Caesar salads are among the most popular salads around. There are countless variations, but a classic Caesar salad recipe is made with just a few simple components: crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, savory Parmesan cheese and a creamy dressing. Prepping a recipe for Caesar salad is as easy as tossing everything together to create a crisp, crunchy, refreshing salad that can be served as a side or as a main dish.
How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing
It’s so easy to make homemade Caesar dressing that you’ll never need a store-bought bottle again! Simply throw egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Add the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies and thickens. Then, finish the dressing with grated Parmesan cheese for added richness.
Our recipe for Caesar salad dressing won’t create the milky white dressing you’ll find at the grocery store, though. Today most Caesar dressings call for ingredients like mayonnaise, buttermilk or sour cream. But traditional recipes are based on egg yolks, which create a richer dressing capable of transforming any salad from ho-hum into a restaurant-worthy meal.
We think this old-school Caesar salad dressing recipe offers unbeatable richness and simplicity, but we understand if the raw yolks seem scary. Don’t worry: There are plenty of tasty alternatives! You can make the mayonnaise-based dressing from this easy Caesar salad, or prepare this light Caesar dressing with reduced-fat mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk.
How to Make Homemade Croutons for Caesar Salad
We highly recommend making homemade croutons to elevate your Caesar salad recipe. Sure, the bagged kind will work in a pinch, but they just don’t compare to the buttery golden-brown bites of croutons made from scratch.
Fayne Lutz of Taos, New Mexico, sent us a recipe for homemade salad croutons that we adore. Simply cube day-old bread and toss it with olive oil, minced garlic and salt. Then, bake the bread cubes at 325°F until lightly browned. Once the croutons are cooled, store them in an airtight container until ready to use. Experiment with flavor by incorporating different herbs and spices.
Caesar Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: Usually a Caesar salad recipe is made with romaine lettuce. However, feel free to substitute any common lettuce variety. Iceberg lettuce, Little Gem lettuce and endive have similar crunchy textures.
- Croutons: Store-bought croutons work in a pinch, but homemade croutons will taste fresher.
- Parmesan cheese: We mix Parmesan into the salad dressing to add a savory, nutty flavor and then use a vegetable peeler to create pretty shavings to garnish the salad. For the highest-quality cheese, opt for Parmigiano Reggiano vs. Parmesan.
- Olive oil: Trying to decide between regular vs. extra virgin olive oil? We recommend the latter for salad dressings. Its fuller, more robust flavor makes homemade salad dressings shine.
- Pasteurized egg yolks: You can buy pasteurized egg yolks from the grocery store, or separate and pasteurize the yolks at home using the technique in our homemade mayonnaise recipe.
- Dijon mustard and garlic: Caesar salad dressing gets its spicy character from Dijon mustard and garlic.
- Lemon juice and red wine vinegar: These acidic ingredients balance the richness of the egg yolks.
- Anchovy paste: Anchovies are essential to any classic recipe for Caesar salad dressing. They won’t make the dressing taste fishy but will add a bold punch of umami, savory flavor. If you can’t find anchovy paste, substitute whole anchovies.
- Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce is a fermented sauce that adds an umami, almost smoky element to the dressing.
- Hot pepper sauce: Add this optional ingredient to give the Caesar salad dressing recipe a spicy kick.
Directions
Step 1: Make the Caesar dressing
Place the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, anchovy paste, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. If desired, add the hot sauce.
While processing, gradually add the oil in a steady stream.
Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Chill until serving.
Editor’s Tip: We suggest making the Caesar salad dressing a day ahead. The flavors will blend as the dressing sits in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Dress the lettuce
Place the romaine in a large salad bowl. Drizzle the lettuce with the dressing, and toss to coat.
Editor’s Tip: To impart a subtle garlickly flavor to the salad, try rubbing the bowl with crushed garlic before adding the lettuce.
Step 3: Assemble the salad
Sprinkle the salad with croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese.
Editor’s Tip: Feel free to add freshly cracked pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. For restaurant-like appeal, serve the salad on chilled salad plates.
Caesar Salad Variations
- Make it a meal: Top the salad with leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts for herbed chicken Caesar salad. Or use other cooked proteins to make bacon Caesar salad, ham Caesar salad, blackened pork Caesar salad or crispy shrimp Caesar salad.
- Add pasta: Top the salad with cooked pasta to make a filling tortellini Caesar salad.
- Get creative with toppings: Garnish the salad with healthy salad toppings like cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado or chopped nuts. For a fruity twist, add chopped apples to make an apple Caesar salad.
- Use another cheese: Instead of Parmesan, try another hard, aged cheese like Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano.
- Go for the wow factor: Impress your guests by serving the salad in a bowl made entirely of cheese! Check out our recipe for Caesar salad in peppered Parmesan bowls to learn how to pull it off.
- Wrap it up: Wrap the salad in tortillas to make chicken Caesar wraps or stuff it into pitas for chicken Caesar pitas.
How to Store Caesar Salad
Store the lettuce, toppings and dressing in separate airtight containers. Once tossed in the dressing, the lettuce quickly wilts and the croutons become soggy. Undressed Caesar salad will last for up to four days in the fridge.
Caesar Salad Tips
How do you keep Caesar salad from getting soggy?
Caesar salad can become soggy if the lettuce is tossed with the dressing too far in advance or if the lettuce isn’t dried properly. After washing the salad greens, spin the greens with a salad spinner to remove any excess water that could make the lettuce feel waterlogged. Then, wait until you’re ready to serve before dressing the greens.
Where did Caesar salad come from?
Many people assume that Caesar salad has ties to Julius Caesar, but the salad is believed to have originated in Tijuana, Mexico. As the stories go, chef Caesar Cardini invented the recipe in 1924. The original Caesar salad contained lettuce, raw egg yolk, olive oil, toasted bread, Parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce. It was an immediate hit!
Does Caesar salad have anchovies?
Most Caesar salad dressings contain anchovies, either as whole anchovies, anchovy paste or Worcestershire sauce. You can make a fish-free Caesar salad dressing recipe by omitting the anchovies and using vegan Worcestershire sauce. If the dressing is missing something, try adding salty or umami ingredients such as capers, olives, soy sauce or miso sauce.
