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Creamy Homemade Caesar Dressing (Better Than Store-Bought)

A rich, creamy, ultra-flavorful Caesar dressing made with fresh garlic, parmesan, lemon, and anchovies — far better than any store-bought version.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 12 tablespoons
Course: Dressing, Salad
Cuisine: American, Italian-American
Calories: 90

Ingredients
  

Traditional Version
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 anchovy fillets or 1.5 tsp anchovy paste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 0.5 cup olive oil or neutral oil
  • 0.25 cup parmesan finely grated
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Mayo Version
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 anchovy fillets or 1.5 tsp paste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 0.25 cup parmesan grated
  • water 1–3 tbsp to thin if needed

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Jar for storage

Method
 

  1. Mash anchovy fillets and minced garlic together into a paste.
  2. Whisk the anchovy-garlic paste with egg yolk or mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.
  3. If using egg yolk version, slowly drizzle in oil while whisking to emulsify.
  4. Whisk in parmesan cheese until creamy and thick.
  5. Adjust consistency with water, more lemon, or extra parmesan.
  6. Refrigerate 20 minutes before serving for best flavor.

Notes

For a lighter dressing, replace half the mayo with Greek yogurt. Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 week.