7 Store-Bought Caesar Dressings To Look Out For, And 7 You Might Want To Avoid

Although many sources credit the creation of the Caesar salad to Italian chef and restaurateur Cesare Cardini, the BBC revealed that there could be more to this story. There's speculation that the Cardini brother, Alex (or employee, Livio Santini), may have made the original Caesar salad recipe — we may never know for sure. Either way, we're truly grateful to whoever invented what's now one of the world's most famous salads.

A simple Caesar salad features romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, black peppers, lemon juice, and Caesar dressing. With this dish being so popular, there is now a vast market for store-bought Caesar dressings that speed up your food-making process. And since its invention in 1924, the Caesar dressing recipe has evolved — today, many variations exist. Some of these revisions are amazing, others are a disappointment, which is why we've created this guide to help you identify the best store-bought Caesar dressing brands, and the brands you should avoid.

Marzetti is a reputable brand that has consistently received high consumer ratings. This company's Supreme Caesar Dressing is often described as having that fresh garlicky taste you only enjoy in high-end restaurants. One reviewer said, "I have tried other Caesar Salad dressings, and this is by far my favorite. I don't get anything else. It reminds me the most of good restaurant Caesar dressings. I eat salads more frequently because of this dressing." 

The Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing formula includes traditional ingredients, such as anchovies, eggs, cheese, garlic, and other natural flavors. It has no preservatives or artificial flavors to alter its taste or texture, but this also means it must be stored in your refrigerator. 

Fans of this product are pleased that its quality has stayed consistent over the years while remaining reasonably priced. This is why one happy consumer crowned the Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing "the best Caesar dressing at a decent store bought price." This product has 260 milligrams of sodium in each serving, considerably less than what many competitor brands contain.

Don't fix it if it's not broken is a saying we all know, and that's a piece of advice the Wish-Bone company should have taken. After a recent change in the product formula, reviews for the company's Creamy Caesar Dressing have tanked. Pages once flooded with praise now contain petitions from angry consumers to revert to the old product. This consumer said, "The old recipe of this was seriously my favorite dressing ever. I then went to buy it after the recipe was changed and I had convinced myself I bought the wrong one because it tasted so different. I am still sad about the recipe change."

The new Wish-Bone Creamy Caesar Dressing still contains many familiar items, including anchovies, garlic, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, eggs, and vinegar. Unfortunately, consumers criticize this product for lacking the depth of flavor for which it was once known, adding that it's too acidic and vinegary.

Another shopper shared, "I made our salads, took one bite and almost puked from the overwhelming lemon taste! It doesn't even taste like Caesar dressing anymore! ... Why change something that was so great?!?!" Unless you don't mind sour Caesar salads, it might be best to pass on this product until the company addresses this issue. Finally, this brand also has more fat and sodium than many alternatives, making it one of the least healthy salad dressings in stores. 

Traditional Caesar dressing contains animal products, like anchovies, cheese, and eggs. Although making a dressing without these ingredients is tricky, Follow Your Heart has done a great job of making one of the best organic vegan alternatives. Crafted with unique constituents like Vegenaise and the basics such as Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard, this product is just as creamy and savory as other top brands.

One reviewer on Influenster wrote, "This is the best Caesar dressing of all time (vegan or not). It's creamy and tangy. I could eat this stuff on more than just salads ... I also use it as a veggie dip and a dip for Gardein chick'n strips and nuggets." This dressing is thick but not so much that it just sits on your veggies. It has the right consistency to mix a decent salad bowl with only a small scoop.

Follow Your Heart Vegan Organic Caesar Dressing is more than a simple vegan substitute. It's made to be inclusive for people who can't have dairy, anchovies, gluten, or eggs. One person on Amazon said, "I can't eat dairy, gluten & eggs. It can be tough to find tasty salad dressing & condiments that I can tolerate. This dressing is excellent! I highly recommend it." Others add that they appreciate this product because it contains 70 calories per serving, which is less than most. It also has zero carbohydrates and cholesterol.

Daiya Dairy Free Creamy Caesar Dressing is a vegan Caesar dressing that just fails to hit the mark. The only benefit to this product is that it's clean and made using a few simple ingredients, including canola oil, white vinegar, cane sugar, chickpea protein, and onions. Therefore, it's suitable for consumers who can't have fish, gluten, dairy, or soy. It's also a low-sugar, cholesterol-free food. Unfortunately, these few benefits don't compensate for its shortcomings, as you can get better quality products offering similar benefits.

The first issue consumers have with this brand is that it doesn't taste right. One person said, "I'm a huge fan of caesar salads and this does not taste like caesar dressing at all. It has a weird sour taste that overpowers the actual greens. Wouldn't recommend." Consumers also complained that the texture of Daiya Dairy Free Creamy Caesar Dressing is too thick, so getting a smooth salad is challenging. One commenter said, it's "so thick it won't shake out of the bottle. The smell is quite rank."

According to Caesar Cardini's original Caesar dressing product page, it's made using the original recipe developed about 100 years ago. For one consumer, this brand is "as close to the original homemade version as you can get." And if you're yet to find a sweet spot even after trying several brands, this might be worth a shot. This person shared, "I have tried numerous Caesar Dressings, and this is the best on the market!"

This product features many simple ingredients, including egg yolk, Parmesan cheese, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, and mustard seed. Interestingly, unlike the original Caesar dressing, this product has anchovies. This mixture produces an acidic yet wholesome flavor even without Worcestershire sauce. One reviewer said this dressing elevates your Caesar salads to the quality served at a classic Italian restaurant. This means you don't taste anything artificial, a rare quality that sets the Caesar Cardini Caesar Dressing apart from other brands.

Adding Caesar Cardini Caesar Dressing to your salads won't make them unhealthy — each serving has a low sodium content of 170 milligrams. This product also contains moderate quantities of fat.

Bolthouse Farm's creamy Caesar dressing has one unusual ingredient you won't see in other brands, yogurt. It also has other standard ingredients such as egg yolks, Dijon mustard, garlic, black pepper, and other natural spices that help deepen the flavor. This product is low in calories, gluten free, and low in fat, so it's generally considered a healthy choice.

With the Bolthouse Farm's Creamy Caesar, things can go either way. The yogurt gives it a tart sweetness that some might find pleasant and others consider revolting. This is why reviews for this product are usually mixed. If you don't really care for yogurt or simply want the classic caesar salad, using this brand to make your Caesar salad might be a mistake you want to avoid. One person said, "it tastes like something ... just not Caesar dressing. It's okay but not something I would buy again." Another reviewer commented, "Not gonna lie. This stuff would gag a maggot. Yuck!"

If you love your Caesar salads, thick and creamy, then you may enjoy Ken's Steakhouse Creamy Caesar Dressing. It has Romano cheese instead of the usual Parmesan cheese, which produces a creamier texture that consumers describe as not watery or thick. This is one of the few brands that doesn't contain Worcestershire sauce – still, you won't miss the signature Caesar dressing taste. This is because it's flavored with various natural herbs and spices including garlic and red pepper.

One satisfied consumer said, "[This is] one of my most favorite dressings in a bottle. Love the hint or anchovy like a real Caesar dressing. Not too fishy. Love the cheese and garlic flavor. This dressing is not too heavy. This is my go to Caesar dressing and I use it on all types of salads."

Ken's Steakhouse Creamy Caesar Dressing is affordable and readily available in local grocery stores. The brand also makes lite Caesar dressing for consumers who want lower calories. Don't worry! It tastes just as good as the original version. One person commented, "I usually detest any dressings that are 'lite.' They taste weird to me, and have an almost slimy consistency. This is definitely an exception! So creamy and flavorful."

Combining aged Parmesan cheese and extra roasted garlic creates the creamy, garlicky flavor of Kraft Deluxe Bold Caesar Dressing. The roasting process also lets out the natural sweetness of garlic. This Caesar dressing brand has several other ingredients, such as egg yolks, lemon juice, and a mix of natural flavors and spices, creating a unique flavor that some consumers may find enjoyable.

What puts the Kraft Deluxe Bold Caesar Dressing on the do not buy list is its abundance of mixed reviews. While some reviewers appreciate its depth of flavor, others complain it's too sweet. One reviewer said, "Kraft you can do better! This Caesar dressing is so sweet it was inedible for me."

Another recurring consumer critique is that this brand fails to create the characteristic texture and thickness of caser dressing. This Amazon buyer wrote, "This wasn't very good. Nothing really bold about it, it's just watery and tangy. Not very caesar-like."

Tessemae's Organic Creamy Caesar Dressing is another excellent brand for consumers who can't stand anchovies. It gets better because this inclusive brand is suitable for individuals who are restricted to gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free diets. This brand further excludes common inflammatory ingredients such as soy. One reviewer said they were glad they tried it because it's soy free.

Even though Tessemae's Organic Creamy Caesar Dressing doesn't contain any dairy products, it's still pretty creamy with a slight peppery kick. It impacts a rich flavor to your salads without the unnatural sugary taste of competitors. For some loyal consumers, this product is the best Caesar dressing they've ever had and they can't get enough.

Sunkist Lemon Black Pepper Caesar Salad Dressing has all the crucial flavorful ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, onions, and Parmesan cheese. This creates a prominent lemon pepper flavor that typically pairs well with fresh lettuce, cabbage, or spinach. However, this brand seems to have failed to execute the taste, as consumers aren't impressed. This product is too peppery with a super strong lemon kick which may be unbearable if you don't love so much sourness.

Here's what one reviewer said, "Really nasty dressing. Doesn't taste like a caesar dressing at all and the only thing you can taste is the pepper-overkill. The taste reminds me of a sub sauce but not something you should ever put on a salad." If you love a lot of spice on your salad, this might be okay for you, but if not, spending your money on this product might not be worth the trouble.

Brianna's Asiago Caesar Dressing may have perfected the blend of tart, cheesy, and sweetness. Asiago cheese, an uncommon ingredient in Caesar dressings, may be responsible for the strong creamy taste that leaves consumers gushing, "Omg best dressing ever! The Asiago really brings out the taste, I've had many Caesar dressings before but this one beat them all!"

This brand is so creamy that even if you typically add extra cheese to your salads, you don't need to anymore. Another benefit of this brand is how much value you can get from each small scoop.

Although Brianna's Asiago Caesar Dressing doesn't have anchovies, it's still a top-tier Caesar salad dressing. It's packed with other premium ingredients, such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, that elevates its flavor. One reviewer commented, "This is a delicious dressing, with a hint of garlic and a tang of vinegar." And since many others have called this the best Caesar salad dressing they've ever had it may be worth a try.

Dr. Will's Vegan Caesar Dressing is one of those cases where the product just fails to live up to expectations on all fronts. The ingredient list features regular items like vinegar, mustard, garlic, and black pepper. But this product also contains some things you wouldn't typically see in a Caesar dressing, like cornflour. These peculiar ingredients create a thick and lumpy mixture that has no place being on a salad. One person said this product was too thick and didn't pour well. 

But the negative reviews don't stop at its texture. Consumers have also complained about how it tastes and smells. "The smell was quite unpleasant and it didn't taste like Caesar dressing to me. Probably, a bit too earthy for my palette."

This brand uses artificial cheese flavor to compensate for the lack of dairy products, which is a problem. One disappointed consumer wrote, "The artificial cheese flavor is reminiscent of cheese puffs, which, while delicious, is not a flavor you like in the context of a salad."

Bottled salad dressings are notorious for being unhealthy, but Primal Kitchen Caesar dressing doesn't fall into that category. All ingredients in this product are organic, plus it has no added sugar, so it's keto-friendly too. It's one of the most inclusive Caesar dressings you'll find in grocery stores because it doesn't have common ingredients that some consumers may consider inflammatory such as canola oil, soy, dairy, and gluten. One reviewer said, "Taste great and with my soy allergy it does not feel like I am giving anything up."

Pleased with this product's clean nutritional label, this buyer said, "If you look for Caesar dressing and study the labels you will find it is extremely difficult to find one with (at least what I consider to be) good oil. Avocado oil is a good one and this has it. Not only that, it tastes great." Another Amazon shopper said they love that avocado is in the dressing.

The Primal Kitchen Caesar dressing has a thicker texture than others and doesn't include anchovies, yet it maintains the delicious traditional restaurant flavor. 

Caesar dressings are typically rich in fat and sometimes contain more than 100 calories per serving. Walden Farms distinguishes itself by producing a Caesar salad dressing with zero calories. This product adds no carbohydrates, fat, sugars, or cholesterol to your salads. Therefore, the Walden Farms zero-calorie Caesar Dressing might be ideal for individuals with strict diets.

If your eating habits are not tightly regulated, there's hardly a good reason to choose this product over others, especially because it doesn't precisely replicate the zesty flavor of typical Caesar dressing. This person described its taste as "too sweet for me, not tangy enough." Another unimpressed reviewer added, "It doesn't remotely resemble a caesar dressing. It tastes like chemicals and leaves a horrible after taste."

Although this brand includes several spices like garlic, turmeric, and onions, shoppers consider it bland. It also includes other flavorful ingredients such as anchovies, white vinegar, and lemon juice — but these don't expand how it tastes.