Long live the Caesar Salad! This homemade Caesar Salad Dressing will rival that of any great restaurant. Add chicken to make a meal, top with a poached or fried egg, or serve it straight up the classic way.
For a lighter dressing option, try this mayo-free Caesar salad dressing – it’s incredible!
Caesar Salad
I’m going to call it – Caesar salad is a pain to make, calling for an inordinate amount of pots and pans to be dirtied in the name of just one salad.
Food processor for the dressing – and the mayo makes it all greasy which is a pain to clean (or hogs an enormous amount of dishwasher space)
Baking tray for the croutons
Skillet for the bacon
Cutting board
Giant bowl to toss the salad – you’ve really gotta toss with abundance when using creamy dressing, can’t do it in the serving bowl
Serving bowl
All that for ONE salad.
And yet, we do it. Because it’s worth it!! Especially the creamy dressing!
What goes in Caesar Salad
There’s all sorts of variations around, but the classic is made with:
cos lettuce (aka romaine) – or iceberg will do in a pinch!
crispy bacon
croutons – garlic croutons, at that!
Caesar Salad Dressing
parmesan cheese, for finishing
With the rich dressing, I find that even a “plain” Caesar salad is filling enough as it is to have as a meal. But a common addition, which you often find on the menu of bistros, is chicken and egg. Adds protein and makes it even more satisfying – so I’ve included these are optional in the recipe below!
Homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe
If you’ve never tried homemade Caesar Salad Dressing before, you’re in for a real treat. It is absolutely sensational, and not even the poshest gourmet store can compare to a fresh homemade one.
The secret ingredient is anchovy. I know some people might scrunch up their faces at the thought of anchovy in a dressing, but seriously! It is the secret ingredient that will turn a “pretty good” dressing into a restaurant quality one!
Oh and PS. If you’ve had and loved Caesar Salad when eating out, you ate anchovies. So stop the nose scrunching!!😂
What goes in Caesar Salad
Here’s what you need:
How to make Caesar Salad
And here’s how to make it. (I already forewarned you – LOTS of washing up. TOTALLY worth it!)
Wondering if Caesar salad is healthy? Yes…and no!
Before we go any further – this might be a salad, but let me banish any misconception in your mind that Caesar salad is healthy. Fat in the dressing and the bacon.
But you know what? Calorie content aside, at least I’m getting lots of greens into my system, right??
Or put it this way – a giant bowl of Caesar Salad might have the same calories as a creamy pasta, but it’s got a whole lot more nutrition in it!
LOW CAL version!!
Just in case you’re reading all this but dreading the calorie count you’ll see when you scroll down to the recipe – DON’T WORRY! Here’s a (much) lower calorie Yogurt Caesar Salad Dressing.
All the flavour, but made with a yogurt base instead of mayonnaise so it won’t have that same rich mouthfeel. But still creamy, same depth of flavour – and a whole lot healthier!
Can you even tell that this is the low fat version?? NOPE!
And after all of that, all those pots and pans you’ve dirtied – you get to munch your way through one of the greatest salads ever invented.
That fresh crisp lettuce. The crunchy garlic croutons. The salty pops of bacon. And that creamy homemade Caesar Salad Dressing.
Caesar Salad might take time to make, but it is worth every single second. Really, truly, cross my heart. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Caesar Salad – with homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's or S&W Whole Egg) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp garlic , finely minced (use garlic press, if you can)
- 2 anchovy fillets or 3/4 tsp Anchovy paste (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese , or 1/3 cup store bought grated parmesan cheese (Note 3)
- 3 – 4 tbsp milk (to adjust consistency)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Garlic Croutons
- 2 – 3 slices white bread , 2/3" / 1.5cm thick (Note 4)
- 1 garlic , cut in half
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Salad
- 150g / 5oz streaky bacon , cooked and chopped
- 10 cups cos / romaine lettuce , chopped, wash & dried (1 large, 2 medium, 3 small) (Note 5)
- Freshly grated parmesan , for garnish
Optional Extras – Chicken & Egg
- 2 – 4 eggs , cooked to your taste, peeled and halved
- 500g / 1lb chicken breast fillets (2 pieces)
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Dressing
- Whizz all ingredients in food processor until smooth, starting with 3 tbsp milk.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired, and use milk to get the dressing to the desired consistency. (Note 6)
- Set aside for 20 minutes+ to allow flavours to develop.
Bacon
- Place bacon into a cold skillet (no oil), then turn onto medium high. Cook until golden, turn, cook other side until golden. Remove onto paper towels, cool, then chop.
Garlic Croutons
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Toast bread in the toaster for 1 minute (or oven for 2 minutes each side) until surface is dried but not browned.,
- Rub both sides of each piece of bread with the cut side of the garlic (Note 7).
- Remove crust from bread (optional) and cut into cubes – around 1.5 cups. Drizzle with 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt, then bake until golden, shaking the tray once. Sandwich bread will take around 7 minutes, sourdough and similar breads take 12 – 15 min.
Assemble
- Place lettuce in bowl with 1/2 the Dressing. Toss well, taste, then decide if you want more Dressing.
- Transfer to serving bowl. (Top with chicken and egg if using) Scatter over with bacon and croutons. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve!
OPTIONAL EXTRAS – Chicken & Egg
- Eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium high heat and bring to simmer. Once the water is simmering, turn down to medium (gentle simmer) and cook for 3 min (for soft centres), 4 min for firm yolks and 6 min for hard boiled. Remove eggs, run under cold water for 15 sec then leave submerged in a bowl of cold tap water for 5 min. Peel then set aside. (Note 6)
- Chicken: Either pound the chicken to about 1.2cm/ 1/2" even thickness, or slice each breast in half horizontally. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Use bacon fat remaining in skillet. Cook first side for 5 min, turn then cook the other side for 2 min. Remove, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 min. Cut into slices.
Recipe Notes:
- Best / just as good – 3/4 tsp anchovy paste
- Next best – 1 tsp of fish sauce (yes really
- OK – extra 1/4 cup parmesan plus pinch of salt
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2016. Brand new video added, process steps and new photos – as well as an update on Life of Dozer!
Life of Dozer
Dozer munching on his greens… 🥬🧸
And from the original time I published this recipe:
No photobombing by Dozer today because a) he didn’t realise there was chicken and bacon in the salad; and b) he was having a good snooze after a rather active session at Bayview…. 😉
Surprisingly filling. I’m always worried about salad for dinner and being hungry an hour later. Bit this salsbis the bomb and kept me full all night. Definite keeper. One to rival restaurant quality caesar salads.
Magnificant as always – I made a mash up between the yogurt and standard version of the dressing – very little different ingredients- a triumph!
2nd time I’ve made this dressing, absolutely delicious!!
I pour it over everything & marvel at how good life is 😁
Cheeky crouton hack. Pop slices of sourdough in the toaster and rub with garlic when done. Cut into croutons
Wowee, amazing dressing! I used 1 anchovy per serve (has that x-factor but isn’t fishy). Added BBQ rotisserie chicken breast (aka bachelor’s handbag) and avocado. Made croutons in the toaster for ease (diced after toasting). Nuked bacon in the microwave till crispy. It was so delicious and feels healthy!
I love this Ceasar dressing. I use fish sauce for the convenience because I always have it on hand. Really works well.
“After all those pots and pans you’ve dirtied” – she wasn’t kidding! Wow this took me almost 1.5 hours to make (with 2 under 2 underfoot). Delicious but sooo many processes. I don’t think I’ll make it again. I airfried the croutons and probably could’ve done so with the bacon and saved myself some splatter, but needed the bacon fat for the chicken.
Wowwww, Nagi! What a delicious Caesar dressing! Much better than at the restaurant
So yummy! My husband who doesn’t like Parmesan cheese loved this 🙂 we added eggs and roast chicken to ours and I made extra croutons because, like you said Nagi, no one wants to run out of croutons 🙂 I was able to make mine with a square loaf of Three Mills sourdough from Harris Farm
Love this recipe. I always use fresh Parmesan and toss in chopped avocado. Used fish sauce as I had no anchovy, tasted pretty good.
Oh ! and I am going to double the anchovies !!!!!
Always an avid fan of your recipes. Hope Dozer is well on the mend. As to this recipe, I noted at the beginning you can top with poached or fried eggs. A few pictures later I found boiled eggs on top. I have tried for ever to make boiled eggs like those ( not too hard – not too soft). once in a blue moon I will jag it. Please Nagi – how do you do it ?
Thanks
Check out Nagi’s ‘how to boil eggs’ recipe – fridge cold eggs in gently boiling water for 8 minutes (set but soft and dark yolk). Perfect eggs every time!
Hi Alistair, I think Nagi does her eggs a little different to me but I put fridge cold eggs in a pot of cold tap water and bring to the boil. As soon as the water come to the boil, I set a timer for 7 minutes and then remove the eggs from the boiling water. I don’t rinse them in cold water or anything after I’ve taken them out of the boiling water and they are perfect (in my opinion) – not runny in the centre but also not blue around the edges 🙂
I made my own Mayo using about half MCT, half extra virgin avocado oil and a dash of extra virgin olive oil. Homemade Mayo never tastes quite like bought Mayo with nasty seed oils but it did make a delicious Caesar dressing. I don’t drink milk so I just used water instead and it turned out great
Made this today, there’s no doubt that homemade caesar dressing is much better than shop bought. Great recipe. Thank you Nagi.
I love Caesar Salad but this has to be the best one I have ever tasted! Thank you Nagi!
I made this as a meal for my parents one night and everyone loved it – even my salad-hating husband. I did the “next best” anchovy substitute as included in the notes and it was brilliant. Thanks again Nagi, another winner!
Wow…another banger salad…..The dressing was classic Caesar….Nice job Nagi…Thank you,,, 🙂
Once again a wonderful dish created by using a great recipe
– a favourite with family and guests – especially the dressing! best regards Colin
Made this for dinner and it was a winner. To try to up the veggies in it I replaced the mayo in the dressing with an avocado. Blended up with all the other ingredients (including the anchovies!) it was super delicious!!!
This recipe was the best I’ve ever had. Minus the anchovies, it was so easy and the dressing was so good. Will be making this again for sure.