If you’re in the mood for a classic salad that’s both easy and delicious, this Homemade Caesar Salad is a perfect pick. It brings together fresh, crunchy romaine with golden, homemade croutons and a rich, tangy dressing that’s super simple to whip up. The end result is a salad that feels like a treat without any fuss—a great way to upgrade your everyday meal.
Serving idea: Pair this Caesar salad with our Classic Cheeseburger for Two for a proper Friday night treat — no takeaway required.
🍴 Tools You’ll Need
Salad Spinner — Dries lettuce properly for crisp results. This one does the trick.
Garlic Press — Like this speeds up prep for the dressing.
Stick Blender — This one will make the dressing smooth and creamy.
Grater — For Parmesan shavings just before serving. I use a microplane like this.
Homemade Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup 105ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups hearty bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 2 ounces finely grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
- 2 to 6 anchovies
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce see note
- 80 ml canola oil
- 2 heads romaine lettuce washed and carefully dried
Instructions
- Set your oven rack to the middle and preheat to 375°F (190°C). In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil and minced garlic for about 30 seconds. Crush the garlic with a press like this for quick flavour with less mess. Then, pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer placed over a large bowl, and use the back of a spoon to press out as much of the garlic-infused oil as possible. Save the pressed garlic for later. Toss your bread cubes in this garlic oil until they’re nicely coated.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the bread cubes, toss well, and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes until they turn a pale golden brown and get crispy. Once baked, remove from the oven, toss with an extra 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, and let them cool.
- While the croutons are baking, prepare the dressing. In a container or in a food processor, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, the reserved pressed garlic, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. You can whisk by hand, but a stick blender like this one helps create a perfectly creamy emulsion.
- Slowly drizzle in canola oil until you get a smooth, emulsified sauce. Transfer this mixture to a medium bowl, then, while whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) of extra-virgin olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, gently toss your lettuce with a few tablespoons of the dressing, adding more if you like. Once evenly coated, mix in half of the remaining Parmesan and about three-quarters of the croutons.
- Finally, transfer the salad to a serving bowl and finish it off by sprinkling the rest of the Parmesan cheese and croutons on top. Tip: Grate fresh Parmesan with a Microplane like this one to get perfectly fine parmesan.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!