The star of this Caesar salad recipe is the homemade dressing.
A delicious parmesan-garlic dressing is tossed with crisp romaine lettuce, croutons, and fresh lemon.
This Is the Best Caesar Salad Because…
- The dressing is the best homemade Caesar salad dressing of all time. I don’t even have words for how good it is.
- It’s fresh and crisp. This is a classic caesar salad recipe, and it’s delicious.
- The dressing can be made up to 48 hours ahead of time.
- Serve as a side or main dish. Pair this salad next to a steak or top it with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp.
Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients
The dressing is the real MVP of this Caesar salad recipe.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a fresh flavor, I recommend fresh lemon juice.
- Parmesan Cheese -Parmesan adds a savory, salty flavor.
- Garlic: A signature in Caesar salad – freshly minced is best.
- Anchovy: Adds umami (savory)—the flavor is subtle but delicious. Replace whole anchovies with 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste, or see the note below to make the Caesar salad dressing without anchovy.
- Egg: Raw egg emulsifies with the oil to create a rich and creamy dressing (much like how mayonnaise is made); I include both the raw egg yolk and white. If you don’t want to use raw egg, I suggest making my quick Caesar salad dressing.
- Oil: This is added in a very slow stream to thicken the dressing. Use a light-flavored oil like canola or light olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil can be a bit strong for this dressing.
Other Caesar Salad Ingredients
Lettuce: Use romaine lettuce in this recipe. To make it extra crisp, wash it, spin it dry in a salad spinner, and refrigerate if time allows. Substitute kale to create a kale Caesar salad!
Croutons: Homemade croutons are made by baking or frying the bread pieces in oil or butter on high for a short time. They add an amazing crunch to Caesar salad. Store-bought work well too.
Garnish: Garnish the salad with shredded parmesan cheese, lemon wedges, bacon bits, or fried capers.
How to Make Caesar Salad
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor (per the recipe below). Slowly drizzle in the oil until thickened.
- In a large bowl, combine lettuce, and croutons.
- Add the caesar dressing and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan and fresh lemon wedges.
This salad pairs with anything from steak to lasagna or can be topped with grilled chicken for an easy meal.
Tips for a Great Caesar Salad
- Dressing ingredients (including the egg) should be at room temperature.
- Drizzle the oil SLOWLY. The slower you drizzle, the thicker the dressing will be. If you don’t have a blender, you can whisk the ingredients while slowly drizzling in the oil.
- Use fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic for best results.
- To save time, prep the dressing in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Tear the lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces instead of cutting with a knife.
- To make in advance, keep the toppings and dressing separately and combine before serving.
Did you enjoy this Caesar Salad? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Caesar Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups romaine lettuce washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup croutons
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Dressing
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 10 small capers
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- black pepper to taste
- ½ cup light olive oil or canola oil
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Combine garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, capers, egg, anchovy fillets, and pepper in a blender.
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Blend until smooth. With the blender running on low speed, slowly drizzle in olive oil in a thin, slow stream (this should take a few minutes).
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Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and pulse to combine. Taste and season with salt and additional pepper if desired. Refrigerate until using, up to 3 days.
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In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, croutons, and ⅓ cup parmesan cheese. Add dressing as desired and toss to combine.
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Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh lemon wedges for serving.
Notes
- Ingredients (including the egg) should be at room temperature before making the dressing.
- Drizzle the oil SLOWLY. The slower you drizzle, the thicker the dressing will be.
- If you don’t have a blender, you can whisk the ingredients while slowly drizzling in the oil.
- Use fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic for best results.
- To save time, prep the dressing up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge. Store lettuce, garnish, and dressing separately and combine before serving.
- For extra crisp lettuce, wash it and spin dry up to 3 days ahead of time. Store with paper towel in a plastic bag or food container.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dressing, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
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Holly, you were not exaggerating when you said this was the best Caesar salad dressing. I made it exactly as you said and it’s amazing. I love your recipes.
I follow you and use all your recipes, love them! This recipe is like mine but i add a splash of Tabasco sauce and dry mustard plus only the yolks, what does the whites add to the salad, maybe I’ll try that?
The whites help with the emulsification of the dressing as well as the creamy texture.
10
thank heavens! a real Caesar dressing! not creamy nor ranchlike nor someone’s “idea” of Caesar dressing! hopefully, readers will get it!!! THANK YOU!!!
p.s. I have never put a comment on any site whatsoever.
Thanks, Celia! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Best Caesar Salad recipe I have ever made.
TU
Everyone loved it
Can’t seem to make it thicker, oil seems like it thinner
Hi Gary, you can add less oil if you prefer. But if added in a slow thin stream it should thin out your dressing too much. Was it possibly added too quickly?
OMG!!! I never realized what I was missing using store-bought Ceasar dressing. I have never made my own dressing until now. Absolutely awesome!!! I’ll never buy pre-made Ceasar dressing again! Thanks for sharing your recipe
So happy to hear that, Toni! I am glad you enjoyed it.
are you saying to add a raw egg? Not sure it’s safe to eat raw eggs.
Hi Sue, It is safe to consume. It is also the traditional way of making caesar dressing.
this is a superb recipe—THANK YOU!
Winner! I had to substitute the Worcestershire sauce with soy as I was out and can only imagine how good it would have been with it. Thank you.
Can the egg be omitted ?
The egg is needed for consistency in this dressing. If you don’t want to use raw egg, you can use this caesar salad dressing which uses mayonnaise (although mayonnaise does still contain egg). I hope that helps.
I reaaaally love this dressing. I didn’t have capers and instead used some dill and grape leaf that were in a batch of pickles from Costco. It worked! So delicious. Thank you so much and for not using mayo – I’d much rather make a dressing from scratch!
How long can i keep this in the fridge? would 4 days be stretching it too much?
Since this recipe uses fresh garlic cloves there is a risk of it spoiling if stored for longer than 2-3 days.