I Tried 7 Bottled Caesar Dressings & The Best Was Tangy and Creamy

There's a reason why the Caesar salad has been a mainstay on restaurant menus and dining tables all over the world for 100 years. Though often mistakenly associated with Julius Ceasar, this romaine-based salad (and the dressing that bears the same name) is actually the creation of an Italian restaurateur named Caesar Cardini, who owned a handful of restaurants on the West Coast in the 1920s. The Caesar salad is said to have appeared at one of his Tijuana restaurants (also named Caesar's) in 1924.

A traditional Caesar salad has just two ingredients as its base: Romaine lettuce and croutons. It's the Caesar dressing—generally made with lime or lemon juice, egg yolks, Dijon mustard, garlic, anchovies, olive oil, parmesan cheese, Worcester sauce, and black pepper—that makes this dish so iconic and enduring.

Nowadays, you'll find many bottled Caesar dressings on grocery store shelves, but they're not all comparable in taste or texture. Since the dressing will make or break the salad, it matters which one you buy.

While some people choose to modify the precise ingredients in their Caesar salad, I think we can all agree that a proper Caesar dressing should be creamy and tangy and enhance the fresh flavors of the lettuce (and the crunchy croutons). I set out to test seven popular store-bought Caesar salad dressings in search of the best-tasting option. I judged each one on aesthetics and taste, and I was surprised to find that there was quite a bit of variance among them. For the purposes of this taste test, I only sampled the dressings on their own, not mixed into an actual salad, so the experience was purely focused on the dressings themselves.

In the end, some of my favorite brands were disappointing; others surprised me (and a few I never want to taste again!). Read on to see how each brand fared, ranked from my least favorite to the best of the bunch.

Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing & Marinade

Primal Kitchen's Caesar dressing substitutes avocado oil for olive oil and also doubles as a marinade. It is free of gluten, dairy, soy, and canola oil, and like most of the dressings I sampled, it contains no sugar. This bottle cost me $7.99 at my local grocery store, making it the most expensive option on this list. It's worth noting that while this ranked last for taste, our dietitians rank Primal Kitchen as one of the healthiest Caesar dressings you can find at the grocery store.

The look: This was one big gelatinous blob of dressing. It looked more like homemade slime than food. Primal Kitchen's Caesar might not have been as unappealing if I hadn't seen it in this state and it had been pre-tossed into a salad, but that's partly the point of this exercise.

The taste: It had some tang to it, but I could not get over the fact that it was like eating Caesar-flavored gelatin. I like the fact that it doubles as a marinade, but from a pure taste standpoint, I'll have to pass.

Rating: 1/10

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Caesar Cardini's Original Caesar

As noted already, Caesar Cardini is the man credited for inventing Caesar salad back in the 1920s. The bottle that bears his name nowadays can be yours for $4.99, but it may not deliver the same kick as his original. In fact, it appears that the name was licensed by dressing giant Marzetti and marketed as the 'original' Casear recipe, but there is no clear proof that the contents have any direct affiliation with the Cardini family. The brand also has a handful of other Cardini Caesar dressings on offer, including garlic lemon and three-cheese Caesar, as well as a line of bagged croutons. Authentic or not, it was worth a try.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: This dressing looked blobby and overly thick straight out of the bottle. It didn't have that nice, creamy texture you'd expect from a good Caesar dressing. But since the use of the Cardini name here appears to be little more than a marketing ploy, we won't hold it against him. Nevertheless, it was unappetizing, to say the least.

The taste: Tangy, to be sure, but the unappealing consistency took it out of the running right off the bat.

Rating: 1.5/10

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Kraft Classic Caesar

This bottle of Kraft Classic Caesar contains no artificial flavors or colors, which I found somewhat surprising. Described as a traditional Caesar dressing, it contains lemon juice, parmesan and romano cheeses, and adds in vinegar and dried garlic, presumably for some extra flavor. I found it for $3.99.

The look: This dressing looked thick and white, almost like mayonnaise, but dotted with spices.

The taste: Kraft's version of Caesar was creamy and tangy, but it tasted a bit generic. This would be serviceable on a Caesar salad, but you can do better.

Rating: 4/10

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Annie's Caesar Dressing

Annie's dressings are among the most popular in America (and in my house), so I was excited to try the brand's take on Caesar. Like most Annie's products, Annie's Caesar is organic, and features parmesan cheese, anchovy, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. This one sells for $6.49.

The look: It had a surprisingly thin, slightly liquid consistency, which isn't necessarily a knock. I love Annie's dressings, so I had high hopes for the taste.

The taste: Tangy. It had a granulated texture, which I'd attribute to the parmesan cheese. This dressing was decent, but while Primal Kitchen and Cardini's were too thick, Annie's was not quite thick enough.

Rating: 5/10

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Newman's Own Creamy Caesar

Newman's Own usually delivers, and it's hard to dislike any brand that gives 100% of its profits to kids in need. This creamy Caesar dressing contains garlic, lemon juice, and anchovies (a personal favorite of mine). I snagged this bottle on sale for $4.69. Bear in mind that the creaminess of this one translates to a dressing that is quite high in fat.

The look: The coloring was more tan compared to some of the others, and it did not contain a lot of visible spices. The consistency was closer to what I'm looking for in a Caesar dressing.

The taste: This cheesy, tangy dressing had a kick but without that tangy afterburn. Still, it could have used more spices.

Rating: 6/10

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Briannas Asiago Caesar Dressing

Made with shredded asiago cheese, garlic puree, and Worcestershire sauce, Briannas Homestyle Caesar sells for $4.79 at my local grocery store. In addition to swapping parmesan for asiago, this one also contains vinegar. Briannas' dressings feel slightly elevated, which might lead you to assume it is a better-for-you option, but that's not exactly true. Our dietitians call it one of the unhealthiest bottled Caesar dressings out there due in part to its excessively high sodium (one serving delivers 14% of your daily recommended sodium). But we're going for taste here.

The look: It's slightly darker, almost like a light brown in color. It's not necessarily a color I associate with Caesar dressing, but I love Briannas and was excited to give it a try.

The taste: This Caesar was complex and savory. The thick texture would be delicious on any salad. Still, it wasn't quite good enough to snag the top spot on this list.

Rating: 7/10

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Ken's Creamy Caesar

Ken's Steak House is one of the most famous names in the bottled salad dressing game. This creamy Caesar with roasted garlic is part of the brand's Chef's Reserve product line, and in addition to the garlic puree, it contains a handful of other ingredients for added flavor and spice, like peppercorn, mustard flour, celery seed, and onion. It cost me just $2.49 on sale. (Again, this is all about taste, but be advised that one serving of this dressing contains 22% of the daily recommended value for fat.)

The look: It was thick and white out of the bottle. It would look great on a bed of crunchy, crouton-topped romaine.

The taste: Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Ken's is tangy, savory, and very creamy. But it's the inclusion of roasted garlic that really puts it over the top in my book. Out of all seven dressings I tried, this was hands-down the best.

Rating: 8/10