Classic Caesar Salad Recipe with Homemade Caesar Dressing

This Classic Caesar Salad recipe is so easy and so delicious. This Caesar salad is made entirely from scratch, from the homemade croutons to the Caesar Salad Dressing. If you want to impress your guests or family, this amazingly flavorful and perfect salad is the perfect starter to any delicious meal.

Caesar Salad Recipe

This recipe is something everyone should keep on hand. A Classic Caesar Salad with homemade croutons and homemade Caesar Salad Dressing!

Some recipes are considered classics for a reason. They don’t need to be messed with or turned into complicated dishes. A Classic Caesar Salad is one of those recipes! It’s a go-to salad that you can throw together at a moment’s notice for any meal, and everyone will love it.

I’m going to show you how to make Caesar salad, and it’s so easy to do! Plus we’re going to make the whole thing from scratch to keep it extra fresh.

I’m also showing you how to make Homemade Croutons AND how to make Caesar Salad Dressing. The flavors are so much better when everything is homemade!

This salad goes well with any meal, any dish, any time of year. Of course you’ll want to make it as a pre-dinner salad for your pastas dishes, but it’s just as good with these chicken recipes or on its own for a light lunch.

What makes this a CLASSIC Caesar salad?

A true Classic Caesar Salad is made with whole leaves of Romaine, drizzled with Caesar dressing, and topped with croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The salad was originally meant to be eaten with your hands, leaf by leaf.

Of course, you could also make it with chopped up Romaine lettuce, but I think it looks so much prettier this way! You can still eat it with a fork, but the whole leaves makes it feel a bit dressier, don’t you think?

Caesar Salad Ingredients

A CLASSIC Caesar Salad recipe contains just a few basic things. I love the flavor combination of all of these fresh ingredients mixed together into one simple yet delicious salad.

Ingredients: 

• Romaine lettuce
• Croutons
• Caesar Salad Dressing (individual ingredients listed in the section below)
• Parmesan cheese

These ingredients can be found at any grocery store, and it’s so quick to throw them together into the perfect salad. But since we’re making our own Caesar dressing and croutons, we’ll need a few more things…

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe

The best part of this salad is the dressing. So what’s in Caesar dressing anyways?

I wanted to make the entire salad from scratch instead of relying on store-bought ingredients, just to challenge myself. This is the best homemade Caesar Salad Dressing recipe and it’s not as complicated as you might think!

Ingredients:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dry Mustard
• Anchovies
• Eggs
• Salt & Pepper

How to Make it:

1. Soak, drain, and dry anchovies, then mince and mash them into a paste.
2. Bring water to a boil, pierce a tiny hole into the top of the eggs (using a pushpin or needle), and boil for 75 seconds, then remove them from water.
3. Rub the sides of the mixing bowl with garlic, crack eggs into the bowl, then whisk them while adding lemon juice.
4. Add anchovies, Worcestershire, mustard, black pepper, and whisk.
5. Whisk while drizzling in olive oil until emulsified, then season with salt and pepper.

Keep the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. You can make this ahead of time so that it’s ready to use when you make the salad.

Check the recipe card below (and watch the video) for full recipe and instructions.

Does all Caesar dressing have anchovies?

Anchovies are a traditional ingredient in this dressing, so most of the time when making, eating, or ordering Caesar salad/dressing, you should expect anchovies. There are certainly recipes out there that don’t include it though. You could simply leave the anchovies out of my dressing recipe if you prefer!

Make Homemade Croutons

This classic Caesar wouldn’t be complete without the croutons, and we’re making those for ourselves too! I created this homemade croutons recipe for any salad, but it’s absolutely perfect for this recipe. The croutons are baked instead of fried, making them a little bit healthier too.

To make the croutons, you’ll just need a baguette (or other bread), olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Head over to my Homemade Croutons Recipe for full instructions on how to make them.

If you feel like switching it up, you could also try adding garlic croutons or bacon croutons instead!

Serving Suggestions

I love this classic Caesar salad because it really does go with EVERYTHING. It’s the perfect salad to pair with pasta dishes, like this Chicken Parmesan Pasta or Baked Pasta Primavera. But it would also make a great pre-dinner salad for these chicken recipes, like this Caesar Chicken recipe or Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast.

This homemade Caesar salad could also be eaten alone as a quick, light lunch, or add this delicious homemade garlic bread to the side.

Top Recipe Tips

• Be sure to WASH lettuce before using. A gentle rinse is fine, but make sure you clean the full leaves.
• Soak anchovies and dry before mashing them into a paste for the dressing.
• You can easily add chopped or shredded chicken to add protein and turn this into a light lunch.
• You can use kale instead of romaine if you like. The leaves are similar in size and texture and make for a great kale caesar.
• If you prefer, you can make a chopped salad by chopping or tearing up the leaves (instead of leaving them whole).
• Don’t forget the shaved Parmesan and croutons!
• Make the Caesar dressing and the croutons ahead of time so you can quickly make the salad at dinner time!

I know you’re gonna love this Classic Caesar Salad recipe! It’s so simple, so fresh, and so delicious. You’ll be making it everyday with every meal before you know it.

Looking for more salad ideas?

• Kale Caesar Salad
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Taco Salad
• Traditional Greek Salad
• Olive Garden Copycat Salad
• Zesty Panzanella Salad

Recipe

Caesar Salad Recipe

4.72 from 70 votes

Author: Becky Hardin

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 10 minutes minutes

Serves4

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This CAESAR SALAD RECIPE is the only salad recipe you'll ever need! This is a CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD, simple and delicious. Everything is made from scratch, from the homemade croutons to the Caesar Salad Dressing. If you want to impress your guests or family, this amazingly flavorful and perfect Caesar Salad is the perfect starter to any delicious meal.

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups Baked Homemade Garlic Parmesan Croutons. Recipe found HERE:
• ▢ 2 heads romaine lettuce **SEE NOTE large leaves discarded, OR KALE
• ▢ ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more cheese for shaving. (Parmigiana Reggiano is best.)

For the Caesar Dressing:

• ▢ 3 anchovies packed in oil, drained
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 medium cloves garlic halved
• ▢ 1½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt

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Instructions

For the Lettuce:

• Remove the large outer leaves from the lettuce, discard or save for another use.
• Wash and gently dry the remaining lettuce leaves.
• Carefully wrap the leaves in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• For the Caesar Dressing: Have all salad dressing ingredients ready.
• In a small bowl, soak the anchovies in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat the anchovies dry. Mince the anchovies and mash to form a paste; set aside.
• While anchovies soak, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Pierce a tiny hole in the large end of each egg with a pushpin. Boil the eggs exactly 75 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Rub the inside of a salad bowl with the cut sides of the garlic cloves.
• Crack the eggs into the bowl and remove any whites clinging to the shells. Whisk the eggs and gradually add the lemon juice. Add mashed anchovies, Worcestershire, dry mustard and freshly ground black pepper; whisk to combine. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow drizzle until emulsified. Season with salt and more pepper, if needed. Keep dressing refrigerated, in an airtight glass container, until ready to serve. *See note.

To Serve:

• If making a chopped salad, tear large leaves into smaller pieces and keep the smaller leaves intact.
• If using whole leaves only, use leaves no bigger than 7 inches long.
• Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Gently mix. Add 1-cup croutons and grated Parmigiana; toss gently.
• Transfer salad to preferred salad bowl and sprinkle with additional croutons and shaved Parmigiana.
• Serve immediately.
• Enjoy!

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Becky’s tips

*Note: If the dressing thickens when refrigerated, thin to desired consistency; whisk in small equal amounts of lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and oil. Whisk until smooth and desired consistency.

**Note: We made this recipe before the recent (april 2018) romaine recall. Always know where your produce comes from if possible to make sure it's safe. You can substitute KALE if you prefer. It's got a peppery taste but is equally delicious! 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 404kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 20g (7%) Protein: 10g (20%) Fat: 32g (49%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Cholesterol: 89mg (30%) Sodium: 277mg (12%) Potassium: 452mg (13%) Fiber: 4g (17%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 1525IU (31%) Vitamin C: 10.2mg (12%) Calcium: 149mg (15%) Iron: 2.5mg (14%)

Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!

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