This shrimp Caesar salad has crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy garlic croutons, and creamy homemade yogurt dressing (no egg yolks!) tossed with juicy, lemony jumbo shrimp. It’s an easy salad packed with flavor!
If you’re looking for another tasty summer salad recipe, check out this chopped salmon salad. And try this easy shrimp ceviche for a light, fresh appetizer.
Some people have hobbies like scrapbooking or baseball cards. My hobby? Recreating my favorite dishes from restaurants. I’ve reinvented P.F. Chang’s Mongolian beef at home, Chick-fil-A’s lemon kale Caesar salad, and the baked battered shrimp from Red Lobster.
This brings me to today’s shrimp Caesar salad. I make this recipe with the easiest homemade Caesar dressing that’s fresh and garlicky, tossed with crunchy lettuce and croutons, plus juicy grilled jumbo shrimp.
What Makes This Caesar Salad THAT Salad
- Like a restaurant, but better. I fell in love with the shrimp salad at Red Lobster at first bite. Ever since, I’ve been recreating that creamy, crunch shrimp Caesar salad with my favorite homemade dressing. It’s just like I remember it, and maybe even better!
- Juicy grilled shrimp. Can we talk about how shrimp belongs everywhere, on every plate, especially in the summer? Shrimp is the easiest, fastest protein to prepare, and it’s delicious in this salad.
- Easy yogurt dressing. I make a creamy, lightened-up homemade Caesar salad dressing. My recipe skips the traditional egg yolks and anchovies and uses just a few easy ingredients that I always have in the fridge, like nonfat yogurt. It’s great on a chicken Caesar wrap, too!
- Versatile. Shrimp Caesar salad is a light meal on its own, or you can serve it as a side salad at your next BBQ with a side of deviled eggs and steak kabobs to boot. Call your neighbors over, have a pool party, or get the girls over for happy hour– this easy shrimp salad is a real all-rounder.
Caesar Salad Ingredients
Ingredients-wise, a classic Caesar salad is actually super simple. The real magic lies in the dressing! I’ve included some notes here on what I use to make this shrimp salad and the yogurt Caesar dressing that goes with it. Have a scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with recipe details.
- Lettuce – My favorite lettuce for Caesar salad is crispy romaine, but you can use any kind you’d like. Iceberg lettuce and butter lettuce are good options or a mix of leaves.
- Croutons – Use garlic croutons or regular, it’s up to you.
- Shrimp – I top this recipe with pan-grilled shrimp tossed in lemon juice. You can use peeled, deveined shrimp and cook it any way you’d like. This Caesar salad also tastes great topped with sautéed lemon garlic shrimp or shrimp scampi.
For the Yogurt Dressing
- Plain Yogurt – Plain non-fat yogurt or Greek yogurt.
- Dijon Mustard – Or yellow mustard for a stronger flavor.
- Garlic – I like to use a fresh garlic clove. In a pinch, you can substitute the one clove with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is best.
- Parmesan – Grate a little extra for garnishing the salad, too.
- Salt and Black Pepper – Use just enough to enhance all the flavors.
How to Make a Shrimp Caesar Salad
Here’s how to make this restaurant-style shrimp Caesar salad at home in just a few steps:
- Get the salad ready. Prepare the base of your salad by filling a bowl with chopped romaine and sprinkling over the croutons.
- Prepare your shrimp. Season peeled and deveined shrimp with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Next, cook the shrimp using your preferred method. I cook mine in a grill pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. In the summer, I’ll use our outdoor grill.
- Make the dressing. Add all the Caesar dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until it’s nice and creamy.
- Assemble. Add your grilled shrimp over the salad and drizzle everything with Caesar dressing. Give the salad a good toss, garnish with parmesan and more lemon, and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Dry the lettuce. Make sure to dry the lettuce well after rinsing so that it doesn’t water down the salad. I love my salad spinner for this. Otherwise, pat the leaves dry with paper towels.
- Watch the shrimp while it cooks. Shrimp is done cooking when it curls into a “C” shape and looks pink all over. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp or it’ll taste rubbery.
- Can I use frozen shrimp? Absolutely! Thaw the shrimp first, either in the fridge or by running the shrimp under cold water for a few minutes. Afterward, cook it as directed.
Easy Variations
- Make a chunkier dressing. If you don’t have a blender, you can still make the yogurt Caesar dressing by finely chopping the garlic and whisking it together with the other ingredients. I’ll sometimes use a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Just add everything to the jar and give it a good shake.
- Different protein. If shellfish isn’t your thing, go ahead and replace the shrimp with another protein, like chicken, for a chicken Caesar salad instead. You can also top this salad with grilled fish, like tilapia, or this easy air fryer salmon.
- Add egg. For extra protein, top your shrimp Caesar salad with a hard-boiled egg.
- More add-ins. Sprinkle in diced avocado, capers, or cooked crumbled bacon. You can also swap the croutons for crispy chickpeas.
Serving Suggestions
I’ll hoover down a giant bowl of this shrimp Caesar salad for lunch all on its own. Washed down with a glass of Pinot Grigio or sparkling hibiscus iced tea? Perfection. This frosted lemonade (surprise, another copycat recipe!) also doubles as dessert.
If I’m serving this Caesar salad as a side, it goes great with grilled BBQ chicken pizza or grilled swordfish. I’ll cook the shrimp on the grill at the same time! It’s also a tasty side with vegetable lasagna, homemade lobster ravioli, or chicken piccata. And I never forget to serve a peach cobbler to finish a great meal.
Storing Leftovers
Like most salad recipes, this is best served right away. If you have leftovers, store the shrimp and salad separately and without the dressing. Once the dressing is added, the lettuce tends to get soggy the longer it’s in the fridge. Store everything airtight and enjoy any leftovers within 2-3 days.
More Shrimp Recipes
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Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
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Prepare the salad. In a large salad bowl combine chopped lettuce and croutons. Set aside.
For the grilled shrimp:
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Season the shrimp. In a mixing bowl, combine shrimp, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
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Grill. Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to the grill pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. You can also prepare the shrimp on an outdoor grill if you prefer.
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Top the salad with shrimp. Remove the shrimp from the pan and toss them with lemon juice. Transfer the shrimp to the prepared salad.
For the Caesar dressing:
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Combine and blend. Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
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Dress the salad. Drizzle the prepared salad dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan cheese, and serve.
Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 984mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 8469IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
