Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing that gets *Raves

This creamy Caesar salad dressing recipe starts with whole food ingredients that give it memorable flavor, as you’ll read below! Serve it up over Romaine lettuce for a tasty Caesar salad or fill a bowl and serve it with fresh veggies as a dip. 

This green onion dip is delicious, too!

caesar salad dressing recipe in a bowl with veggies

I make things from scratch that most folks do not. Salad dressing is the top of the list. It’s been decades since I’ve bought salad dressing! In fact, when a friend stayed with us a number of years ago, he asked me, “Do you really make homemade salad dressing whenever you have salad??” Yup, I do. 

This creamy Caesar salad dressing is a favorite around here. I make it all. the. time. And I’ve been using the same recipe for more years than I remembered, turns out. I was at an event recently and a woman I didn’t recognize started talking to me. She said she was pretty sure she remembered being at a potluck with me and hadn’t I brought a veggie tray with a delicious dip?

She’s been thinking of this dip ever since and had even begun referring to me as the “Dip Lady.”

After some jogging of my memory, I realized that I remembered the party and in fact did remember what dip I’d brought — my standby Caesar salad dressing that is thick and creamy enough to be a perfect dip!

But here’s the thing. I’ve been making it so long, I rarely measure the ingredients anymore. I had written them down long ago, but before sharing this coveted recipe with her — and you! — I wanted to make it again to double-check my measurements. I whipped up a batch and made another veggie platter for a different party — where it got the thumbs up again!

This homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is another favorite.

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Making this Caesar salad dressing

The easiest way to make this is with an immersion blender. You’ll simply combine all of the ingredients except the buttermilk and parmesan cheese in a wide-mouth canning jar and pulse the blender. The egg and oil will emulsify, thickening into a creamy mixture. Once it does, mix in the remaining ingredients and it’s done! Serve it over salad, as a dip, or spread it inside a tortilla wrap.

One important thing to note: It’s pretty critical that the egg be at room temperature. 75 degrees or so is ideal. If your house is cooler than that, let the egg sit in a bowl of warm water for a little while.

Make it a Keto salad dressing and dairy free by simply eliminating the buttermilk and the parmesan cheese. The end result will still wow you — we make it this way a lot, since my son tries to avoid dairy products.

We use a dairy free version of this recipe on our broccoli salad recipe

caesar dressing in a bowl

★ Did you make this Caesar salad dressing recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

caesar salad dressing recipe in a bowl with veggies

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing and/or Dip

Creamy and delicious, serve this salad dressing over Romaine lettuce for a tasty Caesar salad or fill a bowl and serve it with fresh veggies as a dip. 
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Kris Bordessa

Ingredients

  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ¼ cups avocado oil or extra light olive oil
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

EASIEST - With an immersion blender:

  • Put all ingredients except buttermilk and parmesan cheese in a wide mouth quart jar.
    1 egg, 1 clove garlic, 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 1/4 cups avocado oil
  • Hold the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar and pulse on and off 10-20 times then hold the power on.
  • Move the blender up and down slowly until ingredients are well blended and emulsified, about 30-60 seconds.
  • Add buttermilk and cheese to the jar and blend until combined.
    1/4 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

You can also use a blender:

  • Put all ingredients except the olive oil, milk, and parmesan cheese into the blender container.
  • Turn machine on (I use a medium low speed on my Vitamix) and s l o w l y pour the oil in through the feed tube to emulsify the dressing. Adding the oil slowly is the key to emulsification. It should take about 8-10 minutes to add the oil.
  • Stir in milk and cheese.
  • Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes

  • It's pretty critical that the egg be at room temperature. 75 degrees or so is ideal. If your house is cooler than that, let the egg sit in a bowl of warm water for a little while.
  • If the dressing thickens too much after refrigeration, add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @attainablesustainable or tag #attainablesustainable!

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

6 comments… add one
  • Mary Aug 21, 2021 @ 16:02

    I love this recipe…..I wanted a salad dressing recipe that didn’t have ingredients I didn’t like or were unhealthy. This was it. I didn’t have anchovies so made it without. MMmmm, just as good without the anchovies. I’ll be making this often for sure

    • Kris Bordessa Aug 25, 2021 @ 16:36

      Glad you liked it. I’m not a big anchovy fan, but definitely find it’s better *with. Try it that way if you’re not opposed to them!

  • N Feb 9, 2020 @ 7:37

    Do you have to put in anchovy paste? Where would I purchase it

    • Kris Bordessa Feb 9, 2020 @ 8:03

      You don’t HAVE to. 😉 But we’ve found that it just doesn’t have the flavor when we skip it. Most grocery stores carry anchovy paste (or whole filets).

  • Jane Jan 23, 2020 @ 20:52

    Kris quick question? the mustard listed, dry, yellow, dijon? I haven’t bought mayo since the purchase of my first stick blender. The dressing is very close. really nothing bettter than homemade except for the fresh ingrediants you use to make them. Thanks!

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