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Caesar dressing turned 100 last year and somehow seems to be more popular than ever. Shouldn't we all be so lucky? Bon Appétit has no shortage of recipes, from classic Caesar Dressing to Black Garlic Caesar Salad. But for those nights when you don't want to painstakingly emulsify oil into an egg yolk—this happens, even to us—there is a supermarket full of bottles to save your Wednesday. The only question is: Which ones are worth your romaine and which aren’t?
Cesare Cardini (in some circles, Caesar or César) developed the original recipe for Caesar dressing in 1924 at his restaurant Caesar’s in Tijuana, Mexico. In 1947 the New York Times ran its first recipe for Caesar salad, a year before Cardini Foods trademarked the dressing Cardini had invented.
These days there are many brands and styles to pick from—some are shelf-stable, others refrigerated, some creamy, others vinaigrette-style, some with cheese and anchovies, others vegan. So how do you pick? That was the challenge of our latest taste test: to find the best store-bought Caesar dressing.
How we picked the products
We began our search by asking the Bon Appétit staff for their favorite bottles. There were several shoutouts for Ken’s, Newman’s Own, and Briannas, as well as votes for Marzetti and Girard’s. Once we had our preliminary list, we reviewed other taste tests to get a sense of which brands get a lot of attention and which may have been overlooked.
We cast a wide net in our Caesar search—delicious dressings can take many forms. We included refrigerated and shelf-stable brands, as well as vegan and non-vegan dressings. However, we did rule out anything packaged as Caesar “vinaigrette,” such as California Olive Ranch, which tends to be runnier than traditional creamy styles.
How we set up our taste test
To keep our taste test blind, we decanted an equal portion of each dressing into a series of numbered identical bowls. Tasters sampled each dressing on its own, after which we compared notes and narrowed the list to our top eight. Next, tasters dipped chopped romaine leaves into the dressing to mimic the Caesar salad eating experience. Ultimately, our panel settled on their three favorite Caesar dressings, plus one honorable mention.
How our editors evaluated
A great Caesar dressing needs to pack a punch. Our panel wanted some bite from garlic and pepper, acidity from lemon or vinegar, and umami depth from aged cheese, anchovies, or another source, all built on a creamy foundation. And that foundation couldn’t be totally smooth. The best Caesar dressing gets textural interest from cracks of peppercorn and nubs of Parmesan cheese. It needs to toe the line of viscosity, being neither too thick nor too thin. Caesar dressing should coat lettuce in a salad without weighing down the leaves. We took points off for dressings that were gloppy or heavy. We’re looking for dressing, our tasters emphasized, not dip.
The punchy champ: Marzetti Supreme Caesar Salad Dressing
Unlike most pre-made Caesars, you’ll find Marzetti Caesar dressing in your grocery store's refrigerated section. An emulsification of oil and egg yolks, this punchy dressing gets its kick from two kinds of cheese: nutty Parmesan and salty, funky Romano. It gets acid from both red-wine and distilled vinegars, as well as lemon juice concentrate, and rounds things out with a classic Caesar flavor trio of mustard seed powder, anchovies, and garlic.
Molasses and tamarind might seem like odd additions to this dressing, but you’ll see them on a lot of bottled Caesars. These ingredients, as well as anchovies, are integral to Worcestershire sauce, which is what Cardini used in his original recipe. Together, they add an undercurrent of sweetness (just enough to provide balance), while the tamarind also lends even more tang.
Why it won us over: Marzetti Caesar dressing is not subtle—and that’s what makes it great. Our tasters’ first impressions focused on the dressing’s zingy, sharp flavor. Senior cooking and SEO editor Joe Sevier enjoyed the smoky burn of what he deemed “high-quality black pepper,” while commerce writer Wilder Davies lauded the perceptible bits of real garlic. Other tasters appreciated Marzetti’s deep umami and creamy (not gloppy) texture, akin to plain yogurt. In all, Marzetti presented a rich base, bolstered by the savory aroma of garlic, cheese, and anchovy, cut fiercely with an acidic twang.
We’d love it in: Swap Marzetti Caesar dressing into this Kale Caesar Salad With Lemony Breadcrumbs for a crunch-on-crunch-creamy-perfection experience.
The budget buy: Kraft Classic Caesar Dressing
Like many supermarket Caesars, Kraft’s Caesar dressing is made with oil, vinegar, cheese, and egg yolks. Things take a turn when cream and buttermilk appear. Typically, Caesar’s creamy texture is built from the emulsion of oil, egg yolks, and vinegar. Kraft augments their dressing with extra dairy, bolstering its acidity with a lactic twang. You’ll also find yeast extract among the ingredients here. Like MSG, yeast extract is a source of glutamates, which add a deeply savory flavor. In something like a Caesar dressing, yeast extract supercharges the umami in the anchovies and cheese.
Why it won us over: This dressing started a lively debate among our panel. “This has to be Newman’s Own,” cried one taster. “I think it’s Cardini’s,” said another. Try as they might, none of the panel guessed correctly on first taste. Wilder called Kraft Caesar dressing “well balanced” and described it as peppery, savory, and tangy. Associate visuals editor Marc Williams raved about the waves of powdered garlic and the bits of black peppercorn that gave the dressing a homemade feel. Our tasters found a lot to love here, and at a cheaper price point than our winner ($0.35 per oz. compared to $0.21 per oz.), it’s also good for your wallet.
We’d love it in: Mixed with Calabrian chile paste, it’s an easy swap in Spicy Caesar Potato Salad.
The brightest star: Girard’s Caesar Dressing
Chef Pierre Girard started bottling salad dressing in San Francisco in the early 20th century, just a few years after Cardini first whipped up Caesar. Today, you’ll find Girard’s eponymous dressings in the produce section of your grocery store. Its ingredients comprise the usual suspects—oil, cheese, anchovies—plus lemon juice concentrate and citric acid, which contribute to its lively flavor. Interestingly, Girard’s and Cardini’s are both owned by the T. Marzetti Company, which also produces, you guessed it, Marzetti Caesar dressing. Is there a Caesar syndicate at work here?
Why it won us over: Upon sampling Girard’s impressively creamy Caesar dressing, tasters showered it with compliments, each one speaking over the next. Wilder praised its “notes of Dijon,” while commerce writer Alaina Chou gushed about the vibrant notes of lemon. Joe said the grains of Parmesan really shined here. But everyone agreed that Girard’s best quality was its brightness—that zing of acidity that balanced its salty, savory bite.
We’d love it in: Grilled Chicken Sandwich With Caesar-ish Dressing, where its extra citrusy flavor would take the recipe into the stratosphere.
Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar Dressing: Although Trader Joe’s vegan option was a bit thinner than others we tasted, our panel said it had a nice balance between bright lemon and vegetal olive oil.
- 365 Organic Caesar Dressing: Tasters said this dressing was overindexed on distilled vinegar, creating an excessive sharpness.
- 365 Organic Creamy Caesar Dressing: Whole Foods' refrigerated option was too sweet and not quite savory enough for our tasters.
- Brianna’s Home Style Asiago Caesar Dressing: We loved this deliciously savory dressing, but the prominent balsamic vinegar and soy sauce flavors took it too far from Caesar’s dominion.
- California Pizza Kitchen Caesar Dressing: Tasters wanted garlic but found too much here, along with an artificial-butter flavor.
- Cardini’s Original Caesar Dressing: Tasters reported a sweet lemon flavor and likened this dressing to aioli. In short, it failed the “not dip” test.
- Gotham Greens Vegan Caesar Dressing: Several tasters said they’d seek out this group-favorite dressing for future salad nights, but its mushroomy flavor felt too removed from a Caesar.
- Happy Belly Creamy Caesar Dressing: Without much pepper or Parmesan, Happy Belly fell flat on flavor.
- Ken’s Steak House Creamy Caesar Dressing: The toasted garlic flavor here was overpowering, and there wasn’t enough acid to keep things balanced.
- Kewpie Caesar Dressing: Tasters agreed the sweetness and distinct umami in Kewpie overpowered all its other flavors.
- Litehouse Caesar Dressing and Spread: Tasters thought this dressing needed more punch and speculated it would get lost in a salad.
- Marie’s Caesar Dressing: Marie’s was cheesy but not Parmesan-y, and it had a sour taste that didn’t garner many fans.
- Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing: Tasters said Newman’s leaned more oily than ideal.
- Olive Garden Classic Caesar Dressing: This bottled dressing had a sweet-savory twang with notes of celery seed that reminded us more of a slaw dressing than Caesar.
- Wish-Bone Creamy Caesar Dressing: Tasters detected a meaty flavor, almost like pepperoni. This might have been due to the soy flour used as a thickening agent—when toasted, it tends to have a nutty, savory flavor—combined with the brand’s mix of spices.
- Yo Mama’s Dairy-Free Caesar: Tasters found this contender for our best store-bought Caesar Salad dressing taste test too oily.
