All home cooks worth their “salt” (pun intended) have a classic Vinaigrette Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe.
This take on the traditional recipe is made easy without anchovies (and no egg) but you won’t miss them. Our version has all the bright flavors of vinegar accented by a dose (double dose?) of garlic, and a handful of seasonings. Use as a dressing on our orzo pasta salad, or mixed into a chickpea salad. We even love it as a marinade for smoked salmon or on baked tilapia.
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Why We Love This Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
Beyond store-bought brands, you’ll love this basic dressing that is so totally multi-use! Oil based caesar salad dressing is bright, tangy, and easy to whip up, why not keep a bottle or two on hand at all times? It’s a vegan solution (just skip the Parmesan) to regular Caesar dressing with all the classic flavor!
Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients
OIL & VINEGAR – All vinaigrettes start with a 1:1 ratio of oil to acid, in this case, we use olive oil to red wine vinegar.
FLAVORING – Then we emulsify the ingredients to creamy perfection with lemon juice, mustard powder, and some seasonings.
CHEESE – Parmesan cheese adds so much flavor. For a vegan version skip the parmesan and add nutritional yeast.
EXTRAS – But feel free to add other ingredients like a blend of mayo, sour cream, Dijon mustard, even soy sauce to add depth of flavor.
How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing
This is the easiest way to make a Caesar dressing, we promise! It’s free of anchovies, eggless, but just as bright and tangy as you’d expect!
- Add all ingredients into a blender and whip until fully blended.
- Serve immediately as a dressing, dip, or marinade!
Storage
Keep dressing in a dressing cruet or a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator up to 10 days. Freeze vinaigrette Caesar dressing in ice cube trays and then add a cube or two to sour cream for a tangy veggie dip! Or add a pop of flavor to a veggie stir fry by mixing in a cube of Caesar vinaigrette.
What is in a Caesar Salad
The traditional Caesar salad was invented in Mexico by a chef named Caesar Cardini and was originally prepared table-side for guests, and it quickly became an international hit! Romaine lettuce, the signature Caesar dressing, croutons, and Parmesan cheese are the main ingredients, but other things can be added like tomatoes, red onions, even walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pepitas.
How to Make Caesar Salad
The key to a great Caesar salad is always the right kind of lettuce. Romaine needs to be rinsed and patted dry. Hold the root end with your left hand and cut through the leaves from the end. Turn the head of lettuce halfway and cut down from the end again. Then cut from the end of the lettuce to the root and you’ll have evenly cut pieces of lettuce. Toss with the best Caesar salad dressing, garnish with shredded Parmesan and croutons. Add a thick slice of homemade bread to go with the salad. For a protein (entrée) salad, add cooked shredded chicken or bay shrimp.
Tips and Tricks
For best results, fresh is best! Squeeze a lemon several times before cutting it in half for the juice. This will loosen up the fruit and help produce more juice. No bullet blender? No problem! An immersion blender, a regular blender, even an electric mixer will do!
Other Easy Recipes To Try!
- Greek Salad Dressing – zesty and delicious!
- Creamy Dill Dressing – 15 minute recipe.
- Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe – so many uses!
- Italian Dressing Mix – easy dry mix.
- Blue Cheese Dressing – bright and flavorful
Vinaigrette Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced (I use double)
- 1-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar *(original recipe uses 3 Tablespoons)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I usually only add pepper)
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese or more to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients* together in a small bowl and whisk to combine. For a creamy style vinaigrette, add to a bullet blender, blender, or immersion blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve with romaine lettuce, croutons, and additional shredded parmesan on the salad.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Excited to try! Do you personally whisk or blend the dressing? Thanks!
I personally almost always blend it. But my friend who introduced it to me all those years ago always whisks it! Enjoy the dressing Sophie!
Really great versatile recipe!
I tasted as the recipe called for- was very delicious and acidic. I added a little anchovy paste and some Dijon mustard to adjust for my personal taste.
But AS IS- this recipe is still delicious and tastes much better than store bought. And it uses common I gradients already in thr PA try, which I appreciate!
Sounds perfect Aisa, thank you for sharing!
Loved this recipe, thank you! I used 5 cloves of the ready-made pureed version of garlic. I also added homemade croutons which went really well with this salad dressing .
So happy to hear how much you love this dressing Christine! It’s a staple in my house (including extra garlic!).
i found this had a bit of a vinegary bite so i added an eighth (very little) of a tsp of keto friendly Monkfruit. It did the trick. The recipe is great and you can adjust to own tadte…
Maybe I have strong red wine vinegar but-wow!-this was vinegary! I added half a tsp of honey to counterbalance the acid.
Hi Kirsten, I have the hand written recipe I’ve been using for over 20 years now. Funny enough, I changed brands of red wine vinegar, and I found it to be vinegary (for the first time!). So it seems that the brands can make a difference. I’d try with 1 Tablespoon and add a little more as needed.
Great
So glad you enjoy the Caesar dressing Paul!