February 19, 2022

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Homemade caesar salad dressing is not as hard as you may think. This recipe is simple and is a slightly healthier version than traditional store-bought caesar dressing!

Tahini Caesar Dressing

The key to this homemade caesar salad dressing is tahini. It's a nutty, creamy spread made from ground sesame seeds. It's like peanut butter but with sesame seeds instead of peanuts! Tahini typically used in hummus but is a great way to add flavor and texture to salad dressings like this one. This sesame paste provides phosphorus, iron, calcium, and magnesium so it's filled with nutrients!

Overhead shot of homemade caesar salad dressing in jar. Salads around the photo and parmesan cheese and crispy chickpeas scattered around.

Light Caesar Salad Dressing

Traditional caesar dressing is made with egg yolks and/or mayo. These ingredients are why it's higher in saturated fat. In order to lighten up this traditional recipe, I use tahini (as described above) but still include some parmesan cheese to give it a salty, slightly cheese-y flavor (you could sub nutritional yeast in lieu of parmesan cheese to make it vegan!).

Other traditional caesar salad dressing ingredients are used, like lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. These give it that classic caesar salad dressing flavor!

Straight-on shot of homemade caesar salad dressing in a jar with a drip coming down the side. Salads around the scene and ingredients scattered around.

Ingredient Highlights - Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Tahini - this is a paste or "butter" made from ground sesame seeds. Tahini is a good source of unsaturated fats, as well as phosphorus, iron, calcium, and magnesium!
Grated parmesan cheese - this gives the light caesar salad dressing it's cheese-y flavor. Parmesan cheese contains calcium and phosphorus, and is very low in lactose.
Fresh lemon juice & apple cider vinegar - you can use store-bought lemon juice here. The juice and vinegar add acidity to round out the flavors!
Garlic, capers, Worcestershire sauce, & mustard - these add punches of flavor to the homemade dressing. Garlic is actually a source of antioxidants!

Recipe FAQ

Are anchovies in Caesar dressing?

Traditionally, yes! However, this recipe calls for capers, which give it that tangy, salty flavor that anchovies would. You can absolutely sub anchovies in this recipe!

What is tahini Caesar dressing made of?

The main ingredient is tahini, then this recipe calls for grated parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice, fresh garlic, capers, apple cider vinegar, mustard, water, salt, and fresh ground pepper.

What can you use tahini dressing on?

Obviously this tahini caesar dressing goes well on caesar salads! But it also is great on any salad or grain bowl, as well as a dip for fresh veggies or spread on a sandwich.

How do you thin out tahini caesar dressing?

This recipe will thicken in the refrigerator. To thin it out, simply whisk in 1-2 Tbsp room temperature water before using!

Overhead shot of homemade caesar salad dressing in a small jar with salads around the scene, and ingredients scattered around.

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Homemade caesar salad dressing with a drip coming down the side of the jar and the lid in the background. Salads, plates, forks, and a linen in the background. Salad ingredients scattered around.

Rate & Review

If you made my homemade caesar salad dressing, please rate and review my recipe below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!