There’s so much flavor and punch in this creamy dairy-free Caesar dressing, I promise you won’t miss the cheese! Fresh lemon juice, anchovies, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise create an ultra-rich addictive condiment that is perfect on crunchy romaine or kale, with or without gluten-free croutons.

A plate of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, and dressing is served with wooden salad tongs. A small glass jar of dressing with a striped straw sits nearby on a white surface.

If you’ve read my cookbooks, you know I am pathologically picky about certain foods. There are dishes that can either be transcendent or barely edible, and a fine line between arriving at the best- and worst-case scenario. One of those dishes, where so high is the bar for excellence, and so easily do people fall short, is Caesar salad.

A good Caesar salad dressing is not gloppy or loaded with cheese. In fact, I’d argue the best possible Caesar salad dressings are dairy-free and have no cheese at all. Fresh lemon juice is the driving force of this condiment, so bright and bold that it neutralizes the anchovy, making the slight funk of the sea more of a background noise than the main event.  

A bowl of bread cubes, a tube of anchovy paste, a garlic clove, Dijon mustard, a jar of mayonnaise, a lemon, and a head of romaine lettuce arranged on a white surface.

Most traditional Caesar dressings are made with raw egg yolk to achieve a light, creamy texture without weighing the dressing down.

If raw egg freaks you out, you can cheat by making a classic dairy-free Caesar dressing with mayonnaise. It is essentially the same base ingredients (eggs, oil), just preserved differently. If mayo freaks you out, well then, I’d redirect you towards this dairy-free ranch dressing instead!

A small amount of mayonnaise is my preferred direction for making Caesar dressing at home.

How to Make Dairy-Free Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing:

A hand holds a spoon above a food processor bowl containing a creamy, light-colored mixture on a white surface.
Combine the anchovy, garlic, lemon, mayo, Dijon and oil in a small food processor.
Cubed pieces of bread scattered on a dark, worn baking sheet, ready for toasting or baking, with a few crumbs visible on the tray.
Bake your croutons in the oven until crisp (use gluten-free bread if you like!).
A hand holding a spoon is pouring creamy dressing over fresh romaine lettuce leaves in a clear glass bowl, with a small jar of dressing nearby on a white surface.
Separate the romaine leaves and drizzle with the dairy-free Caesar dressing.

I use a modest amount of mayonnaise in this recipe, but rely equally on Dijon mustard as an emulsifier, which has the added benefit of giving the dressing a peppery bite. It’s my go-to in this low FODMAP salad dressing too, and if you’re in this camp, simply omit the garlic from this Caesar version.

A glass bowl filled with fresh romaine lettuce leaves, with two wooden salad servers resting on the sides, viewed from above on a white surface.
A plate of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce and croutons is being drizzled with dressing from a spoon. A wooden salad serving set and a jar of extra dressing are nearby on a white surface.

Here’s the thing about Caesar salad: when you’ve nailed the dressing, all you really need is good, crunchy romaine (or kale) to nail the salad. The croutons, the cheese—they are just the cherry on top and can be omitted if you are gluten-free or dairy-free. I promise you will not miss them at all.

For those who are anchovy skeptics, I highly encourage you to overcome this fear by way of this dairy-free Caesar dressing. If it doesn’t win you over or you’re vegetarian, then by all means omit them! It will still be delicious, but will be missing that certain something you can’t put your finger on. (Spoiler: It’s not the cheese.)

A plate of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, and creamy dressing, served with wooden utensils on a light surface. A small jar of dressing is visible in the background.
A hand holds a fork, ready to eat a Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, and dressing on a plate with wooden salad servers; a jar of extra dressing sits nearby on a white surface.

I used gluten-free bread for croutons in this Caesar, but you can opt for any type of loaf you love. The craggier, the better, though sandwich bread is fine in a pinch. Alternatively, I love using fresh, toasted breadcrumbs instead of cubes to give the salad some added texture!

Read on for this ultra creamy, bright, addictive dairy-free Caesar dressing!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

A plate of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, and creamy dressing, served with wooden salad tongs. A small jar of extra dressing sits in the background on a white surface.
A plate of Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons, and dressing is served with wooden salad tongs. A small glass jar of dressing with a striped straw sits nearby on a white surface.

Print

Dairy-Free Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing

There’s so much flavor and punch in this creamy dairy-free Caesar dressing, I promise you won’t miss the cheese! Fresh lemon juice, anchovies, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise create an ultra-rich addictive condiment that is perfect on crunchy romaine or kale, with or without croutons.

If you’re not a huge fan of anchovies feel free to omit or halve the amount called for. The lemon juice does a lot of offset the funk, so you may be surprised by how mild 1 teaspoon of paste is in this dressing.

Note for using kale instead of romaine: 2 bunches lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves stacked and rolled into a cigar, thinly sliced into ribbons. Add the leaves to your bowl and cover with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Massage until tender. Then add the dressing.

Adapted from the Caesar-ish dressing in my cookbook CARBIVORE.

Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose
Keyword blender, condiments, dairy-free, easy, homemade
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets or 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon
  • Sea salt
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cups cubed bread regular or gluten-free
  • 2 hearts of romaine roughly chopped or individual leaves separated (see note for using kale)

Instructions

  • Make the dairy-free Caesar dressing: in a small food processor, combine the anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pulse until smooth. Slowly drizzle in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, with the motor running. Alternatively, you can mince the anchovies and garlic by hand and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
  • Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes until the croutons are golden but not hard to the touch. Toss to redistribute and return to the oven for 5 minutes more, until firm. If making in advance, allow to cool completely on the baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container. The croutons will keep for a few weeks on the counter.
  • Assemble the dairy-free Caesar salad: Toss the romaine with ¼ cup of dressing until coated. Garnish with the croutons and serve with more dairy-free caesar dressing on the side, if needed.