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This classic Caesar Salad recipe has all the hallmark flavors and textures you crave—crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, creamy dressing, and plenty of parmesan cheese. Better yet, my simple homemade dressing is made without raw eggs, making it super easy to whisk together.
A classic Caesar salad is a restaurant menu staple, but it’s super easy to make at home. I love making it to serve alongside pasta, like baked ziti, or adding a protein on top, like blackened salmon or grilled chicken, to turn it into a meal itself. The original recipe for Caesar salad was created by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who moved his Southern California restaurant across the border to Tijuana, Mexico, to avoid Prohibition. It was made for the first time on the 4th of July, 1924, when Caesar was running low on ingredients during a busy service day. Rather than turn away paying customers, he made do with what he had and created a salad that he made tableside to enhance the experience.
I love the origins of using what you have on hand to make something delicious! With that in mind, my recipe is easily adaptable to use different salad greens, a variety of toppings, or even some substitutes to use in the Caesar dressing if you don’t have some key ingredients. However you make it, this classic salad recipe is worth whipping up at home!
Ingredients
These are the key components to making a homemade Caesar salad. The full list of ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Croutons — to make your own, which I highly recommend, you’ll need bread cubes, a garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. If your bread is super stale, it might be easier to pulse in a food processor than to cut into cubes (essentially making large bread crumbs!).
Homemade Caesar dressing — my shortcut version relies on mayonnaise in place of raw egg yolk, plus a few other flavor-packed ingredients like zippy Dijon mustard, tart lemon juice, and umami anchovy paste.
Romaine lettuce — this is the traditional lettuce for Caesar salad, but I offer a few more crispy varieties to try below.
Parmesan cheese — do yourself a favor and grate your own cheese! It tastes better, combines with the other ingredients better, and is generally less dry than buying pre-grated cheese. Grate the cheese on a microplane or using the smallest holes on a box grater. This finely grating cheese is essential to thickening the dressing.
Choose Crispy Varieties Of Lettuce
Romaine is the classic choice, but you can use any kind of crispy green lettuce (like an iceberg) or swap in shaved Brussels sprouts or chopped kale (you can reference my kale salad and Brussels sprout salad recipes for ways to prep those greens.). The main thing to remember is you need a hearty lettuce to hold up to the heavy dressing, plus you want some crunch to contrast the creaminess.
Day-Old Bread Makes The Best Croutons
When it comes to homemade croutons, crustier bread is better! I recommend using crusty artisan bread varieties like French bread, baguette, or sourdough. Softer sandwich bread can also be used, but croutons made with softer bread don’t have quite the same satisfying crunch. Also, using bread that is a few days old and less delicious to eat freshly sliced works great for croutons!
How To Make Caesar Salad
1. Whisk the olive oil and garlic together in a mixing bowl.
2. Toss the cubed bread with the garlic oil and sprinkle the bread evenly with salt.
3. Spread the unbaked croutons out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown.
4. While the croutons are baking, make the Caesar dressing by whisking the wet ingredients together and then folding in the cheese.
5. Cut the romaine into bite-size pieces, then wash and dry them thoroughly using a salad spinner.
6. In a large bowl, toss the romaine with the dressing until the leaves are well coated. Add most of the croutons and parmesan cheese and toss again. Plate the Caesar salad and sprinkle with the remaining croutons; use a vegetable peeler to create long strips of parmesan cheese and top with freshly grated black pepper for a pretty presentation.
Caesar Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Large bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
For the Croutons:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 3 cups cubed bread such as baguette or sourdough (150g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Dressing:
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise (160g)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (20g)
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine lettuce (12 ounces, 340g)
- ⅓ cup shredded or shaved Parmesan Cheese (30g)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic and olive oil. Add the bread cubes, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat.
- Place the croutons in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the croutons are golden brown all over.
For the Dressing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (This makes about 1 cup of dressing).
For the Salad
- Clean the romaine lettuce and dry well. Chop or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large serving bowl.
- Toss the romaine with your desired amount of Caesar dressing. Top with Parmesan cheese, croutons, and more salt and pepper to taste. Serve any remaining dressing alongside the salad.
Notes
- Don’t have fresh garlic? You can use ¾ teaspoon garlic powder in place of a fresh clove.
- Swap out the paste for anchovy fillets. You can finely mince 1-2 anchovy filets and swap that in for the paste. Anchovies and anchovy paste are typically shelved with canned tuna in grocery stores.
Nutrition
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Turn Caesar Salad Into A Main Dish
Salads aren’t just for sides! Feel free to bulk up your plate by adding protein—sautéed shrimp, roasted chicken, or air fryer chicken tenders are all great choices. If you prefer a vegetarian version, try using crispy chickpeas and creamy avocado slices instead.
Caesar salad is also a delicious accompaniment to crunchy salty snacks like homemade potato chips or air fryer french fries. If you have extra Caesar dressing, use it to dip them in!
Make-Ahead Tips
Feel free to make the dressing 3 days in advance and store it in a jar in the fridge. The croutons can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in a zip-top bag at room temperature—just make sure to let them cool completely before transferring to the bag.
You can also wash and prep the greens up to 3 days ahead—they’ll keep well in a zip-top bag in the fridge. Wait to assemble the salad until you’re ready to serve it, or the lettuce leaves will wilt and lose its crunch.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Garnish the salad with shaved Parmesan cheese for a restaurant-quality finish. Use a vegetable peeler to get nice, long strips.
- If you have the time, let the Caesar dressing rest in the fridge for an hour before assembling the salad to let the flavors meld.
- Make sure the lettuce is very dry after washing it, or the dressing won’t stick. You may even want to gently dab it with a clean kitchen towel after a spin in the salad spinner.
- Pour some of the salad dressing around the sides of your mixing bowl before adding the lettuce to help distribute it more evenly. If the salad looks dry, make sure to toss it well before adding more dressing—sometimes, you just need to toss the lettuce more for the dressing to get it in all the nooks and crannies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Before you make the switch, though, remember a small amount of anchovies are used to bump up the umami flavors. You won’t really taste any fishiness. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to swap in another umami booster like miso paste, nutritional yeast, or caper brine.
I think this crunchy, creamy, garlicky salad is the perfect side for tomato-based pasta dishes like my lasagna or baked ziti. It’s also a great accompaniment for any simple protein like my Instant Pot whole chicken.
Absolutely! First, make sure your dressing is vegetarian by using a vegan Worcestershire sauce (many brands are made with anchovies), and swap out the anchovy paste for a plant-based alternative like caper brine, nutritional yeast, or miso paste. Also, make sure you read the label on your parmesan—the traditional preparation calls for using animal rennet, so look for anything indicating that it is vegetarian-friendly.
If you’ve tried this Caesar Salad recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
