The Best Caesar Salad Recipe

This is hands-down my most requested recipe. Whether you’re bringing it to a potluck or serving it at home, it’s always a hit. My kids can’t get enough of it (I’m lucky if I even get a bite!). I’m sharing my full, detailed recipe, plus a quick condensed version at the bottom for easy reference. Let’s dive in!

Note – if you are making this for the first time, I would recommend reading the full, detailed recipe; it will help you know where not to make substitutions to the recipe.

Tracy’s Famous Caesar Salad

What You Will Need:

  • 1 cup neutral oil (do not use olive oil as the flavour is too strong, try avocado oil)
  • 2 tbsp vinegar (I use seasoned rice vinegar as it gives a great flavour, but you can use regular white, wine or even cider vinegar; just don’t use balsamic.)
  • Juice of half a lemon (it must be fresh, do not use one of those plastic squeezy ones)
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (do not use regular yellow mustard)
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 clove of fresh garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 2 dashes of Tabasco Sauce (optional, it adds a little complexity to the flavour)
  • 3/4 cup FRESH grated parmesan cheese. I use the course side of the grater box, however its personal preference really. While you’re at it, grate some extra to sprinkle on top of the salad.
  • Croutons (whatever kind you like, however many you like)
  • 5-6 slices of real bacon, roughly chopped (no shelf-stable bacon crumble please! If you need a short-cut, get some pre-cooked sliced bacon from Costco’s refrigerated section, and pop the slices in the microwave for 2 minutes to crisp)
  • 2-3 heads of washed and chopped romaine lettuce. I say 2-3 because they can really vary in size. I’m lazy so I typically use the packages of 3 romaine hearts from the grocery store, but if you’re using full size romaine, probably 2 heads are plenty.

How To Make It:

I use a Ninja Smoothie Blender to whiz up my dressing, however any blender should do. Before I had my Ninja I used a Magic Bullet. That also worked great, lasted for years, and was pretty inexpensive to buy.

Put all of your ingredients in the blender and blend on high for about 25 seconds. Taste it. Adjust to your liking.

Some common adjustments I make:

  • More lemon juice – perhaps your lemon was a bit dry and you didn’t get enough juice; add some more! I actually like to be a little heavy with the lemon as I find it adds brightness.
  • More garlic – you can’t take it away once it’s in there, so start with less and add to taste. Also, if you’re making the dressing for others, you might want to go easy on the garlic as some people can be sensitive to it.

Keep tasting and adjusting until you get it right (make sure to whiz it up a few seconds each time you add something).

You can make the dressing ahead of time, however I wouldn’t go as far as to make it the day before. It’s fine, but it’s just not quite as good as freshly made. Make sure you give your dressing a good shake before using if you’ve left it sitting for any amount of time.

The amounts provided above typically make plenty of dressing for a large salad.

When ready to serve, pour 3/4 of the dressing over your chopped lettuce. Toss to coat. Add your croutons and bacon, and toss some more. The amount of dressing really is a personal preference, so have a taste and see if you think it needs more.

Top your salad with some fresh grated parmesan and serve. Do not dress your salad more than 20 minutes before eating or you risk it getting soggy.

Enjoy!

Be forewarned… if you bring this salad to a party, be prepared for people to ask you to “bring that delicious Caesar Salad you make” for the rest of your life!

Pro Tips:

If you find that your dressing is a little too thick (it should coat the back of a spoon, but not be thick like mayo), you can add a splash of water to loosen it up. You don’t want it too thick as it makes it difficult to get a nice, even coating on all of your lettuce leaves.

If you are a little more adventurous, you can add an anchovy or two to the dressing (before blending). It gives the dressing a more authentic taste. I love it myself, however most people don’t (including my family) so I almost never add anchovy. It is delicious though!

Want a slightly healthier version? Try substituting chopped kale for romaine; it’s pretty good! I also find that the kale doesn’t get soggy as quickly as romaine.

TLDR Version

Tracy’s Famous Caesar Salad

  • 1 cup neutral oil
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 1.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • Couple of dashes Tabasco Sauce
  • 3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
  • Croutons (to your liking)
  • 1/4 fresh grated parmesan (to sprinkle on top)
  • 1/2 cup rough chopped crisp bacon (or as much as you like)

Combine first 10 ingredients in a blender and blend for 25 seconds. Taste. Adjust to your liking and blend for another few seconds. Pour over lettuce and toss to coat. Add your croutons and bacon, toss again. Top with grated parmesan.