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This homemade Caesar salad dressing recipe is made with a whole egg (instead of just the yolk) and is SO flavorful.

Caesar salad dressed with homemade Caesar salad dressing.

Don’t let the egg/oil emulsion intimidate you. As long as you have the right tools and the right information, it’ll come together quickly and easily. Let’s get started!

I used to think Caesar salads were boring (because, who only puts croutons and cheese on a salad?). But the beauty is in the simplicity when it comes to Caesar salads.

If you love delicious salad dressings like this Caesar Dressing, grab a free copy of my cookbook with the top 10 sauce and salad dressing recipes from the blog. Click here to learn more!

This Caesar salad dressing is gluten free, and dairy friendly (just leave the Parmesan out for dairy free), and Paleo. It’s made with healthy avocado oil and is a delicious Whole 30 or Paleo salad dressing option.

Make a batch for your salads all week! Put it in the meal plan and it’s a done deal!

Best Homemade Caesar Dressing

Traditionally, Caesar salad is made using an egg emulsion. If you don’t want to use raw eggs, you can make a decent Caesar-ish dressing with yogurt, or store bought mayo. But we’re keeping it traditional today.

I tried a recipe with yogurt as the base and it didn’t quite have the flavor that I was looking for. Today, we’re sticking with tradition. Well, sort of…

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing with The Whole Egg

This homemade Caesar salad dressing is made with the whole egg (not just the yolk).

Typically you just use the egg yolks for the dressing. But I’ve found that I usually end up throwing the egg whites away (because I always forget they’re sitting in the fridge).

So I made a recipe that uses the whole egg (meaning no waste). The salad dressing is a little bit thinner than the yolk-only version, but the flavor is the same.

No Mayo In This Homemade Caesar Dressing

If you’ve made homemade mayonnaise before, you know how to make Caesar dressing. The process is the same (drizzling the oil in to create an emulsion with the egg). If you haven’t, it’s a great day to learn a new cooking skill!

The process is LIKE making mayo, but this homemade Caesar doesn’t actually have mayonnaise in it.

It does have raw egg, though. It’s important to use the freshest eggs from the healthiest chickens when using raw eggs in recipes. Our eggs come from about 30 feet out our door (we have our own chickens).

Nobody said your eggs have to be THAT fresh, just do your best to find the freshest eggs you can.

Why Make Your own Caesar Salad Dressing?

Making your own salad dressing is totally worth it. It only takes a couple minutes, and it’s one less thing you have to buy at the store. Have you noticed how expensive salad dressing is at the store? In an effort to decrease our grocery budget, salad dressing is one thing we never buy anymore.

Do you want to get your grocery spending under control? Here’s an awesome course that can help. Use STB20 to get 20% off.

And, when you make your own salad dressing, you get to decide what ingredients go in (and what stays out). One thing I’m happy have control over is which oils we use.

Instead of the refined vegetable oils found in virtually all salad dressings in the store (I’ve looked at almost all of them, trust me. It’s everywhere.) we choose to use olive oil (healthy, with good fats), and avocado oil.

Tools To Make This Caesar Salad Dressing

Anchovy paste makes working with anchovies WAY easier.
Food Processor (Our is this brand and has been going strong for 8 years!)
Storage containers (we use mason jars for just about everything)
Salad bowl (This acacia wooden salad bowl is beautiful!)
Salad tongs (And these match that salad bowl)

Caesar Salad Ingredients

Eggs – get the freshest, best eggs you can find
Lemon juice – use fresh lemons and squeeze it out, or keep a bottle of this single ingredient lemon juice in your fridge.
Olive oil
Anchovy paste – check the ingredients on your anchovy paste to make sure there’s just anchovies, olive oil, and salt. I use this brand.
Mustard – use what you like best. Yellow mustard or Dijon will work well.
Garlic cloves
Avocado oil – we use this brand because it’s in Costco. Amazon has a few other good choices too (like this one).
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Black pepper

Anchovies in Caesar Dressing

There’s debate about whether anchovies were traditionally in Caesar salad or not. I used to be a bit squeamish around the thought of anchovies in my salad dressing, but it adds so much flavor to the dressing, it’s so worth it.

Plus, when you use this anchovy paste, it’s way easier. The only ingredients are anchovies, olive oil, and salt. Perfect!

Ever heard of umami? It’s that savory flavor that makes food taste oh-so-good. Anchovies bring the umami to the dressing.

How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing

First, put everything but the avocado oil and Parmesan in the bowl of your food processor.

Note: If you don’t already have a food processor, I highly recommend this one! To see other time-saving tools I HIGHLY recommend, read about my essential tools for saving time in the kitchen.

Caesar salad dressing Ingredients in food processor, ready to blend.

Turn it on for 30 seconds to blend everything together.

Ingredients being blended together for 30 seconds

Next, with the food processor on, pour the avocado oil into the “pusher”. This is the part of the food processor that has a tiny hole at the bottom. The hole in the bottom lets the oil drip in so you don’t have to stand there and pour slowly.

If you don’t have a “pusher” with a hole in it, just drizzle the oil in slowly with the food processor on. If you’re not sure what “slowly” means, I try to look for a thin stream (somewhere between dripping it in and dumping). Drizzling the oil should take a minute or two, not 30!

Drizzling the oil in the food processor while it's running.

Let it mix another minute after the oil has all dripped through. And then it’s done! If you want to add Parmesan, now would be the time to do that.

FInished Caesar dressing in food processor bowl.

You did it! Now that you’re a pro at this method, head on over and make some homemade mayonnaise. Same process, with fewer ingredients.

How Long Does Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing Last?

You can keep it in the fridge for about a week. Of course, if you notice any off sights or smells, use your own judgement and don’t eat it. This recipe makes about one cup (plus a tablespoon or two).

I like to make a batch and use it on a salad right away (because I usually can’t resist) and then I keep the rest in one of these mason jars that are the perfect size for the remaining dressing.

Caesar Salad Recipe

Once you’ve made the dressing, it’s time to put your Caesar salad together. To make a Caesar salad, put the following in a bowl:

Romaine lettuce (washed, dried, and chopped)
Croutons (can make your own or use a gluten free option if needed)
Parmesan (omit for a dairy free dressing)
Salad dressing (to taste)

For ratios on the salad, you’ve got total control here.

Put your chopped romaine in a bowl, pour your Caesar dressing on and toss the greens to coat (I like a lot of dressing…because it’s SO good).

Add in croutons and sprinkle on Parmesan. If you LOVE croutons, put more on. If you can’t do dairy, don’t use Parmesan (or just serve it on the side).

Homemade caesar salad dressing with cracked pepper on top, next to Caesar salad.

Anything else to dress up your salad?

Here are a few items that will dress up your Caesar salad and impress your guests (although probably not as much as telling them you made your Caesar dressing from scratch.

Beautiful wooden salad bowl made with acacia wood
Salad tongs (to match the salad bowl)

Looking for more delicious homemade salad dressing recipes?