Garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and anchovies… Just four of the classic bold flavor ingredients used to make this thick, creamy Caesar dressing.
Just imagine how good this creamy Caesar dressing would be poured over fresh crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, and shaved parmesan cheese. It is so good, it will turn anyone into a salad fan!
If you think there are too many calories in Caesar salads, please bear with me. I actually have a way to lighten this dressing up, so keep reading.
David and I set our standards high when it comes to Caesar salad. Our dressing of choice is Ken’s Steakhouse Creamy Caesar dressing. We both feel that Ken’s Creamy Caesar is one of the best creamy Caesar dressings in the store. To be honest, we had my reservations about how this homemade version would taste. So, we bought a bottle of Ken’s from the store, just in case we didn’t like it.
We didn’t like this recipe, we loved it!!
In fact, we could hardly tell it wasn’t the store-bought favorite.
How Do I Make A Lighter Creamy Caesar Dressing?
This creamy Caesar dressing is even better because it is made to order with fresh ingredients giving it a bright and refreshing taste. The fresh lemon juice really complimented the garlic and anchovy.
Now, if you have worried about calories, this creamy Caesar dressing comes with options! You can lighten it up significantly by substituting the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt. It practically takes over half the calories out of this dressing, which makes you feel a lot less guilty about opting for Caesar Salad.
When I made this recipe, I used mayonnaise, but this past weekend I swapped out mayonnaise for Greek yogurt when I made my Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe. Yogurt is a great substitute without greatly sacrificing the flavor of a creamy dressing.
What If I Don’t Like Anchovies?
You can totally leave the anchovies out and add a pinch of salt in their place. If you leave the anchovies out, you can store the dressing in the refrigerator for about 7 to 10 days without the overpowering fish taste.
How Do I Store Creamy Caesar Dressing?
Store any unused dressing inside the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If you store it too long the anchovies make the dressing rather fishy.
One of the reasons I chose this recipe was because it does not include raw eggs like a traditional Caesar salad dressing, which gives it a longer shelf life inside the refrigerator. This means you can top a salad, use it as a dressing for Chicken Caesar Wraps, Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches, or use it as a marinade. The possibilities are endless!
I hope you enjoy this thick, creamy Caesar dressing and enjoy with or without the calories!
Creamy Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 anchovy fillets minced (about 1½ teaspoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, using a whisk, combine the lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies and Dijon mustard; whisk well. Add in mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt), whisking until well incorporated and creamy. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Debbie - MountainMama says
Do you think there’s a sub for the anchovies? I love Caesar dressing but I try to pretend there aren’t any anchovies in it!!! I can do that with the bottled stuff but not if I make it myself! Pinning and I’ll have to do some research, Mountain Sister!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hey Mountain Sister, I don’t care for anchovies either, but as an ingredient, it really doesn’t bother me. I don’t think you will miss them, just add a little more salt. Do you like capers? Maybe some of those would give you the salty brininess of an anchovy without the fishy smell… Let me know what you use!
Rachel says
This looks soooooo good. Making this for my man!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you, Rachel. He will love it! <3
Karen says
Love the outdoor photo with that dressing ready to fall out of the bottle.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you, Karen! 🙂
givememeatloaf says
Ooooohhhhweeeeee! This looks fantastic! I adore that you bought a bottle of dressing ‘just in case’ – that is something I would do. 😀 I’ve tried to make dressings before and just never liked them as much as store bought, but this seems like a recipe I can’t possible mess up (fingers crossed) – will give this a go soon!
The Mountain Kitchen says
I know what you mean about dressings. I cannot count the number of times I’ve had to really doctor recipes up to suit my taste. Annie, you cannot go wrong with this one! I hope you enjoy it. Have a good week! <3
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
I’ve had this recipe sitting in my inbox waiting for me to get to and so glad that I saved it. It’s salad season and I can’t wait to try it. Homemade is always best!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Julie, this is the best Caesar dressing! Please let me know how it goes!
Chelsea says
How similar is this to the Ken’s Dressing? Caesar is my favorite salad dressing and Ken’s is my favorite store brand for it. While I don’t normally like fish, I know and am okay with anchovies being in Caesar dressing. Is the fish taste minimal? I don’t want the dressing to taste more anchovy than a normal average Caesar, but I won’t be removing the anchovies from the recipe either as I think it’s important for the flavor. I want to double check how close it is to Ken’s though. Thank you!
The Mountain Kitchen says
We love Ken’s and in my opinion, this recipe is as close as you can get to it and so much better for you. You could probably omit the anchovies, but it gives it umami you can’t really get from anything else.