There's something incredibly satisfying about whipping up traditional Caesar dressing from scratch. This recipe brings that classic Caesar goodness right into your kitchen, and trust me, it's worth it. Sure, store-bought dressings are convenient, but they often come loaded with additives and sugars. When you make your own, you know exactly what's going into your food, and that's a great feeling.
The fresh, robust flavors in this homemade Caesar dressing are so incredible that they will make you forget all about the bottled stuff. In fact, once you give it a try, you’ll quickly realize there’s no going back to store-bought. This is because the flavor of homemade dressing is simply unbeatable, it’s rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced, offering a taste experience that’s truly in a league of its own.
For the best Caesar salad dressing, I always start with anchovies and garlic. When you blend these with creamy egg yolks, a dollop of Dijon mustard, and some extra virgin olive oil, you get something truly special. It's super easy to whip up at home and trust me, it tastes way better than anything you'll find at the store.
My homemade Caesar dressing is a game-changer! Its authentic taste, creamy texture, and incredible versatility make it a standout. It adds a rich, savory flavor to any dish and is a breeze to whip up with fresh, high-quality ingredients.
You can serve Caesar salad along with Marry Me Chicken.
Jump to:
⭐Why You'll Love this Caesar Dressing
- Simple and Quick to Make: You can make this dressing in just a few minutes with simple steps and minimal equipment.
- Versatile: This dressing isn’t just for Caesar salads. It makes a great dip for veggies, a tasty spread for sandwiches, and a delicious marinade for grilled meats.
- Restaurant-Quality: This dressing brings the taste of a restaurant-quality Caesar salad right to your home.
🧾Caesar Dressing Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this Caesar dressing:
- Egg Yolks: I love adding raw egg yolks to my dressings for that rich, smooth, and creamy texture. If you're concerned about using raw eggs, you can always go for pasteurized ones. And if you prefer, you can swap the egg yolks with mayonnaise instead.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil in my dressings because it gives a nice fruity flavor and a smooth texture when mixed with other ingredients.
- Anchovies: For this classic Caesar dressing, I like to use anchovies packed in oil because they add a nice salty, slightly fishy flavor. If you prefer, you can use anchovy paste instead.
- Dijon Mustard: I like to add mustard to my dressing for a bit of heat and spice. It balances the richness of the egg yolks and oil and helps everything blend together nicely.
- Worcestershire Sauce: I love how this ingredient brings so much to the dressing. It adds a mix of sweetness, tanginess, and savory goodness that really boosts the umami flavor.
- Garlic Clove: I like to use just one clove to give my dressing a nice aromatic flavor. If you prefer a stronger taste, you can always use two cloves instead.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: I enjoy using lemon juice in my dressing to add a bit of tanginess that balances out the richness. If you prefer, you can swap it with vinegar for a slightly different twist.
- Parmesan Cheese: I love adding finely grated Parmesan to my dressing for that essential salty, cheesy goodness. And to top off the salad, I enjoy using shaved Parmesan for an extra touch of flavor and texture. Use a grater to grate the cheese finely.
- Salt & Pepper: For seasoning the dressing.
- Croutons: I like to use ready-made croutons to give my Caesar salad that perfect crunch and texture. It makes the salad really enjoyable to eat!
- Large Romaine Lettuce: I use romaine lettuce to add a fresh, crisp texture to my salad. It makes each bite really satisfying and delicious!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏻🍳How to Make Caesar Dressing
These step-by-step instructions and photos will help you to visualize how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for a printable version of this recipe.
1. Finely chop the anchovies and garlic until they become a paste.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and Dijon mustard together until well-mixed.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice to the mixture. Whisk until completely blended.
4. Add the chopped anchovies and minced garlic to the bowl and mix well.
5. Slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil while whisking continuously to blend the dressing. It should thicken as you add the oil.
6. Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and mix until well combined. Add salt and black pepper to taste, then stir to combine.
7. Wash and dry the romaine lettuce, then tear it into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a large salad bowl, add croutons.
8. Drizzle the Caesar dressing over the salad. Toss to evenly coat the lettuce and croutons. Sprinkle shaved Parmesan cheese on top of the salad.
💭Tips for Recipe Success
Quality Ingredients: The better your ingredients, the better your dressing will taste. Using fresh, high-quality ingredients really makes a big difference!
Emulsification: Whisking briskly while slowly adding the extra virgin olive oil ensures a creamy dressing. If that sounds tricky, you can use a food processor to blend everything together easily.
Adjust to Taste: To make it just the way you like it, feel free to adjust the amounts of lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to suit your taste.
Storage: You can keep any leftover dressing in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a day. Just let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and give it a whisk before using it again.
❓Commonly Asked Questions
Homemade Caesar dressing usually lasts about 1 to 2 days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Make sure to give it a good stir before using it again.
Caesar dressing is made of egg yolks, garlic, anchovies, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
🍛More Salad Recipes to Try!
If you're loving this Caesar salad, you'll also adore these tasty salad recipes:
🍛More Appetizer Recipes!
Here are more of my favorite appetizer recipes! Try these:
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
📖 Recipe
Traditional Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
For the Caesar Dressing:
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 175 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 5 Anchovies
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Cloves Garlic
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 70 g Grated Parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
For the Caesar Salad:
- 100 g Croutons
- 1 Large Romaine Lettuce
- 50 g Parmesan Cheese - shaved
Instructions
- Finely chop the anchovies and garlic until they form a paste.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and Dijon mustard until well combined.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice to the mixture. Whisk until fully integrated.
- Add the chopped anchovies and minced garlic to the bowl. Mix well.
- Slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while continuously whisking to emulsify the dressing. It should thicken as you add the oil.
- Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Mix until well incorporated.
- Add the salt and black pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
- Wash and dry the romaine lettuce. Tear it into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine lettuce and croutons.
- Drizzle the prepared Caesar dressing over the salad. Toss the salad to evenly coat the lettuce and croutons with the dressing.
- Top the salad with the shaved Parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your traditional Caesar Salad!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sandra says
This traditional Caesar dressing is a revelation! The anchovies add such a depth of flavor, that it's miles beyond anything you get from a bottle.