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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I loved the recipe! My husband doesn’t like anchovy so I substituted with garlic-flavored oil and it was still good!
Bought a 3 pack of sale organic romaine from the store then remembered store bought lettuce is blah tasting- edible and happy to have it, just unexciting. This dressing makes it delicious and an excuse to use the anchovy paste hanging in my pantry waiting for an excuse to come out and party. Thanks!
I love this recipe! Have looked for a good Caesar Salad Dressing for years, never found quite what my taste buds wanted – but this one is perfect. A couple of minor substitutions – instead of 1 tsp of anchovy paste, I prefer a 2 oz can of the real thing. I just chop them up and add them instead of the paste. Sometimes just half the can into the mix, and the remainder sprinkled on top of the salad. Also in place of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, I use my home blend that I’ve used on pasta dishes for years, which is an equal parts Asiago-Romano-Parmesan blend. As you might guess, I am a fan of strong flavors! But this recipe is a clear winner and is now my “go-to” Caesar Salad Dressing.
Yum! So easy to make and so absolutely delicious. I substituted the mayo for vegenaise and my husband could not tell the difference. The best Cesar dressing and so easy to make!
Excellent recipe! I didnt have anchovy paste, but chopped anchovies worked fine. Lightened up on the mayo too, to have less thick dressing.
Relatively simple recipe for an excellent Caesar. I added some olive oil, which added complexity and, like the anchovy paste, made it feel like “the real thing.”
Awesome taste. It’s very hard to find a good true Caesar dressing in both restaurants and stores. I don’t have to look for either now. I can just whip some up! Thanks.
This was such an easy recipe and very easy to make! No blender or food processor. Thank you.
Just made a half recipe minus the anchovy paste and it was excellent!! Will buy the paste when I go to the store to have on hand for next time.
Absolutely love this recipe! How long can it keep In the fridge for? Must know since I’m going to make A TON of it!
So glad you like it! It should keep nicely in the fridge for about 5 days.
I want to make this tonight with dinner but I have just about every other mustard other than Dijon. (Honey, yellow, brown) Would another kind work? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, I’ve never used anything but Dijon mustard, but I suspect you could probably get away with brown. Please LMK how it turns out!