We’ve spent years developing this classic Caesar Salad recipe! Made with the best Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, and homemade croutons, it’s deliciously pungent, creamy, and tangy!
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Don’t you just love a good Caesar Salad? When they are good, they are truly satisfying!
As a chef, I am ever hopeful for that perfect bite when ordering at a restaurant. Bright, punchy Caesar dressing lightly coating crisp romaine hearts, with toasty handmade croutons, and salty parmesan. Tangy, pungent and… dreamy! I’ve come to crave it!
Here is a classic Caesar recipe we’ve perfected over the years that completely satisfies these cravings. And the secret is in the dressing!
Where Did Caesar Salad Originate?
Caesar salad originated in Mexico, not Italy as many people assume.
Created by Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American restaurateur, in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924, he invented the salad on the Fourth of July weekend when a rush of customers depleted his kitchen supplies. He improvised with what he had: romaine lettuce, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, eggs, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce — tossing it tableside for added flair.
Despite its Italian name and ingredients, Caesar salad is a distinctly North American creation — born just south of the U.S. border.
Ingredients for the Best Caesar Salad Recipe
- Lettuce- use clean crisp, dry lettuce. Romain hearts, or little gems work the best! (See the recipe notes for tips on cleaning, spinning and storing the lettuce!)
- Anchovies or anchovy paste– add the best depth and flavor. Can be substituted with fish sauce if needed but whole anchovies are the best.
- Egg yolks– use high-quality organic eggs (or sub mayo– see notes)
- Fresh Lemon juice and lemon zest– zest adds a lot of bright flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil– a good flavored one will make the difference!
- Bread– day-old bread is great for croutons. Or make sourdough croutons.
- Fresh Garlic cloves– a must!
- Dijon and Worcestershire sauce
*See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make The BEST Caesar salad Recipe
STEP 1: Prep the lettuce. If using a salad spinner, cut or tear the romaine lettuce first and then rinse and spin in a salad spinner to dry. This can be done hours before. After spinning you can just put the whole spinner in the fridge. The lettuce gets extra crisp this way.
Alternatively, without a spinner, wash whole leaves before cutting, lay on a clean towel and blot dry. When prepping ahead, store in the fridge in a bowl or container with a towel to absorb any moisture.
Homemade Croutons
STEP 2: Make Croutons. Making croutons is an easy, delicious way to use up old bread. A nice country loaf works great, as does sourdough.
Hand-tearing bread gives it raggedy, craggy edges that dressing can soak into. Just toss with olive oil and fresh garlic, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
The Best Caesar Salad Dressing!
STEP 3: Make the Dressing. While the croutons are baking whisk up the dressing. Smash garlic and salt together making a paste. The salt helps break down the garlic. Add the anchovy filets and continue to smash into a paste. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, dijon, Worcestershire, and black pepper. Whisk together thoroughly.
STEP 4: Slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture whisking all the while. Go little by little until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Whisking by hand doesn’t take long, gives your arms a tiny work out and leaves a bit of texture in the dressing.
You can also make this in a food processor or blender if you want a super smooth dressing. Follow the same steps.
STEP 5: Grate parmesan cheese. Shave some shreds for garnishing the top.
STEP 6: Assemble! Place chopped romaine in a bowl. Add dressing (you may not need all of it), grated parmesan, parsley, and a couple of handfuls of croutons. Toss together, adjusting salt, pepper and lemon.
How to Make caesar salad ahead of time
Make it ahead! To make Caesar salad ahead- prep the Caesar dressing and croutons, and clean, spin and refrigerate the lettuce- keeping all the components separate until right before tossing! The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Caesar Salad Tips
- Clean DRY Lettuce. Use a Salad Spinner! This can be done hours before. After spinning you can just put the whole spinner in the fridge. The lettuce gets extra crisp this way. Make sure the lettuce is completely dry and cold; this helps the dressing coat the romaine chunks. With wet lettuce, the dressing has a tendency to just slip off.
- Use Whole Anchovies! Anchovy paste has other ingredients added, so for pure anchovy flavor, use the filets, but in a pinch, the paste will work.
- Add olive oil slowly, so it emulsifiers! Whisk it in drop by drop at first.
- Not a fan of Raw Eggs? Substitute mayo for egg yolks, see recipe notes.
- Bitter? Extra virgin olive oil can sometimes give a bitter tang. The bitterness in olive oil is from healthy polyphenols (if that helps, mentally)! If you do not prefer this, use regular olive oil. Or halve the extra virgin and half a neutral oil (such as avocado).
- Use day-old bread for croutons, hand-torn gives more rustic crags and places to soak up the flavor.
How to Serve Classic Caesar Salad
Garnish with more croutons, parmesan shavings, and lemon slices. Serve with fish, chicken, tofu or beef!
How to Store Homemade Caesar Salad
Leftover Caesar Salad will keep one day in an air tight container in the fridge- though it is best consumed the day it is made.
Caesar Salad Recipe FAQs
While it is true that tearing lettuce leaves more cells intact, when serving within a few hours, cutting actually keeps the juices in the cut leaf which leaves them much more flavorful!
Crisp romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, lemon, garlic, anchovies, egg yolk, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire.
Originally hailing from Tijuana where it was made tableside by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who owned the restaurant in Mexico. It is said he created it spontaneously, on the 4th of July as the kitchen supplies were depleted.
More Favorite Romaine Salads
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Best Caesar Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
How to make a classic Caesar Salad with homemade Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and hand-torn croutons.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized heads of romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried (see notes)
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus some shaved for the top.
Homemade Croutons
- 3 cups torn or cubed bread, day old works best
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper taste
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or use a garlic press
Caesar Salad Dressing
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 anchovies (or 4 teaspoons anchovy paste)
- 2 egg yolks (or sub 1/4 cup mayo)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional but elevates lemony tang)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, gives more depth) or sub-fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup mild olive oil (see notes)
Instructions
- Make the croutons: Hand-tear or cut bread. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden. (Baking time for croutons will vary depending on the bread you use; a denser bread will take longer.)
- Make the Caesar Salad Dressing: Using a mortar and pestle (or muddler and bowl) smash together garlic and salt until broken down and juicy. Add anchovies, mashing together with the garlic until a paste forms. Whisk in egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, Dijon Mustard, Worcestershire, and fresh black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Dribble olive oil into the mixture, whisking all the while, little by little, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.
- Assemble the Caesar Salad. Place chopped dry romaine lettuce in a bowl. Add the Caesar salad dressing, a little at a time (you may not need all of it), grated parmesan, parsley and a couple of handfuls of croutons. Toss together, adding more dressing as needed. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to your taste. Garnish with more croutons, parmesan shavings, and lemon slices.
Notes
Both croutons and dressing can be made ahead. Leftover dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze.
Lettuce Tip: Spin lettuce in a salad spinner to dry. This can be done hours before! After spinning you can just put the whole spinner in the fridge. The lettuce gets extra crisp this way. Alternatively, without a spinner, wash whole leaves before cutting, lay on a clean towel and blot dry. Store in a plastic bag or container with a towel to absorb any moisture.
In a hurry? Place dressing ingredients in a mini blender and blend until smooth.
Extra-virgin olive oil can sometimes impart a bitter tang. If you prefer not to use this, you can use regular olive oil instead. Or half extra virgin and half a neutral oil (such as avocado).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 3.4 g
- Sodium: 1763.9 mg
- Fat: 24.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 16.1 g
- Cholesterol: 76.1 mg
I made this salad with grilled chicken for a light dinner and it was delicious!
Great to hear Anne!
Delicious!!
Great!
My husband has to avoid garlic, do you have any suggestions? I do have garlic oil oil… thanks!
Maybe you could try shallots?
great salad…thank you.. just what I was hoping for … thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed Sheilah!
This was easy enough to make but by using the salt to mash the garlic the dressing was a little salty also a bit too lemony. I will adjust it next time. Probably use a garlic press.
Yes totally adjust it to your taste! Thanks for your feed back, I will make some notes in the recipe.
Your food is sooo delicious and this was no exception.
So happy you are enjoying!
You have 2 different amounts for mayo replacement. in instructions 1/2 cup and notes 1/4 cup
Opps- thanks Kristen. Fixed now.
Made this dressing last night. Perfect balance of flavors. I did replace the egg yolks with mayo because I didn’t have time to temper the yokes. I also learned how to keep the lettuce crispy! Thank you for each and every recipe you share.
Thank Terry!
Absolutely delicious! The dressing is everything. This will be a weeknight staple, for sure. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Thanks Hannah! Appreciate you being here.
Love this Caesar salad recipe! I like to make my own salad dressings anyway and this dressing is delicious and easy…..I’ve made it twice in the past week! You can always lighten up on the anchovy amount but personally I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks Josie! Glad you are enjoying!
it doesn’t exactly match the original recipe.
It’s our take on the original. 🙂
If I’m not mistaken I thought I saw on another recipe that you’d substituted anchovy with miso paste … would that work with this caesar salad recipe do you think ?
Sounds good Maria! Give it a try!
Do you have any recommendations for an anchovy paste substitute for a vegetarian?
You could try miso paste or 1 teaspoon minced capers and a teaspoon or two of minced dulse or nori. Also try this vegan caesar recipe.
Sylvia – love, love, love your recipes and cooking inspirations. Thank you! How long do you think this will keep when refrigerated?
awww…thanks Treva, so glad the recipes are working for you! The dressing will keep up to 3 days. You want to toss all just before serving.
When do the anchovies or anchovy paste get added?
Right after smashing the garlic with salt. 😊