Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
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My family loves this rich and creamy Caesar salad dressing. It’s not overly garlicky or fishy — it’s just right.
Though most people buy Caesar salad dressing in a bottle, homemade is incredibly easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought. There are many variations, but this rich and creamy version is the one my whole family loves. It’s not too garlicky and not too fishy – it’s just right. Unlike authentic Caesar dressings which are made with olive oil and thickened with raw eggs, this one has a mayonnaise base, which means you don’t have to worry if you’re squeamish about raw eggs. My kids love this dressing so much that they’ve learned to make it themselves. They don’t even wait for me to make a salad; while I cook dinner, they sit at the kitchen table with a big heart of romaine and dip the leaves in.
This recipe is part of my classic salad dressing collection, which includes go-to recipes for oil and vinegar based dressings, like vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette, as well as creamy dressings, such as buttermilk ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing, which are typically made with mayonnaise and dairy products.
What You’ll Need To Make Caesar Salad Dressing
Instead of whole anchovies, I use anchovy paste — makes it 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!)
For the cheese, it’s important to use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy; domestic Parmesan pales in comparison. You can always tell if it’s authentic 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.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
The dressing will keep well in the fridge for about a week. For a main course Caesar, try pairing this with my best grilled chicken. Enjoy!
Caesar Salad Dressing Video Tutorial
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Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
My family loves this rich and creamy Caesar salad dressing. It’s not overly garlicky or fishy — it’s just right.
Ingredients
- 2 small garlic cloves, 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 Real
- 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. The dressing will keep well in the fridge for about a week.
- Note: Anchovy paste can be found near the canned tuna in the supermarket.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: About 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 184
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 296mg
- Cholesterol: 13mg
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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Comments
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Made this yesterday WOW! Everyone loved it!
I just made this and “OH MY”!
FANTASTIC!!! 🙂 quick &easy, and the flavor is just unbelievable. I make this salad once a week for dinner, sardine paste and romaine salad are a ‘must have’ in my fridge. Thank you Jenn!
My go- to Caesar dressing!! It’s the BEST!
calories per serving ?
Hi Kayla, 2 tablespoons have 184 calories. You can see all the nutritional info under the recipe.
Unbelievable dressing, we love it and it’s the only one we make
Love this dressing! Made this recipe for the first time today after having been disappointed with a different Caesar dressing recipe I had tried the day before. This one is perfect – all of the flavors/ingredients are well balanced, and I didn’t change a thing. I’ll be making this again and again.
Doesn’t taste good. Look for an authentic recipe instead.
this recipe is the bomb! I love caesar salad because of the dressing I just tweak it a little bit for our liking like instead of regular mayo I use Vegenaise which is just as good and instead of Parmigiano I add nutritional yeast I that way I can indulge in it without feeling that guilty about eating this with everything!! thanks for this recipe! It is a hit every time I do it thanks to you.
This dressing is so dang delicious that we have eaten a big salad every night with dinner using this recipe for the past SIX MONTHS and no other dressing and we STILL are not tired of it. Every guest wants the recipe.
Simple and amazing.
Fantastic. I am so glad to have found this recipe, thank you.
I would highly recommended this it is rich, creamy and delicious.
I loved this Caesar Dressing, especially that I could make it immediately as I already had the ingredients in stock at home.
I made my second batch within 2 weeks. (There are only two of us for each meal and you did say it served 10).
We have had it with chicken/lettuce/croutons, with new potatoes, smoked mackerel, tuna nicoise.
The second time we microplaned the parmesan and I used the ‘whizzy stick’ hand blender to get a really smooth result
I rarely pass on recipes, I was sharing this as soon as I had finished making it.
Its a keeper. Thank you.
How do you get anchovy paste out of the tube. This be my third attempt. Thanks Fiona
Hi Fiona, I would just apply some pressure from the bottom of the tube (just like you would with toothpaste). 🙂
You have to pierce the end of the tube with the outside of the cap.
Unscrew cap, turn cap over, place it back on tube to pierce tube.