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My family loves Caesar Salad, and making my own Homemade Caesar Dressing from scratch with just a few simple ingredients was incredibly easy! You will never want to buy store bought Caesar dressing again.
Why this recipe is so great:
Homemade Caesar salad dressing is wonderful for so many reasons.
- Homemade and fresh always tastes better than anything you can buy at the store. Plus, you can adjust the ingredients so that it tastes exactly how you like it.
- This recipe is quick and easy to make. It turns out perfectly every time.
- You’ll find that this creamy dressing has the perfect balance of salt and acid. It is fantastic on crisp Romaine lettuce, dark leafy greens, or a combination of both. I particularly love a homemade kale Caesar salad.
Basic ingredients needed:
Everything is shown below. Scroll down for substitutions and additional recommendations.
In this Caesar salad dressing recipe, I use anchovy paste, garlic, egg yolks, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and lite olive oil.
How to make Caesar dressing:
- First step is to combine all of the ingredients except for the oil. My preference is to use a wide mouth mason jar and an immersion blender, but you can also use a blender or a food processor. You want to blend and emulsify them.
- Then, while the blender is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream. You’ll want to mix the dressing just until it is fully blended.
Recipe tips and substitutions:
- Anchovies: I use paste because I find it to be easy, but you can certainly use real whole anchovies. The amount called for in the recipe will definitely yield a strong salty anchovy flavor (my preference), so feel free to reduce the amount by as much as half if you are unsure.
- Oil: I used to make this recipe with vegetable but have since switched to using lite olive oil because it is healthier and tastes better. Do not use extra virgin oil as it will not work as well. The light olive oil gives perfect results every time. I buy large bottles of it at Costco since I use it to make my homemade mayonnaise.
- Lemon juice: Fresh squeezed is recommended but you can substitute with bottled lemon juice. I almost always thin the dressing with additional lemon juice because I prefer my dressing to be on the thin and tart side.
- No additional salt should be needed unless you reduced the amount of anchovies.
More salad dressing recipes:
- Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Citrus Vinaigrette
- Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette
- Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- Italian Salad Dressing
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My family loves Caesar Salad, and making my own Homemade Caesar Dressing from scratch with anchovy paste, egg yolk, lemon and olive oil was incredibly easy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons anchovy paste use less if desired (see note below)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, from about 2 small lemons
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup light olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for the oil in blender and blend on low for about 10 seconds. Alternatively, you can combine in a mason jar and use an immersion blender on low speed to blend and emulsify.
- With the blender running on low speed, slowly pour in a very thin steady stream of oil until it is all combined.
- Thin with additional lemon juice, if desired. Makes enough for four family sized salads. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
Yields at least 1 cup of dressing. Nutritional information based on one serving size of 0.5 fluid ounces.
The amount of anchovy paste called for in the recipe will definitely yield a strong salty anchovy flavor (my preference), so feel free to reduce the amount by as much as half (or more) if you are unsure.
Nutrition
Calories: 92kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 78mg, Potassium: 13mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 32IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave me a comment below
I want to try this but I don’t have an immersion blender, would a regular blender work?
Yep! Or even a food processor. I just prefer an immersion blender so that I don’t have to clean out the blender.
This is the best! I make this all the time. Best Caesar dressing. Thank you!
I think it’s absolutely delicious.
Life-changing! My family begs me for this constantly. Thank you!
This turned out so perfectly! Love it!
Can you use avocado oil instead of olive oil?
That should work
Are you worried about using raw eggs?
I’m personally not. I have my own backyard chickens and always make our mayonnaise from scratch using raw egg. I’ve always eaten cookie dough with raw egg as well. The risk comes from outside the shell and not from the raw egg itself, so I always wash the shells really well if we’re going to be consuming them uncooked.
Is there no Parmesan?
I put parmesan in my salad but not in the dressing.
This was really bad. I threw it out. It could have been a typo because other recipes say 1-2 tsp anchovy paste. This one says 2 Tbls.
I did say in the recipe to use less if desired, and I also said higher up in the post “The amount called for in the recipe will definitely yield a strong salty anchovy flavor (my preference), so feel free to reduce the amount by as much as half if you are unsure.” I’m sorry you didn’t like it, but I do hope you try making it again with less anchovy paste.
How long does this last in fridge?
I’ve kept mine for a solid week and it was fine. Just make sure you use high quality eggs. Mine came from my backyard chickens. 🙂