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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No chef adds mayonnaise to their caesar.
If they want to do it the hard way and use raw egg yokes, so be it. I have used this recipe for years and like it better than the original.
This is a standard in our house. Love it! I have made it all the traditional ways but this is so easy and tastes great. Heads above the bottled stuff.
Awesome, will never buy store bought again!! Jenn, our whole family love love love your cookbook and website. Can’t thank you enough for all the meals you have served at our table.
❤️
I tried this last night for dinner. I was having spaghetti and meatballs and really wanted to sometime else to go with it but didn’t have any Cesar dressing. I found this recipe and man am I so glad I did! I am never going back to bottled. I used everything I already had on hand so I had to skip the anchovy paste and Worcestershire sauce and substituted light mayo for regular. It was so full of flavor, a little on the thicker side but I think if I had all the ingredients it would have been the perfect consistency.
You all do realize that mayonnaise has raw eggs in it I hope.
Can this recipe be doubled using the same proportions or do they have to be adjusted? Seems like doubling EVERYTHING might be a bit much. I LOVE this recipe!!!
Hi Cindy, You would double everything. 🙂
Really good! But be careful with the mayonnaise, it dominates! i added a lot of more lemon to balance it out, but in future i would start out with 1/2 and maybe add some olive oil. Made some homemade croutons and all together it was delicious. thanks for the easy recipe:)
We tried it without anchovy paste as we had none at home and that was already excellent !! Thanks a lot !
Wow! That was incredibly easy and so tasty. Never buying bottled Caesar dressing again. I didn’t have any lemons but had one of those containers of lime juice so I judged that as a substitute. Will use lemons in the future but the taste was still there with the lime juice. Thanks so much for such an easy recipe that didn’t involve making my own mayonnaise.
Has anyone tried using low fat or fat free mayo in this recipe?
Yes. I use light Hellman’s and it is delicious!
Best. Caesar. Dressing.
This Caesar dressing is so popular in my family that I have to triple the recipe to make it last a couple days. Suddenly everyone wants salads or chicken Caesar wraps every day for lunch & dinner!
It makes a big difference (even though it costs a little extra) to buy a pack of prosciutto, cook it until it’s nice and crisp, then crumble it over the top of each salad with the Parmesan shavings.
Slight tweak: we love it with a couple extra tsp of black pepper added for a little more kick.
I love this Cesar salad dressing. My husband usually orders Cesar salad if it’s on the menu when we are out to dinner. When I saw this I was leary of the anchovy paste but I’m so glad I tried it. It’s wonderful and making my own croutons makes it even better!
Delicious recipe!! My family loves it!! I love the consistency, and the flavor is out of this world!! Everyone always asks for this recipe!!
This was so good and so easy!! I didn’t have fresh lemons so I used bottled. I can’t wait to try with fresh. I prefer my dressing a little thinner so I added buttermilk until it was the consistency I like.