Which store-bought Caesar dressing is the best?

Caesar may not have reigned for long, but Caesar dressing still reigns supreme among salad dressings. From its modest origins in a family restaurant (more on that later! ), Caesar dressing has now become an institution, with Caesar salad being a standard menu item in restaurants throughout the country and bottled Caesar dressing alternatives adorning the shelves of most supermarkets.

With so much history and variation, it may be difficult to know where to start when looking for this delectable dressing. Here’s where we come in! While Rome was not built in a day, it will only take you a few minutes to get to the bottom of our top 5 recommendations for the finest Caesar salad dressings.

What is Caesar Dressing?

Despite its strong links to Italian cuisine, Caesar salad dressing was originated in an unexpected place: Mexico! According to legend, Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant and restaurateur, was creating a salad one night in the crowded kitchen of his Tijuana restaurant when he discovered that his supply of traditional components had run low. This inspired him to create the now-famous mix of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, and croutons, tossing it all with a simple dressing of egg yolk, olive oil, lemon juice, roasted garlic, and black pepper.

From then, Caesar salad dressing evolved into creamy and vinaigrette-based varieties, refrigerated and shelf-stable choices, and dressings produced from a variety of ingredients.

Ranking the Best Store Bought Caesar Salad Dressing

In our quest for the greatest Caesar dressing, we dipped our romaine leaves (and spoons in some instances!) into the following 17 store-bought Caesar brands and varieties:

• 365 Organic Caesar Dressing from Whole Foods Market
• Caesar Dressing by Annie’s
• Brianna’s Personal Style Caesar Dressing with Asiago
• Authentic Caesar Dressing by Caesar Cardinis
• Fermented Vegetable Caesar from Cleveland Kitchen
• Organic Vegan Caesar by Follow Your Heart
• Plant-Based Caesar Dressing and Dip from Good & Gather
• Caesar Dressing and Marinade from Kens Steak House
• Creamy Caesar Dressing from Kens Steak House
• Creamy Caesar Dressing + Dip from Maries
• Light Parmesan Caesar Vinaigrette by Marzetti
• Superior Caesar Dressing by Marzetti
• Caesar Dressing made by Newman’s Own
• Caesar Dressing and Marinade from Primal Kitchen
• Romano Caesar Dressing from Trader Joe’s
• Creamy Caesar Dressing from Wish-Bone

How We Tasted and Reviewed These Products

Since comparing various varieties of Caesar dressing would be like comparing apples to oranges, we divided our dressings into five categories: Best Caesar Dressing in a Creamy Style, Best Caesar Dressing in a Vinaigrette Style, Best Plant-Based Caesar Dressing, Best Specialty Caesar Dressing, and Best All-Around Caesar Dressing.

We made thorough notes on each of the following areas of measurement, in addition to the all-important (and most pleasurable!) tasting test:

1. Taste: the taste balance in each dressing, as well as the overall consistency.
2. Appearance: the appearance of the dressing in terms of color and texture.
3. Nutritional Content: Calories, salt level, and any other nutritional content based on a typical serving size of 2 tablespoons.
4. Qualities that are distinctive: such as extra product features or information about the manufacturer.
5. Price per ounce is the unit of measurement for value.
6. Production and Availability: where the product is manufactured and if it is widely accessible in most places.
7. Packaging includes container type, labeling, and the presence (or absence!) of extra useful information.

1. Best Creamy-Style Caesar Dressing: Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing

This salad dressing, which is probably what most people think of when they hear the name Caesar dressing, derives its dreamy smoothness from emulsified egg yolks. When blended with oil and spices in the same way as aioli or mayonnaise is made, the mixture takes on a light hue and silky texture.

About Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing

We struggled to find a creamy-style Caesar dressing that didn’t taste horrible, but we did discover a favorite in this Marzetti Ultimate Caesar Dressing! Theresa Marzetti, who founded a tiny Italian restaurant in Ohio in 1896, gave birth to this trademark. The house-made salad dressings were so popular that customers often bought additional bottles to take home with them. The rest, as they say, is history!

We found their Supreme Caesar dressing to be just as described, superior in flavor and texture, with an amazing nutrition panel. Because of the mix of ingredients like mustard seed, tamarind, molasses, and red wine vinegar, as well as parmesan and Romano cheeses, this punchy dressing has a distinct but unmistakable Caesar taste profile!

As compared to a few other creamy versions we tried, some of which were as thick as sour cream, this delightfully creamy dressing has a great texture that beautifully straddles the line between a dressing and a dip. We particularly like how the abundant dried garlic chunks (which are rehydrated by the dressing) lend a distinct and delicious crunch to the dressing. Plus it’s devoid of high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors and colors!

On the downside, this decadent dressing has a high calorie count, clocking in at 140 calories per 2 tablespoon dose. Fortunately, it’s potent enough that a little goes a long way! Also, although the glass jar is nice (and we enjoy limiting the use of single-use plastics! ), the large opening makes pouring difficult.

Pros:

• There are a lot of unusual taste elements in this dish, including mustard seed, tamarind, molasses, red wine vinegar, and two cheeses!
• Texture is a decent compromise between a dressing and a dip: thin enough to dress your salad but thick enough to satisfy dips of vegetables and nibbles.
• Garlic bits are scattered throughout, adding textural texture.
• There is no high-fructose corn syrup.
• Artificial tastes and colors are not used.

Cons

• At 140 calories per 2 tablespoon serving, it has a very high calorie level.
• The wide mouth glass jar is quite attractive, however it is difficult to pour from. While serving this one, a spoon is essential!

2. Best Vinaigrette-Style Caesar Dressing: Newman’s Own Caesar Dressing

Vinaigrette-style Caesar dressing comes up next, which is as excellent but in a class of its own. The main difference between this dressing and its creamy version is that no emulsification occurs. Vinaigrette-style dressings split into their individual components in the absence of a binder, such as egg yolks, and have a runny, oily consistency rather than being thick and creamy.

About Newman’s Own Caesar Dressing

This variation in composition, however, does not imply any concessions in taste! Vinaigrette-style Caesar dressing must still have a distinct Caesar taste profile, which Newmans Own Caesar Dressing does. It’s made with Romano cheese, apple cider vinegar, anchovy paste, garlic, mustard flour, oregano, and even a touch of cayenne pepper sauce! Don’t be put off by the last one; it doesn’t bring much heat to the table.

The issue with many vinaigrette-style dressings is that they may be rather strong in flavor. Newmans, on the other hand, is rich and flavorful while remaining delightfully tart without being too vinegary, as were some of the other vinaigrettes we tasted. There were a lot of Romano cheese chunks in the dressing, which contributed a lot of flavor and real texture.

On the back of the bottle is a scannable QR code that leads to a website with complete product information. This dressing has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Moreover, you may be aware with Newman’s Own goods and the fact that all earnings go to charity. As if you needed another excuse to eat your vegetables (with Caesar salad dressing, of course!).

It’s difficult to find anything negative to say about this dressing! If we were being picky, we may consider the fact that this dressing separates easily after shaking to be a disadvantage. A few other vinaigrette-style dressings we tried had more xanthan gum, which helps to emulsify the dressing in the absence of egg yolks, which was a nice bonus.

Pros:

• Deep, savory taste with a touch of tanginess but no vinegary harshness.
• The dressing contains detectable and texturally appealing chunks of Romano cheese!
• Scannable QR code on the packaging allows you to find out much more about the food and its nutrition.
• There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
• It comes from a firm that donates 100% of its proceeds to charity!

Cons

• Shake well before (and sometimes during!) use.

3. Best Plant-Based Caesar Dressing: Follow Your Heart Organic Vegan Caesar

Most store-bought Caesar dressings include cheese, egg yolks, and anchovies, making it a decidedly un-plant-based way to season your vegetables. But, hey, plant-based eaters, as well as those who dislike the mildly fishy taste of classic Caesar dressing, enjoy great salad dressings as well! Fortunately, various plant-based Caesars have emerged throughout the years, demonstrating that crafting a wonderful Caesar dressing from plant-based components is quite achievable!

About Follow Your Heart Organic Vegan Caesar

Follow Your Heart has been making plant-based goods since 1970, and their Organic Vegan Caesar dressing is perfect! This creamy dressing is egg-free and anchovy-free, but it still delivers a punch of flavor, and it’s flecked with a large quantity of black pepper flakes.

This dressing is not only plant-based, but it is also completely certified as such, displaying the Certified Plant Based emblem. It is also non-GMO tested and organically certified by Quality Assurance International, one of the leading organic certification organizations.

During our testing, we discovered that without egg yolk as a binder, several of the vegan dressing variants struggled with texture. The solution is xanthan gum, but with a plant-based dressing, it’s all too easy to overuse it and give the dressing a sticky consistency. That is not the case here! The texture is cohesive without being gooey, which is a huge accomplishment in the realm of plant-based sauces.

We enjoy that this Caesar has just 70 calories per 2 serving, as opposed to other creamy dressings that have 120, 150, or even 170 calories per 2 serving! It also contains 657 milligrams of heart-healthy omega-3s per serving. Drizzle away!

Although the texture of this dressing is delightfully non-gummy, it is really extremely runny. When it comes to salad dressings, we’re all for pourability, but this one is a tad watery.

Another thing to notice is that the ingredients list includes Worcestershire sauce, which is usually produced with fish. Because of the various vegan claims on this product, as well as our awareness of the company’s history as a whole, we believe there must be a vegan Worcestershire sauce included in the mix. Yet, the packaging does not indicate this, and we believe the lack of clarity over this to be unusual.

Pros:

• Plant-based certification and non-GMO verification.
• Quality Assurance International, an independent certifying organization, has certified the product as organic.
• Achieves a creamy, cohesive texture without relying too heavily on thickening agents.
• Just 70 calories per serving, making it one of the lightest Caesars we tested.
• Each dish contains an astounding quantity of Omega-3s.

Cons

• The texture is a little watery, which is helpful for pourability but terrible for total sensory pleasure.
• The nutrition panel mentions Worcestershire sauce as an ingredient, which is considered to be vegan Worcestershire sauce.

4. Best Specialty Caesar Dressing: Cleveland Kitchen Fermented Veggie Caesar

There were a couple brands and variations of Caesar dressing we examined that had some very interesting things going on within their bottles. These may not be your typical Caesar salad dressings, but we adored them for their inventiveness, novel taste ingredients, and surprising qualities.

About Cleveland Kitchen Fermented Veggie Caesar

You already know that fermented foods are healthy, but the true difficulty is figuring out how to include enough of them into your diet! Yeah, you can eat sauerkraut and drink kombucha, but what more can you do?

Fortunately, the geniuses at Cleveland Kitchen set out to provide us with an alternative: Fermented Vegetable Caesar! This dressing starts with fermented cabbage and then jazzed up with Dijon mustard, caraway seeds, loads of garlic, onion, and thyme, giving it a distinct but undeniably Caesar-esque flavour with a crisp, crunchy texture to boot!

This Caesar dressing not only supports intestinal health (thanks to all those helpful microorganisms), but it also has a low calorie count of 50 per serving and just 1 gram of carbs! This implies that this dressing is not only keto-friendly, but also vegan. The ingredients list is maybe our favorite aspect of this dressing. It contains only entire, recognized food products, informing you that this product is manufactured from actual food rather than synthetic ingredients.

The taste of this dressing is clearly not on-the-nose Caesar and may not be your first selection if you are searching for that traditional flavor, as is the terrain with individuality. Nevertheless! We believe it is an excellent option if you are looking for something a little unusual. The fermented vegetables also give this dressing a more divided look, making it less cohesive than some of the others we tested. It’s also worth mentioning that this unique dressing is among the most expensive!

Pros:

• Is created from fermented cabbage and provides several health advantages as well as a distinct flavor and crispy tactile character!
• This Caesar dressing had the fewest calories of any we tested, at just 50.
• With just 1 gram of carbs per serving, this dressing is keto-friendly!
• It’s also vegan-friendly.
• Nothing complicated on the ingredients list, just simple whole food components.

Cons

• The entire taste profile is dissimilar from your ordinary Caesar and will most likely not satisfy your need for the classics.
• Because of the variety of vegetables in the mix, the texture is a little strange and incohesive.
• In terms of price, it is among the top five dressings, costing about $.50 per ounce!

5. Best All-Around Caesar Dressing: Brianna’s Home Style Asiago Caesar Dressing

So far, we’ve covered the best creamy-style, best vinaigrette-style, best plant-based, and best specialized Caesar dressings, but what should you choose when you want something basic and in the middle of the road? Of course, the greatest all-around Caesar dressing!

About Brianna’s Home Style Asiago Caesar Dressing

Briannas started making dressings over 30 years ago, first in tiny amounts for their local Austin, TX customers. They increased production as their popularity soared, due to innovative taste combinations like Blueberry Balsamic and Lemon Tarragon. These goods are now widely available in most major supermarkets and are often in great demand.

Their delicious Home Style Asiago Caesar Dressing, our vote for the greatest all-around Caesar dressing, is prepared with actual shredded asiago cheese, which has a creamier, softer taste than parmesan and therefore delivers a ton of savory flavor. The tamarind paste, garlic puree, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard give this vegetarian dressing a wonderful powerful taste despite the absence of anchovies (albeit it still includes egg and dairy components).

The dressing has a distinct, rich hue that sets it apart from most other Caesar dressings, and it has a texture that is well balanced between creamy and vinaigrette-style. This dressing contains no high fructose corn syrup, and we like it because it is a good middle-of-the-road alternative that combines flavor and texture with ingredient quality, accessibility, and affordability.

Although most of the grocery shops and markets we visited had a variety of Briannas dressings, we had difficulty finding their Asiago Caesar, so it may be more difficult to locate than some of the other alternatives. However, we don’t like that it has a long ingredients list with several preservatives that many of the other dressings we tried didn’t have, and we did note that this dressing had the bioengineered symbol on the back.

Pros:

• It’s made with shredded asiago cheese and other tasty ingredients including tamarind, garlic puree, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard.
• The dressing is a nice deep brown tone, rather than white or off white like most others.
• The consistency is somewhere between creamy and vinaigrette, with hints of both.
• There is no high fructose corn syrup.
• It strikes an excellent mix between taste and quality, as well as affordability and accessibility!

Cons

• It was difficult to get this specific sort of Briannas dressing.
• It has a significantly more complex ingredient list than others and includes a number of preservatives.
• The label has the bioengineered emblem, indicating that it includes genetically modified components.

Final Thoughts on the Top 5 Caesar Dressings

You are not alone if you have ever felt overwhelmed in the salad dressing section at the grocery store! When all you want to do is boost the taste of your fresh vegetables, the apparently limitless amount of options might put a kink in the efficiency of your shopping trip!

Whether you want a creamy Caesar dressing or want to try the coolest, most unusual new Caesar dressing out there, there are some definite top selections to fit the needs of every taste.