Easy Caesar Dressing
This easy Caesar dressing recipe yields classic Caesar flavor. This simple mayonnaise-based recipe is ready in 5 minutes (anchovy-free!).
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 27, 2024
This Caesar dressing really hits the spot. You know I love vinaigrettes, but sometimes only a creamy dressing will do. I’ve been feeling sentimental lately and decided to satisfy my craving for the classic Caesar salad.
This Caesar salad dressing requires just a few pantry ingredients. Stir them together while you bake up some croutons, and you’re ready to enjoy top-notch restaurant-quality Caesar salads at home.
Compared to other Caesar dressing recipes, this dressing is remarkably simple to make. We’ll start with a base of mayonnaise, which is easier than emulsifying oil and egg, not to mention foolproof.
This Caesar dressing is anchovy-free, which makes it suitable for vegetarians like me and anyone with a shellfish allergy. (Technically, anchovies are fish, but they are likely to cause reactions in those with shellfish allergies.) It will also appeal to anyone who is sensitive to anchovy flavor. This dressing offers bold, classic Caesar flavor, without the anchovies!
Watch How to Make Caesar Dressing
Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients
To make this Caesar dressing, we’ll simply stir together the following:
Mayonnaise
Some Caesar dressing recipes call for oil and egg yolk, which turn into mayonnaise during the process of making the recipe. We’re taking the easy route and starting with store-bought mayonnaise. You’ll find an array of mayonnaise options at well-stocked grocery stores these days—I prefer organic options made with olive or avocado oil.
Garlic
Just one clove of garlic will do the trick. Use a garlic press or mince it finely by hand.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is one of several tangy ingredients in this dressing, so we only need a couple of teaspoons (one lemon will be more than plenty).
Dijon Mustard
Dijon mustard lends some key flavoring to Caesar dressing. You probably won’t discern it in the final product, but it makes a big difference.
Worcestershire Sauce
Just a small amount of Worcestershire sauce makes this Caesar dressing taste complete! Worcestershire sauce offers loads of rich umami flavor that makes this dressing taste complex and irresistible. In the absence of anchovies, Worcestershire sauce is absolutely key.
Anchovy/dietary note: If you are vegetarian or allergic to shellfish, choose your Worcestershire sauce carefully. Traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, but several brands make anchovy-free Worcestershires (Wizard’s, Annie’s and Whole Foods 365 come to mind). Also note that these sauces typically introduce soy, if that is relevant to you.
Parmesan Cheese
Parmesan ups the ante with additional salty, umami flavor and a rich, cheesy texture. Finely grated Parmesan is best here. Vegetarians, try Whole Foods 365 or BelGioioso brands of Parmesan, which are truly vegetarian (most Parmesans contain animal rennet).
Salt, Pepper & Water
Since several of the ingredients in this recipe are already salty, we won’t add much additional salt. We will, however, load up this dressing with black pepper, to taste! Lastly, we’ll thin the dressing with a tablespoon of water so it reaches a drizzly consistency.
Looking for a dairy free/vegan variation of this dressing? You will love the Tahini Kale Caesar Salad with Whole-Grain Croutons in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 72). The tahini-based dressing is vegan as written and remarkably Caesar-like! You’ll find a nutritional yeast substitute for the Parmesan garnish in the recipe notes.
More Salad Dressings to Try
Here are just a few of my favorite salad dressings:
Please let me know how your Caesar dressing turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Easy Caesar Dressing
This easy Caesar dressing recipe yields classic Caesar flavor. This simple mayonnaise-based recipe is anchovy-free as long as you choose your Worcestershire sauce carefully (see recipe note). Recipe yields about ¾ cup, enough for 6 side salads (use 10 ounces romaine lettuce).
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce*, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅓ cup (1 ounce) finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon water
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the Parmesan, followed by the water. Season generously with black pepper, to taste. I usually think the dressing tastes just right, but if you’d prefer a more bold dressing, add another ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or for more zippy dressing, add up to 1 teaspoon additional lemon juice. Serve as desired.
Notes
Storage suggestions: Leftover dressing will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.
*Worcestershire note: To ensure that this salad dressing is vegetarian/fish-free, choose your Worcestershire sauce carefully, as most contain anchovies. I like Annie’s, The Wizards or Whole Foods 365 brands (note that some anchovy-free Worcestershire sauces contain soy).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I had a wonderful Caesar salad in Amsterdam and have been trying to replicate it ever since. I came across your recipe and made it tonight. It is fabulous and just like the one I admired on holiday. Thank you so much, it is now a staple in our salads!!
This Caesar dressing is absolutely delicious! And super easy, I’m going to make this every time I have Caesar salad!
My family’s favourite ceasar dressing of all time !!!
Thank you !!!!
10 stars !!!
Thank you, Claire!
Thank you for the fantastic recipe! I was looking for an anchovy-free recipe and yours is thick, richly flavored, and delicious. I like that I had all the ingredients already, which makes it easy to make on the fly. Can’t wait to have people over and share this.
You’re welcome, Lisa! I appreciate your review.
I never comment on these but I just have to leave a review! I was so impressed. I was super hungry when I got home from the gym and I wanted to make a grilled chicken wrap. Full disclosure… I didn’t measure anything but I like living on the edge a little. I did not have Dijon so I used regular mustard. I added everything except the parm and pepper and dabbed my finger to taste it. I was sooo impressed. It tasted just like Caesar dressing from a restaurant!! I didn’t add water since I wanted it thicker for my wrap. I then added the pepper and fresh shredded parm. My wrap was so yummy! I put the leftover in the fridge and can’t wait to make a Caesar salad later!
I’m so happy you did, Annabelle! Thank you for sharing.
Kate, Thanks so much for this great recipe. We loved it. So easy, so delicious. AND homemade. Had it on salad last night and loved it so much made chicken pitas with leftovers for lunch today. Love knowing exactly what goes into our food. No more store bought dressing here. You have a new subscriber.
And I will continue to check your recipes whenever I need a new idea.
Thanks again, Becky D.
Excellent Caesar Salad Dressing! I can hardly keep a supply in the fridge for my husband. He is always excited when I make another batch! We love it!
Love to hear that! Thank you for your review, Karen.
Thank you for the delicious recipe! I had not made Caesar dressing in many years, so I was very interested to see the raw egg and oil replaced with mayonnaise (no brainer though). Also, I found that my anchovies were out of date, so your recipe worked out well for my ingredients on hand. I made exactly as written and it really was excellent!! Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Clara!
What would cause this dressing to “spoil” after 5 days?
Hi Curt, Use your best judgment for food spoilage. This is what I recommend on my own experience.
Thanks!
That’s my gauge also. The mayo and lemon were my concern. Everything else is pretty stable.
Have made this salad dressing several times and we love it. Good on roasted vegetables too.
That’s great to hear, Dottie! I appreciate your review.
Dear Cookie and Kate.
I have made your Ceasar salad dressing many times now. It is so good and easy to make. I would never try anything else. My husband loves it too. Thank you.
Christine H.
That’s great to hear, Christine! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate! You deserve every five star review you’ve received to date. This recipe is surely a winner. We had long time neighbors over for a casual pizza night, so I made a caesar salad using your recipe. Take a bow, Kate! This was wonderful. Can’t wait to make it again.
Great to hear, Hilary! I appreciate your review.
Soooo good and easy to make.This is my favorite Caesar dressing.
I love to hear that, Diane! Thank you for your review.
So yummy! I was out of pepper and used regular mustard instead of Dijon but I didn’t even need it, it was delicious!
I’m glad you loved it, Maddy! Thank you for your review.
Delicious. But—interesting that everyone seems to spell this dressing/salad “Caesar” when it was actually invented by a Mexican chef and named “Cesar”!
Great recipe! I used olive oil mayo & spicy brown mustard because it was all I had on hand!
Delicious! I couldn’t find Worchestershire sauce without anchovies, but this recipe didn’t need it. I added a little extra dijon and lemon juice until it tasted just right.
That’s great to hear, Christine! I appreciate your review.
The taste was ok, but it was like a paste and very difficult to mix into the salad.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, Shelly. I appreciate your feedback.
I totally agree that I will never buy Caesar dressing again. This was simply delicious and since no anchovies needed so easy to whip up with ingredients I already had on hand. Score!!
I love to hear that, Toni! Thank you for your review.
This is the best. Way better than store bought or even restaurant.
I’m glad you love it, Ruth!
Excellent dressing!!! Was going to buy caesar dressing, but it was so expensive (and you usually get something awful). The planets aligned, because I happened to have all ingredients on hand, including some leftover chicken! Now, I have a beautiful dinner salad! Thank you so much for your easy, tasty recipe!
Great to hear, Mary!
The family loved this dressing….so thank you x
This dressing is excellent. However, the second time I made it I replaced half (1/4 cup) of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt. This gave the dressing a bite and eliminated that “mayonnaise” taste. Sublime! 5 stars when make Greek yogurt substitution.
Love this! Really easy and good! Is a new favorite! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Cyndi!
My family’s favourite ceaser dressing !!
Always being asked to make it !!!!
Thank you !!!
Recipe looks really good, but Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian.
Hi Jo, you can find it without animal rennet.
Made for first time today. Quick, easy and delicious! Doubled the recipe for a larger group.
Used whole Mayo, anchovy based Worcestershire, bottled lemon juice, fresh ground black pepper, etc. So good! Didn’t add salt (not needed IMHO) but followed all directions as closely as possible with what I had on hand. Will repeat vs buying any day!
Loved your recipe, tastes great❤️
This recipe helped me out so much! I needed to make Caesar dressing but didn’t want to go to the store. Your site was the first one I checked and of course you had a recipe that used ingredients I already had. And on top of that, it was delicious! So easy and tasty! This will be my go-to Caesar dressing recipe from now on.
That’s great to hear, Kamie!
Thanks made this two days in a row
It was super easy and fast but best of all it tastes great !
Thank you for your review, Dee.
Thank you. I didn’t have dressing on hand so I made it. Tasted great
Thank you for your review, Jean!
American living in Germany.
The dressing they call Caesar here is an abomination. Super sweet and completely wrong. I made this for a dinner party that we hosted and it is really good. Far far better than what I can get locally. It is absolutely on par with American restaurant Caesar dressing.
Now, if only I could get a good taco….
Great to hear, Matt!
Delicious and easy!
I love to hear that, Trina! Thank you for your review.
Love this. Reduced garlic as it doesn’t like me as much as I like it. Everything else as written. Family loves it. Husband asks for it frequently.
I made this dressing for a small party this evening, and o my gosh! It is so delicious. Amazing flavor to go with beautiful, fresh romaine, shaved parm and home made, gf cornbread croutons. Thank you!
Wonderful, BSD!
Made this Caesar dressing a few nights ago and OMG!!! So good, with classic Caesar flavor. (I actually prefer anchovy, so I may add anchovy in the future.)
After finding this astounding recipe through a Google search for a simple Caesar recipe, I’m instantly a Cookies and Kate fan, and signed up for the mailing list!
Awesome recipe. I mixed mayonnaise with olive oil for dressing as I like it a little thinner. But either way, very yummy. I also like substituting lemon for balsamic to give it a more robust and deeper flavour. Again, both ways are delicious. Great recipe to return to and can always alter according to your own tastes!
Thank you for sharing, Joelle!
We LOVED this recipe. I can not believe how amazing it came out. I am never buying Caesar salad dressing. I didn’t have any Parmesan so I put pecorino which is the same. I think a little bit. I substituted but it turned out fantastic!
Thank you for your review, Tina!
Hello!
Do you know how long the Caesar Salad dressing will last in the fridge?
Love the Salad and dressing: love that there are no raw eggs and it still tastes great! Good Job, Kate :-)!
Leftover dressing will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.
Thanks so much! Annette
Love your Caesar!
Note for vegetarians: check the ingredients of your Worcester sauce. Some makes still include anchovies.
Hi Greg, see my note. I provided options that are vegetarian friendly.
I’m an in home caregiver to two kids and 2 seniors, as well as 5 dogs. I cook three meals a day for the last four years. I love making your recipes, and even though I might put my own personal spin on it, your recipes have taught me a lot. I aspire to be a chef one day, and I love to practice with your recipes. Thanks a lot :)
Made this tonight because I was out of store bought salad dressing. So quick and easy and very tasty. Sent the link to a few friends!
That’s great to hear, Jody!
The best I ever had thanks
Love to hear that, Lorraine!