This is the only way to make a classic, velvety caesar salad – and it happens to be completely gluten-free. My homemade dressing is thick, creamy, and perfectly balanced. Toss with fresh torn romaine, parmesan and crunchy gluten-free croutons (never soft or soggy) for a dinner or side you’ll make on repeat.

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My Favorite Gluten-Free Caesar Recipe

When making a classic caesar salad gluten-free, there’s a few components I wanted to nail during recipe testing. The first one was easy. I’ve been using this toasty herbed gluten-free crouton recipe as the chef’s kiss on my favorite gluten-free salad recipes, so that was an easy one to cross off the list.

The next important piece? A gluten-free caesar dressing that not only uses simple ingredients, but a process that is quick and easy. I like an eggless dressing for ease, plus using mayo ensures a thick consistency.

You may even question the thickness once you are done combining the dressing, but I got you. It coats the lettuce in a nice velvety glaze, especially when the leaves are well dried. I recommend tossing the homemade dressing with the romaine in a large bowl, making sure everything can move around and become well coated.

Lastly, with an egg-free dressing it’s important to not skimp on flavor! That comes in a magic little tube – anchovy paste. If you have never used it, or are a little fearful about a strong fishy taste, please trust me! It’s the perfect balance of umami and adds a nice salty richness.

This easy GF salad idea can be used for as tasty starter, side salad, or make larger dinner portions for a chicken caesar salad, top with steak, salmon, or sometimes I like to make a batch of these 30-minute crispy gluten-free salmon patties to serve on top.

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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

GF dressing and flavor shortcuts

There’s a couple things I have on hand when I need a caesar for a quick dinner side or for guests – anchovy paste and garlic paste. The anchovy paste can be found by canned tuna in your local grocery store. Store leftovers in your fridge and it will remind you to keep making this easy salad on the reg.

For the dressing, it’s best if the garlic is crushed finely. Instead of doing that by hand, I use another ingredient I keep on hand – garlic paste. Generally this can be found either in the spice aisle or by the produce.

Then just whisk all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure the anchovies are combining uniformly throughout the dressing.

Tubes of garlic paste.
Using anchovy paste is the key to flavor, especially when making a dressing without eggs.
Dressing ingredients in a glass bowl.
Freshly grated parm goes in the dressing and as a finishing touch on the salad.

Best way to dress a Caesar

I got this trick from waiting a lot of tables over the years. Restaurant kitchens use a large metal bowl. They place the greens in with the dressing and use a flipping motion to move the greens up and around.

If you feel like that might result in lettuce leaves all over your kitchen floor, use the large bowl, but toss with tongs or salad serving utensils. The dressing is pretty thick, so it coats the leaves better doing it like this then pouring it on top.

Hearts of romaine in a glass bowl.
Using a large bowl to toss the salad with the dressing is key to getting everything evenly coated.

Don’t forget the finishing touches!

Of course you could buy gluten-free croutons, or (gasp!) go without, but I highly recommend making your own to get that honest-to-goodness classic caesar experience. I include a link to my homemade seasoned croutons in the recipe card below.

Once the salads have been divided up on dinner or side plates, be sure to top with more freshly grated parmesan, fresh ground pepper, and croutons. Epic stuff.

Bowl of homemade Croutons.
Finally we don’t have to pass on the croutons! If you have any leftover, throw them in the freezer for future soups and salads.

This salad is a great make-ahead option for entertaining or meal prep. My favorite dish to serve it with is this classic GF French onion soup. Store the greens, dressing, and croutons separately until ready to enjoy. If using the homemade croutons they stay crunchy for a couple days, but can be quickly revived in the oven or air fryer if they sit longer and start to soften.

Best Way To Wash and Dry Those Greens

An easy mistake home cooks make is not drying salad greens enough before coating with dressing. Don’t let that glorious GF caesar dressing become diluted with excess water! I’m a huge fan of salad spinners to quickly make excess water disappear. Better yet? This is a task my kids never complain about helping with. It is kind of fun…

A bowl of salad dressing with a whisk.
You may question the dressing’s thickness, but trust me, it coats the torn romaine perfectly.
Caesar salad in a white bowl with lemons as garnish.
A caesar recipe that will not leave you wanting and it’s entirely gluten-free!

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Caesar salad in a white bowl with lemons as garnish.
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Craveable Gluten-Free Caesar Salad (Best Dressing)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 8 side salads
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This is the only way to make a classic, velvety caesar salad – and it happens to be completely gluten-free. My homemade dressing is thick, creamy, and perfectly balanced. Toss with fresh torn romaine, parmesan and crunchy gluten-free croutons (never soft or soggy) for a dinner or side you'll make on repeat.
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Ingredients
 

Gluten Free Caesar Dressing

Salad

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • For the dressing, in a medium bowl place all the ingredients. Use a whisk to combine, making sure the anchovy paste is blended throughly. The dressing will be thick.
    ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 2 small garlic cloves, minced , 1 teaspoon anchovy paste , 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard , ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Place the wash and well-dried lettuce in a large bowl. Pour half the dressing over the top and use tongs to toss and coat the lettuce. Add the remaining amount of dressing to your liking, and toss again until the lettuce is well coated and uniformly combined.
    3 small heads romaine, 1 recipe seasoned gluten free croutons , additional grated parmesan
  • Divide onto plates. Grate more parmesan to sprinkle on top and add croutons. Serve immediately. Makes 4 large dinner servings or 8 side servings.

Notes

Storing Leftovers
If you don’t end up using all the dressing, store leftovers in an airtight container or lidded jar about 3-5 days. Give it a quick whisk again before serving again. 
If you have croutons leftover, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen. They have a tendency to soften the longer they are stored, but they will re-crisp in an oven or air fryer.
Calories: 110kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 428mg, Potassium: 142mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 3757IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 1mg
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