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”!
Whole30 Caesar Dressing (Dairy-Free 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…
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Whole30 Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup light-tasting olive oil or avocado oil, or fractionated coconut oil
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon Whole30-compliant anchovy paste see Notes
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- juice of ½ lemon plus more to taste
- 2-4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk to thin, optional
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. Slowly raise the immersion blender a little at a time then press back down, to incorporate the remaining oil.
- Taste and adjust seasoning level as needed.
Notes
- If you can’t find a compliant brand of anchovy paste, substitute 1 tablespoon of anchovy filets packed in oil.
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Summer says
Amazing!! I have tried many recipes, but this is my all time favorite just as written. My family loves spice so sometimes I even add a bit of cayenne pepper at the end and it’s great that way too. *Note: this gets better after a day or two- I like to make this on my meal prep day in a wide mouth mason jar and just pop the lid on and store in the fridge.
J says
This dressing is DELICIOUS. I was dubious that it would taste like true caesar dressing without cheese but it does! I love caesar but am allergic to casein so I don’t get to enjoy it, but now I can ❤️I did add a bit more lemon and anchovy paste than stated, but those were my only modifications and the end result is incredibly true to an authentic caesar. Passed the test with my picky family too!
Julia says
Yummy! I am a stickler for the authentic Caesar dressing, so when this actually passed the taste test, it’s a winner keeper! I used a little nooch to “cheese” it up a little. Kudos, and thanks!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Thanks for the awesome review!
Saul says
The dressing is delicious! The issue we run in to is about 20% of the time it doesn’t thicken and is all liquid. We are using all the same ingredients but getting different result. Any help is appreciated!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
How much milk are you using?
Diana says
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!!
Cheryl Malik says
Good thinking! I’m so glad you loved it!
T. Gee says
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.
Angie says
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.
Nadya says
Very awesome! I love creamy dressings and Caesar is my favorite. I am on my first week of dairy free routine and feel miserable. BUT this just made my day and so much better then store bought dressing. I used a couple of anchovy filet instead of paste – love it!
KikiV says
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
Cheryl Malik says
Yum!
Jenna says
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!
Kelly says
Made this for the first time tonight, and it’s sooooo good! Thanks 🙂
Christina says
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!
Cheryl Malik says
YAY!! I’m so glad you like it!
Katherine Castaneda says
Can you make this without an immersion blender?
Amelia Camurati says
You can pour all of the ingredients into a regular blender and make this the same way!
Samantha Knox says
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!
Krista says
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!
Cheryl Malik says
I love hearing that!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Jeff says
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 ?
Cheryl Malik says
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.
Jeff says
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
Cheryl Malik says
That makes total sense 🙂 Hope your next batch is as good as the first!
Rachael says
How long does this last?
Cheryl Malik says
You can keep it in the fridge for at least a week!
Allie says
The most delicious dressing I’ve ever made, Whole30 friendly or not. Thank you!!!
Cheryl Malik says
That is the best compliment ever! So glad you liked it Allie 🙂
Kelly says
Is there a way to thin this out just a little without affecting taste?
Cheryl Malik says
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!
Amy Martling says
What if it’s super thin ??