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 dressing is fabulous. 1 million percent better than any jarred sauce. This is going on my keeper list of recipes to avoid the gloppy stuff the grocer has to offer.
Made this today made a large batch so used 2 lemons and doubled most of the recipe but really quick and easy. Tastes good just amount of acidic and salty mix
Excellent, accessible recipe. No need ever to buy mediocre bottled dressing full of stuff that doesn’t add flavor when you can throw this all in a small food process (or mix well by hand) and make it in a few minutes. One important substitution: omit the Worcestershire sauce for 1.5 tsp of fish sauce (essential ingredient for Asian-style cooking or anywhere you want to add umami flavor), since it’s made of anchovies.
The best you will ever make! I promise you.
I’d like to make this Caesar salad dressing for my son’s grad party. Can I make it the night before or will it be too garlicky the longer it sits? Thanks!
Hi Carrie, that would be fine – it won’t get too garlicky.
My husband is a 66 year-old Sicilian Italian. This is his absolute favorite dressing, ever. No substitute for this, lol!
Thank you! And it’s easy.
Kim
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I couldn’t find anchovy paste, so I used 2 anchovy fillets. Upon taste-testing, I felt it needed 2 more anchovy fillets. I blended them all with some of the ingredients using a mixer. So, with a total of 4 anchovy fillets, this dressing was amazing!!!!!! My husband loves it, too. Thank you so much. It’s stored in a jar in the fridge right now.
My best friend turned me on to this recipe, and she and I haven’t bought store bought Caesar dressing since. Super easy, and minus the anchovy paste (which lasts ages in your fridge), the ingredients are common. I agree with a comment above that it tends to be a bit thick, but I like mine at room temp when serving which loosens it a bit. Once tossed with your romaine, its perfect. Not meant as a drizzling dressing…just toss it.
The flavor was delicious! But mine was so thick; more like a chip dip than a dressing. Wondering what I did wrong because I sure would like to make it again (& thin out the leftovers). Thanks!
Hi RP, did you happen to use a blender or food processor to make the dressing instead of stirring it by hand? If so, that can definitely make it thicker. Regardless, you can thin it out with a little water. Just go a little at a time until you get to your desired thickness.
I subbed in fish sauce for the anchovies, it’s all I had. Turned out great