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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Great recipe. If you only have whole anchovies, cook down to soften into a paste. The Garlic and Anchovies are key.
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for letting me contribute my opinion and I hope you have the integrity to publish both good and bad impressions.
How can you call this, “Caesar Salad Dressing”? I’m sorry, but this is Garlic Mayo at best. It is so thick and lack lustre, no wonder your kids dip romaine leaves into this stuff. The only thing correct proportionally is the amount of garlic, otherwise this is yucky!
I’m frustrated that I bothered looking this up when my homemade dressing blows this out of the water! Thank goodness I only made a half portion.
Very disappointed,
Daphne
Funny how tastes are so different. I found this to be the most delicious caesar dressing ever.
This is hands down my favorite Caesar salad dressing recipe ever. It’s always a hit at my house. If you make such a great dressing of your own why bother with any other? This is my go-to. I won’t ever make it any other way again
Was that really necessary? Yuck.
The condescension is thick. Enough integrity? I agree with the others. And yes, it’s incredibly odd you would ever try a different recipe than yours if you already think yours is best. In any event, try offering critiques without getting personal. Otherwise you simply sound like a troll.
Daphne and Martin, if you go back to the recipe with the picture of a dressed caesar salad, you might notice the start of Jenn’s second paragraph which begins with “There are many variations…..” and her fourth paragraph which states, “Unlike traditional Caesar dressings…..”. Do you drive a Chevy and your spouse drive a Ford or do you drive a BMW and your best friend a Mercedes? Can there be room for more than one great car, house, pair of shoes, and even Caesar salad dressing? I think the answer is YES! And thank goodness. This dressing is very tasty, easy to make and a great alternative for people who are leery of using raw eggs. I found it not too garlicky, and not too fishy. It is very flavorful.
I always find reviews helpful that contain constructive criticism, such as too salty, or too bland, overly spicy etc. I have limited bandwidth for reviews that sound like personal attacks on a woman who has transformed the way so many families eat by sharing her time and talents with the rest of us. Daphne, the only constructive words in your rant are that you feel the dressing is too thick and lack lustre. The rest of your review is unnecessarily nasty. Challenging her integrity?? Yeesh.
This recipe is delicious. My go to now.
First of all; very good taste – this is the classic Caesar taste. However, a few tricks can make it better:
1. Make the mayo yourself. Come on, it is seriously just egg yolk and oil. I have a hard time accepting anyone being a “Classic Educated Chef” would not recommend this. And no, Hellmann’s does not taste like mayo. Mayo tastes like mayo.
2. Don’t use anchovy paste. Buy anchovy filets and mash them/grate them. Much better.
3. Do not omit anchovies of the recipe, because of family members being scared of fish or whatever. Anchovies are an essential “spice” in this.
4. Do not thin the mayo. It is supposed to be thick, garlicky, strong and peppery. The romaine salad and croutons and chickens needs something sharp to create an edge to the dish – that’s the purpose of the taste of dressing. It is supposed to be thick, so it sticks to the leaves. If you make it thick and spicy enough, you just need a little.
I give only three stars due to the use of Hellmanns instead of spending 2-3 minutes extra actually making the mayo and at the same time avoiding a million additives.
Martin- I cant decide who is more rude- you or Daphne
I don’t understand why giving an opinion is rude.
The person is being a elitist snob. That is why it’s rude. They are giving themselves a huge pat on the back. You can say that homemade mayo improves the taste without being insulting about it. People need to rate a recipe for what it is. This is a quicker version of classic Caesar dressing.
My thoughts exactly Patricia.
The original dressing did not contain anchovies. It contained worcestershire sauce only. If you are going to be a purist, at least get it right. If people want to omit the anchovies, that is up to them. I am sure that this is great with homemade mayo too, but even with Duke’s it is the best I have ever made or had. It’s way, way above what you can get at most restaurants or out of any bottle. A lot of Ceasar dressing in bottles is loaded with sugar.
The orig recipe was fine, but I agree with you Martin, your tweaks make it even better. Thanks for taking the time to make the excellent suggestions.
Hi Jenn,
I love this recipe, but I wanted to make it for some health-nut guests coming for dinner. Could I substitute 1/2 of the mayonnaise for sour cream? What are my options for tweaking, where the taste won’t be too altered. Love your website and cookbook! You’re my favorite go to chef! 🙂
Hi Sarah, I think you could get away with that but would suggest reducing the lemon juice a bit because sour cream will add some tartness to the dressing. And so glad you like the recipes! ❤️
The health nuts will be amazed by a great salad – don’t substitute.
I would sub full fat Greek yogurt for half the mayo and pull way back on the lemon. You might also need a bit of sugar to balance out the tartness.
Look no further, this is The One!
I’ve made this dressing several times now, enough so that I don’t have to look at it, I know it by heart. It is simply amazing, and I can’t believe how easy it is to make. The hardest part was finding the Anchovie paste at the store.
I was looking for a perfect Caesar Dressing for a long time, thank you for your recipe, mdm.
I love this recipe! I have an egg intolerance so could not eat Caesar salad. Until now. In the recipe, I just substitute the mayonnaise with eggless vegan “mayo”. I can quickly serve up a tasty salad that I too can eat. It’s delicious and easy.
Caesar Salad Dressing is amazing. I love that it is creamy, yet light. Easy to make and delicious!!