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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This is the most awesome cesar salad dressing ever! Totally delish!! Thank you!
This was DELICIOUS! I’ll never buy Caesar dressing again!
Will never buy Caesar dressing again. This was so easy and flavorful. Had everything we needed already. Left the anchovies out and it was still full of flavor. Will try them soon though.
Best dressing ever. Made for Mothers Day and my niece said better than any restaurant. She is a connoisseur of Ceasar Salad. Keeping a jar in the frig for whenever I need a good salad. Good with left over chicken. Thanks
Can you use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of mayo?
Yes, CM, You can get away with using Greek yogurt or sour cream but I would suggest reducing the lemon juice a bit because either of those will add some tartness to the dressing. Please LMK how it turns out!
This salad dressing was very easy to make and absolutely delicious. I could not get out to shop and had had no romaine lettuce. This “Caesar Salad” was with iceberg and tasted wonderful!
Loved it! You can use a little less mayo if you want. I never fill the whole 1 cup but I do a little more than 1/2 too. I just don’t know how I long I can store it for I’m assuming 1 week?
So glad you like it! Yes, it refrigerates nicely for about a week.
I love Caesar salad but it is such a pain to get out my blender to go through the whole process. This was delicious and so, so easy! Thank you!
This is my favorite Caesar dressing of all time. Better than any restaurant. It’s on frequent rotation in our house.
Seriously, better than any caesar salad dressing I’ve ever had. My Fiance and I love caesar dressing and we are so pumped to have discovered this recipe!!
This is also excellent with 2 anchovies if you don’t have paste, and Romano cheese instead if Parm (which is what I had around) and I don’t miss dealing w a raw egg whatsoever! 🙂
I don’t like store bought, too much lemon or something, bitter and sour! my daughter-in-law’s sister-in-law makes it great but would not give her recipe to us. this one is so much better and now we won’t have to wait for her to give us some!!!!! we really like garlic so I used 6 cloves for a double batch! yum!!!!! thanks so much!
OMG… I made this yesterday and it was probably the best salad I have ever tasted. I was skeptical without the addition of the egg yolks, but the mayonnaise was an excellent substitute. This is now my go-to Caesar salad for life.
I have whole anchovies. How many do think equals one teaspoon of paste? Two?
Yes, I think 2 sounds about right. Hope you enjoy!
This was the first recipe I made of yours, Jenn. I had tried a couple of others, but wasn’t satisfied. Then, I made this one. It turned out great, and is our favorite recipe for Caesar salad dressing now!