Homemade Caesar Salad

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Get ready for the best homemade Caesar salad you’ve ever made! Enjoy the classic flavor of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, and a creamy homemade Caesar dressing.

Serve this salad on the side with our Pizza Boats, Creamy Tuscan Chicken, Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, or simply slice Grilled Marinated Chicken over top to make it a meal on its own!

Caesar salad is probably my very favorite salad, anytime I have the opportunity to order one when eating out I will. Years ago I realized they were easier than I thought to make at home from scratch.

Once you try this homemade Caesar salad recipe you’ll never go back to bagged salad or pre-made dressings again!

This Caesar salad and dressing recipe is authentic (yes, I love the anchovy in the dressing!) but you can customize it to your own taste. It is quick, easy, and always impressive to company if you are entertaining.

Want more homemade dressings? Try our Greek dressing or Creamy Poppyseed dressing recipes too!

Ingredients

Caesar salads are big on flavor but only have 4 ingredients:

• romaine lettuce – best served torn into bite size, uniform pieces
• parmesan cheese – I highly recommend buying a block and freshly grating or shredding it
• croutons – store bought or homemade (homemade instructions below)
• Caesar dressing – whip up a batch fresh and you’ll be amazed at the flavor!

Caesar salad dressing from scratch

A freshly made dressing takes this salad over the top. You can whip up a batch and keep it in the fridge to use all week. You’ll need:

• mayonnaise – this replaces the raw egg and oil in the original recipe
• anchovies or anchovy paste – find in the pasta sauce section or with the canned meats at the grocery store
• lemon juice – freshly squeezed or bottled
• minced garlic – I use the jarred refrigerated variety found in the produce section
• dijon mustard – use whole grain if you don’t have dijon
• Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper

To make the dressing you will simple add all the ingredients together and whisk to mix (full recipe with measurements at the bottom of the page.) To make it even easier, add everything to a mason jar, close tightly, and shake!

The dressing should be stored in the refrigerator and lasts up to 7 days.

Homemade croutons

For the croutons you’ll simply need bread, olive oil, and salt. You can choose most any type of bread: French, sourdough, Italian, or any artisan loaf from the bakery section of the grocery store will work. You can even use white sandwich bread in a pinch.

1. To make the croutons, rip or slice the bread into bite size pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to lightly coat the bread.
3. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake about 6-10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Let cool before using.

Tip: You really need to watch the croutons to make sure they don’t burn because the baking time will be highly dependent on how big your pieces are.

Assembling the salad

1. Add ripped romaine to a large bowl. Add dressing – just enough to lightly coat – and toss the salad. You most likely will NOT use all the dressing.
2. Add the croutons and parmesan cheese and toss again.
3. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

Wondering what to serve with Caesar salad? You can make this a meal on its own by adding a protein like chicken, steak, or shrimp or serve it alongside a hearty main course like sheet pan lasagna or 5 cheese ziti al forno.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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