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Caesar Salad is made with crisp Romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheese, and a simple homemade caesar dressing with no anchovies. Homemade Caesar Salad is easy to make from scratch, and tastes so much more delicious than store bought dressing.
This classic Caesar Salad has been around for decades. It’s the perfect starter to a meal or as a meal on its own topped with baked chicken breast or garlic shrimp.
Table of Contents
Caesar Salad Ingredients
The Salad itself is not a fancy salad – just a bowl of a head of Romaine lettuce, fresh Parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons. The homemade caesar dressing is creamy, salty and garlicky but can also be easily customized; it’s really the star of this recipe!
A quick Google search and you’ll find lots of recipes, and they are all a little different. An authentic caesar dressing is typically made with anchovies or anchovy paste. It’s more of a specialty ingredient so I don’t include it in mine, but there are notes down below in the recipe card if you’d like to in yours.
One taste and you will fall in love with the simple salad dressing – it’s that good.
Caesar Salad Dressing
- Mayonnaise – the authentic recipes use raw egg yolks, but I prefer mayo since the eggs are pasteurized.
- Sour cream – add some creaminess and tang, and also tones down the mayo a little.
- Parmesan – freshly grated parmesan off the block is best.
- Lemon juice and zest – fresh again is best.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin.
- Garlic – fresh, minced
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
How to Make Caesar Salad
Scroll down to the recipe card for the complete ingredients list and instructions.
Make the dressing. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Make the salad. Chop lettuce and shred Parmesan cheese.
Assemble and serve. Toss salad and dressing together in a large bowl and top with croutons and freshly ground black pepper.
Expert Tips
- This salad is best served chilled. I highly recommend to chill salad plates and forks as well.
- For best results, all of your ingredients should be fresh – fresh Parmesan, fresh garlic, fresh lemons.
- Try my Homemade Croutons you’ll never go back to store bought! Drizzle stale bread cubes with olive oil and seasoning and bake them in the oven.
- This recipe makes appetizer-size salads. Or, add some protein like Grilled Chicken Kabobs and make 2 full sized meal salads.
- For a healthier, heartier variation, try kale in place of romaine or a mix of the two.
- To make a large batch of the dressing, put ingredients into a blender just until well combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
An authentic dressing is made with raw eggs, but I prefer to use mayo instead. Consuming raw eggs can be dangerous.
Anchovies are used for their salty, briny flavor. I consider this more of a specialty ingredient because it’s not something you’ll use often, which is why I chose to leave them out.
Storage
Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last about a week.
Store the other ingredients separately. Wrap washed lettuce in a paper, then store in a storage bag.
More Salad Recipes to Try
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Olive Garden Salad with Copycat Dressing
- Lemon Kale Caesar
- Bacon Avocado Chicken Salad
- Chopped Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
Caesar Salad
Ingredients
DRESSING
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
SALAD
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- Fresh black pepper
- 2 cups croutons
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle dressing over the salad.
- Serve chilled.
Wow! This recipe is outstanding! The dressing was far better than any store bought Caesar dressing. This will my go to recipe from now on. Delicious!
Nice! Thank you for your feedback Lynn.