Looking for a rich Caesar Salad Dressing without Eggs or Anchovies? This recipe is made with a creamy mayo and sour cream base, and gets its signature savory and tangy profile from a mix of parmesan, garlic, dijon mustard and lemon. You only need 8 ingredients and it takes just 5 minutes to pull together!
This dressing is the perfect topper for your next caesar salad. We especially love it paired with this crisp air fryer chicken caesar salad and homemade sourdough croutons!
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Quick Look: Caesar Salad Dressing without Eggs or Anchovies
- ⏱ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 8 (2 tablespoons per serving)
- ⚡ Calories: 97 per serving
- 🌱 Diet: egg-free
- 🔥 Flavor/texture: thick and creamy with a salty, tangy and garlicky flavor.
- 👌 Difficulty: just 8 ingredients, no blender, no emulsifying.
- ❤️ Why you'll love: you can enjoy the rich, punchy flavor of a classic caesar dressing with none of the raw eggs or anchovies.
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Reasons to love this recipe
When I set out to create this homemade caesar dressing, I wanted it to be quick and easy. That meant skipping the raw eggs and anchovies. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy traditional caesar dressings made with these ingredients. But, I wanted to avoid the tedious step of emulsifying egg yolks with oil, and honestly, I never have anchovies on hand.
The result is an ultra thick, velvety dressing that delivers all the punchy, iconic flavors of a traditional caesar. Here's why it works so well:
- Mayo + sour cream: Since mayonnaise is already an emulsion of eggs and oil, it's the perfect shortcut base for a caesar dressing. However, an all-mayo dressing can feel a bit heavy. By swapping half of it for sour cream, you get a much lighter, creamier texture with a bright tanginess.
- Quick and easy: You only need 8 ingredients and 5 minutes. No blenders, no food processors. Just whisk everything together in a single bowl and you are ready to serve.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Mayo: Not only am I avoiding raw eggs in this dressing, I'm avoiding eggs altogether by using a plant-based mayo without any eggs in it. You can definitely substitute traditional full fat mayo. I've made it both ways, and there's really no difference in taste or texture.
- Sour cream: I used full fat sour cream to keep the dressing thick and creamy. If you use light sour cream, the dressing will just be a little runnier. If you'd like the recipe to be completely plant-based, you can just use a dairy-free sour cream.
- Parmesan: Since we're omitting anchovies and Worcestershire sauce from this recipe, the parmesan is key for achieving a savory, umami flavor. That's why I highly recommend using freshly grated parmesan instead of packaged shreds.
- Dijon mustard: This adds a tangy punch to the dressing. I don't recommend substituting with yellow mustard as it won't provide the same flavor, but you can substitute with whole grain dijon mustard if you prefer.
- Lemon juice: Avoid bottled lemon juice, and use freshly squeezed to achieve the best lemony flavor.
- Garlic: Minced or finely chopped works best and you can use fresh or jarred. I normally use fresh, but to keep this recipe quick and easy, I went for the jarred garlic in my fridge!
- Salt and pepper: I love the peppery flavor in a caesar dressing, so I used freshly cracked black pepper. As for the salt, I usually use ½ teaspoon, but I suggest starting with ¼ teaspoon and adding more to taste.
How to make caesar salad dressing without eggs
Step 1: Add all of the dressing ingredients to a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together until combined (the dressing will be thick). Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Expert tips for making this dressing
- Finely grated parmesan. Make sure you finely grate your parmesan cheese, using the smallest holes on your box grater. This helps the cheese blend into the dressing.
- Thin it out. This dressing has a thick and creamy consistency. If you prefer it thinner, just whisk in a little water until it reaches your desired consistency.
Egg-free caesar dressing FAQs
This recipe avoids raw eggs because it doesn't emulsify egg yolks and oil for the creamy texture, but uses mayo instead. However, standard store-bought mayo contains egg. To ensure this dressing is 100% egg-free, swap traditional mayo for a plant-based mayo or try my homemade cashew mayo.
It depends on how fresh your sour cream and lemon are, but typically this dressing lasts up to 5 days if stored in a sealed jar in the fridge.
If you're making it with plant-based mayo and sour cream, I highly recommend adding it to this vegan kale caesar salad. It's also delicious as a dip with veggies or with these cornflake chicken tenders, air fryer boneless chicken wings or breaded salmon bites. Since it's so thick, it also works slathered on burgers, like these air fryer turkey burgers.
More salad dressing recipes
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📖 Recipe
Caesar Salad Dressing without Eggs or Anchovies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (90 g) plant-based mayonnaise, (traditional mayo works too)
- ⅓ cup (90 g) full fat sour cream, (or plant-based sour cream)
- ¼ cup (20 g) finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Transfer to a glass jar or dish, cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
- Finely grated parmesan. Make sure you finely grate your parmesan, using the smallest holes on your box grater. This helps the cheese blend into the dressing.
- Amount of salt. I usually add ½ teaspoon, but since the parmesan is salty, start with ¼ teaspoon and add more to taste.
- Garlic. You can use freshly minced or chopped jar garlic. Whatever is easiest for you! The amount of garlic depends on how garlicky you like your caesar dressing. We usually go with 3 cloves, but you can add 2 and then add more if you like.
- Thin in out. This dressing is thick and creamy. If you prefer it thinner, just whisk in a little water until it reaches your desired consistency.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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