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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loved it! so simple and so tasty! and love the fact that it’s mayonnaise-based so I dont have to worry about raw egg…thanks a lot!
Have made this several times and when visiting my daughter always make it a couple of times. Love the fact that there is no raw egg and all the ingredients are already on hand.
Would love to freeze a batch for her. Will freezing compromise the mayo?
Glad you like this! Unfortunately, I don’t think it would freeze very well — sorry!
Basically, just have to just keep some in the fridge at all times.
Luv it! I made this and my son who used to cook for a living, thought I had bought it at our favorite restaurant! I added a bit more mustard, lemon juice and anchovy and it was perfect for my tastes. I like the fact that it’s mayonnaise based. Awesome Awesome recipe! Thank you for sharing it!
You can stop your search for homemade caesar salad dressing. I’ve made this many, many times and the recipe is perfect – everybody loves it!
Hi when it says a cup of, what size cup are you using?
Hi Benni, I see from your email that you are in the UK. The cup of mayo in the recipe is a dry measuring cup we use in the US. You’ll need 240 grams of mayo. Hope that clarifies!
Can you leave out the anchovy paste?
If you’re a bit squeamish about anchovies/anchovy paste, I’d encourage you to just hold your nose and add it in; I think the dressing needs it to taste like the real deal! That said, a few readers have commented that they’ve omitted it and have still been happy with the results.
I love this recipe. It’s the best one I’ve found on the webs and I make it frequently.
I once had only half the needed amount of lemon juice so I substituted the other half with red wine vinegar and it still turned out great.
The parm and anchovy makes the dressing plenty salty for my taste so I leave out the added salt.
TIP: If the anchovy paste remaining in the tube needs to be stored longer-term, a handy way to freeze it is to lay down a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and squeeze out little 1-tsp-sized dollops of the paste onto the paper, spacing them at least 1 inch apart and making sure to leave enough empty room on the paper for it to be folded over to cover all the dollops. With the dollops sandwiched between the two layers of paper, flatten them into discs and then fold up the package and pop it in a freezer bag. Then the frozen dollops of anchovy paste can be used a teaspoon at a time as needed.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for that info. Makes perfect sense.
Hands down fabulous!
Your Caesar recipe has changed my culinary life! OK, sounds dramatic, but it really has been an amazing journey with this one. We first tried it several years ago and loved it. We’ve been making it for years and we pass it on to friends and family around the world. When people ask how to make it, I just say “go online to find Once Upon a Chef, Simple Caesar!” We have made many variations, but your recipe is the classic. I might add a touch more anchovy paste or Worcestershire, but the key I have always found is making sure I use that freshly squeezed lemon! We often add roasted pine nuts to the salad and find that that the dressing is a perfect compliment to their flavor. My wife loves the dressing so much that we’ve taken to using it on baby Kale, since that “traps” even more dressing in the nooks and crannies and the firm texture stands up to my wife’s “wet” amount of dressing. I’m pretty sure my now-adult daughters have made this recipe in many countries around the globe, whenever they can find the ingredients! Thanks for a recipe that is now a family staple.
I pinned this recipe a couple of years ago (I know!) and FINALLY made it this week. WOW!!! We have a new go-to – no more store bought dressing for us! Comes together in literally two minutes. The flavor is so perfectly balanced and gets even better the next day. Wishing I had made it sooner but so glad I finally did!
Outstanding recipe and so fast to come together. Perfect exactly as written.
This is now a new family favorite! So creamy and flavorful. I discovered that the trick to finding anchovy paste was to look in the canned meat section of the supermarket. And also, I triple the amount of garlic for a unique garlicky Cesar. Yum!