This Whole30 Caesar dressing is one of my favorite Whole30 salad dressing recipes! Rich, tangy, and garlicky, it comes together so easily with an immersion blender, making it “dump Caesar dressing”! This Whole30 Caesar dressing is great to have in the fridge and makes a delicious, easy side. You’ve got to try this “dump Caesar dressing”!
Every now and then I get an intense craving for a Caesar salad: the crisp romaine, the creamy dressing so rich with umami, the crunchy croutons and creamy, aged parmesan. I’ll settle for a bowl almost anywhere!
The trouble strikes when we’re in the middle of a Whole30 and heavy sweet potatoes and avocados and eggs no longer sound appetizing. I need cool and refreshing and crisp, and a big Caesar salad would fit the bill so perfectly. Except, you know, that aged parmesan. Not exactly Whole30 compliant.
But ever since my vegan days, I’ve been working tirelessly at winning substitutions for cheesy flavor and tang in recipes. From my paleo and vegan broccoli cheese soup to my paleo and vegan queso blanco, I simply refuse to let the cheese craving go! I’ve experimented with tahini and lemon, nutritional yeast and pimentos. I no longer settle for simple, yet massive, amounts of nutritional yeast, nope. It’s gotta be complex and nutty and rich and perfect to hit the blog.
I came up with this Whole30 Caesar dressing by tweaking my beloved Whole30 immersion blender mayo (which I’ve made approximately 400000 times) and my favorite Caesar dressing from my pre-paleo days. Easy and flavorful = Whole30 heavyweight.
The result? This Whole30 Caesar dressing is all of those things I mentioned before: complex and nutty and rich and tangy and creamy and perfect. I could essentially survive off of turkey Caesar lettuce wraps for lunch, and there’s nothing more refreshing and light yet filling than a big ass bowl of Caesar salad, topped with a bit of spiced seared salmon (Coming soon!).
And when it comes to Whole30 date night? This Whole30 Caesar dressing has you absolutely covered. Pair a bowl of crisp lettuce tossed in this Whole30 Caesar dressing with a seared steak and a steamed sweet potato and wham bam thank you ma’am. Love is totally in the air.
This Whole30 Caesar dressing is made entirely in the immersion blender, just like my Whole30 coconut oil mayonnaise, my Whole30 immersion blender mayo, and “dump ranch.” Dump the ingredients, give it a whirl, and you’re done. In approximately… 26 seconds.
There are two important notes here, though: first of all, you must use “light-tasting” olive oil or avocado or fractionated (liquid) coconut oil. The coconut oil must be “tasteless” (Refined, in other words) in a bottle and must be liquid all the time; if it’s solid in a jar ever, it won’t work. And if you use regular olive oil, even organic or “extra virgin,” you’ll find a bitter, heavy taste to your dressing that you just won’t dig. Trust me on this.
Secondly, don’t skip the anchovy! If you like Caesar dressing, you don’t mind the taste of anchovy, I promise. And without it, you just won’t have Whole30 “Caesar dressing.” You’ll have a, um, creamy, lemony, garlicky dressing, which sounds totally good in its own right! But you know what it won’t be? Whole30 Caesar dressing. Plus, anchovies are stellar for you. DON’T SKIP THEM!
You can use anchovy paste, my personal favorite, which we keep in the fridge to add to dishes that need a boost of umami. Or you can use a tablespoon of anchovy filets, which we like to keep around to throw on salads. Basically: learn to love the anchovies, y’all. Tiny but mighty nutritionally, they add so much flavor to so many dishes. Try the anchovy paste first – you can find it in a rectangular box in the Italian imports section – or go with filets packed in olive oil if you can’t find paste.
Oh, and your egg doesn’t have to be room temperature if you’re using an immersion blender. I’ve made this and my Whole30 immersion blender mayo approximately 4000 times, and it makes no difference whatsoever. However, if you don’t have an immersion blender and are making this Whole30 Caesar dressing as outlined below, you’ll want to err on the side of caution and use a room temperature egg.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, use the oil, mustard powder, and egg to make mayonnaise first, as outlined in my recipe for Whole30 garlic mayonnaise. Don’t underestimate how slowly you must incorporate the oil: if you go even a tiny bit too fast, the mayo will break. After you’ve made a thick, creamy mayo, blend in the remaining ingredients from this Whole30 Caesar dressing recipe.
That said… you should really own an immersion blender. Really.
To make this Whole30 Caesar dressing, I used…
Whole30 Caesar Dressing
This Whole30 Caesar dressing is one of my favorite Whole30 salad dressing recipes! Rich, tangy, and garlicky, it comes together so easily with an immersion blender, making it "dump Caesar dressing"! This Whole30 Caesar dressing is great to have in the fridge and makes a delicious, easy side. You've got to try this "dump Caesar dressing"!
Ingredients
- 1 cup light-tasting olive oil avocado oil, or fractionated coconut oil
- 1 whole egg
- 1 Tbsp. anchovy paste a compliant brand, see note
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. mustard powder
- 1 juice of 1/2 lemon plus more to taste
- 4 tbsp unsweetened almond milk to thin, optional, about 2-4 tablespoons
Instructions
-
Pour all ingredients into immersion blender jar or other jar that isn’t much wider than the immersion blender head. Push immersion blender into jar all the way to the bottom then start to blend, on medium speed first then increasing to high if necessary, until mixture at bottom becomes thick and opaque. Begin to raise the immersion blender a little at a time then press back down, to incorporate the remaining oil. Taste and correct seasonings.
Recipe Notes
If you can't find a compliant brand of anchovy paste, substitute 1 tablespoon of anchovy filets packed in oil.
I didn’t have anchovy paste or mustard powder so I substituted fish sauce and Dijon mustard to taste and it was delicious!! The best dressing I’ve ever made!!
Good thinking! I’m so glad you loved it!
I had this for lunch today, and it was delish. I didn’t have a light olive oil so substituted with MCT oil – didn’t have almond milk either so used 2T of water. When I first tasted it, it tasted almost parmesan cheese-like?? Currently dairy free, so I appreciated this recipe alot.
I just made this tonight and it was a hit! Even my picky kid loved it. I really love the flavor, and will continue to make this going forward – we eat a lot of Caesar salads.
Omg this is the best couldn’t find anchovy paste so made my own lol. This will be my go to dressing as I can’t have chilliest and miss out on a few dressings. Thank you
Yum!
Any chance you’ve made this with coconut milk (not canned, refrigerated)? I just ran out of almond milk but don’t want to waste ingredients if it doesn’t sub well!
Made this for the first time tonight, and it’s sooooo good! Thanks 🙂
I know I’m a little late to this party but… This dressing is unbelievable!!! I added a bit of nutritional yeast to give that slight cheesy taste. I’m sold! Thank you!
YAY!! I’m so glad you like it!
Can you make this without an immersion blender?
You can pour all of the ingredients into a regular blender and make this the same way!
Hi Cheryl! I first made this dressing in my food processor as I did not have an immersion blender. Of course it did not emulsify, but it still tasted incredible. When I was craving Caesar salad tonight, I decided to go get an immersion blender. I now own a big thing of extra light flavored olive oil, and an immersion blender, specifically for the purpose of making this heavenly dressing. And those purchases were SO worth it. There is absolutely NOTHING that could possibly make this dressing better. Thank you!
I took this to a party yesterday, I was in charge of the salad and the dressings. I took your Dump Ranch and this Caesar, and also a bottled (that I knew I wouldn’t eat). The bottle dressing didn’t even get opened! My SIL asked for the caesar recipe. THANK YOU for making me look like a hero!
I love hearing that!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
I made this once and it was wonderful. I made it again and it came out bitter , So I scrapped it added less lemon less of garlic and it still came out bitter? Can y help ?
More than likely, you used a different oil in the second batches. The lemon and garlic would not make it bitter. If you used regular olive oil, you’d definitely have a bitter dressing! Or an older oil might have gone rancid. Be sure to use fresh, light-tasting olive oil or avocado oil.
Come to think of it, it was different oil! I’m going to go get some of the kind I used the first time. Thanks for the quick response, I really had no idea what went wrong
That makes total sense 🙂 Hope your next batch is as good as the first!
How long does this last?
You can keep it in the fridge for at least a week!
The most delicious dressing I’ve ever made, Whole30 friendly or not. Thank you!!!
That is the best compliment ever! So glad you liked it Allie 🙂
Is there a way to thin this out just a little without affecting taste?
Absolutely! Just stir in a bit of unsweetened almond milk to taste 🙂 Try to keep it thick, still, but 2-4 tablespoons or so will be fine!