Perfect Caesar Dressing Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
No store bought dressing can touch this. If only the screen was a scratch and sniff and you could take a whiff of this dressing. You’d be convinced. It’s so perfect! By far the most delicious Caesar dressing I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried many many different brands). It’s fantastic paired with this caesar salad. This recipe produces 1 1/2 cups of dressing (note: recipe updated 11/22). I bet it would make an awesome marinade too.
You will need a food processor
Ingredients for Caesar Dressing:
2 Tbsp mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard (I used “Grey Poupon” brand)
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 small lemons or 1 large lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cups mild or extra light olive oil (not extra virgin)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing:
1. Place 2 Tbsp mayo, 2 tsp dijon, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper in the bowl of an electric food processor. (Press garlic and squeeze juice right into the food processor; think dish factor),p.s. OXO Garlic Press
2. Process until smooth and well blended. While the food processor is still on, VERY slowly pour in the 1 cups olive oil. Process until thick and creamy.
3. Add Parmesan cheese and pulse 5 or 6 times.
and, it’s done! This recipe was inspired by the Caesar Salad dressing in Ina Garten’s book: Barefoot Contessa Parties
Perfect Caesar Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 1/2 small lemons or 1 large lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cups mild or extra light olive oil, not extra virgin
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
-
Place 2 Tbsp mayo, 2 tsp Dijon, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper in the bowl of an electric food processor. (Press garlic and squeeze juice right into the food processor; think dish factor),
-
Process until smooth and well blended. While the food processor is still on, VERY slowly pour in the 1 cup olive oil. Process until thick and creamy.
-
Add parmesan cheese and pulse 5 or 6 times, and, it's done!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
How long would this last in the fridge? Thank you!
Hi Ashley, this dressing can last up to couple weeks.
Thank you for your response 🙂
I use avocado oil in my homemade mayo. It’s as perfect as a healthy salad dressing can be and so yummy! I have drizzled the oil in and have put all ingredients into a tall wide jar and used a hand blender. Just start at the bottom and slowly bring the wand up while stirring a bit as you go. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature. I take my eggs out of the frig and pour hot tap water over them into a large mug or bowl and let them sit while I assemble everything else.
Thanks for the tip Sharon! 😀
As a Caesar dressing aficionado, I was wondering why there is not any anchovies or anchovy paste in the recipe?
It is a personal preference. The flavor is pretty robust even without the anchovies.
do you know how long this would be good for after you made it if kept in an airtight container?
Christine, this dressing can last up to couple weeks.
my sister made this with avocado oil and the mayo and oil separated it looked like it was bad but it still tasted good. would you know why this happened?
Hi Sharona, what did your sister use (food processor, blender, or something else)? I have found that if you aren’t using a good food processor and adding the oil in a slow drizzle, it doesn’t form correctly. Also, extra virgin olive oil does not work well, so hopefully she wasn’t use that. I hope that helps!
maybe because i used sunflower oils and the same thing happened
I used sunflower oil and it turned out perfect
i used a blander and slowly drizzled in the oil. i made it once and it came out amazing and then that was it. i wish i knew what i was doing wrong.
Usually, if it is a high-powered blender, it should be sufficient to whip the dressing. Did you use the same blender both times, and the second time it did not work? What kind of blender are you using? Also, did you change anything about the ingredients? Did you use a different kind of oil maybe?
Amazing, I used 2% plain greek yogurt instead of mayo, sunflower oil, honey dijon and freshly grated parmesan reggiano. It was perfectly creamy and totally satisfied my caesar salad craving and provided me a healthy(er) alternative! 🙂
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and thank you so much for sharing your healthy substitutions!
Wow, I rarely have light olive oil and tonight I found out why you must have it. I love the flavor of a good olive oil but it overpowered this dressing AND I could not get the acidity level down! I tried sugar but with no luck. I added more salt but I just could not get the final flavor what I wanted it to be.
Did you try it with an extra virgin? Yes, I’ve made that mistake before and hoped to save someone some trouble by mentioning it in the post. I love the flavor of extra virgin also but it really does overpower in this dressing.
mine seperated why?
Try grape seed oil. Trader Joe’s has it at a good price.
Thanks for the tip! Have you tried grape seed oil in this recipe already?
I am NOT a fan of olive oil at all, never have been…and a lot of my recipes call for it. Is there any other oil that I can substitute for the olive oil that will give me the same flavor?
I think they’re probably are other oil’s that would work, but I have not tested anything besides olive oil.
Maybe avocado oil?
I wouldn’t call this Caesar Salad Dressing. Caesar dressing has two unique ingredients, anchovies and egg yolk, without them It wouldn’t be the same. It is possible to buy “safe” chicken eggs. I am lucky enough to get mine from friend’s who raise chickens. I love to present Caesar salad with grilled romaine lettuce. Slice down the long way leaving stem and leaves intact, brush with olive oil on the cut side then place on grill cooking until the lettuce cut side begins to brown. Place on plates and drizzle with the dressing. Its a great presentation.
Thank you for sharing that tip about grilled romaine. I’ve never tried that but I imagine it makes for a gorgeous presentation!
Hi,
I used all of the ingredients above but put everything together before I blended it in. I chose to put in the extra olive oil together with everything .I did the same with the parmesan. This resulted in my dressing to be very runny and strong taste. Why did mine not end up creamy?
Hi Douglas, I’ve had that happen before and it was because I tried it with extra virgin (this is why I specified not to use extra virgin in the recipe), also I added the oil too quickly rather than slowly adding it to the food processor – and that is the biggest reason. If you add the oil all at once and try to blend, it won’t get to a creamy consistency. I hope that helps for next time!
I made this once and it turned out perfect. Each subsequent attempt has been thin and runny. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?
Hi Shelley, are you using a different oil possibly and are you adding it gradually? Is there anything else you might be doing differently?
how long can this stay refrigerated?
I’ve kept it refrigerated for up to a week.There isn’t anything too perishable in it so possibly longer but I haven’t tested it longer than that.
I knew this was the right recipe for me because I saw the picture of the grapeseed oil Vegenaise, and that’s exactly what I use, so I figured mine would turn out just as well. However, I did add one raw egg yolk because I wanted to make an authentic Caesar and boost the protein, and then I did not have parmesan (till I assembled the salad) so I added a little bit of feta cheese (I know, weird, but it worked) so the flavours could amalgamate in the fridge for a few hours. I only had extra virgin olive oil so I did half and half with avocado oil to mitigate the strong flavour. I even forgot to drizzle the oil slowly and it still became creamy. This was awesome and easy to make, thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing your method and modifications! Sounds delicious!
I made this last night during a strong Caesar salad craving. I ate it straight away and thought it was a little too tart, a little too oily. Refrigerated the rest overnight and made another salad the next day, it was DELICIOUS! All the flavors had blended together and mellowed out really well. Definitely give it a little time to rest before using, it made all the difference in the texture/taste.
Hi Roxanne, Thanks for sharing that tip! 🙂
so delicious !! I would put a tiny bit less oil, but this recipe made my day ! thank you.
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you 🙂
Waaay too much oil
I made this recipe 3 times. The first time I used my food processor. It turned out thick and creamy but I used extra virgin olive oil and found it to have a strong taste. The 2nd time I made it I used just regular olive oil. I started to use my food processor, then switched to my hand cuisinart hand mixer as I was making a half batch. It worked out perfectly, nice and thick and smooth, until I decided to mix it just a bit longer, it turned runny, but still tasted good. The 3rd attempt I used my cuisinart hand blender with the whisk attachment and also made a half batch. This way I could drizzle the olive oil in with one hand mix with the other. It turned out perfectly.
Maureen
Thank you so much for sharing all your tips! I also did not have great results when using extra-virgin olive oil. Mine did not thicken and the taste was a little strong.
I love the fact that this has no raw eggs, which gross me out. Having some friends over next week for lunch and so I’ll mix up a batch and see how good it is.
Same here – and raw eggs are not very safe for young children, pregnant women or the elderly. I hope you all enjoy it! 🙂
This truly is the best Caesar dressing I’ve ever had! It has all of the deliciousness without the anchovies. My whole family loves it. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for such a great review Jenny and you are welcome :).
Hi,
Can I make this in a regular blender?
Olga, you can use it if you have powerful enough blender to cut air in to it for the dressing to thicken. Readers had mixed results with using blenders so I won’t recommend it. Hope this helps :).
i made this tonight in my blender, but I had no problem getting it to thicken up. It helps if your ingredients are at room temperature when doing it in the blender. I also added some red wine vinegar and some Worcestershire sauce. Very yummy!
What kind of blender did you use? I think a powerful blender like blendtec or vitamix would work but I’m not sure a regular one would incorporate enough air into the mixture like a food processor would.
BEST. CAESAR. DRESSING. EVER….PERIOD!!!! I don’t know how long it would last, because we ate it all the first day! FRESH & DELICIOUS!
Thank you!
I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
I made this in a Vitamix with Just Mayo (vegan) and it was SO thick I had to add an extra cup of olive oil. And it’s still really thick! Like aioli! I might dilute it with water as I use it for dressing?
I know the Vitamix is a very powerful machine and in my experience, the longer I mixed it in my food processor, the thicker it became. It may just have gotten overmixed. Since the mayo acts as an emulsifier, it won’t help to add oil and continuing to beat it at really high speeds – it will just thicken more. I haven’t tried diluting it with water so I’m not sure what it would do to the dressing. Let me know what you ended up trying.
I made a double batch of this dressing for my grandson’s christening party. I used a hand manipulated food processor and regular olive oil, adding 2 tbsp. of the oil at a time and cranking 10x in between. It came out perfectly. The guests loved it!! The salad was the first thing to go! Thank you for a terrific recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing how you made it! You’re the second person to have great results with an immersion blender. Thanks for the great review 🙂
Great recipe! Thanks! Super easy, I don’t have a processor so I just used my Braun hand mixer inside a large mason jar. Followed the recipe exactly and poured the oil in a slow thin stream while pulsing the hand mixer. Thickened up perfect. We like ours a bit creamier so I added 2more tbsp of mayo, put the lid in the jar and kept in fridge until dinner. Super easy and fresh!
I’m so glad you liked it! I never would have thought to use my immersion blender for this! It’s awesome to know that it works. Thanks so much for sharing!
Natasha, this dressing is sooo good! I tried and tried but eventually gave up on trying to buy a good caesar dressing from stores, and I also tried making it myself going off of another recipe site and it was a complete disaster. With your recipe, I took the liberty of adding a few anchovies and lowering the amount of salt (because I added anchovies), and it turned out simply amazingly delicious!!! Also, because I didn’t have any lemons, I used a packet of True Lemon and I don’t believe that by doing so I made the results worse :). Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for a great review Mila, keep checking the site, I might have one or two more dressings on the site shortly :).
I will :), thank you! For now, I am making a 2nd batch of caesar :), had peope over and even my sister-in-law who doesn’t do dressings at all loved it! So now it’s gone, time to make more 🙂
That’s awesome! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipe. I’m working on a great ranch dressing currently. It’s still in the testing stages but I’m getting there! 😉
Really like this one. However I did use a blender as I have no processor. I have to say mine turned out just fine. Thick and creamy with a few bits cheese but not really bad at all. Maybe the very slow drizzle of the oil is the clue.
I’m so glad you liked it. I think a good blender will do the job too 🙂
Easy and delicious! Thank you for an excellent recipe! I used a blender, came out thick and creamy.
Thanks Martin! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Just thought I would weigh in. I made this for supper tonight. The kids loved it. In their minds the only competition is Red Lobster’s ceasar dressing. Thanks for making me look good. By the way, I used a blender and dumped the oil in all at once and it came out creamy. Obviously results do vary. If you leave the blender on it doesn’t mix well. If you pulse or just turn it on for a few seconds, turn it off until the air bubble comes up, and repeat. It will mix.
That’s fantastic that the kids loved it (isn’t that the best feeling?). Thanks for weighing in 😉
Natasha,I made this dressing and it was easy and delicious.I used a wisk since I couldn’t find the blade to my food processor. It came out creamy and it was sooo good I wanted to lick the bowl. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That’s awesome! Doesn’t it smell amazing too? I’m so glad you loved it 😉
Went on line this morning to look for a good Caesar dressing and came across yours. I read the comments and I have all I need to try it out for dinner. Can’t wait to let you know how it turned out. I am rating this on what goes into the dressing right down to the type of mayo that is being used.
I hope you love everything about it! 🙂
This came out really, really bad when adding the olive oil. I find that it’s just fine when all the other ingredients are combined in a food processor sans the oil. (I tried two batches; once with extra virgin, and once with ‘normal’ oil)
Thank you so much for your input! I’ve just updated this recipe today (actually about to put in new pictures and I reduced the oil quite a bit. New and improved 🙂
Hello …I’m wondering, where are the anchovies? It seems like that’s a pretty vital part of a Caesar. Unless I’m missing something and this is a vegan site, but no, there are eggs (mayo)? Just curious.
Also, for those having trouble thickening the dressing an added egg yolk will help, along with adding the oil slowly (as I believe you’ve mentioned).
This is an anchovy free version. I’m not a fan and this is definitely not a vegan site 🙂 I haven’t tried the egg yolk for food safety reasons and my son was sensitive to eggs for awhile, but yes, you’re right. A typical caesar dressing has anchovies.
I found your recipe last night and tried it in my “Ninja”. Didn’t blend everything in stages as your recipe recommends, just dumped all the ingredients in and blended. Came out runny because I did not follow your instructions but it tasted amazing – love it, thanks! Enjoyed a fantastic Caesar Salad for lunch today.
You are welcome Rosemary, I just bought more salad ingredients today, so might make some of that dressing again :).
easy recipe. Made it in my vitamix, it was nice and thick. But it was somewhat bland and tooooo lemony. I had to add extra mayo, some sugar, and more garlic, plus another half a cup of fresh parm to make it palatable.
It’s good to know that a Vitamix works well for this. A regular blender wouldn’t cut it 😉
Yes, I used the dijon and mayo. I never could get it to thicken, so I didn’t add the cheese… I’ve read all the nice comments about how it turned out the first time and cannot figure out what went wrong for me. I’m not really a novice in the kitchen and I’ve made mayo before… Just would like to figure out what I did wrong. Do you think I could have over-processed it? How long does it take to thicken? I’ve used avocado oil, but don’t think it should be a problem…
Did you use avocado oil in this recipe? I haven’t tried with avocado oil, just with olive oil. I wonder if that could be it? It takes maybe 2-3 min. I wish I had timed it. Next time I make it, I’ll have to time it.
I am so disappointed, I’ve tried it twice in my really nice Kitchen-Aid processor, that does a great job on everything. It is watery no matter what. I followed the recipe to a t, took care to pour oil very slowly, but it still doesn’t thicken… How long do you process it to get it to thicken? Do you think omitting the yolk, that’s in original recipe, causes it? So many nice ingredients wasted, sigh…
I’m not sure what could have happened? I have a decent food processor but it’s nothing fancy and it thickens up. Did you use the grey poupon and mayo? It helps as an emulsifier to thicken it up. Did you wait to let it thicken before adding the cheese? Sorry 🙁 I don’t know what else it could be…
Used to make this all the time, but lately it seems to separate and be oily. I make it in a bullet ahead of time and put it in the fridge until serving. Why does it separate?
It would only separate if you haven’t beat it long enough. Have you always made it in the bullet?
Great ceasar dressing. I added anchovies just to add that extra flavor. Yummy Absolutely no need to buy ceasar from the store. Supper simple recipe and you most likely have most of the ingredients already.
Thank you Amy :), I’m glad you like the recipe.
I made this with a magic bullet and the consistency was thick at 1 cup of oil, but when I added the other half cup it came out runny! I guess next time I’ll just stick to one cup of oil.
That’s interesting, I wonder if the magic bullet wasn’t as effective after the first cup?
Perfect Caesar! I was so glad to see a recipe that didn’t call for raw eggs. After tasting it I couldn’t resist adding a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and next time I will add some anchovies just for giggles and we like that flavor. It worked perfectly in my mini food processor although it did come up to the top of the container but since my Mini Cuisinart has holes in the top I could easily drizzle in the oil which I thought was a perfect amount. The 1.5 cups is perfect. The texture was rich, creamy and thick. I cannot wait to put it on our 4th of July salad in an hour – it’ll be so delicious! Thank you for your very concise instructions – it was a perfect dressing the first time.
That’s awesome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the great review! 🙂
This came out perfectly, except, personally I found it waaaaay too salty. I would half the salt content, at least. Parmesan is very salty, and raw garlic has a kind of spicy saltiness to it. Everything else though, yum!
Hi Natasha,
I made this dressing this weekend and loved how easy it was! It turned out yummy, although I found it to be a little bit high in oil. How can I reduce a little bit oil yet still have the same taste, but just lighter in oil? Only thing I can think of is using half stock/oil instead of 1 1/2 cups oil.
Let me know what you think.
Oh and the oil I used was canola/olive oil combined since I was out of olive oil.
The oil is what thickens it up. I think it would be a little watery with half stock. I think it might be a little lighter in taste with 100% olive oil.
Thanks for the delicious recipe idea. I have been disappointed with other recipes I have tried. I did add some anchovies and a farm fresh egg. Couldn’t be happier with the results. Thank you!
I would have loved to try your dressing. That sounds nice; anchovies and farm fresh egg. Mmmm
Hi Natasha! Tried making this dressing…hmm no luck!had to use a blender because i dont have a food procesor, maybe i should invest into one!!lol! came out runny and very acidic, maybe my lemons was too juicy!!i even added some half and half to add some body to it, but it still wasnr right! Oh well, its always a next time!
Oh man that is a bummer. I’ll blame the blender. I think you really need the blades of a food processor to cut through it unless you have a really strong and fancy blender. You might try a little less lemon next time. Did you have very large lemons?
Greetings from Greece! The recipe is really helpful and delicious! Congratulations and keep going Natasha!
Thank you Stella and welcome to the site :). I hope you will find some more new favorites.
I made this a few days so and it was perfect! My new go-to dressing!
That’s awesome! Thanks Gina! 🙂
Natasha, will the dressing work if I use regular oil?
Canola oil should work fine. The olive oil just makes it healthier 🙂
Natasha. can I use freshly Grated Parmesan cheese?
Yes Lidiya, absolutely :).
I’ve been following you for awhile and I just love your recipes and this one is no exception!! I’ve tried other recipes but yours is very light and very easy. With ingredients that I always have.
Thanks for all your work and amazing recipes!
Aww thanks Alla. You’re awesome. Happy cooking!!
I made this with a food processor and it came out runny…. However I think there may be a little too much lemon juice. The ingredients say 1/3 cup lemon juice but the directions say 1/2. If I were to make it again I would add 1/4 cup to see if that helps make it less runny and probably 3 tbs mayo. But I love how this recipe doesn’t call for a cup of mayo like other recipes. And the taste was much better after i added a little more mayo, was less bitter.
It was supposed to be 1/3 cup lemon juice. Sorry, I missed that in the instructions. It’s fixed now. You might try blending it just a little longer on the strongest speed next time to thicken it up.
Looks yummy! But why do you press the garlic before putting it in the food processor? That seems unneccessary?
This is to insure that there are no chunks of garlic in the dressing.
hello! I followed the recipe exactly except that I used extra virgin olive oil. The taste of the olive oil was too strong and the dressing was way too sour! Reading all the good comments, I was determined to get it right so here’s what I did:
Doubled the mayo and mustard and garlic. I used the juice of one lemon which was less than half of what the recipe called for. I used half a cup of extra virgin olive oil AND a quarter of a cup vegetable oil. When I added the oil through the opening at the top of the food processor I used a tea spoon to pour the oil in slowly. This turned out DELICIOUS! Thank you!!!
Yes extra virgin probably would have too much of the distinct olive oil flavor. Thanks for sharing what you did with the recipe!!
I made your ceaser dressing tonight, it was excellent. the only thing I did
different was use only l lemon.everyone loved it. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
This didn’t work for me. At all. I thought I added the oil slowly but it was still super oily with gritty bits of Parmesan. Seemed like too much oil for the recipe. The taste wasn’t bad, though i had to add way more cheese and some vinegar to counteract the oil. I’m willing to give it one more try.
I just made this again last week. Did you use a food processor or a blender? I think you get the best results in a food processor.
I used a food processor.
Natasha, this is fantastic! You’re right- you can’t compare to a store bought brand! Makes me want to eat a salad every meal ..
Oh I’m glad you enjoyed it. I also made it this past weekend 🙂
How do I make my wife follow the recipe? She looks at the picture, reads the instructions and then does something completely different. I try to tell her she wouldn’t want the pharmacist to do that but it’s just not getting through. Please help! Desperate of Avonhead.
Lol. pharmacist. I’m not sure what to tell you; just that recipes tend to work better when you follow the instructions 🙂 I guess it’s good that I include a photo tutorial 😉
You could always, you know… show her how it’s done?
Yum! I want to make this but I’m wondering…after you make it and store it, does the oil come to the top of the dressing or does it stay mixed in with the rest of the ingredients?
It stays mixed 🙂
I made it and it is honestly the best dressing I have ever had! My dad says we wont be buying store bought from now on because of all the junk in it and it does not compare in taste!
Thank you so much!
Awww that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that with me. It makes my heart glad 🙂
I’ve made this dressing twice now, and here’s the hot tip….
It will never thicken in a blender. It will, however come out amazing..
in a Bullet w/the whipping blade. I Add 3 anchovies, and use TJoes organic mayonnaise which is better than anything out there. Also, a mixture of light
and extra virgin olive oils is perfect. The first round was too green and grassy, not to mention thin(blender) The 2nd go round, was in a word, exceptional.
THE TEXTURE IS PERFECT IN A BULLET.
A serving suggestion…use whole hearts of romain, and drizzle over the top,
micro plane Parmesan cheese, and grind lots of pepper.
Ur guests will go crazy over this, guaranteed!
Ooh sounds pretty! Thanks Patrick! I need to get myself a bullet. I’ve heard good reviews about it! Thanks so much for sharing your tips and insights 🙂
Hey Patrick …how do you pour the oil while blending in a bullet? I have the magic bullet too but there is no way you can pour the oil while blending?
Annett
I make mine with fine Parmesan and a whisk since I hate cleanup. It comes out nicely… like the very little mayo involved in the recipe.
Does it come out thick enough with the whisk?
I made this today. It turned out well! I made it in a food processor so it didn’t turn out watery, but it was still not as creamy as store bought dressing. Your recipe called for a 1/2 cup of lemon juice and after squeezing out two medium sized lemons, I had only 1/4 cup. I used another lemon and ended up with a little more than 1/4 cup lemon juice. I’m glad I didn’t decide to keep squeezing more lemons because the dressing turned out pretty sour, though still good in it’s own unique way.
Love your site! I’m trying the Cheesecake Danish next!
A good citrus juicer will get the most juice out of your lemons. I recommend this one :).
I’ll have to get one, it seems that I’m picking all the recipes with lemon juice! lol
I made this recipe exactly. epic fail!!!! Tastes nothing like Caesar dressing.
Weirdly tart, with chunks of Parmesan. Had to throw it out and now have to go to the grocery store to buy Caesar
I’ve had a couple people say that it didn’t work out for them when they used a blender instead of a food processor. Was that the case? I didn’t have any chunks of parmesan after blending it in a food processor. If you were using a food processor, I’d blend it a little more to break up the parmesan. Fresh caesar dressing does taste a little different than store-bought because it is fresh; I thought it tasted better. Sorry it didn’t work out for you. That’s a bummer 🙁
Natasha, does the dressing turn out kind of runny or more solid like traditional ranch dressing? Mine turned out kind of runny but that may be because I used a mixer cause I don’t have a food processor.
You do need a food processor for this recipe. I think it’s the way the blades cut through the dressing that thickens it. It’s not as thick as ranch dressing, but it should be pretty creamy.
My processor doesn’t work with lid off…which doesn’t allow me to add oil per instructions. What do you suggest?
Does your processor have a hole on top with a plunger? I pour mine through that opening.
I followed the directions exactly (especially regarding the oil), and it came out great!
Awesome!! Glad you liked it 🙂
I updated the recipe to emphasize that the oil must be added very slowly. And, thanks to Alina’s advice; a blender does not work well in thickening this dressing. Use a food processor for best results. An electric hand mixer may work but I haven’t tried it yet.
I tried this twice and it would not thicken at all:( I used a vitamix blender but it was still as water. What am i doing wrong? How is a food processor different from a blender in this recipe?
I read up on it and I guess it’s kind of like making mayo; it sometimes works with a blender and sometimes does not (not sure why exactly). I know it works with a food processor and I’ve also read that an electric hand mixer works well (but haven’t tried an electric hand mixer myself). You also have to add the oil really slowly. I think it has something to do with how the blade cuts through the oil. It’s good to know that a blender doesn’t work well. I’ll add that to the recipe; It’s a bummer that it didn’t thicken with the blender; that must have been disappointing 🙁 Thanks for letting me know.
Natasha, am I able to use the extra virgin olive oil for this?
The original recipe called for a mild/regular olive oil and I never tested any other oil. Sorry that’s not very helpful. It probably would taste different since the extra virgin has a distinct flavor.
Hmm.. Interesting because I never heard of mild olive oil and sadly haven’t come across one. What brand do you use? I’ll try to but it online perhaps.
Thanks so much!
I purchased the “pure olive oil” at Costco. The “extra light” one should work too.
Mouth watering!! Looks amazing!!
Thank you Maria, I hope you love it :).
How clever! I have all the ingredients, and will make this tonight for dinner! With a baked salmon and fresh salad! Thank YOU!!
That sounds like an ideal dinner! Hope you love it!
This sounds so yummy and delicious! I love to split my chicken into freezer bags and pour in some ceasar dressing and freeze, so easy and delicious! But no anchovies/paste in this recipe? But if I was to add anchovy paste, how much would you recommend?
It’s good to know that ceasar makes a good marinade. I suspected that it would. The original recipe said to add 8 to 10 anchovy fillets. I’m not sure how that converts to anchovy paste. P.S. sorry for the late reply; I haven’t been home all day to get my hands on the recipe.
I’m excited to try this. It sounds so good and looks perfect. Thanks!
You’re welcome Veronica! I hope you love it as much as we do! We finished our last bottle; I better buy more lemons and make another batch. It motivates us to eat more salad. 😉
Can you use a blender?
I’ve only made it with a food processor since that was the recommendation from Ina Garten. A blender might be ok for a smaller batch but I’m not sure if it will bring this recipe to the proper thickness. Honestly I just haven’t tried it with a blender.
Wow, it sure sounds simple enough to make and very delicious. I will have to try it for my next salad. I love making home made dressing for salads. Have you ever made a homemade mayo? I heard its really good, but I have not tried it yet.
I haven’t tried yet but I hear it’s a similar process with pouring the oil in slowly.
if you replace the mayo with egg in this recipe, you have made your own mayo 🙂
That’s true, I was trying to make this a recipe that was safer for all ages to eat; one without a raw egg :).
I love all real ingredients in this and though I can’t sniff through the screen, I can tell its delicious! Will definitely make this. Any idea how long it can be refrigerated for?
All of the ingredients in the dressing hold pretty well. I’d say it’s freshest the first week but will probably last a good two weeks. Mine was gone by day 2!!; I made a big Ukrainian family sized salad and everyone just loved it!