Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (2024)

This recipe is: dairy freeegg freegluten freenut free

Skip the heavy, creamy dressing and make this easy, Caesar vinaigrette instead. This homemade caesar salad dressing recipe only takes a few minutes and it’s egg and dairy free.

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Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (1)

This is the best Caesar salad dressing recipe

I have a major love-hate relationship with salad. I’m not sure why, but I go through major phases of wanting to eat salad everyday to avoidingit like the plague. I seriously can’t decide how I feel about it. Though, I will say that I think dressing is a major contributing factor.

I’m pretty against bottled dressing even though it’s inevitable that I’ll have to use one every now and then, and I’m really picky about having my salad dressed. I’m not a fan of putting my dressing on at the table. I know it seems like there isn’t much of a difference, but it seems huge to me.

So I try to make homemade dressing whenever I can. It’s not all that hard, and it makes such an impact on the flavor of a salad.

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (2)

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Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (3)

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (7)

Why you’ll love this caesar dressing

  • Now, I know caesar dressing can be a bit controversial. There’s so many stances you can take on the subject – creamy vs. non-creamy, anchovies or not, and is there seriously supposed to be raw egg in this.
  • I’m actually onboard with all of them (I’m not about to do the whole raw egg thing just out of laziness). But, I have to say, a caesar vinaigrette with anchovies is by far my favorite.
  • And, it’s so easy to make. The secret is anchovy paste. Ok, it’s not actually a secret, but it’s quite a time saver and gives you the flavor you’re looking for from the anchovies without having to actually chop up those squishy little filets.

This recipe makes enough for 1 really big salad or two average sized ones.

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (8)

Everything you need to know about recipe name

What can I substitute for anchovies in Caesar dressing?

I like to use anchovy paste to add this particular flavor to caesar dressing. This is easily kept in the fridge and can be added to all sorts of things for adding salty, fishy flavor. Whole anchovy fillets can be pureed, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce or even capers can be substituted as an alternative to anchovy paste.

Do all Caesar dressings have anchovies?

Traditionally Caesar dressing does include anchovies or anchovy paste, and you won’t quite get the flavor right without it.

More salad dressing recipes:

  • Dijon vinaigrette
  • Homemade ranch dressing
  • Thousand island dressing
  • Ginger dressing
  • Cilantro dressing

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Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (9)

Caesar Salad Dressing

★★★★★4.7 from 6 reviews
Print Recipe

Skip the heavy, creamy dressing and make this easy, Caesar vinaigrette instead. This homemade caesar salad dressing recipe only takes a few minutes and contains no raw egg. Plus, it’s healthy, dairy free and paleo friendly so you can enjoy it whenever you want.

  • Author: Melissa Belanger
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: about 2/3 cup 1x

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 23 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Whisk together dressing ingredients until the oil has emulsified.
  2. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: Mixing
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 176
  • Sugar: 0.4 g
  • Sodium: 498.7 mg
  • Fat: 19 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 1.6 g
  • Fiber: 0.1 g
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Cholesterol: 2.6 mg

Keywords: dairy free, gluten free, egg free, easy, dressing, vinaigrette, salad dressing, caesar salad

Published: June 8, 2020. Updated: October 10, 2022.

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I will never recommend a product I don’t use or trust.

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (10)

Melissa Belanger

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  1. I’m the exact same! SO picky about dressings, and they have to be dressed before they come to the table. Otherwise you end up trying to poke through an already packed bowl of salad trying to coat everything in dressing.. yeck. This sounds awesome because we could whip it up at any time, without having to go through all the steps of a traditional Caesar!

    Reply

  2. Did have anchovy paste, so used worcestershire sauce instead (not the same, but ok). I used half the oil, and added water and a little bit of honey as I found the lemon to be overwhelming. Otherwise, yummy!

    Reply

    1. Not a Caesar salad dressing

      Reply

  3. Pingback: 10 Homemade Condiments - Simply Whisked

  4. Pingback: Kale Chicken Caesar Salad - Simply Whisked

  5. Where do you find anchovy paste in the store usually?

    Reply

    1. I usually find it by the canned fish, like tuna and salmon. If it’s not there, check near the Italian stuff where tomato and garlic paste are located!

      Reply

  6. I just made this dressing – DELICIOUS!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply

  7. Great dressing. I added some parm in and it tasted great!

    Reply

  8. How many calories are in this per tbsp? Is it really 0???

    Reply

  9. Good flavor, I used canned anchovies is oil and created the paste myself. It was a little too tart. I will scale back on the lemon juice next time around. Otherwise, the kids enjoyed it initially. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi! I’m very excited to try making this today, I came upon vinaigrette Cesar dressings from a little cafe a while back. My question is, how much anchovies should be used in place of the paste? I couldn’t find it at the store.

      Reply

      1. You should use about 6 anchovy filets!

        Reply

  10. Made this tonight and it’s good! But gosh, it’s really salty. I definitely would have cut the added salt by at least half

    Reply

  11. In place of anchovy paste is use capers and then blend the dressing. A little bit of Worcestershire helps.

    Reply

  12. Very good basic dressing, who can wrong with oil, mustard, and lemon. Used fresh anchovies instead, added Romano cheese….yum!

    Reply

    1. Im sure adding some cheese would be delicious, not so dairy free though!

      Reply

  13. This was so good! I haven’t been able to have a Caesar salad in like 15 years because of various dietary restrictions, but finally found a way around them and this recipe was a part of it. It was better than any Caesar I ever remember having. So good!

    Reply

  14. I’m going to try using Thai FISH SAUCE instead of the anchovy paste which I don’t have. The dressing looks good. Thanks. Just found your nice website today.

    Reply

  15. I’m a Caesar dressing aficionado!! I’m thrilled with this recipe -it’s the very best, short of doing the old recipe with raw egg. Thanks alot. I’m glad to find your website.

    Reply

  16. It a little heavy on the lemon and not creamy enough

    Reply

    1. This is more of a vinaigrette recipe, and it’s not meant to be super creamy. Sorry you didn’t love it!

      Reply

  17. I haven’t made this yet but I THINK THIS IS THE DUPE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!!!! Trying this tonight, trying to get away from vegetable oil and I loved the Ken’s Lite Caesar dressing and I tried my hand at it but I think this will be the perfect recipe! Can’t wait to try it!!!!!! Subscribing!

    Reply

  18. This is one of the easiest and tastiest Caesar salad dressings ever! I always get complements about it when I make it for guests.

    Reply

    1. I’m so happy to hear that you liked the recipe! Thanks for the review!

      Reply

  19. I just made this (with pureed anchovies instead of anchovy paste). It’s very good, but I may add less lemon juice next time as it’s a bit overwhelming!

    Reply

  20. Hi Melissa,
    This recipe looks really tasty! One tip to share bc simply shaking an already separated dressing doesn’t *fix it*. Once a dressing is separated, it’ll continue to separate the instant the shaking stops. The only way to solve this is by preventing the separation. To do so, combine all the non-oil ingredients first – THEN pour the oil in a thin stream into that mixture while simultaneously whisking it. It’s that thin, gradual stream of oil while whisking that helps the ingredients incorporate better without separating. 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the basic salad dressing formula? ›

As a matter of fact, I frequently just drizzle a little olive oil on my salad, followed by some vinegar and salt, and then toss the greens. It's delicious. The French have decided that the perfect ratio for a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.

What is Caesar salad dressing made of? ›

Mince 3 cloves of garlic and place in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, anchovies, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard; mix well to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

How do you make Caesar salad dressing less sour? ›

  1. If you have added too much vinegar to your recipe, don't panic. There are some simple ways to balance the acidity and save your dish. ...
  2. - Add some sugar or honey to the dish. ...
  3. - Add some baking soda to the dish. ...
  4. - Add some dairy products to the dish. ...
  5. - Add some herbs or spices to the dish.
Dec 11, 2022

How to make Paul Newman Caesar salad dressing? ›

_main
  1. 1 cup mayonnaise.
  2. 3 tablespoons white vinegar.
  3. 2 tablespoons Kraft grated Parmesan cheese.
  4. 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.
  5. 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.
  6. 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard.
  7. 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  8. 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.

What is the simplest form of dressing? ›

This is equally true for even something as simple as a salad dressing, which a vinaigrette is as simple as it gets. Vinaigrettes are an emulsion of 3 parts vegetable oil (usually olive oil) and 1 part acid (usually vinegar or acidic fruit juice), seasoning, and sometimes other flavourings.

What are the two main ingredients of most standard salad dressings? ›

Usually uncooked, a dressing relies on a combination of acid and fat. The acid is anything liquid and acidic, or below a 7.0 on the pH scale. Vinegar or citrus juice are the most common acids, but tomato juice or soy sauce work, too.

Are there two types of Caesar dressing? ›

Caesar salad dressing comes in a few basic forms. First, some are creamy, like ranch dressing, while others are more like vinaigrette, with a visible separation of oil and water-based ingredients.

What was the original Caesar salad made of? ›

Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant to the United States, who lived in San Diego but also ran a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, was said, by his daughter Rosa Cardini, to have invented the Caesar salad on the Fourth of July 1924 by cobbling together merely seven ingredients: whole leaves of romaine lettuce, a raw egg ...

Does homemade Caesar dressing keep? ›

You can omit the anchovies if you're not a fan. The dressing will still be delicious, but it might not have the same traditional Caesar dressing flavor. How long does homemade Caesar dressing last in the refrigerator? This can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

Why does Caesar dressing taste so good? ›

Taste: umami/saltiness from the anchovy and parmesan is balanced by the acidic lemon juice. Aroma & physical: The dijon, garlic, and black pepper add interesting aromatics but also a pungent bite. Textures: The egg yolk and oil-based dressing brings a creamy and unctuous texture that clings to crisp lettuce pieces.

How do you make Caesar salad not soggy? ›

Tossing a salad with a fully emulsified vinaigrette (bottom) is the only way to ensure that greens keep their crisp texture. But if you prefer to add oil and vinegar separately, introduce the vinegar first, followed by the oil (middle).

Why is my homemade salad dressing bitter? ›

Avoid using a blender for olive oil based dressings as the rapid mixing will cause the oil to oxidize and turn bitter. A squeeze bottle or a mason jar with the lid secured works well when giving a good shake to mix and emulsify the dressing properly.

What is classic Caesar dressing made of? ›

To make the dressing: Mash anchovy fillets and garlic in a large salad bowl. Add lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, egg yolk, and Worcestershire sauce; whisk until smooth and creamy. Gradually stream in olive oil while whisking constantly. Season with salt and black pepper.

What ingredient is in Caesar salad dressing that could be a problem for people with a fish allergy? ›

Anchovies in Caesar salads, and as an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. Contaminated barbeques where seafood has been cooked.

What are the ingredients in Dole Caesar salad dressing? ›

DRESSING: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, PARMESAN CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), CORN VINEGAR, SALT, DISTILLED VINEGAR, SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF EGG YOLKS, ANCHOVY, CITRIC ACID, SPICES, XANTHAN GUM, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVORS (MILK), DEHYDRATED ONION.

What is the main ingredients in salad dressing? ›

Salad dressings are vegetable-oil-in-water emulsions containing vinegar, sugar, an emulsifier, and flavors.

What is the primary ingredient in salad dressings? ›

Salad dressing typically consists of a combination of ingredients, but the primary ingredient that forms the base of most salad dressings is oil.

What is the most common salad dressing? ›

Ranch dressing takes the number one spot as America's most popular salad dressing. It's so popular that it's used beyond enhancing a salad. Ranch is a favorite dipping sauce for vegetables, chips, French fries, chicken wings, onion rings, chicken fingers, pizza, and pretty much anything else that's edible.

What are the three basic types of salad dressing? ›

In Western culture, there are three basic types of salad dressing: Vinaigrette; Creamy dressings, usually based on mayonnaise or fermented milk products, such as yogurt, sour cream (crème fraîche, smetana), buttermilk; Cooked dressings, which resemble creamy dressings, but are usually thickened by adding egg yolks and ...

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