Caesar Salad

The best ever Caesar salad made from scratch! Forget about store-bought Caesar salad kits, and make your own at home by following a few easy steps!

The Caesar salad is one of the most popular salads to exist, I’ve never been to a country where I couldn’t order a Caesar salad. It’s on the menus everywhere! Whether you go to an American restaurant or an international cuisine restaurant, you will surely find Caesar salad on the menu.

The salad might be slightly different from one restaurant to another, and it depends on a few factors. Everyone agrees that a Caesar salad consists of Romaine/Cos lettuce, garlicky croutons, and a creamy savory dressing. But how each component is prepared? That’s what the debate is about!

What not everyone is agreeing on is whether the lettuce should be served as whole leaves, are the croutons best baked or fried, is a Worcestershire sauce enough for the dressing or do we need the anchovies? So let’s talk about all things Caesar salad, from who invented it, and how it’s made to its variations and lighter versions (and the recipe is included in the recipe card below, just scroll down).

What is Caesar Salad?

The famous Caesar salad was invented in 1924 in Tijuana by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the US. Although the salad was created by an Italian immigrant in Mexico, it quickly became an American staple.

Caesar salad is made with Romaine/Cos lettuce, garlicky croutons, and Caesar dressing.

There are many variations of the Caesar salad, and my version here is quite close to the original classic (but with a cheat’s sauce as we use ready-made mayonnaise instead of emulsifying raw egg yolks with oil) and it’s basically what you would get if you order a Caesar Salad at The Cheesecake Factory. Plus, who doesn’t love easy recipes? I know I do!

How to Make The Best Ever Caesar Salad

Whether you choose to make this salad entirely from scratch, or you’re using some store-bought ingredients, this salad is so easy to make and it’s ready in no time! Here’s what you’ll need:

The Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients to make this simple salad.

• Homemade or store-bought Caesar dressing – I usually make my own dressing at home and I have the perfect recipe for you! But if I ever buy it then this is the brand that I buy.
• Lettuce – Always go for romaine/cos lettuce or romaine hearts, as that’s the traditional ingredient that goes into Caesar salad. Romaine is crispy and perfect for this salad. If for some reason you can’t find it, then go for Iceberg lettuce – it’s not the same but it can do. Many versions of Caesar salad are made with Kale, so if you’re a health geek and like Kale in Caesar salad then use that! 😁
• Parmesan cheese – a Caesar salad essential.
• Croutons – making garlicky croutons at home is so easy, healthier, and cheaper than store-bought! Use my easy crouton recipe that I make in the oven, or make them in the air fryer!

The Directions

Making your own Caesar dressing? Here’s the recipe for the easiest and the best Caesar dressing! I make my own homemade Caesar dressing 99% of the time, it’s so simple and honestly tastes much better than the sad dressing that you can get at the store. Plus, it will only take 5 minutes of your time!

Make the croutons. I usually use a day old bread, my favorite is a french baguette but sourdough and ciabatta are also nice.

To make garlic croutons: Toss pieces of bread with some olive oil, garlic powder, and salt, then bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes or until they’re crispy and golden brown.

Chop, rinse, and drain the lettuce, it’s important that you dry the leaves from water to avoid getting a soggy salad. I use this awesome salad spinner, and it does an amazing job!

Use a large salad bowl that will allow you to comfortably toss the salad. Place the lettuce leaves in the bowl, pour the Caesar dressing over the lettuce and toss well so that every lettuce leaf is coated with the creamy dressing! Add the croutons and the parmesan, toss again and serve immediately.

Don’t like anchovies?

I either use anchovy fillets that are then diced and mashed, or anchovy paste to make Caesar dressing. The good thing about anchovy paste is that you don’t need to mash the anchovies.

I know that many people don’t like the taste of anchovies, but honestly, they’re a MUST in a Caesar salad as they add a savory depth of flavor.

However, if you really don’t want to add anchovy fillets, you can substitute with the sweeter alternative which is the Worcestershire sauce (it’s made with anchovies and other seasonings but you won’t taste the anchovies here).

Top Tips

• The anchovies in the dressing and the parmesan cheese are quite salty, so don’t season with salt before tasting the salad. Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings.
• Make sure that the lettuce leaves are totally dry for a crispy and fresh salad, use a salad spinner. When salad leaves are wet, you will end up with a soggy salad.
• Use a large bowl to toss the salad before serving. If you use a small bowl, you will end up bruising the romaine salad leaves which can ruin your salad and make it soggy.
• To make a chicken Caesar salad, add grilled chicken, baked chicken, seared in a pan chicken, or rotisserie chicken. Find my Chicken Caesar salad recipe here.
• Pair with a cheesy tuna melt!

For more salad recipes, check out my Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Watermelon Feta Salad, Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, and my favorite Crab Kani Salad.