Can't find your favorite Caesar salad dressing anymore? No need to fret; homemade Caesar dressing isn't hard to make and doesn't require fancy kitchen gadgets.
If you prefer making your own salad dressings, you might enjoy our avocado cilantro dressing and avocado lime ranch. Try our kale Christmas wreath salad, too!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Make sure the egg yolk is at room temperature, and whisk it for 2 minutes before adding the oil to help the oil be absorbed.
- Add the oil a tiny bit at a time to the egg yolk to make sure the oil and egg emulsify. Whisk and add oil until half of it is added, then slowly pour in the rest of the oil in a thin steady stream while whisking.
- Get the right umami flavor from minced garlic and anchovies. Even if you don't like anchovies, you won't taste them distinctly in this dressing.
- Taste as you go. Don't be in a rush. Adjust your fat, acid, and salty flavors, and you will be thrilled with your final result, as it will be customized to your taste buds.
Ingredients
The ingredients for our Caesar salad dressing are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients!
- Egg Yolk: Use farm fresh or pasteurized egg yolk at room temperature.
- Olive oil: We used light-tasting olive oil.
- Acid: We used freshly squeezed lemon juice and white wine vinegar.
- Seasoning: We used garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and salt.
- Fish: We used 4 anchovy fillets that were rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes to remove more salt and soften them, then drained and minced. You can also substitute with ground kelp.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Vegan: Use vegan mayo, soy milk, nutritional yeast, kelp, and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Dairy Free: Use your favorite dairy-free Parmesan.
- Lower Salt: Add the salt in last, and only a small amount of it. Taste as you go. The anchovies and Parmesan will have most of the sodium.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for our Caesar salad dressing.
The mixing method we will show in the pictures below is hand whisking. If you prefer to use a blender or a food processor, feel free to do so as it will speed up the process. Whisking by hand will give you a thinner, glossier mayo; using a machine will make your mayo thicker and creamier.
- To make the homemade mayo, place the room temperature egg yolk in a large bowl. Whisk the egg by itself for 2 minutes. Add a tiny bit of oil to the egg yolk while constantly whisking, then slowly add more oil a tiny bit at a time. When you are halfway done, pour the oil in a thin steady stream. Don't forget to still keep whisking.
- Make the anchovy paste. You can chop the garlic and anchovies together, or smash them in a mortar and pestle. Add the paste to the homemade mayo and whisk it together.
3. Next, add the grated Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and the Dijon mustard to the salad dressing and whisk.
4. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste, which will thin the salad dressing.
5. Taste and add the black pepper and a dash of salt.
6. Adjust the seasoning and lemon juice to taste, which is the key to the perfect Caesar dressing. When the salad dressing is to your liking, you can pour it into a glass jar with an airtight lid.
7. Pour the dressing into a glass jar or bottle for storage.
8. Refrigerate the dressing until you're ready to serve it on your Caesar salad; it will keep for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
The best-tasting Caesar will have minced anchovies ground into a paste. Anchovies are an essential ingredient because they provide the right umami flavor. It adds a briny, fishy, umami flavor profile or the savory element, which is so important. We've also added Worcestershire sauce, which also has anchovies in it, for some extra umami.
If you must substitute because you are vegan, use ground kelp instead of the anchovies. This seaweed will still provide some of the fishy taste, and replace the Worcestershire sauce with the vegan version.
Two tablespoons of our Caesar dressing contains 196 calories, 20g of fat, and 33.3mg of cholesterol. Since most creamy versions have egg yolk in them, you might want to reduce the amount you put on your Caesar salad if you have high cholesterol. For more nutritional information, scroll past the recipe card.
A traditional Caesar recipe is creamy from the mayo and has a flavor profile that is cheesy, briny, tangy, and zesty. Most people will agree that the best Caesar dressings also have a strong garlic taste.
An Italian immigrant to the US named Cesare Cardini claims to have invented the dressing back in 1920.
Serve
The most obvious choice to serve Caesar dressing on is a Caesar salad. This famous salad is made with Romaine lettuce, bacon, homemade croutons, grated Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and freshly cracked black pepper.
You can also serve Caesar salad dressing on chicken or turkey sandwiches and wraps, on roasted vegetables like asparagus, or on flatbread like our taboon bread instead of tomato sauce.
Interested in learning how to make other homemade salad dressings? Check out our reader favorite copycat Chick-fil-A creamy salsa dressing, and our ultimate guide to Chick-fil-A salad dressings.
Store
Make Ahead: Since our Caesar salad dressing keeps well in the fridge, making it the night before would be perfectly fine.
Leftovers: Store in an airtight container, like a mason jar, or another glass container that has a tight fitting lid. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Expert Tips
- Need to warm up an egg quickly? Submerge it in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes, then separate it.
- Add the oil to the egg yolk very slowly, whisking constantly.
- Need this to be keto friendly? You are already good to go, as this dressing has no sugar, uses olive oil, and has 0.8 g of carbs for a 2 tablespoon serving.
- Taste and adjust as you go. You want the right balance of fat, salt, cheese, pepper, garlic, fishy flavor, and acid (lemon and vinegar).
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Recipe
Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup neutral oil, such as light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus extra
- 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- light sprinkle of salt
Instructions
Making the Mayo
- Separate a room temperature egg, reserving the whites for another use. Put the egg yolk in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the egg for 2 minutes, then add a tiny bit of oil while constantly whisking. Continue adding the oil in small amounts so the mixture will emulsify.
- When half of the oil is mixed in, pour the remaining oil in a thin stream, while whisking. You can also make this in the blender or food processor.
Making the Anchovy Paste
- Rinse the anchovies, and soak them in water for 15 minutes to remove some of their saltiness and to soften them.
- Mince the garlic and anchovies, then mash them together to make a paste.
Assembling the Dressing
- Add the anchovy paste to the mayo, then pour in vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and most of the lemon juice. Add the Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and the black pepper. Taste and add a dash of salt.
- Taste again, adjusting the flavors with a bit more lemon juice and or vinegar as desired. If the dressing is too thick, add more lemon juice.
- Use a funnel to pour the dressing into a glass jar. Seal and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy the dressing on a Caesar salad.
Video
Notes
- Need to warm up an egg quickly? Submerge it in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes, then separate it.
- Add the oil to the egg yolk very slowly, whisking constantly.
- Need this to be keto friendly? You are already good to go, as this dressing has no sugar, uses olive oil, and has 0.8 g of carbs for a 2 tablespoon serving.
- Taste and adjust as you go. You want the right balance of fat, salt, cheese, pepper, garlic, fishy flavor, and acid (lemon and vinegar).
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Alex
The dressing is sour from the lemon juice and creamy from the homemade mayo. I like how the anchovies make it salty and good!
Emma
I really like the anchovies in the dressing, too, Alex.
Beth
The anchovies, lemon, and Parmesan taste really good with the garlic in this Caesar salad dressing.
Emma
Thank you, Beth!
Beth
This is lovely on Caesar salad 🥗. Very yummy!
Emma
Thank you, Beth!