Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

This homemade Caesar dressing takes a basic Caesar salad and makes it amazing. It doesn’t include raw eggs but it’s creamy, super fresh, and  has that familiar briny kick.

Chopped romaine, Parmesan cheese, and croutons make up the basis of a classic Caesar salad. When you break it down, there’s really nothing special about it. But when you add a made from scratch, flavor packed dressing, you’ve really got something. It’s ALL about the dressing.

The ingredient list – Anchovies, garlic, lemon, black pepper, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard (grainy or regular, your choice).

I avoided making my own Caesar dressing for years because most recipes include raw egg in the mix. Although the risk is small, there is a risk in serving recipes made with raw eggs and I just don’t think any risk is worth it. Especially with little ones and older folks. The egg is there to add creaminess and texture to the dressing when it’s blended but I found that I could get the same affect from substituting a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise. After all, if you’ve ever looked at the ingredients in mayo, it’s just (pasteurized) eggs, oil, and two or three other ingredients. It works perfectly to provide the right taste, texture, and body to Caesar dressing.

It’s super fast to put together – just pulse a clove of garlic in your food processor until it is finely chopped, add the remaining ingredients (except the oil) and give it a whirl. This works perfectly in a smaller food processor like my Cuisinart that I’m using here.

Once everything is combined, add the olive oil through the feed tube of your food processor with the unit running, and allow it to process for a minute or two until creamy and emulsified.

I always store my salad dressings in small mason jars but any container with an airtight lid will do.

You can use it right away but I like to let it sit and stew in the fridge for a couple of hours, or even overnight, to let the flavors blend and get happy.

This stuff is so good I honestly would like to just grab that tray of croutons and use it as a dip. Would that be bad?  There’s no going back to the bottled stuff.

It works perfectly to dress a basic side dish Caesar, grilled chicken Caesar, and a recipe I’m sharing with you all very soon that is a fabulous, stupendous, ridiculously easy dinner idea you can put together in under 30 minutes.

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Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Author Valerie Brunmeier

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Change the number in the box above to adjust serving size. Please note that size of cookware and cook time may vary.

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Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
• 1-1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 3 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients, except olive oil, and pulse until well combined. With unit running, add olive oil through the feed tube of the food processor. Process for a minute or two until creamy and emulsified.
2. Transfer to a mason jar or other airtight container and refrigerate immediately. Best if made a couple of hours in advance. Keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.

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