A Caesar salad is one of the simplest of salads with very few ingredients. A bowl of Crisp Romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons and shards of Parmesan cheese all tossed together with an easy Caesar Salad Dressing made with an immersion stick blender. It is that tangy dressing with grated parmesan that makes this favorite salad so special!
Did you know that Caesar salad is not a traditional salad in Italy? That’s right…but the originator of this Caesar salad dressing was an Italian named Caesar Cardini. The year was 1924 when Mr. Cardini was a restauranteur in Tijuana, Mexico . He was the owner of Caesar’s restaurant where he invented the dressing on a whim.
What is in our Caesar Salad Dressing:
Caesar salad dressing has evolved from Mr. Cardini’s original and now has many variations. Our ingredient list strays somewhat from Mr. Cardini’s original dressing in that we include two types of mustard…a Dijon and a bit of regular ole hot dog mustard.
- Garlic
- Egg yolk
- Lemon juice
- Anchovies
- Dijon mustard
- Yellow mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt/pepper
I also add anchovies to our Caesar salad dressing which Mr. Cardini did not have in his dressing. Worchestshire sauce is made from anchovies and a little of this flavor goes a long way. I believe a good Caesar dressing should not taste “fishy” but have the right proportion of anchovies to bring all the flavors into balance.
You might also like some homemade crunchy croutons. Try these homemade sourdough croutons for a finishing touch.
Raw Egg Concerns:
My recipe also uses one room-temperature, raw egg yolk. I know some folks have concerns about using raw eggs and even consider a poached or soft-boiled egg as raw.
You will be happy to know that safe pasteurized eggs are available in your local grocery store. You will find them under the Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs brand. The manufacturer stamps a red ‘P’ inside a circle on each egg which is their identifying mark of pasteurized eggs. If you want a Caesar dressing without raw eggs then check out our post for homemade croutons with Caesar salad dressing.
Putting it all together:
Another deviation from the original Caesar salad dressing is the method to make it. Back in 1924 when the first recipe was created, any thoughts of an immersion stick blender, food processor or kitchen blender was far, far in the future. We have come a long way and today our Caesar dressing is made with my immersion stick blender.
This dressing is so quick and easy when you use an immersion blender. It will take longer to gather the ingredients than to actually make the dressing. Here’s a quick ‘How To’ on putting it together. If you do not have an immersion blender, we have included instructions for both a mini food processor and a regular kitchen blender. Please scroll to the bottom of the post to get the full instructions and some tips in the Note section:
- Add all the ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese and the salt, to a wide-mouth pint-size canning jar, put the stick blender into the jar and process for 30 seconds.
- Remove the stick blender and stir in the shredded Parmesan, then process until thick and creamy.
- The Parmesan cheese is salty so taste the dressing before adding additional salt.
- Cover the jar of Caesar salad dressing with it’s lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Alternate Method:
To make the Caesar salad dressing in a mini food processor or a standard kitchen blender:
- Place the garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, both mustards and the Worcestershire sauce into the container. Blitz the mixture for a few seconds until it is thoroughly combined and smooth.
- In the opening of the container lid, while the motor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until the dressing is thick and creamy.
- Turn off the motor and add the Parmesan cheese and black or white pepper, then process again to blend together.
- The Parmesan cheese is salty so taste the dressing before adding additional salt.
- Transfer the Caesar salad dressing to a lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Now you are ready to make a Salmon Caesar Salad that is a perfect lunch or light dinner. No croutons in the pantry? We’ve got you covered with these super crunchy, homemade sourdough croutons.
And of course you need a loaf of warm crusty garlic bread and a good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio white wine!
This is my kind of dinner on a warm summer evening! Enjoy ♥️
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SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Caesar Salad Dressing: This shaved Brussels sprout salad with Caesar salad dressing is a crisp and crunchy salad with a tangy, creamy caesar dressing. It is a great salad to make in advance since it won’t wilt like lettuce.
- Blue Cheese Salad Dressing: A homemade blue cheese salad dressing that is creamy, chunky and really delicious! Use it not only as a dressing for your salad but also as a dip at your next party.
- Greek Salad (Horiatiki): You will love this traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki) that is full of crunch and flavor! Made with bright, crisp, fresh vegetables, Kalamata olives, capers and feta cheese chunks. We dressed this salad with a splash of good olive oil and red wine vinegar.
- Simple Tahini Dressing: This simple tahini dressing recipe is so creamy and smooth. The buttery, sesame flavored tahini blends well with the tang of lemon and peppery bite from the garlic. It only has six ingredients and takes 5 minutes to make. Drizzle it on salads, sandwiches or use it as a dip.
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Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic grated or minced
- 1 egg yolk pasteurized, room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 or 2 anchovies
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup light olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, except the Parmesan cheese and the salt, to a wide-mouth pint jar, add the stick blender and process until thick and creamy.
- Remove the stick blender and add the shredded Parmesan, stirring until thick and creamy. Taste the dressing and add salt and pepper according to your taste preference.
- Add the lid to the Caesar salad dressing and refrigerate until ready to use.
Alternate Method:
- To make the dressing in a mini food processor or a standard kitchen blender for this salad dressing.
- Place the garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, both mustards and the Worcestershire sauce into the container. Blitz the mixture for a few seconds until it is thoroughly combined and smooth.
- In the opening of the container lid, while the motor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until the dressing is thick and creamy.
- Turn off the motor and add the Parmesan cheese and black or white pepper, then process again to blend together.
- The Parmesan cheese is salty so taste the dressing before adding additional salt.
- Transfer the Caesar salad dressing to a lidded container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Anchovy paste can be substituted for the anchovies….it is more concentrated so use only 1/2 teaspoon.
- If not using anchovies or anchovy paste I would suggest adding an additional teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
- Pasteurized eggs are safe eggs and they are sold in the local grocery store by Davidson’s Safest Choice® Eggs brand
- This dressing will keep in a covered container, refrigerated for one week.
- For an egg-less dressing, substitute 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise for the egg yolk.
mimi rippee
Tuesday 11th of August 2020
I just printed this recipe because I'm always intrigued how different cooks make their caesar dressings! This one sound really yummy, and salmon on a caesar salad sounds perfect.
Pat Nyswonger
Tuesday 11th of August 2020
Hi, Mimi....I have made this with my stick blender several times. It is a lot easier than whisking, whisking, whisking as in the original old-time recipe but occasionally it's nice to do the original too. Hope you enjoy it.