Made with a mix of fresh lemon juice and vinegar, this Caesar dressing has the perfect balance of acidity and richness. Make it in a large or small batch and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Having a stash of dressing on hand is the best feeling when the dinner hour rolls around.

A bowl of Caesar salad covered with finely grated parmesan.

A few times in the past few months, I’ve had to entertain for a large-ish number of people, first for family, then for my daughter’s soccer team. For the first I made a bunch of pan pizzas, for the second I made a bunch of baked penne (more on this soon), and for both I made a very large Caesar salad, which was not only well received, but also easy.

Unlike other salads I love for entertaining — such as this Greek salad or this chopped salad, both of which require a fair amount of chopping — Caesar salad requires very little. And if you make it as suggested here, which is inspired by the one served at Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn, the chopping amounts to cutting heads of Romaine or other lettuces in half — in other words, the lettuce leaves are kept on the large side, and the salad is served with a fork and knife.

I love the large size not only because it’s visually appealing, but it also holds up a little bit better — the leaves don’t wilt as quickly upon being dressed. Using a mix of Romaine and chicories also helps in the longevity department: radicchio or Treviso, if you can find it, as well as Belgian endive are a little sturdier than Romaine, and I love the bitterness they lend, a perfect complement to the sweet Romaine and lemony dressing.

Incidentally, I recently spotted at the grocery store this mix of Romaine and Treviso, which I love but can never find. Treviso, if you are unfamiliar, is a variety of radicchio and looks like a cross between Belgian endive and radicchio:

A bag of Romaine and Treviso.

A Few More Notes:

  • Where are the croutons? Because I am so often serving Caesar salad aside pizza or pasta, I rarely include any crouton or bread crumbs. If you wish to add these, see this post for the crumbs and this post for the croutons.
  • Egg Yolks: If using raw egg yolks makes you nervous, you can use mayonnaise in its place. See the recipe box for details.
  • Large Batch: Once you start making salad dressing in large batches (see this large-batch tahini dressing and this large-batch shallot vinaigrette), it’s hard to go back, because it requires the same amount of work and leaves you with double the product. The large batch recipe below calls for a whole tin (2 ounces) of anchovies, which is so nice — I hate storing opened tins of anchovies. Salad dressing lasts a long time in the fridge, and it is such a gift to have on hand when the dinner hour rolls around.

Below you will find step-by-step instructions for making both Caesar salad and Caesar dressing.

How to Make Caesar Dressing, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: lemons, anchovies, garlic, egg yolks, vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. If using raw egg yolks worries you, you can replace each yolk with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise.

Ingredients to make Caesar dressing on a counter top: eggs, lemon, garlic, anchovies, white balsamic vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Place the garlic and anchovies along with a pinch of flaky sea salt into a food processor or blender.

Garlic, salt, and anchovies in a food processor.

Purée until smooth, scrape down, then add the fresh lemon juice, vinegar, and egg yolks.

A food processor filled with puréed garlic and anchovies plus fresh lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, and two egg whites.

Purée until blended.

Puréed lemon, white balsamic vinegar, egg yolks, anchovies, and garlic.

With the machine running, stream the oil slowly through the food chute — if you have a Cuisinart, stream the oil through the food pusher insert, where it will enter the machine through the teensy pin hole located at the bottom of the insert.

A food processor with oil streaming down the food chute.

Taste, and adjust to taste with more salt and lemon to taste. Thin with a few tablespoons of water or until the dressing is a pourable consistency.

Caesar dressing in a food processor.

Transfer to storage vessels and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

A jar of Caesar dressing.

I love these Weck Jars.

A large jar of Caesar dressing.
Two jars of Caesar dressing.

How to Make a Caesar Salad, Step by Step

Gather your greens. I love using a mix of Romaine and some sort of chicory like endive or radicchio. You’ll also need some Parmigiano Reggiano.

Various lettuces on a cutting board aside a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano.

I like to cut my greens into large pieces, and I serve the salad with a fork and knife. Dress the greens lightly with the Caesar dressing and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Love this large bowl.

A large bowl of various lettuces dressed in Caesar dressing.

Transfer to a serving bowl then…

A large white serving bowl filled with lettuces dressed in Caesar dressing.

… shower it with shaved parmesan. The leaves should look as though they are blanketed in snow. A microplane grater is handy/essential for this.

A bowl of Caesar salad covered with finely grated parmesan.

Season with pepper to taste.

A bowl of Caesar salad covered with finely grated parmesan.

Transfer to serving plates and shave more parmesan and crack more pepper over the top.

A plate of Caesar salad.
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A jar of Caesar dressing.

Caesar Dressing (Large Batch or Small)

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Description

Adapted from my cookbook, Pizza Night. 

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a knife/whisk to make the dressing: To make by hand, use a knife to mince the garlic and anchovies until very finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl, then whisk in the egg yolk (or mayonnaise), vinegar, and lemon juice until smooth. Very slowly stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly until emulsified. Taste and adjust with more salt and/or lemon. Thin the dressing with 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if needed.

Two Tools I love:

For a small batch, use these proportions:

  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 6 olive oil–packed anchovy fillets
  • 1 large egg yolk or 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves
  • a 2–0unce tin of anchovies, drained (roughly 12 olive oil–packed anchovy fillets
  • Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
  • 2 large egg yolks or 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, anchovies, and a pinch of salt and puree until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add the egg yolks (or mayonnaise), vinegar, and lemon juice and puree again until smooth, another 15 seconds.
  2. With the machine running, stream in the oil very slowly until emulsified. (Note: If you have a Cuisinart, stream the oil through the food pusher insert of the food chute… there is a teensy hole at the bottom that will allow the oil to stream in very slowly.) Taste and adjust with more salt and/or lemon juice. If necessary, with the machine running, thin the dressing with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water.
  3. Transfer the dressing to a jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Dressing
  • Method: Food processor
  • Cuisine: Amerian