My go-to, 10 minute, make-it-all-the time Caesar Dressing
You’ll find this Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies in a jar in my fridge probably 97% of the time. It’s a go-to and I make it every single week. We love our Caesar Salad in The Pypers Kitchen. 🙂
This dressing is everything you want in your Caesar Salad but leaves out the one thing you may not want… anchovies. It’s rich, creamy, zippy, garlicky, lemony, cheesy, peppery… so good.
my foodie Chatter…
I developed this salad dressing for my vegetarian, but Caesar salad loving, daughter so she could still enjoy one of her favourite things. And yes, I am aware that the recipe below features a crispy prosciutto topping and obviously I leave that off of her bowl.
The salty, briny flavour of the capers is a perfect substitute for anchovies and I promise you won’t miss them one little bit. I also leave out the Wocestershire sauce because it has anchovy in it as well. If you’re a better person than I am you can make your own. Let me know how it turns out.
Also (before you write me any letters) I know this is not a traditional Caesar dressing. You know, the kind they make table-side in the old school restaurants? But can you just imagine if I pulled up to the dinner table with my Caesar salad cart and started whipping up a raw egg in front of my kids. They’d die. Just die. So, mayo it is, and we’re just fine with that.
homemade caesar salad dressing without anchovies, the details…
It takes longer to wash and dry the lettuce than it does to make the dressing. Unless you’re me and you hate almost nothing more than drying lettuce so you dump it into a colander, wash it and let it drain for the better part of a day.
Once you’ve readied your lettuce in whatever method you choose we’ll make the dressing. Here’s what you’re going to do…
Step one: add all ingredients to the blender.
Step two: blend.
Step three: pat yourself on the back and put on your best “I’m so exhausted from slaving away making you all this dressing and you are so welcome and so lucky to have me” face.
Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Lettuce – romaine lettuce is the obvious choice for Caesar salad, but I won’t stop you if you want to mix things up.
Sugar – no, it’s not standard, but I think a little touch of sweetness to offset the acidity is a very pleasant thing.
Lemon Juice – fresh lemon juice is best – always – but you can use the bottled stuff if you must.
Toppings– I’ve given instructions for making crispy prosciutto and crispy fried capers to top this Caesar salad, but you can leave them off or use any of the following instead, or in addition to:
- crisp bacon
- crispy chickpeas
- freshly ground black pepper
- shaved parmesan
- boiled eggs or fried eggs
- grilled chicken or salmon or shrimp
what meal goes well with this caesar salad? How about…
- Moroccan Shakshuka for One – a delicious brunch pairing
- Baked Panko Chicken – for a summer dinner
- Buffalo Chicken Thighs – on the side or on top of the salad
- Truffle Butter Steak Bites – for a dinner party
Recipe-ish…
Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies
Ingredients
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp capers drained
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
Optional salad toppings:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 3 Tbsp capers drained and dried
- 6 pieces prosciutto sliced
- Croutons
Instructions
- Add the garlic and lemon juice to a blender or food processor and blend until the garlic is finely minced.
- Add in the mayonnaise, yogurt, dijon, capers, salt, pepper and sugar. Blend well until smooth.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and blend until mixed in.
- Pour into a jar and refrigerate.
To make the optional salad toppings:
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add in the sliced prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally until the prosciutto is crisp.
- Remove and drain on paper towel.
- Add in the remaining Tbsp of olive oil and add in the capers.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Remove and drain on paper towel.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups dressing.
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies Recipe I know you’ll also love my Super Green Salad with Cashews & Everything Bagel Seasoning. It’s also creamy, crunchy and so satisfying.
