Do you love traditional Caesar salad but are not a fan of anchovies? Us too! Having struggled to find a good store-bought dressing with no anchovy paste, we decided to make our own! And we are sharing this great recipe with you! Picture this creamy Caesar salad dressing coating crisp romaine lettuce, homemade croutons and sharp parmesan cheese, allowing you to enjoy the classic Caesar flavour without the one ingredient you don't enjoy! Our homemade Caesar Salad Dressing Without Anchovies uses basic ingredients and will likely become your new favourite to add not only to salads but also to wraps, sandwiches and even burgers!
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What Is Caesar Salad Dressing All About?
Authentic Caesar dressing, tracing its origins back to Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant and ingenious chef, has become one of the nation's favorite salad dressings.
The heart of the original recipe lies in the skilful combination of key ingredients like mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. While the hallmark of this dressing is the umami-rich anchovy filets, contemporary variations, designed to suit diverse tastes, may omit them. The dressing's unmistakable character comes from the amalgamation of these components, harmonizing exquisitely with crisp romaine lettuce, croutons, and a generous shower of fresh Parmesan cheese.
Can You Make Caesar Dressing Without Anchovies?
A delicious dressing is paramount to a good Caesar Salad. But not everybody likes anchovy flavor (including us). The good news is, you can absolutely make the best Caesar Dressing Without Anchovies (none, at all 0 no anchovy fillets, no anchovy paste). This easy homemade Caesar Dressing recipe is perfect for vegetarians (just make sure to use vegetarian cheese) or someone who has a fish allergy.
Our version of this creamy dressing still has a traditional mayonnaise base, and salty pungent flavor. We replicate all the classic flavors by using a combination of fresh lemon juice and garlic (for the punch), parmesan and Dijon mustard (for salty flavor). The final product tastes just as good (we actually think, it tastes much better) than the classic Caesar dressing.
How Much Caesar Dressing To Make?
Simple homemade Caesar salad dressing can certainly take your salad to new heights! However, you can have too much of a good thing. This flavorful dressing is strong-tasting and extremely creamy, so it should only lightly coat your lettuce.
The quantities in the recipe card below will produce enough dressing for 4 main course-sized salad portions. We base our recommended amounts on the amount of lettuce you use in your salad. 120g of this easy Caesar salad dressing will be needed for every 400g of lettuce used.
Please note, that if you use a lot of extra raw veggies in your salad, you may need some more.
What Else Can I Use Caesar Salad Dressing For?
Classic Caesar Salad is not the only thing you can use this easy Caesar Dressing for. Whilst we love it with our Caesar Salad With Chicken and Bacon, it goes extremely well with Romaine Wedge Salad, Sweetcorn and Courgette Salad or simple Green Salad With Cherry Tomatoes and Cucumber. What is more, try it in:
- Wraps: Make Chicken Caesar Wraps or try it in Salmon and Avocado Pita Pockets.
- Pasta Salad: It is one of our favourite salad dressings to use in pasta salads instead of mayo or salad cream.
- Fish: Serve it with Panko Crusted Fish or Lemon Baked Salmon.
We also use it in our Christmas Caesar Salad made with shaved Brussels sprouts and leftover turkey.
Ingredients and Substitutes
A few simple ingredients that most of you will have in your kitchen already to make this delicious Caesar dressing. And trust me, it is so much better than store-bought salad dressing!
You can find the exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- mayonnaise: this is the main ingredient that will make a big difference to your dressing, so go for high-quality whole egg mayo for an extra creamy texture. If you want to lighten your dressing up a little, replace up to ⅓ of mayo with Greek yogurt.
- parmesan cheese: can be replaced with slightly cheaper Grana Padano. Make sure it is finely grated for best results (not shredded, it should look more like powder).
- lemon juice: use juicy fresh lemons for best flavor, but bottled lemon juice will work too (but you may need to reduce the amount slightly, as it tends to be concentrated).
- Dijon mustard.
- garlic powder: fresh garlic cloves are too ferocious and overpower the rest of the ingredients.
- milk: is used to loosen the dressing. You may use water instead.
- Worcestershire sauce: also known as Worcester sauce. It adds that salty umami flavor. If you don't have any handy, you may use soy sauce or miso paste instead.
- sea salt or rock salt (kosher salt) and black pepper: optional, only if needed.
Method
Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk for 30-60 seconds until the salt dissolves and the ingredients are fully combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
If your dressing looks grainy (that mainly happens if your cheese isn't fine enough), you may blitz it in a small food processor or with an immersion blender.
Store covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Storage
Store prepared dressing in an airtight container (like a mason jar or a small Tupperware box) in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Any leftovers should be refrigerated and used within 5 days. This Caesar Salad Dressing Without Anchovies should not be frozen.
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Other Homemade Dressing Recipes
We hope you liked our creamy Caesar dressing recipe! For more salad dressing recipes, have a look below:
- Creamy Chipotle Salad Dressing
- Lemon Basil Vinaigrette (Easy Salad Dressing Recipe)
- Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Caesar Salad Dressing Without Anchovies
Ingredients
- 70 g mayonnaise
- 20 g parmesan very finely grated
- 1½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk for 30-60 seconds until the salt dissolves and the ingredients are fully combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Store covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
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Nutrition
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