Caesar salads are, next to garden salads, the most popular salad around, and for a good reason – they’re delicious! Don’t buy jarred dressing or salad kits because making your own Caesar Salad and dressing is super easy and way tastier than anything store-bought!
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There’s nothing like a freshly made Caesar Salad. With a cheesy, garlicky dressing and these bacon croutons, this salad gets a flavor update! It’s so easy to make, and the dressing can be made in a variety of ways.
There are relatively few ingredients in a Caesar salad, but there are no anchovies in this Ceasar Salad! This no-anchovy Caesar dressing gets its umami flavor from a bit of Dijon mustard and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Yes, anchovies are used to make Worcestershire sauce, but you can skip this ingredient if you need a fish-free Caesar salad dressing.
What you’ll love about Caesar Salad with Bacon Croutons
- You can control the flavor! Add garlic to suit your tastes!
- The bacon croutons are so good you almost don’t need the salad!
- Make the dressing ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Egg yolks – You’ll need 2 yolks. You can buy pasteurized eggs if you’re concerned about raw egg yolks.
- Parmesan cheese – Use the good stuff! Freshly grated Parmesan has much more flavor.
- Garlic cloves – Grate them finely on a microplane grater.
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce – Optional.
- Avocado oil – Or olive oil.
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Romaine lettuce – Washed and chopped.
- Crisp bacon
For the Bacon Croutons
- Baguette – Or other crusty bread.
- Bacon
- Butter – Salted or unsalted.
How To Make The Best Caesar Salad Dressing by Hand
- Add the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, grated garlic cloves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to a bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Drizzle the avocado oil into the bowl in a thin stream while whisking vigorously to create a thick emulsion.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve over lettuce.
How To Make Caesar Dressing in a Blender or Food Processor
- Add the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, grated garlic cloves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined.
- Leaving the blender or food processor on medium-high, slowly add the avocado oil in a drizzle until the mixture is thick and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and serve over greens
How To Make The Dressing With An Immersion Blender
- Add the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, grated garlic cloves, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to a bowl.
- Use the immersion blender to combine all the ingredients, and while it is still running, slowly drizzle in the oil until a thick dressing has formed.
Assembly
- Once your dressing is made, drizzle it over washed, dried, and chopped romaine lettuce and toss well to combine.
- Top the salad with bacon croutons, more Parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon.
- Serve!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- If your dressing is too thick, thin it with a tablespoon or two of water.
- Adjust the lemon to taste.
- The garlic flavor will intensify as the dressing sits so go easy at first!
Recommended
Storage
The dressing does have raw egg in it so make sure you store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll keep for up to a week.
Step-by-Step Process
Caesar Salad with Bacon Croutons
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil
For the bacon croutons
- 4 cups cubed bread from a baguette
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the rest of the salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed and torn
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- reserved crumbled bacon
Instructions
To make the dressing
- Add the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, soy sauce , and Worcestershire sauce, to a blender. Pulse until the garlic is chopped up.
- With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil until a thick dressing forms.
- Adjust the salt and pepper and set aside until the rest of the salad is ready.
To make the croutons
- Preheat your oven to 350-F.
- Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Set aside on paper towels and reserve the bacon fat.
- Melt the butter into the hot bacon fat.
- Toss the bread cubes with the bacon fat-butter mixture and spread them onto a baking sheet.
- Bake the bread at 350-F for about 8 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
To assemble the salad
- Toss the lettuce with the desired amount of dressing until well mixed.
- Sprinkle the top of the salad with reserved Parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon. Top with the cooled bread cubes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- If your dressing is too thick, thin it with a tablespoon or two of water.
- Adjust the lemon to taste.
- The garlic flavor will intensify as the dressing sits so go easy at first!
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
Ok this salad is super yummy, but the real star here is the bacon croutons! I think I just found a way to get my guy to eat more salads! Thanks!
Right? That extra bacon flavor really is fabulous!
I have been in a caesar salad kinda mood lately! Following your recipe to make a homemade caesar dressing was super simple and it tasted amazing. I will never go back to store-bought caesar dressing ever again!