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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didn’t have garlic (used garlic powder), only had vegenaisse, then forgot to put the parmesan in…”This is delicious!” is what I got back 🙂 from the wife! I have been trying Caesar salad for a while and I’ve pinned your recipe to the wall
Love this recipe. I used anchovies because its my treat.
I make a “classic” Caesar for the adults in my household, but scrambled to look for a kid-friendly version without raw egg when my bottle of Newman’s ran out. Made this for the kids, and liked it so much that I don’t bother making 2 different versions anymore! I made the recipe exactly as written the first time, but then made a few modifications afterwards. I use plain Greek yogurt instead of the mayo, and thin with a little water to get the consistency I like. That’s all!
Amazing taste and easy to make. Love it!
Great recipe! A keeper!
Our family loves homemade salad dressing and this one will be our go to for Caesar salad! We loved it!
Super easy and tastes great!
Oh my goodness this is delicious!!AND so easy! I could not find anchovy paste so I just bought anchovies in oil and made a paste myself! This will be my go to Caesar dressing from now on!!
Just loved this…had it on romaine with chicken and home made croutons for lunch…so good. Jenn, why can’t it last longer in the fridge as all the ingredients are fridge friendly? I made a half recipe, but it is not something I want to eat every day until gone. Question 2, once my anchovy paste tube is half gone, it becomes so hard to squeeze it out. I use Roland brand and believe me, I struggled this morning to get it out of the tube. Is there a secret to it? Thanks again for another winner.
Hi Carol, It may very well last for longer than a week, but I’ve only kept it for that long and I try to err on the conservative side on the blog so no one gets sick. 🙂 You could certainly experiment with keeping it a bit longer though. And I don’t have any great tips for squeezing the paste out of the tube other than just starting at the bottom (kind of like a tube of toothpaste and as it gets low, using the counter edge to push the contents toward the opening.) Hope that helps!
actually, pushed it all up, folded up the bottom so it could not work it’s way back down…that seemed to help
I just made this for a cottage weekend to go with our steaks. It’s going to be YUM. I used my mini food processor – super easy to make and tastes amazing! I added a little extra garlic coz that makes everything better 😉 Thanks Jenn!
Where is the recipe please thank you Susan
Hi Susan, Scroll to the very top of the reviews and immediately above that, click on the word “recipe.” That will show you the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I made this dressing last night to rave reviews. I was out of anchovy paste so I substituted fish sauce. I used 1/3 cup of mayonnaise and 1/3 cup of olive oil, thus reducing the “fat” by 1/3 cup.
The dressing was creamy and did not overwhelm the romaine. Delicious! I try different Caesar salad dressings on a monthly basis (with coddled eggs and without, but I won’t be trying any others now.
Carrol H.
The best I’ve had!