Caesar Salad Recipe

This Classic Caesar Salad combines crispy Romaine lettuce and crunchy homemade croutons with the best homemade creamy parmesan Caesar salad dressing. It’s the ultimate side salad that will beat even the best restaurants!

The Best Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

I love a good Caesar salad. We’ve all had one—the kind that comes with crisp, fresh lettuce, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth croutons, and perfectly creamy, but not too garlicky, dressing. And then, there’s the opposite. We’ve all had at least one.

Fortunately, this classic Caesar salad recipe is only filled with deliciousness! It’s fresh and loaded with crispy textures and rich flavors, and it’s dressed in the most luxurious creamy homemade dressing! 

If that isn’t convincing enough, here’s why I love making this popular salad at home from scratch:

• Making the individual elements of this Caesar salad gives you full control over the ingredients used. You could even make homemade mayonnaise for the dressing!
• Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, making this salad a budget-friendly choice.
• It’s easily adaptable – serve it as a side salad or add chopped chicken, shrimp, or another type of protein for a filling main meal.

Key Ingredients

Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.

• Dressing ingredients – The dressing for this Caesar salad consists of egg yolk, mayonnaise, freshly grated parmesan cheese, minced anchovies, finely minced garlic cloves, fresh lemon juice, stone-ground mustard, and salt. 
• Croutons – You’ll need a ½ loaf of French bread (cut into 1-inch cubes), olive oil, garlic salt, and melted butter. Feel free to use a different type of bread like sourdough bread, ciabatta bread, multigrain bread, or brioche bread. To make this recipe gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free bread.
• Salad ingredients – The salad calls for roughly chopped romaine lettuce and shaved or grated parmesan cheese. Feel free to include other types of crunchy greens like kale!
• Optional additions – Grilled shrimp, chicken, bacon, sliced avocado.

How to Make Classic Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. 

2. Make the dressing: Whisk the egg yolk in a medium bowl and then add the rest of the dressing ingredients, stirring until smooth. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while assembling the salad. Homemade Caesar salad dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance.

3. Make the croutons: Place the cubed bread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Drizzle the cubes with olive oil and garlic salt and toss. Bake for a further 5 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the melted butter over the top of the croutons. Bake the croutons for another 3 minutes and then remove them to cool completely. 

4. Assemble the salad: Toss the creamy dressing and chopped lettuce together in a large bowl and then transfer it to a large serving bowl or plate. Top the salad with croutons, grated (or shaved) parm, and freshly cracked black pepper to serve.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure that all of the ingredients for the salad dressing are at room temperature before making the dressing.
• Make-ahead: You can make homemade dressing recipe up to 3 days in advance. You can even make the homemade salad croutons up to one week in advance. Be sure to store the croutons in a sealed airtight bag or container so that they remain crisp.
• Allow the croutons to cool completely before adding them to the salad. This prevents the fresh salad ingredients from being exposed to direct heat and keeps the croutons crisp and crunchy for longer.
• Rather than buying pre-chopped and pre-washed lettuce leaves, look for whole heads of Romaine lettuce at your grocery store. Discard the outer leaves and chop off the ends, then chop into 1½- inch sections. Wash in several changes of cold water and dry using a salad spinner.

Who Invented the Caesar Salad?

This salad is named after an Italian immigrant and chef, Caesar Cardini, who opened restaurants in the United States and Mexico in the 1920s. It’s believed that he invented the classic Caesar salad on July 4, 1924, at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico.

What to Serve with Caesar Salad?

Serve this classic Caesar salad for lunch or dinner as a delicious side dish to creamy parmesan risotto with shrimp, shrimp Alfredo, baked ziti, yummy baked Salmon with lemon butter, and countless others. 

It also makes the perfect filling for chicken wraps and sandwiches!

Anchovy Alternative in Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Anchovies have a salty, umami-rich flavor. When making Caesar dressing, you’ll find several alternatives to anchovies if they’re not really your thing. Favorites include Worcestershire Sauce, capers, and miso paste.

Storage

Caesar salad should be enjoyed shortly after assembly. While leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day, expect the croutons to turn soggy and the lettuce to wilt.

For best results, store the individual components separately. When stored in airtight jars/containers/bags in the refrigerator, homemade Caesar dressing will stay good for one week, homemade croutons will stay crunchy for up to two weeks, and fresh-chopped Romaine will stay fresh for up to 2-3 days.

Freezing is not recommended.

More Salad Recipes

• Israeli Salad
• Caprese Salad Recipe (Insalata Caprese)
• Balsamic Tomato Basil Salad
• Green Goddess Salad
• Cucumber Salad Recipe
• Easy Tomato Salad Recipe with Homemade Vinaigrette
• Spinach Pear and Feta Salad Recipe

If you make this Classic Caesar Salad Recipe with Homemade Caesar Dressing, please leave me a comment below! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!