Our Caesar salad recipe has crunchy garlic herb croutons and the best homemade Caesar dressing, tossed with crisp romaine and finished with shaved Parmesan. This salad is simple to make and better than any restaurant Caesar I’ve tried!
Restaurant-quality Caesar Salad, at home
Brad and I love Caesar salad and I’m so excited that this recipe allows me to make a restaurant-quality Caesar salad, at home! This is one of the simplest salad recipes, and it always amazes me how just a few components combine into such a crave-worthy salad. The secret is my crisp, garlicky Homemade Croutons and creamy Caesar Salad Dressing, also made from scratch! I finish it with some freshly shaved Parmesan for a salad that’s chef’s kiss good!
We make this salad often as a side salad with dinner. The dressing and croutons can be made ahead to save time on busy weeknights. We also love this Caesar salad as a meal topped with Crispy Breaded Chicken Cutlets or Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need for this Caesar salad recipe. You can make the dressing and croutons up to 5 days ahead of time. See the notes in the recipe card for storage instructions.
- Romaine Lettuce: You can use a few romaine hearts or a big head of romaine lettuce. I chop the lettuce with a sharp chef’s knife for perfect bite-size pieces.
- Croutons: You can use store-bought, but I highly recommend making homemade croutons. I’ve included my easy recipe in the recipe card below. I used a day old French baguette to make them, along with olive oil, fresh garlic and a few pantry seasonings.
- Caesar Dressing: Again, this is a case where homemade is just so much better! The recipe below includes my homemade Caesar dressing, which is the perfect combination of rich, creamy and tangy elements. Of course, if you’re really short on time you can use store-bought dressing.
- Shaved Parmesan: I like to buy a block of fresh Parmesan and use a cheese slicer to cut thin shavings. You can also use shredded Parmesan from the grocery store.
How to Make Caesar Salad
This is an overview of the recipe steps. Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
Make the croutons. Whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add bread cubes and toss to coat the bread with the oil and seasonings. Bake until golden brown and crispy.
Make the dressing. Mash minced garlic and salt together into a paste. Add mayonnaise, olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, anchovy paste and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
Assemble the salad. Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle on the dressing, a little at a time, tossing it with the lettuce until the salad is dressed to your liking. Then add the croutons and shaved Parmesan and toss briefly to combine. Serve immediately.
If you want to make this salad ahead of time, I suggest prepping each component and storing separately until you’re ready to serve the salad.
Recipe Variations
Here are some of my favorite ways to add protein and flavor to this classic salad:
- Add chicken. Add Grilled Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Breast or crispy Italian Chicken Cutlets to make a chicken Caesar salad.
- Add shrimp. This is another great way to make this salad into a meal. I use my Grilled Shrimp or Air Fryer Shrimp recipe to cook shrimp for salads.
- Add bacon. Crispy bacon is a great savory addition to a Caesar salad! Here’s how I cook bacon in the oven, or try my Air Fryer Bacon recipe.
- Add hard or soft boiled egg. I love adding Hard Boiled Eggs and Soft Boiled Eggs to salads!
More Favorite Salad Recipes
Try one of these fresh and vibrant salad recipes next:
Best Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Garlic Herb Croutons
- 6 cups 1-inch bread cubes, from a French baguette, French bread, thick country bread, or similar (day old bread is best)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Caesar Dressing
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup good quality mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon anchovy paste, optional, see note
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Remaining Salad Ingredients
- 3 romaine hearts or 1 large head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped or torn, about 12 cups
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese, or shredded Parmesan
Instructions
Make the Croutons:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the bread cubes and stir them together with the oil and seasonings until evenly coated. Spread them out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-16 minutes, until golden brown, flipping them over half way through the bake time.
Make the Dressing:
- Place the minced garlic in the bottom of a medium bowl. Pour the salt onto the garlic and use the back of a small spoon to mash the garlic and salt together into a paste.
- Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, anchovy paste (if using), and black pepper. Whisk until fully combined.
- Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed. If the dressing is too thick, you can whisk in a little water, a teaspoon at a time, to thin it out.
Assemble Salad
- Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Drizzle on dressing, a little at a time, tossing it with the lettuce until the salad is dressed to your liking. Then add the croutons and shaved Parmesan and toss briefly to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make Ahead: It’s best to store each component separately and then assemble the salad right before serving. Croutons can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Caesar salad dressing can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Anchovy Paste: Chopped anchovies or anchovy paste are a traditional ingredient in Caesar dressing. If you prefer not to use the anchovy paste, the Worcestershire sauce in the dressing brings a similar flavor profile.
