, our contribution to the luncheon was Caesar Salad. To make it extra special, we decided to do homemade dressing, and based on all the great reviews, we picked this recipe to make. It was very easy for our students to make, and we got great feedback from everyone who tried our salad. The only substitution we did was to use pre-grated parmesan cheese, as we were on a budget, but we did buy 1 brick of real parmesan to sprinkle on top of our salad as garnish. Thank you for this great recipe! I plan to make this for my family, and we will definitely use it again at school!
Hi Chelsy, what a nice thing that your class does! Glad to hear the dressing was well received at the luncheon and that you have a new recipe to use at home with your family! 🙂