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How to Make Caesar Dressing is a question I have asked Google too many times. The answer was so variable, I had to test and create my own ultimate recipe. Turns out its really easy and perfect every time!
Whilst I do find it somewhat difficult to wax lyrical about salad dressing, there is something a little bit special about a proper Ceasar Salad. It’s just so…pungent!
You might be surprised to know what the Caesar salad is my go-to order at Pizza Express. Apart from the occasional foray into a special seasonal pizza, I find the pizza offerings monumentally disappointing. But the caesar salad is actually pretty decent. Hold the anchovies, add pancetta, extra dressing please.
I created this dressing recipe as part of writing my post for my Classic Caesar Salad but I wanted to post it separately. There were a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, you can’t make one portion of salad dressing. Anything less than 1 egg yolk in a recipe is just ridiculous. So this recipe makes enough for 5 side salads or 2 main course salads.
Secondly, I’ve searched the internet for a great Caesar dressing recipe independent of a salad recipe on so many occasions, I figured that you might too. Hi!
Make Caesar Dressing into a Feast
I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!
I’ve included this recipe in my Alternative Americana Feast. The menu makes a star of my Glazed Ginger Ham as a brilliant centrepiece.
Other sides include my Green Bean Casserole and Sweet Potato Pancakes. Not to mention my Chocolate Lime Pie for dessert.
The Caesar Salad with this dressing is also the star in one of my Everyday Americana Feasts. The recipe is doubled in quantity, Roast Chicken is added and the whole thing is topped with a runny Poached Egg. It is a whole feast on one plate!
Don’t forget to head over to the Big Americana Feast post for all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my other feast collections and all my Americana inspired recipes.
Ingredients for Caesar Dressing
Anchovy
I really dislike anchovies and this is effectively the only time I ever use them. Mostly because by the time they’re incorporated into the dressing, they doesn’t taste like anchovy anymore. Instead they just provide a backnote of pungency.
You can buy anchovies in tins and jars. The little tins are cheaper and so I usually keep one in my pantry for when the mood strikes me for a little bit of Caesar action.
Lemon Juice
Freshly squeezed is always preferable but the bottled kind is a perfectly acceptable addition.
Mustard
Dijon mustard is used in this recipe because it is lovely and mild but still has a mustard kick. Exercise caution in substituting English mustard as the flavour will be much stronger. Not bad, just different.
Worcestershire Sauce
Not an ingredient that I use very often at all. But there always seems to be a bottle in the cupboard. I think that’s probably true for 90% of households so do have a look before buying a new bottle! The best before date is best ignored.
Oil
I use two oils in the dressing; olive oil and vegetable oil. The olive oil provides flavour but would be overwhelming if the dressing was made wholly with olive oil. You can use extra virgin or one that is more worldly, whichever is your preference.
The second oil needs merely to be effectively flavourless. Sunflower, vegetable or canola/rapeseed would all be great choices. The only thing to really take note of is that the oil needs to be added slowly to the dressing. Actually slowly. Not, oh it’ll be fine slowly.
Make it Allergy Friendly
My Caesar Dressing is free from nuts, dairy and gluten.
Egg Free: This is a tricky one as the egg yolk makes the dressing emulsify properly. You can substitute each egg yolk for 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and continue the recipe as normal. This will obviously change the flavour of the dressing a little but the mustard will allow the dressing to come together.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How To Make Caesar Dressing – Equipment Notes
It is important to note that you can make this dressing without electric power. You will simply need a whisk and an awful lot of muscle.
I would however highly recommend using a food processor. My favourite is my little mini chopper which deals with small quantities much better. You could alternatively use a stick blender or electric hand whisk. Even one of the old fashioned crank handle hand whisks would help the muscle situation!
If using fresh lemon for the juice, my preferred way of extracting maximum juice is to use my nifty lemon reamer. I hate waste so like to know that I’ve got all I can out of my lemon! Look for a reamer with a pointy rather than rounded end as they are more effective.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
How To Make Caesar Dressing – Step by Step
Step 1
Add 2 Anchovy Fillets, 1 Clove Garlic, 0.25 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 0.5 tsp Dijon Mustard, 0.5 tsp Sea Salt Flakes, 1 tbsp Lemon Juice and 1 Egg Yolk to a small processor or medium mixing bowl.
Step 2
Blitz or mash the ingredients into a paste.
Step 3
Slowly add 2 tbsp Olive Oil followed by 75ml Vegetable Oil to the paste whilst running the motor of the processor or whisking vigorously.
Step 4
The dressing will be glossy and thick. Whisk in a little water to thin it if you want a thinner consistency.
Still Have Questions?
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Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
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Instructions in Brief
How to Make Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 Anchovy Fillets
- 1 Clove Garlic – 1/8 tsp Garlic Paste per clove
- 0.25 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 0.5 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 0.5 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 75 ml Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Add 2 Anchovy Fillets, 1 Clove Garlic, 0.25 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 0.5 tsp Dijon Mustard, 0.5 tsp Sea Salt Flakes, 1 tbsp Lemon Juice and 1 Egg Yolk to a small processor or medium mixing bowl.
- Blitz or mash the ingredients into a paste.
- Slowly add 2 tbsp Olive Oil to the paste whilst running the motor of the processor or whisking vigorously.
- Slowly add 75ml Vegetable Oil to the dressing whilst continuing to run the processor or whisking by hand.
- The dressing will be glossy and thick. Whisk in a little water to thin it if you want a thinner consistency.
Kavita Favelle says
This is great, both Pete and I love caesar salad dressing but the shop-bought ones are often really disappointing. Have read through the recipe and it looks like one for us to try ASAP.
Chloe says
They never quite have the right bite and piquancy do they! I’d love to know what you think 🙂