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You all probably know by now how much I enjoy a good salad. And, you probably know how much I love using plain, fat free Greek yogurt in sauces, dressings, and dips, in place of other similar creamy things. One, that I know you guys love is my healthy Greek yogurt dill dip.
It’s one of my favorites too. We make it all the time!
The great thing about using fat free Greek yogurt in dips and dressings is that it can replace another creamy fat such as mayonnaise, sour cream, or even egg yolks, and still create a thick, creamy texture without all of the fat. One of my favorite healthy swaps.
This healthy Caesar dressing recipe makes me so happy! The Greek yogurt replaces what’s used in a traditional Caesar salad dressing, egg yolk, or mayonnaise, and still achieves that ultra creamy, rich-like texture with half of the fat.
One of the best tasting, most popular salad dressings, with half of the fat?! Yes, please!!! I will have this healthier Caesar dressing on repeat, TYVM!
I have been making a version of this dressing for years, actually. I first tried Gimme Some Oven’s recipe, and was hooked. Since then, I have spent years tweaking it to my exact liking.
The result is a rich, creamy, tangy, salty, dressing that has all the classic flavors of Caesar dressing, only without as much fat – or raw egg yolk. It perfectly coats, and clings every romaine lettuce leaf (or whatever lettuce you like) just as a good Caesar dressing should.
The best part: this dressing is super easy to make! 10 minutes, in a blender, and you’ve got one tasty dressing on your hands that will last all week long!
What is traditional Caesar dressing made with?
The traditional, freshly made, Caesar dressing is made using fresh, raw egg yolks, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, garlic, minced anchovy, and lots of parmesan cheese. This method is usually freshly made due to the raw egg yolks. The egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil are whisked into a creamy emulsion – essentially a mayonnaise, and then parmesan cheese is added. I actually don’t think I’ve had a fresh made Caesar dressing before, I would love to try it.
However, a lot of store bought Caesar dressings are made with mayonnaise as the base (this is good since it’s not freshly made), along with the parmesan cheese, anchovy, parmesan cheese, and garlic added in.
Ingredients for my healthy Caesar salad dressing:
- Plain Greek yogurt (fat free) – Yes!!! My star ingredient! Fat free Greek yogurt allows us to cut the fat, and calorie for the dressing in half. Yet, it still provides that thick, creamy texture and taste we know and love with a Caesar dressing.
- Lemon juice – Bright, fresh, acidic. A much needed balance. Just make sure to use freshly squeezed, it makes all the difference.
- Anchovy paste – I know, this may sound scary, but I promise, it’s not. Anchovy is a very traditional ingredient in Caesar dressing. It does NOT make the dressing taste fishy, but it does add a salty, umami flavor that really adds to the overall taste. The anchovy paste makes this step super easy, and painless. It comes in a little tube, so all you have to do is squirt it into your measuring spoon. See, not scary, right?!
- Garlic cloves – Fresh garlic in a Caesar dressing is also essential. It adds so much good flavor.
- Parmesan cheese – Adds more salty, umami, cheesy flavor that we all associate with Caesar dressing. Just make sure to use good quality, freshly rated parmesan, skip the powder stuff in the green can, please.
- Olive oil – Nice, fruity olive oil to help with the thick creamy situation. It also adds a nice nutty flavor.
- Kosher salt – Of course, to bring out the flavors. We don’t need much due to the saltiness of the anchovy paste, and the parmesan cheese.
- Freshly ground black pepper – And lots of it. I love the hint of complexity black pepper brings to this dressing.
That’s it! That’s all you need to make my healthy Caesar dressing!
Tip: Since the ingredient list is short on this one it is best to use the highest quality ingredients you can so that each one plays their roll in elevating this simple dressing.
Do I HAVE to use the anchovy paste?
No. You can omit it if you are allergic to fish, are vegetarian, or just really don’t like it. I would recommend adding a little extra salt or parmesan cheese to taste, to compensate for the lack of salty umami flavor.
How to make healthy Caesar dressing:
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender.
- Blend on high until everything is creamy and delicious
- Enjoy on your favorite salad immediately.
- Or store it in the fridge for up to 1 week
Couldn’t be any easier!
Why is this Caesar Dressing healthier then traditional Caesar dressings?
The nutrition facts for a traditional, store bought Caesar dressing has 160 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 340mg of sodium in a serving of 2 tablespoons.
My healthy Caesar dressing recipe only has 82 calories, 7.8 grams of fat, and 141.9 mg of sodium in a serving of 2 tablespoons.
Thank you fat free Greek yogurt!!!
Also, there is always the added benefit of calcium, a bit of protein, and probiotics when using Greek yogurt!
So many wins!
What can I put this Caesar dressing on?
- Caesar salad with romaine – of course!
- Chicken Caesar salad – my Caesar salad recipe featuring this dressing. So GOOD!
- Any variation of Caesar salad – I love doing a kale Caesar salad in the winter.
- Caesar pasta salad with chicken – a fun twist on the classic salad.
- Chicken, salmon, or shrimp – We already know how great a Caesar salad is when chicken, salmon, or shrimp are added to a Caesar salad. Why not just use this Caesar dressing as a little flavor boost?!
Reasons you’ll want to make this healthy Caesar dressing on repeat:
- It’s delicious
- It’s lighter, yet still creamy
- It’s lower in calories, and fat
- It’s packed with healthy gut probiotics
- It’s super easy to make – 10 minutes in the blender.
- It’s gluten free
- It’s adaptable to be vegetarian
- It’s great for meal prep
- Toss it with my Chicken Caesar salad for an easy meal
- It’s versatile
- You can’t go wrong.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
When you make this recipe, please leave a comment down below, along with a star rating. This helps my recipes to be seen by more people. And, I love hearing from you. Thanks, friends!
Caesar salad recipes that use this dressing:
- Chicken Caesar salad – the classic Caesar salad with some juicy chicken added to make it an entrée. so good!
- Caesar pasta salad with chicken – a fun twist on the classic salad. So satisfying.
More healthy dips and dressings for you to love:
- healthy Greek yogurt dill dip – One of my most popular recipes. And one of our personal favorites to make at home.
- tzatziki sauce – a traditional Greek sauce starring Greek yogurt.
- 3 healthy ranch dressing recipes with Greek yogurt – ranch inspired dressings made with Greek yogurt.
- easy jalapeno sauce – no Greek yogurt in this recipe, but it’s a really light sauce/dip that’s made entirely with green veggies, and a little oil. Great for tortilla chips, tacos, etc.
Healthy Caesar Dressing (with Greek Yogurt)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: about 2 cups, 16 servings 1x
- Category: salads, easy, dressing, dips and sauces, 10 ingredients or less, 30 minutes or less
- Method: blending
- Cuisine: gluten free, egg free, nut free, healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
All the classic flavors of a traditional Caesar dressing, only with half of the calories and fat. This healthy Caesar dressing is so easy to make. It’s perfect for dressing a classic Caesar salad.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain, fat free, Greek yogurt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste (see notes)
- 1 to 2 cloves, garlic
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Blend: Add all of the ingredients into high speed blender, and blend on high until everything is smooth and creamy. Note: if your blender isn’t high powdered then you may want to mince the garlic before adding, just to ensure that there aren’t any large chunks of garlic in your dressing.
- Taste and adjust: Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. At this time you can thin out the dressing a little by adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, if desired. I personally like my dressing to be extra thick for salads.
- Serve or store: The dressing is ready to be served immediately. Toss it on some greens, I like romaine for a Caesar style salad, and enjoy. Or, make my chicken Caesar salad to go with it. If you want to store the dressing for later, add it to a mason jar, or air tight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the dressing will thicken as it chills, if it seems a little thick just allow it to sit at room temp for 15 minutes or so. Or, you can let it sit submerged in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
Notes
Anchovy paste: Anchovies are a traditional ingredient in Caesar dressing. It doesn’t necessarily make the dressing taste fishy, but it adds a nice umami, salty flavor. I buy a tube of anchovy paste. You can find it near the other canned fish. I highly recommend trying it in your dressing. However, if you want to leave it out, that is no problem, you will still have a great dressing – you might want to add a little extra salt to compensate.
Serving size/nutrition facts: I calculated the nutrition facts for a serving size of 2 tablespoons. This is because most other salad dressing recipes are also calculated for the serving size of 2 tablespoons. However, depending on the size of salad you are eating will determine how much salad dressing you end up using. Also, keep in mind that the nutrition facts are an estimation.
I can’t tell the difference of caeser dressing with Mayo! Absolutely delicious!
That’s awesome!!! So glad to hear that you liked it. Thanks for the kind review, and rating. 🙂