If you’ve only had Caesar salad dressing at a restaurant and thought it was too hard to make at home, this post is for you! You can make delicious restaurant-quality Caesar dressing at home with some key ingredients and a blender to mix it all up.
When I was in college, my idea of a homemade salad was chopping up some lettuce and vegetables, tossing them together and pouring store-bought ranch dressing over the top.
It wasn’t until I had dinner with some friends during that time and they discussed their favorite dressing recipes and I had no clue it was easy to make your own dressing. I felt so unsophisticated when I mentioned to my friends that my favorite dressing was bottled ranch!
Of course, that was during my pre-blog days and I’ve learned a lot since my store-bought dressing days. For instance, did you know Caesar salad dressing is really easy to make? You just throw a bunch of ingredients into a blender and it’s ready to go. It’s fresher and tastes so much better than store-bought dressing.
Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients
Caesar salad dressing is a tangy dressing that’s flavored with Parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice and another ingredient I hesitate to mention because it seems to freak people out: anchovies.
Anchovies
Anchovies are a small, oily fish that have a strong flavor. They are often sold in tins like sardines, but they are not the same as sardines. Sardines are bigger and have a different flavor.
Anchovies are an important ingredient in Caesar salad dressing because they give the dressing a savory flavor and that extra umami taste. I’ve had Caesar salad dressing with and without anchovies and can totally tell the difference. The ones with anchovies taste a lot like the Caesar dressings I’ve had at nice restaurants.
Eggs vs Mayonnaise
A classic Caesar salad dressing is made with raw eggs (or ones that are briefly boiled but still raw) that are whisked with the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and oil. The eggs create a creamy emulsion that is tossed with the romaine lettuce.
A lot of people are squeamish about raw eggs and I think it’s just easier to make the dressing with mayonnaise. When I researched recipes, I saw many that use raw eggs, but lots of recipes that use mayonnaise instead.
Other Ingredients
Along with the anchovies and mayonnaise you will need grated Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, oil, Worcestershire, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but this dressing is so easy to mix up, it’s worth keeping the ingredients on had so you can make Caesar salad dressing whenever you want.
Once you’ve tried this recipe you can easily adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes.
How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing
You don’t need a whisk and you don’t even need a bowl to make this dressing. All you do is place all of the ingredients in a blender and process them until smooth.
You can make the dressing ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. Stored in an airtight container, the Caesar salad dressing should keep well up to a week.
Since making this Caesar salad dressing, I’ve made other dressings that I love, too! One of my favorites is Avocado Dressing with Cilantro. Or try another salad recipe like my Edamame Snap Pea Salad or Kale Quinoa Salad.
Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic mashed and minced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Store in fridge until ready for serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
How long is this good in the fridge?
It will keep well for two to three days – hope that helps!
I’m currently in a small town in Dominican Republic without a car, and don’t have Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan, or anchovies. However, I used this recipe as a loose inspiration to make my own “Caesar” style dressing for tonight’s salad. Here’s what I did have: canned sardines in oil, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic paste, salt & pepper, and a grated white cheese similar to mozzarella. I whizzed up all these except the cheese in a blender, reserved the cheese for garnish, and my family thought it tasted like “real” Caesar dressing. Necessity certainly is the mother of invention!
thank you for sharing!