Homemade Caesar Dressing

This homemade Caesar dressing recipe beats any store-bought salad dressing I've tried. With a mayo base, it's creamy, tangy, and easy to make.

Caesar salad dressing

A great Caesar dressing is the secret to a great Caesar salad! This Caesar dressing recipe is my favorite.

I love it because it’s easy and delicious. Unlike a traditional Caesar dressing, which is made with an emulsion of raw egg yolk and oil, this one has a mayo base. It’s super simple to stir together (and it doesn’t contain raw eggs!).

Still, it’s rich, creamy, and packed with tangy, savory, umami flavor. Try it on your next Caesar salad, and you’ll never get a store-bought Caesar dressing again! Trust me, this homemade version is so much better.

Caesar dressing recipe ingredients

Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade Caesar dressing recipe:

  • Mayonnaise – It gives this dressing a delicious creamy texture.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds rich, fruity flavor to the dressing and loosens the mayo.
  • Fresh lemon juice and Dijon mustard – They make the dressing tangy and bright.
  • Garlic – For sharp, savory bite.
  • Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese – They add salty, umami flavor.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

A note for vegetarians: Worcestershire sauce traditionally contains anchovies. Seek out an anchovy-free brand to make this recipe vegetarian (I like Annie’s and 365). You should also look for Parmesan that’s specifically labeled as vegetarian, as most is made with animal rennet. I like BelGioioso’s vegetarian Parm!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and fresh black pepper in mixing bowl with whisk

How to Make Caesar Dressing

This Caesar dressing recipe is super simple to stir together—no food processor or blender required!

Just whisk together the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Then, stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste.

  • Tip: Use finely grated Parmesan so that it melds into the creamy dressing.

If the dressing is too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin it to your desired consistency. That’s it!

Whisking ingredients in glass bowl

How to Store Caesar Dressing

This recipe makes a fairly large quantity—about 1 1/2 cups. That’s enough for about 2 large salads. Find more serving suggestions in the callout below!

Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It keeps well for up to 5 days.

How to Use

How do you like to use this dressing? Let me know in the comments!

Caesar dressing recipe

More Favorite Salad Dressings

If you love this recipe, try one of these easy salad dressings next:

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Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 48 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves 8
This homemade Caesar salad dressing is rich, creamy, and easy to make! It has a delicious tangy, garlicky flavor. We love it on salads, wraps, and more!

Instructions

  • In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and several grinds of pepper until smooth. Stir in the cheese and season to taste. If the dressing is too thick, stir in water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Use on a Caesar salad, or try another of the serving suggestions in the blog post above. The dressing keeps well for about 5 days in an airtight container or jar in the fridge.

Notes

*If you're vegetarian, make sure to use a Parmesan made without animal rennet. I like BelGioioso's vegetarian Parmesan.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

 

48 comments

4.98 from 48 votes (35 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Linda Wiegand
    12.09.2024

    Are there no anchovies in this recipe or was it an accidental omission?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.11.2024

      Hi Linda, anchovies would be classic, but we omitted them because this is a vegetarian website.

  2. Meghan
    12.08.2024

    Did you update these dressing with mayonnaise? I swear it use to be with Greek yogurt instead. Has anything else changed?

    • Raegan Medgie
      12.09.2024

      You’re correct…it used to be with Greek Yogurt!!!! I feel like a few things changed-the Greek yogurt recipe didn’t have Worcestershire!

  3. Susan Boyack
    11.10.2024

    Just Delicious. First couple bites my wife said, “This isn’t Ceasar dressing.” But by the third and fourth bites we were both hooked. I use it on the Kale Ceasar Love and Lemons recipe. I have to say I’m not a fan of Kale (though I know I should be), but just a nice Romaine, shaves of Parmesan and Croutons is all that’s necessary with this dressing. Lots of Flavor!

  4. Emily
    11.08.2024

    5 stars
    This is my go to dressing I make at least once a week it’s so good! I sub in worceshire sauce in place of capers as I don’t normally have on hand, but such a yummy, easy versatile recipe

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.09.2024

      Hi Emily, I’m so glad you love the dressing!

  5. Susan Yee
    09.13.2024

    5 stars
    I just made a double batch since I juiced one lemon and it came out with two tablespoons of lemon juice. This dressing is so delicious; love that it’s so healthy and tasty.

  6. Anna
    09.03.2024

    5 stars
    YUM. Tastes just like Caesar you’d get at a restaurant and soo easy. I used 0% fage because that is what I had on hand. I added about 0.5 Tbs of grated Parmesan for a little more richness otherwise followed the recipe exactly.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      09.06.2024

      So glad you loved the dressing, Anna!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.