Without a doubt, the best homemade Caesar salad dressing we have ever had. This Caesar dressing recipe is one we make all the time because it’s easy to make in just a few mins and makes an amazing Caesar salad.
Use it as a vegetable dip or a dressing for many other things like baked potatoes!
We think you will love it too!
Ingredients You Need
There are many caesar salad dressing recipes. Some include mayo or yogurt which are likely very good, but I have tried some of those and they just don’t quite cut it when I want a “real” caesar dressing. This recipe is quite traditional in that it uses the following ingredients:
- eggs
- mustard or dijon
- anchovy paste
- fresh garlic (you can’t have a caesar dressing without it)
- parmesan cheese
- lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- MCT oil, olive oil or your other favorite oil
Don’t get hung up on the anchovy paste. It’s not a big deal. I was for a while and I resisted trying it, but then we tried it and it just adds that “je ne sais que” to the dressing and now we both always use it in our dressing.
We have been LOVING MCT oil in our salad dressings. MCT oil is basically coconut oil that is in a liquid state.
There are way more health benefits as well, but it makes this dressing or any homemade salad dressing soooo great because it lets all the other flavors shine though. It also has a high smoke point so its great for cooking.
Olive oil is our other favorite for homemade salad dressings, but it has a distinct flavor that can sometimes overpower some of the other ingredients. If you get a quality olive oil then it can be really great though…
Both are great options for this salad dressing.
Do All Caesar Dressings Have Anchovies?
The traditional and best ones do! You can leave it out if you want to, but just give it a try once and see what you think.
Grocery store brands don’t have anchovies (that we know of) but that’s another reason why making your own is much better 🙂
Do you really put raw egg in Caesar dressing?
Sure do! Don’t be scared. Buy quality eggs (free range and fresh is best) and you are fine.
Most recipes call for just the egg yolks so that’s what I used to do, but then Debbie told me that she just uses one whole egg instead of two yolks because she didn’t want to waste the egg white. So I tried it and I like it better!
It makes the caesar dressing a little more creamy and light tasting. Now I will always just use the whole egg too and that’s what we have put in our recipe below.
We also like to put egg whites in cocktails like this one, or this one! Its so delicious!
How to Make the Caesar Dressing
Honestly, its very easy. There are two ways. With a blender or food processor, or a whisk and some elbow grease.
In a Blender:
I have a blendtec blender, Debbie has a vitamix, either will work or if you have a high powered blender or a good food processor, this is the easiest way to make your Caesar salad dressing.
Throw all your ingredients into the blender or processor except for the oil and blend it up well. Then with the machine running, drizzle the oil in VERY SLOWLY in a thin drizzle. The mixture will become nice and thick and you are done! Just season to taste with salt and pepper after.
With a Whisk:
You will need a nice sturdy bowl and a good whisk. Add all the liquid ingredients to the bowl except for the oil (so leave the garlic and the parmesan out) and whisk it good.
Then drizzle the oil in VERY SLOWLY in a thin drizzle while you keep whisking. Whisk it fast! The mixture will thicken up. Then mince your garlic really good and grate the parmesan cheese finely and and then add those.
Mix them in gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.
How long can you keep homemade Caesar dressing in the fridge?
You can keep it safely in the fridge for up to 7 days. However, truth be told, I have kept it longer than that and never had a problem, but I always use farm fresh eggs and I don’t leave it out on the counter when I made my salad.
You decide for yourself if you are going to stay within standard safety parameters or push the boundaries a little.
Is Caesar dressing that bad for you?
It depends on what you consider “bad” is what I would say. Yes, this dressing has a high fat content, but that certainly doesn’t make it “bad” in our opinion. It doesn’t have any sugar or chemicals or preservatives or artificial ingredients.
In our opinion, homemade dressing of any kind is good for you and way better for you than the version you would get in grocery store aisles. Compare the ingredient list and make your own decision.
How to Use Your Dressing
- try it on our grilled caesar salad – its amazing and in the picture above!
- of course any other caesar salad will do as well 🙂
- try it on potatoes
- or on a green salad with vegetables
- roasted vegetables!
- as a really delicious dip for a vegetable platter
- try our homemade croutons with your caesar salad too – they are so easy and amazing that you will never buy croutons from a store again!
If you’ve tried this homemade caesar salad dressing recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
We love to see your creations! Tag @Cookswithcocktails if you post a picture of this recipe on INSTAGRAM
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tbsp mustard or dijon
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup MCT oil or olive oil
Instructions
WITH A BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR
- Throw all your ingredients into the blender or processor except for the oil and blend it up well. Then with the machine running, drizzle the oil in VERY SLOWLY in a thin drizzle. The mixture will become nice and thick and you are done! Just season to taste with salt and pepper after.
WITH A WHISK
- You will need a nice sturdy bowl and a good whisk. Add all the liquid ingredients to the bowl except for the oil (so leave the garlic and the parmesan out) and whisk it good. Then drizzle the oil in VERY SLOWLY in a thin drizzle while you keep whisking. Whisk it fast! The mixture will thicken up.
- Then mince your garlic really good and grate the parmesan cheese finely and and then add those. Mix them in gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pauline says
This was really easy and delicious. It was a tad salty so next time I will leave out the salt until after the dressing is made and I’ve tasted it. Possibly my anchovy paste was saltier than the one used in the recipe. Will definitely make this going forward rather than buying it ready made. I made it in a Vitamix.
Julie & Debbie says
So glad you liked it! I have to admit that Debbie and I like our salt so perhaps the recipe might be salty for some. Im going to adjust the recipe slightly. Thanks for your feedback!
Pollys58 says
Awesome stuff!
Julie & Debbie says
So happy to hear you liked it!
Julie says
I love this recipe, so easy and very yummy. To me there is nothing better than homemade.
Julie & Debbie says
Totally agree! so glad you loved it.
Carolyn says
Best Caesar dressing recipe I have ever tried! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Julie & Debbie says
So glad you loved it!
Cyndi says
This dressing is so good, thank you for such a great recipe. And yes anchovies are a must!
Julie & Debbie says
Agreed! So glad you liked it.
Julie says
I made this with avocado oil and it was delicious! Thanks!
Julie & Debbie says
I love avocado oil too!