The king of salads has to be Caesar Salad. Why? Because it appears on almost every menu I can think of. Our Caesar salad recipe without egg is delicious. Chefs vary on their version of Caesar salads. But that’s a good thing, because you get to try a new riff every time.
There are certain ingredients that are universal to a classic Caesar salad recipe, and there are also some controversial ones. Rest assured that you’ll definitely get Romaine, lettuce, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon and Worcestershire sauce. The controversial ingredients like raw egg and/or anchovies can be added or left out.
Don’t let anyone shame you because you don’t want anchovies. But I would suggest that you at least try them. The slightly briny taste of anchovies adds to Caesar salad and other recipes an umami thing that really can’t be replicated.
And as far as the raw egg, there are alternatives. In our classic Caesar salad recipe without egg, we do use anchovies, but we skip the raw egg. Many people will substitute a Tablespoon or two of mayonnaise or they will coddle the egg.
I’ve been using this recipe since my kids were born (my oldest Ben is now 24 years old). I didn’t add the raw egg because I was feeding the salad to young kids, not babies of course, and since that’s what everyone grew up loving I’ve continued to leave the egg out. Besides, back then I didn’t realize that there was a substitute for the raw egg yolk.
Our Caesar salad recipe without egg is not creamy, it’s an oil based salad dressing. I’ll tinker with the creamy dressings and make that a future post.
If you are a Caesar salad lover, then you may like these other recipes:
Caesar Salad Dressing Without Anchovies
Chicken Caesar Wrap For On-The-Go
Chicken Caesar Sandwich
Is The Raw Egg Yolk Necessary In Caesar Salad Dressing?
No. There are purists that will tell you the raw egg needs to be included. I develop recipes that work for my family and my situation. As I stated earlier, I used to serve this Caesar salad to my kids, so I didn’t want to use the raw egg, and that’s just stuck with us ever since.
You want to avoid feeding raw egg to those that are susceptible like little kids, pregnant women, older adults and those with immune deficiency.
The egg helps emulsify the Caesar dressing, meaning it helps the oil and the lemon juice blend and stay blended. The raw egg yolk will give the dressing a nice consistency that will coat the leaves nicely. If you skip the raw egg yolk, then you’ll need to shake the dressing well before using it. I find that with any Caesar dressing you’ll need to shake it well anyway.
If skipping the raw egg yolk then a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise (or even yogurt) will help emulsify the classic Caesar Salad recipe without egg and make it a little creamy.
You can also boil the egg for 2 minutes, run under cold water and then separate the egg yolk from the egg white.
And once again, you can just do what I do and leave it out. My Caesar Salad recipe without egg below is delicious, egg or not! You can try our Caesar Salad Dressing Without Anchovies which incorporates an egg yolk.
How To Make Our Classic Caesar Salad Recipe Without Egg
I’ve pictured the inner crunchy whole leaves of Romaine for our Caesar dressing recipe. If I’m making the salad for the whole family, then I’ll use all of the leaves. It just makes sense, otherwise I’d be using a head for one or two salads.
If you want to make the salad gorgeous for guests then use those precious inner leaves, it really makes a great presentation.
If using the darker green outer leaves of Romaine, then cut or tear them into bite size pieces and mix in with the crunchy inner leaves.
If you have a salad spinner then use it. The spinners take up a lot of storage space but do such a great job of drying the leaves I think they are a worthwhile expense.
If you don’t have a salad spinner, then once you’ve washed the leaves, lay them on some paper towels or a clean dish cloth and gently roll them in the towel to dry.
The drier the lettuce leaves the better the salad dressing will adhere to the leaves.
How To Make Garlic Croutons
Homemade croutons are the perfect topping for our Caesar salad recipe without egg.
Peel and smash 3 garlic cloves, place in small pan with kosher salt and pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes to infuse the garlic flavor into the oil.
Either cut cubes out of 6 slices of bread or tear small pieces from the inside of crusty French baguette for a rustic look. Toss the bread cubes with the seasoned oil, place on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. You want the bread lightly golden, if you go all the way to a brown color they will be overcooked.
How To Make Our Caesar Salad Recipe “To Go”
You can pack it in a container, it’s safe to keep room temperature for a few hours if the Caesar dressing doesn’t contain the raw egg. The lettuce will stay crisper if you put the salad in the refrigerator or use an ice or cold pack in your lunch bag.
Or do what Caesar Cardini originally wanted all of his diners to do. Use your fingers. If you use the inner crunchy leaves you can dress the leaves just before eating and keep the lettuce in a paper cone or even an edible savory cone.
Ingredient Substitutions For Our Caesar Salad Recipe Without Egg
Romaine lettuce – This is the classic lettuce in most Caesar salads. Mainly because you can get to the nice inner crunchy leaves. But the dressing is delicious on any of your favorite greens.
Worcestershire sauce – sorry, no substitution!
Parmesan cheese – Parmesan Reggiano is your number one cheese to use, but if you happen to have some Pecorino or Romano around you can use those.
Anchovies – just leave them out if you don’t care for them. Or use anchovy paste. Anchovy paste is convenient because you can keep it in the refrigerator once opened for about 18 months, this is true of anchovy fillets as well. But for those that are squeamish about mashing the actual anchovy, the paste is a good substitute.
Croutons – use them or not, it’s up to you!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Canola Oil – You can use 100% EVOO or a mixture of the two
Lemon juice – You can use fresh lime or orange juice, but it will alter the flavor a bit. You could also use a teaspoon or two or apple cider vinegar, but again, this will alter the taste too. Fresh lemon juice is by far the most preferred.
Time Saving Tips For Our Classic Caesar Salad Recipe
Since you are leaving the raw egg out, this classic Caesar salad dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If using a raw egg yolk you should eat the dressing that night.
You can wash and dry the lettuce leaves, roll them up in paper towels or a clean dish towel and store in a zip top plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week.
That’s why our Caesar salad recipe without egg is so great for a weeknight meal. Add chicken to make it heartier for bigger eaters.
So What’s The Real Story Behind Caesar Salad’s Origin?
No, this recipe was not a favorite of the emperor Caesar. It’s said that Caesar Cardini, a Californian and Mexican restauranteur, developed the recipe in the 1920s. He used the inner whole lettuce leaves and intended diners to pick the leaves up with their fingers. He also did not use anchovies.
It’s believed the anchovies were added later due to diners recognizing the taste of the them in the Worcestershire sauce. Beware of ordering a Caesar salad at a French restaurant if you aren’t fond of that strong taste, they go heavy on anchovies.
Caesar Salad Recipe Without Egg
Fast, easy Caesar salad recipe without egg for those of you squeamish about using a raw egg. Several substitution options.
Ingredients
- 1 Large head Romaine lettuce or two small ones
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano shredded or shaved for topping the salad
Crouton Oil
- 3 medium cloves of garlic peeled and smashed
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Croutons
- 6 slices bread or French baguette
Caesar Salad Dressing Without Egg
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 Tablespoons Canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 2 flat anchovy fillets or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano shredded
Instructions
Crouton Oil and Croutons
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel 3 cloves garlic, crush with the side of a chef’s knife. Add crushed garlic and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to ¼ cup olive oil in a small pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Cut the bread slices into ½” cubes or tear the inside of a baguette into ½” pieces. Toss bread cubes with seasoned olive oil. Keep bread cubes in single layer and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Until lightly golden, don’t wait for the bread to turn brown.
Make Caesar Salad Dressing
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Mash anchovies into a paste with a fork in a bowl or with a mortar and pestle. Mince remaining 2 cloves of garlic.
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If using a cruet, lidded jar or something that you can shake:
Combine ¼ cup olive oil and 6 Tablespoons canola oil in a cruet. Add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 cloves minced garlic, mashed anchovies (or anchovy paste), and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and shake well. Add ½ cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese. Shake again.
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Or if using a bowl and whisk:
Combine ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 cloves minced garlic, mashed anchovies (or anchovy paste), and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and stir. Slowly add the ¼ cup olive oil and 6 Tablespoons canola oil, constantly whisking.
Putting It All Together
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Wash and dry Romaine lettuce. Remove the outer dark green leaves and reserve for another salad or use. For the presentation you want the inner, light green leaves and keep them whole.
Dress the salad just before serving. Toss in a large bowl and then plate on individual dishes. Top with the remaining shredded Parmesan cheese or place fresh shavings of Parmesan on top of each dish. Add croutons.
Recipe Notes
If you use all of the leaves, both inner light green and outer dark green, then this will serve 8 as a side salad. If I don’t have company, I will use the whole head of lettuce. If you are looking for the striking presentation of the whole leaves then only use the inner light green leaves.
Croutons: You can cut the bread into nice, even cubes or for a more rustic look, tear the bread.
I’ve been enjoying raw eggs for years and never had a problem. From raw eggnog sweetened with monk fruit powder to real Caesar dressing, or just a few raw eggs in a smoothie; it’s a great way to get high quality fat, protein and lots of healthy nutrients. I’m continuously surprised to see and hear people who should no better parrot the lie that raw eggs are hazardous. If the chickens are healthy and the eggs are of good qu8ality and handled properly, I don’t see the problem. I speak from 40+ years of experience consuming raw eggs. Much ado about nothing.
Hi Chuck, this is just an alternative for those that don’t like the idea of a raw egg. Personally I don’t see much difference, the dressing isn’t quite as creamy but still delicious!