Who needs to buy bottled dressings when you can make Light Caesar Dressing at home in just about 5 minutes? Easy and delicious!
Before I get too deep into the recipe process, I thought I’d just lay it all out there: this is honestly the BEST caesar dressing I’ve ever had, regardless of being light or not. I really see reason to order this out anymore. It really rivals my Asian Peanut Dressing and The Best Light Ranch Dressing as my my all-time favorite.
So, let’s dive in. To anchovy or not to anchovy? I might as well address the elephant in the room first. People have very strong opinions about this, and I get it. I personally love anchovies, but I totally get that they’re not for everyone. For that reason, I’ll give you a couple of options.
Creating Depth of Flavor
If you’re afraid to use whole anchovies in your dressing, you’ll still need to supplement with an ingredient that has a deep, salty, umami flavor. Otherwise, it’s just not really a Caesar dressing. I experimented with a lot of different options, and here’s what worked for me, ranked in order of taste.
- Anchovy Paste: This really does taste the best, and buying it as a paste in a tube is a good way to ensure that it will last a while in your refrigerator if you don’t use anchovies often. I promise that this doesn’t make the dressing taste fishy–just really complex.
- Fish Sauce: If I could avoid it, I wanted to find a dupe that I already have around. After rummaging around in my pantry, I thought I’d try this out. If you do a lot of cooking with Asian flavors, like I do, you probably have it around, too. If not, pick up a bottle in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. It will be cheaper than anchovies and last longer. Plus, you can use it for other recipes, like Pad Thai or Thai Coconut Curry Soup (recipes coming soon!). And the best part is that I really couldn’t tell much of a difference between this and the anchovy paste
- Extra Worcestershire Sauce: If you’re still not sold on the “fishy” ingredient options, you can just add more Worcestershire sauce. It won’t have quite the depth of flavor, but it will still be REALLY good Light Caesar Dressing.
Making Croutons
A proper Caesar Salad needs croutons. Of course, you can buy some at the store, but since I’m already going through the trouble to make my own dressing with real, whole ingredients, I thought I’d do the same with the salad toppings.
All I did was preheat my oven to 375 degrees, then cut my favorite low-point bread, Milton’s Thin Sliced Whole Wheat, into chunks. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, then season with salt and pepper and bake until crispy, about 5-10 minutes depending on how small you cut them. Since 1 slice of bread is only 1 Freestyle SmartPoint, I get a good amount of croutons for 1 SP.
Beyond Lettuce
One of my favorite meals of all time it a Chicken Caesar Salad, so I’ve been making them a lot with this dressing. A local restaurant around here even puts bacon in their Chicken Caesar, so I’ve been doing that as well. Salmon or shrimp would also be delicious instead of chicken.
But you don’t need to think just salad or this. It’s so creamy and tangy that it makes a great marinade for chicken or fish. You could even use it as a binder for breaded chicken. Or toss it with some cooked potatoes for a light take on potato salad.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag. And don’t forget to add the image to your Pinterest boards!
Light Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup light mayo
- 2/3 cup nonfat, plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce or anchovy paste (or just use extra Worcestershire sauce)
- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together. Or, for a smoother texture, mix in a food processor.
- Store in the refrigerator, in an air tight container, for up to a week.
So delicious! I have anchovy filets in the fridge always. Threw everything in my small food processor, blitzed it up and am thrilled with how decadent it tastes. Tastes like a super rich Cesar dressing with minimal guilt.
This makes me so happy! Anchovies really make a difference.
i finally tried this today. OMG!!! it is DELICIOUS!!! i resisted for a long time because i LOVE caesar salad and have a favorite homemade (very high points) recipe i have used for years. didn’t think i could like another like i do that one. but WHOA!!!! i went around today to several friends and made them try it, too! all agreed it is every bit as good as the one we’ve made for years. THANK YOU!!!!! i won’t make this any other way from now on! you are a genius!
Jonna, you are so sweet! I totally understand your hesitation at first. I’ve tried so many light caesar recipes, but they never turned out right. I’m happy this one worked for you, too!
This is the best take on light Caesar dressing we have ever tried! Incredibly quick and easy to make and is a crowd pleaser! We will be making this again!
That’s some high praise! Thank you so much. I make this every week. 🙂
This is delicious! Tastes every bit as good as the high points stuff! You are a real magician in the kitchen!
That is incredibly sweet of you! Thank you so much for the support.
Wow, this is seriously amazing! I didn’t have anchovy paste because I couldn’t find it in the store, but it was still excellent!
This makes me so happy! Love that you could make it work with what you could find.
This was delicious! I used just 4 tablespoons for a whole head of romaine lettuce and it was more than enough for side salads for my family of 4.
Next I think I’ll use it as a spread with lettuce, onion, tomato and chicken wrapped up in a Joseph’s pita. Yum!
Thank you!!
Glad to hear the recipe worked well for you! And these are great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Geri, I’m adding to my grocery list so I can make this… When you say grated Parmesan cheese, do you mean Kraft in the sprinkle can? Or little plastic container ( ostensibly more realistic tasting ?)from the deli? Thank you!
Sorry for the late reply, Susan. I use the ones in the plastic container in the deli. Much better flavor!
This was amazing! My caesar snob husband even approved. This will definitely be a staple in our house from now on.
Ohh love that it was hubby approved!
BEST dressing recipe ever! I’ll never buy store bought caesar dressing again. So easy to make, tastes wonderful and makes plenty to last throughout the week.
Thanks, Sara! We make it just about every week.
I just made this dressing and it is delicious! Thank you!
I make a tried and true caesar dressing on the regular but now need to start being mindful of calories and wow this is amazing!! I am so glad I found your recipe and will be making this my new regular!! Yay! Thanks so much Geri!!! 🙂
Honestly, I will never make another caesar dressing than this one, low cal or not. It’s that good!
This is delicious! Whole family gave it a thumbs up!
Yay!! I make it just about every week.
This is seriously the best ceasar dressing I have ever made. I was reluctant at first because I’m not a fan of Greek yogurt, however it’s totally undetectable. I used anchovy paste and the final result was a creamy restaurant quality dressing.
5 stars!! This was delicious!! Highly recommend … so far every recipe I have tried from your website has been a hit with the family. I love that you use light mayo and greek yogourt and we don’t have to recreate the wheel with this dressing recipe. Will definitely make this whenever that caesar craving hits. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes with us!
This is great to hear. Thank you so much!
This was outstanding.
I’ve been buying bottled light Caesar dressing and just got tired of the monotony of flavour. Decided to try making this. It was amazing. Complex flavour. Tasted like a genuine Caesar dressing. I will definitely be making this over and over again!!
Thank you so much!
Delicious! I’ve been using the Bolthouse Farms caesar dressing for low points, but this is *so* much better!
I’ve loved each of your recipes that I’ve tried!
That makes me so happy! Thank you!