This homemade Caesar Dressing recipe is so easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients, you’ll create a creamy Caesar dressing that is better than storebought or restaurant versions. And guess what? The anchovies are optional.
It’s surprisingly easy to make your own dressings like Homemade Ranch Dressing or Italian Dressing from scratch and creamy Caesar dressing is no exception.
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Use this creamy dressing to make a Classic Caesar Salad, tossed with crisp romaine lettuce, and Homemade Croutons. Sure, you could buy a storebought dressing, but why would you when you can effortlessly make your own umami-packed, lemony, garlicky, parmesan-cheesy, and creamy dressing that tastes so much better?
Our Caesar dressing is kid-friendly – it tastes like the creamy restaurant-style Caesar dressing that my kids love, yet it’s made with the best ingredients right at home. My kids get excited when I make Caesar salad because of this dressing.
Easy Caesar Dressing Recipe Video
Watch Natasha make this homemade Caesar dressing. Don’t blink, because it’s so simple to make and comes together quickly. You’ll make this Caesar dressing again and again once you see how easy it is.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-Bowl – Instead of hauling out a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, (which always creates issues for people, plus it’s messy), I’m so excited to finally have a Caesar dressing that’s easy to whip up in one bowl with just a whisk.
- Easy – I find myself making this dressing way more often for my kids (who love it!) because it’s so easy (measure, pour, stir) and mess-free.
- Keeps Well – The creamy texture remains intact, allowing you to enjoy it straight from the fridge.
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise – Use real mayo for the best flavor. The eggs in the mayo thicken this dressing so you don’t have to worry about the mixture separating. A Homemade Mayonnaise will make your dressing taste even better!
- Dijon mustard – We like to use the Grey Poupon brand, but any dijon will work
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds a rich umami flavor. If you are a vegetarian, see the pro tip below for more information.
- Oil – use a neutral oil like extra light olive oil and avoid using extra virgin olive oil which will give it a different flavor profile.
- Garlic – use fresh, not canned. It will give you more punch and flavor.
- Lemon juice – Opt for freshly squeezed lemon juice and not from concentrate.
- Parmesan cheese – We use freshly grated cheese, but finely shredded will work as well. You can also use pre-grated parmesan and add it according to taste since it’s more finely grated.
Pro Tip:
Did you know anchovies are an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce? So you can skip anchovies or anchovy paste since they’re technically already in there! If you are vegetarian or have a fish allergy, choose a Worcestershire sauce that does not have anchovies listed in the ingredients.
How to Make Homemade Caesar Dressing
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until combined.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once all of the olive oil is in, continue whisking until it’s well incorporated. Add parmesan cheese and whisk together to combine.
- Transfer to a mason jar, cover with a lid, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pro Tip:
The key to a thicker dressing is to slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously. This keeps the dressing emulsified and also helps incorporate more air into the dressing to help it thicken up. It will get even thicker in the refrigerator as the oil cools.
Storage
Transfer to a mason jar or airtight container and store homemade dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week. Add a label to track how old the dressing is and refrigerate promptly after use to maintain its freshness. You will love that it doesn’t separate when chilled and you can use it directly out of the refrigerator without re-whisking.
How to Serve Caesar Dressing
This dressing is so tasty you’ll be tempted to use it on everything, not just salads. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy this homemade Caesar dressing:
- Caesar Salad: add baked chicken breast to make it a complete meal, or make a chicken Caesar wrap for a healthy lunch option.
- As a dip for raw vegetables such as cut carrots, sliced cucumbers, or cauliflower florets – perfect for snacking!
- Pasta Salad Dressing – try it in Caesar Pasta Salad, Tortellini Salad with diced broccoli and tomato, tossed with parmesan cheese, or Macaroni Salad.
- As a grilling marinade for meat or chicken to tenderize the meat and add flavor.
- Potato Salad dressing – try this as the creamy base for a Classic Potato Salad.
More Homemade Dressings and Sauces
If you enjoy this homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe, you’ll love our other dressings and sauces made from scratch. They’re so fresh and easy to make and, in my opinion, taste better than anything store-bought.
- Chimichurri Recipe
- Classic Pesto
- Tartar Sauce
- Easy Marinara Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Barbecue Sauce
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Easy Caesar Dressing Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, *
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or pressed
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra light olive oil, not extra virgin*
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, grated garlic, 3 Tbs lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.
- While whisking vigorously*, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil. Once all of the olive oil is in, continue whisking until it’s well incorporated. Add parmesan and whisk together to combine.
- Transfer to a mason jar, cover with a lid, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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.