The Best, Homemade Caesar Dressing Recipe (without anchovies)

You won’t miss the anchovy flavor in this easy homemade Caesar dressing recipe made without anchovies! Capers are used instead of anchovy filets or anchovy paste to add a salty umami flavor. This creamy dressing comes together in just a few minutes with a food processor, blender, or immersion blender. Zesty, savory, and herbaceous, you’ll never need another homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe. Try this dressing with this extra crunchy Caesar salad if you love a good Caesar!

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This is the Caesar dressing recipe I used at my pizza restaurant for 10 years. Customers loved this dressing so much! It's PACKED with flavor and truly unique. You can create this tantalizing dressing at home with just a few special ingredients!

Jump to:

• 🧄 Flavors in this Dressing
• 🗒 Ingredients you'll need
• 🔪 How to Make This Homemade Caesar Dressing
• 👩‍🍳 Substitutions, Tips, and Tricks
• 💬 How to use this flavorful dressing
• 💬 How to store
• Recipe
• 🍽 Other Salad Dressings + Sauces You May Enjoy

🗒 Ingredients you'll need

• Raw eggs - The base of this recipe is homemade mayonnaise using raw eggs and a blend of neutral and olive oil. 

• Dijon Mustard - My go-to mustard for this recipe is whole grain mustard like Edmond Fallot. I have also used Trader Joe's whole-grain mustard for this recipe. Certain mustards create specific flavors. Some mustards can be spicier than others and overpower all the other flavors, so choose a milder whole-grain mustard for this dressing.

• Garlic Cloves - I love to make this dressing garlicky with fresh garlic. If a stronger garlic flavor isn’t your thing, simply use a little less garlic.

• Capers - Capers are the immature, unripened, green flower buds of the caper bush that has been pickled in a salty brine. They are salty with a subtle lemony and green olive umami flavor and make a great substitute for anchovies.

• Red Wine Vinegar - Red wine vinegar adds a ton of unique tang that really perks up your taste buds.

• Distilled White Vinegar - Distilled white vinegar rounds out all the flavors in this dressing while adding a subtle tangy flavor.

• White Balsamic Vinegar - White balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness to balance all the acid and garlic flavors. I buy it at Trader Joe's. If you can't find white balsamic vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar instead.

• Lemon Juice - You can use the real thing: fresh lemon juice, or lemon juice concentrate. Both work well here and add great lemony flavor.

• Dried Thyme - Thyme adds a savory herbaceous flavor. While not used in classic Caesar dressing recipes, I find that adding thyme takes the dressing to the next level.

• Italian Seasoning adds a wonderful herbaceous flavor and commonly consists of basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. However, there are several variations out there and any will work.

• Black Pepper - Use fresh cracked black pepper if you have it. If you don't, ground black pepper works fine. Black pepper adds a subtle heat.

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil adds flavor and dimension. Be careful not to use too much extra virgin olive oil, or your dressing will taste bitter. This recipe calls for ½ cup, which seems to work perfectly.

• Neutral Oil - It is important to use a neutral oil for Caesar dressing because you want to showcase all the flavors in the dressing. Great neutral oil choices include avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil.

• Fresh Parmesan Cheese - Freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a touch of salt and creaminess to the dressing, giving you a creamy Caesar dressing.

🔪 How to Make This Homemade Caesar Dressing

For both methods:

1. Gather together all of the ingredients.
2. Finely mince the fresh garlic and capers.

Food processor/Blender Method:

1. Combine all ingredients except the oils and parmesan cheese in a food processor or blender.  Blend on low speed for 20 seconds or well combined.
2. Mix your neutral oil of choice with the olive oil in a measuring cup with a spout.  In a slow and steady stream while the blender or food processor is on, add the oil a little at a time until the dressing thickens in consistency. 
3. Once the dressing has thickened, add the parmesan cheese and blend for a few seconds to fully incorporate. 
4. The dressing should have a medium-thick consistency.

Store in an airtight container with a lid. 

Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Immersion Blender method:

This method is the best way to make the dressing if you aren’t familiar with emulsifying, however, it does require special equipment.  

1. Add all ingredients except parmesan cheese to a large mason jar, cup, or bowl. 
2. Place the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar. 
3. Carefully turn on the immersion blender, and you will see the dressing start to thicken almost immediately.  Slowly lift up and push down with the immersion blender until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and the dressing has thickened.
4. Add parmesan cheese and blend for 5–10 seconds. 

Store with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

👩‍🍳 Substitutions, Tips, and Tricks

💬 How to use this flavorful dressing

• Make a Classic Caesar Salad: - Combine crisp romaine lettuce, homemade croutons, and parmesan cheese toss with this Caesar dressing, and finish with fresh cracked black pepper. Follow this Caesar salad recipe to make a beautiful salad for dinner parties.
• Make any Caesar salad a main dish by adding chicken, steak, salmon, or garlic shrimp.  
• Kale Caesar Salad: My favorite salad at home! Combine shredded kale, radicchio (or purple cabbage), grated carrots, garlic croutons, and parmesan cheese. 
• Really, you can dress any salad with this dressing. It's that good!
• Use as a dip for breadsticks or for these Parmesan Garlic Bread Bites.
• Use as a sauce for a chicken Caesar-inspired pizza.

💬 How to store

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
• I like to store in 12oz mason jars with plastic lids.
• The metal lids that come with the mason jars will work, but they tend to react with the acids in the dressing and can get a little funky. It won't hurt the dressing, just wastes a little.
• Freezing is not recommended.

Recipe

🍽 Other Salad Dressings + Sauces You May Enjoy