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A Homemade Caesar Dressing recipe is something every home cook should have in their arsenal. You’ll love this one!
Table of Contents
- About My Homemade Caesar Dressing
- How Long Does Homemade Caesar Dressing Last?
- Try My Herb & Garlic Air Fryer Croutons!
- Ingredients and Alternatives
- How to Make Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Useful Tools for This Recipe
- Recipe Tips
- Have You Made This Recipe?
- Fun Ways to Use This Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Homemade Caesar Dressing Recipe
About My Homemade Caesar Dressing
Creamy, cheesy, lemony, garlicky, and peppery. Everything a good Caesar dressing should be!
This one has such a fantastic balance of flavors, and the texture is rich and thick, so a little goes a long way.
Don’t limit yourself to plain old Caesar salad, though. This Caesar dressing recipe can take other salads to a whole new level, not ot mention sandwiches and wraps.
How Long Does Homemade Caesar Dressing Last?
This Caesar dressing recipe will last in the fridge for up to TWO weeks, thanks to a little ingredient swap.
A lot of recipes out there call for fresh cloves of garlic, which is great if you’re using the entire batch of dressing within 1-3 days. But a little goes a long way with this dressing, so you won’t use it up in that short of a time.
Unfortunately, chopped garlic lasts no more than a day—if covered in or mixed with oil, no more than 3 days. Harmful bacteria can form over time and I’d just rather not take the risk.
So, I opt for garlic powder! It doesn’t affect the garlicky goodness in Caesar dressing at all, and it gives your dressing lasting power.
Try My Herb & Garlic Air Fryer Croutons!
Ingredients and Alternatives
- Mayonnaise. There are times when I try to swap out mayo for plain Greek yogurt to be healthier, and then there are times I say screw it, enjoy yourself. This is one of those times. However, I do plan on developing a Caesar dressing variation with Greek yogurt soon for those interested. In the meantime, if you want to try it out yourself, go nuts.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano. You could also use Romano cheese. These bold cheesy flavors play a big role in the Caesar dressing flavor.
- Garlic powder. As stated above, I opt for garlic powder over fresh for the sake of longevity. But if you prefer to use fresh garlic, mince two cloves, pop’em into the blender with everything else, and consume it within 3 days.
- Anchovy fillets. You could also use anchovy paste instead, using about 1 teaspoon. Anchovies add a lot of awesome umami to the flavor, but if you can’t handle the idea, you could use a tsp of drained capers!
- Lemon. I use the juice and zest in this recipe. It adds a nice tang and brightness to the dressing that you really want to have.
- Dijon mustard. Because it makes everything better.
- Worcestershire sauce. A must! This adds depth and richness to the flavor.
- Water. A bit of water to thin things out and get the consistency you want.
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper.
How to Make Homemade Caesar Dressing
- Simply place everything into a blender (preferably a small one like a bullet), including 1 tablespoon of water.
- Blend the ingredients on high until the dressing is completely smooth.
- Give it a taste and season it with more salt and pepper if necessary. Check the consistency and, if you’d like it to be a bit thinner, add another tablespoon of water and blend. Repeat until you get the consistency you need.
- Transfer the dressing to a jar with a lid, dressing bottle, or a sealable container and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!
Useful Tools for This Recipe
Recipe Tips
- The dressing will be thick. Blend in some water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to get the consistency you prefer.
- Can’t stand the thought of using anchovies? You can use capers and get a similar salty umami flare.
- Technically this dressing can be frozen, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The ingredients separate and the flavor changes, so be sure to use as much as you can in the two weeks.
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
Fun Ways to Use This Homemade Caesar Dressing
- This Lemon Pepper Salmon Caesar Salad is the perfect place for this dressing. Don’t forget the homemade croutons!
- If blue cheese isn’t your jam, this dressing would be great on my Buffalo Chicken Wraps.
- Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms aren’t complete without a dipping sauce.
- Skip the mayo and jazz up your turkey burger or chicken burger!
Homemade Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped, Can be substituted for 1 tsp of anchovy paste or 1 tsp of drained capers
- 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Can also use Romano
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 TBSP water
Instructions
- Pop all of the ingredients into a blender (a small one like a bullet is most ideal). Add a tablespoon of water.
- Blend the ingredients until the dressing is totally smooth.
- Taste the dressing and, if necessary, season it with more salt and pepper. If the consistency is thicker than you'd like, add another tablespoon of water and blend. Repeat this until you get the consistency of your preference.
- When done, transfer the dressing to a glass bottle or jar with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Homemade dressing is the best. Love the fact that I can whip it up when I need some. Easy and delicious.
So easy to make on a whim!
Tasty! Love this on salad and sandwhiches!
Oh yeah, great on sandwiches too. Or as a pizza crust dipper :)
Wow, this was so good! I love that it keeps in the fridge longer too. Thanks for the garlic powder tip.
You’re welcome, Julie!
These homemade Caesar dressing is soooo much better than store bought!
Yes! Agreed. The flavor and texture are so much better.
Delicious. I like using mayo to have a dressing that lasts a little while. Great for people who can’t do raw food.
Definitely!
This sauce was amazing. Total game changer for salads.
Thanks!
I don’t particularly like fish but I included the anchovy fillets and you couldn’t even taste fishyness at all. It’s like it enriches the flavor. Umami, like you mentioned. Really nice.
I’m so glad you gave those little fillets a chance, AJ! You’re bang on—no fishyness. Just flavor. I’m so glad you went for it and enjoyed it :)
This recipe is a winner! I’ve tried other caesar dressing recipes before but this one is by far my fave. The anchovy fillets make a big difference!
I’m so glad! Yes, love the anchovy. I find they add so much to a recipe, especially Caesar dressing.
i’ve been on a caesar salad binge lately! This Homemade Caesar Dressing recipe was perfect and tastes way better than store bought! thanks
Me too! I just can’t get sick of Caesar salad. Haha. So glad you enjoyed this!
This caesar salad dressing was so delicious! I had it with salmon over my salad for dinner last night and it was bomb! Going to make more!
Yum! I love adding salmon to my Caesar salads.