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My dad’s viral Caesar Dressing recipe has to be one of my top 5 favourite family recipes. It’s truly the best dressing I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried A LOT! Pretty much every restaurant I go to I’ll order the side Caesar; and while I’ve had many delicious versions, nothing compares to this one. It’s rich, creamy, garlicky, zesty, salty; all the things you’d want in a good Caesar Dressing This is a tried and true recipe that my family has been making for upwards of 20 years, so rest-assured you’ll love it!
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Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make Johnny B’s Caesar Dressing. For the exact detailed measurements and ingredients, scroll to the bottom of this page to review my recipe card.
- mayonnaise
- yellow mustard
- anchovy paste
- worcestershire
- garlic cloves
- lemon
- parmigiano-reggiano
- black pepper
Tips before getting started
- Use anchovy paste, rather than whole anchovies. It makes it much easier and the flavour is 10/10.
- Be sure to use a high quality imported parmigiano-reggiano from Italy. The cheese makes all the difference in this recipe, and the other kinds won’t taste as good.
- I use 4 large garlic cloves because I loooove me some garlic, but feel free to scale down the garlic and use 2 large cloves if you aren’t the biggest fan. It still tastes great, but isn’t too overpowering.
Storing instructions
Keep this one in your fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days
Watch the recipe video
Watch the recipe video on Instagram
Johnny B’s Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste
- 1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp worcestershire
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1¼ cup parmigiano-reggiano, finely grated
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by grating the parmigiano-reggiano.Set aside until ready to use.
- Zest and juice the lemon.Set aside until ready to use.
- To a medium sized bowl whisk all of the ingredients together really well. About 1-2 minutes.
- Taste to adjust seasoning accordingly.
- Pour over chopped romaine lettuce and croutons, and toss to combine.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long can this dressing be stored in the fridge?
Hi Tyra! Up to a week is fine!
I will never buy another Caesar dressing again- wonderful punch of flavor and home made is always the BEST! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe ❤️
11/10! We had a really similar dressing growing up but we lost the family recipe card. I subbed Dijon for Yellow mustard and halved the recipe overall. Can’t wait for Caesar salad again later this week.
Hi Deana – WOO! I love it! So glad you enjoyed the dressing and thank you for the review!
BEST CAESAR EVER! I’ll start be saying, I love Caesar salads. AND very picky about the dressing. I’m sorry but I have yet to find a store bought Caesar dressing that rivals homemade. This was so simple to make. Wonderful topped grilled shrimp or chicken. I could put this particular dressing on cardboard and it would be terrific. Soooo, so good!!!!!
Hi Page! Oh I LOVE IT! Thank you for this review, SO happy you made it, and loved it!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Its the only ceasar dressing I’m making from now on👌
Hi Sammy! Love love this recipe but for some reason mines very thick
Just wondering what I can use to thin it I don’t want to ruin the taste. 😊
Hi Tina! The dressing is certainly thick. Once you mix it with lettuce it works well. Should you want it thinner, you can add a small splash of water, or a bit more lemon juice. Hope this helps. -Sammy
Want to make this today and don’t have yellow mustard. I only have brown spicy mustard and Dijon mustard.
Will any of those work?
Sub for dijon mustard and it will be so good!
Can you substitute anchovy??
I would add a few tbsp of capers if you can’t use anchovy!
Anoly other options besides capers and anchovies?
Hello! What brand of mayo do you use for this recipe? I can’t wait to make this!
Hi Susan, Hellmans is the mayo I use!
Made this today, in fridge right now melding until dinner. Hoping it’s as good as described by all the reviews. Only thing I’m not sure of is the yellow mustard. Turned it yellow never had yellow Caesar dressing before. Fingers crossed.
I ❤️ a good Caesar dressing, however anchovy can be overwhelming to me. Does using anchovy paste reduce the intensity of the anchovy’s? I can’t wait to try this though…. Thank you!
Hi Cristin, if you can’t use anchovy, you could ask add a few tablespoons of capers and blend it all really well. This will give it a more subtle flavour. You could also reduce the amount of anchovy paste you add. Hope this helps.
Made this spontaneously and it was the best. I had all the ingredients in the fridge except for anchovy paste. It was delicious and very easy.
Hi Joanne, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! So happy you enjoyed it!!
This dressing is absolutely BEYOND YUM!!! Never buying it again!! So easy to make also! Thank you for this, Sammy!!!!
Hi Vanessa! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! So happy you love it!!
Your salad dressing has been a huge hit at my family gatherings! Thank you for sharing it.
Your salad dressing has been a huge hit at my family gatherings. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Melissa, that is SO awesome to hear. I am so happy you all enjoyed it!
Love all your recipes and this doesn’t disappoint!
Hi Jess! Thank you SO much!
It’s 🔥! And comes together in a 🫰. So creamy and delicious. Each day it keeps getting better. Make it! You won’t be disappointed.
LOVE THIS COMMENT and couldn’t agree more! Thanks Linda! xo
This was amazing- finally a Caesar dressing that I will stick with. I’ve tried so many on the Internet. I was apprehensive about the 1 Tbsp of anchovy paste but def the right amount. I made mine with homemade mayo too which takes 1 min to make and was well worth it!
Hi Paulina – SOOOO happy that you liked this recipe! Makes me so happy! Thanks for the review!
I am always concerned when measuring cheese, especially Parmesan. Are you using 4 oz or measuring out 1 cup? I’m dying to try this recipe but don’t want to overdo the cheese. Thanks!
Hi Roz, I use 1 cup + 1/4 of cheese! It’s a larger batch and needs more than you probably think! Hope this helps!
Curious if you’ve tried this with Greek yogurt versus mayo…I have folks with egg allergies in the building 🫣?
I haven’t personally tried it with greek yogurt, but some of my audience has, and they said they enjoyed it still! Hope that helps.
I JUST finished mixing this up and couldn’t wait for lunch to take a taste. AMAZING. My 11 year old agrees and she’s picky (definitely wouldn’t enjoy knowing about the anchovy paste, I have no problem with that being my secret). So delicious. I’m half tempted to have a salad for breakfast. Thank you for sharing. This will be a family favorite for a long time. I’m actually tossing the bottled dressing we already have on hand.
I am excited to try this but I am allergic to mustard – any suggestions for substitutes? Thanks!!
Just leave it out!
Made so many of your recipes and they were all delicious! Made this dressing for chicken Ceaser salad today and it’s amazing! Thank you Sammy!
Hi Catherine! Aw this is so awesome, thanks for being here, and taking the time to leave a review! xo, Sammy
Wow. Just the recipe I’ve been looking for all my life. This is the best caesar salad dressing recipe, ever. I’m so happy!
OMG!! The BEST caesar dressing. Just made a double batch bc the single batch didn’t last long. I could seriously sit and eat this with bread. Mahalo for sharing 😀
Hi Lauren! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!!! xo -Sammy
Oh. My. Deliciousness… I just made this and have almost eaten an entire romaine just dipping it in! Addictive
Hi Stacy! I do the same thing. Thanks for leaving a review, and I am so happy you enjoy it! – Sammy
Just made this–I used dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard and it was delish. One of the best Caesar dressings I have had.
Hi Maureen! This is so awesome! Happy you loved the recipe!
Can you substitute out the anchovy paste??
You can take it out all together if you want, or you can add a tbsp or two of capers and then blend 🙂
Definitely keeping this one in my tried-and-tested file. Very delicious; the Caesar salad was absolutely smashed in minutes!! A Japanese student staying with us just about licked the plate!!
SO GOOD!!! This will definitely be my new go-to Caesar dressing. I will admit, I added more Garlic because, well, I LOVE Garlic heh heh. Thanks, Sammy!!! 🫶🏻
So eager to try this! what do you recommend as a substitute for the parmigiano-reggiano? I haven’t been able to find it in my neck of the woods. Thanks!!
Love! I know it’s for 8 people but 3 of us ate it!
Oh my GOSH this was delicious! And quick! I vow never to buy store bought again!!!
Yeah this recipe lived up to the hype! Was a crowd pleaser! I’ll never buy store bought ceaser dressing again!!
Literally the best cease dressing ever . I didn’t find anchovy paste so I got anchovies and chopped up 3 ( I was a bit intimidated by them lol) but literally couldn’t notice them when I was eating the salad with the dressing :). I’m definitely going to be making it again but will try with Greek yogurt since I’m out of mayo lol
I halved the recipe to be sure it was a keeper and it turned out great!! I ended up with the spicy version as everyone loves spice in the house and luckily I had picked up a calibrian pepper spread from Trader Joe’s and it was killer!! I used Dijon mustard as well.
Just made this and it is AMAZING!! So so good!!!
Best I’ve ever had! I love making my food from scratch so I can put my own lik spin on it and this is a perfect base. Personally I like more garlic, pepper, lemon, paste and parm but you can’t go wrong with the recipe! Thank you!
I will never buy another Caesar dressing again- wonderful punch of flavor and home made is always the BEST! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe ❤️
Made this dressing for side Caesar salads to have with a pasta dinner. It’s so good that I invited a friend over for Chicken Caesar salads for lunch tomorrow! Really really good.
Literally the best dressing ever!! I will never buy store bought again!!!
What could I use instead of mayonnaise?
Wondering for your mayo… what kind do you use? Would miracle whip work or plain mayo is better? Thanks
I use Hellmans, but any mayo will work. I dont recommend miracle whip as it would be too sweet. -Sammy
I’ve made so many Caesar dressing recipes and this one is definitely THE BEST! Didn’t need to tweak it at all. Thank you for sharing!
This was delicious! Garlicky, just the right amount of lemon. Way better than the store bought stuff. Stepson and hubby both approved !
This dressing is life-changing. This is now my GO-TO homemade Caesar dressing recipe. It’s the new Gold Standard! If you (like me) were surprised by the yellow mustard…trust the process.
I made this dressing for Mother’s Day and I only used 1 bag of romaine lettuce.. Well baby just say they went out and bought more lettuce to make more salad. THIS RECIPE IS TRULY AMAZING. There Is no Caesar dressing that compares to this one. My family is extremely picky when it comes to Caesar dressing .
If you haven’t tried this recipe you should!
Thank you for sharing!
Excellent!
So this is on constant rotation in my house. Tonight I made it and added a handful(6ish medium to small leaves) of fresh basil and blended it in my bullet. There is a restaurant here that makes basil Cesar dressing that is ridiculous and this made it soooo close. Try it! It’s amazing! Something to dip my pizza in another night. Yummmm