Ranking 18 Store-Bought Caesar Salad Kits

If you’re anything like me, bagged salads are a summertime lunch staple in your kitchen. The salad lovers among us may also find a particular affinity toward Caesar salads — the creamy, indulgent, no-frills dish is both comforting and fresh, a generally safe buy when you need a reliable backup meal. Unsurprisingly, Caesar salads have found endless variations. The standard fixings tend to be croutons, Parmesan, lettuce, and dressing, but various brands have gone to the liberty of adding bacon, chicken, and even spice packets to their salad kits. How should you decide which to pick the next time you’re at the store?

I did the hard work of trying and comparing 18 different packaged Caesar salads so you don’t have to. Tasting them all was definitely a feat, but I was also surprised that it was relatively easy to rank them. It turns out that not all Caesar salads taste the same. I found some wild differences in the dressings each had, as well as their overall flavor profiles and freshness, all of which I considered when determining the order of these salads. Having done the leg work, choosing my next Caesar salad (and, hopefully, yours) will be far from a brain-bending experience.

Up first (well, technically last) is Good & Gather’s chicken Caesar salad, which included romaine, grilled white meat chicken, shredded Parmesan, croutons, and Caesar dressing. As much as I wanted to love this grab-and-go lunch that even included a fork, I just couldn’t bring myself to want to recommend it to anyone. For starters, the lettuce was already starting to brown, even though I tried this well before its expiration date.

The biggest problem I had with the salad was the chicken. Though grilling is the best way to cook chicken for Caesar salad, this grilled chicken was not at all up to snuff. It tasted too processed, with unnaturally perfect cubes and a slightly squishy texture. The croutons and Parmesan were as one would expect, but the dressing tasted odd and was sweeter than I liked.

Signature Select’s Caesar salad with chicken was only marginally better than the previous selection. It included romaine, white meat chicken, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing, and my biggest issue was once again with the chicken. It had similarly processed and squishy qualities as the last bowl. This option ranked higher because the lettuce was definitely fresher. 

I also preferred this Caesar dressing to that of the last salad — though nothing spectacular, it tasted like your average Caesar dressing, which was more than I could say for the last contender. However, I was baffled that this salad didn’t include croutons. Who doesn’t put croutons on a Caesar salad? This meant the salad had little textural variety which also knocked it down a couple of spots in my ranking. 

Dole’s salads have the widest disparity in ranking of any other brand on this list. Why did the brand’s classic Caesar kit rank so low when its other selections got a much, much higher score? Honestly, the biggest reason is because of its minimal ingredients list, which includes romaine, Caesar dressing, and croutons. Where’s the Parmesan cheese? My heart sank a little when I saw my favorite ingredient was missing, and it definitely knocked this salad down a couple of pegs.

Lack of cheese aside (which I’m still mad about), the salad was just … very lackluster. I could have forgiven the no-cheese decision had it boasted a stellar Caesar or super herby croutons. Rather, the dressing was too salty, and the unseasoned croutons failed to impress. If you need a bagged Caesar that’s as simple as possible so you can add your own fixings to it, sure, grab this one; otherwise, there are better choices below.

Welp, I’m usually a die-hard Trader Joe’s-ite, but this salad did not do it for me in any capacity. It earned a higher score than the last because the company didn’t skimp on the Parmesan — in fact, you’ll find an obscene amount of parmesan in these kits (which I didn’t consider a bad thing). This was also the biggest of the salads I got, which kept me from ranking it lower.

Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s Caesar salad offerings definitely do not have the best Caesar dressing option, which I found to taste more akin to a vinaigrette than the creamy dressing I had hoped for. It wasn’t very flavorful, and the croutons were unseasoned, making the most flavorful thing about this dish the Parmesan. I hate to say it, but my favorite brand disappointed me here.

Two Trader Joe’s selections in sequence. Really, the only thing separating this salad from the last was its inclusion of chicken. Unfortunately, I didn’t even like the chicken. It had an odd texture — some of it was shredded but some of it was in chunks, and I couldn’t really identify what the company was going for here. And again, I didn’t like the dressing here, which I can safely assume is the same one used in the aforementioned salad. 

On the plus side, this salad boasts thick pieces of shaved Parmesan that helps detract from some of its shortcomings. The croutons were also well-seasoned and herby. I can chalk my distaste for this one up to personal preferences and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from trying it — maybe you’ll find the dressing better than I did and won’t be weirded out by the chicken. 

I’m absolutely obsessed with Taylor Farms’ everything salad kit, so I had pretty high hopes for Dole’s everything Caesar chopped kit. The kit came with romaine, kale, shredded broccoli, everything seasoning, shredded Parmesan, garlic crouton crumbles, and Caesar dressing — seemingly the picture-perfect recipe for a yummy salad. How could this salad possibly go wrong?

Truthfully, I loved all the components of this salad, especially its mixed greens base which added some fun textures and dark greens into the mix. I just could not get past the odd flavor of its dressing, and I tasted it multiple times to try to identify what was “off” about it. My best guess is that it was too salty in combination with the everything seasoning. Regardless, though this wasn’t a horrible salad, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.

You won’t find any weird flavors here, which is the best thing I can say about Fresh Express’s Caesar supreme kit. It includes romaine, Caesar dressing, Italian artisan cheeses, and savory garlic croutons. Despite the brand name, the lettuce wasn’t the freshest, though honestly, I may not have noticed if I wasn’t being nit-picky for ranking purposes. Only two major things kept this one from getting a higher spot.

First, the croutons didn’t taste well-seasoned. Given that some other salads on this list had super flavorful croutons, I couldn’t let that slide. Second was the dressing, which, though well-flavored, had an oddly thick consistency, almost like mayonnaise. It was unpleasantly heavy. This salad was neither bad nor stellar, earning it its middling spot in this ranking.

Ah, Taylor Farms. The brand is usually an easy go-to when I want a couple of bagged salads, but this one just didn’t quite hit the spot for me. Taylor Farms’ everyday Caesar salad kit includes romaine, croutons, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing. It has all the standard Caesar salad ingredients, so I didn’t knock it for not dressing up a little more. Rather, it was too “meh” to earn a higher rating.

My favorite part of this salad? The croutons, hands down. They were herbaceous and flavorful — unfortunately, all other components seemed weak next to them. The grated Parmesan failed to come through, and the dressing, though fine, wasn’t anything notable. Though far from inedible, it didn’t do anything to set it apart from other Caesar salad options on the market. 

Significantly better (especially for a standard Caesar salad) was Good & Gather’s chopped Caesar salad kit, which touted romaine, cheesy garlic crouton crumbles, and shredded Parmesan cheese. First, I tended to enjoy “chopped” kits better than their non-chopped counterparts. The finer ingredient size helped the salad mix more evenly, and it was easier to get a little bit of everything in one bite. If ever choosing between a chopped and non-chopped salad of the same type, I’d go with the chopped version.

The crouton crumbles did indeed have the cheesy, garlicky flavor they claimed to. Beyond that, all the other ingredients in the salad held their own. The Parmesan didn’t get lost in the robust dressing, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp. Though not my favorite, it was good for a typical chopped Caesar salad, and I could see myself buying it again.

I’ll be honest — Taylor Farms’ Caesar chopped kit (which comes with romaine, cheese and garlic crouton crumbles, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing) was almost identical in quality to the previous choice. Similar to Good & Gather’s version, Taylor Farms also had an ample amount of Parmesan cheese, well-seasoned crouton crumbles, and thin, crispy lettuce. The only thing that gives this a slight edge over the last is its dressing.

There weren’t any huge flavor differences in the dressing, but it was a little more tangy than the last in a way that I enjoyed. It had a fresh, lemony zest to it that was enough to set this one apart from my previous choice. I can also see the odd consumer not enjoying the slight tang to this dressing, so which you choose between the two will likely be a matter of personal preference.

Kroger’s chicken Caesar salad kit, for one, stood miles above some others, though it came from a brand I don’t typically go out of my way to get. Just because Anthony Bourdain hated chicken Caesar salad doesn’t mean the rest of us have to, so I let myself enjoy this salad. The biggest thing working in its favor was the chicken, which had neither a weird texture nor an overly processed flavor. 

Other than chicken, the salad came with romaine, Parmesan, seasoned croutons, and Caesar dressing, all of which were very tasty. The croutons were crispy and herbaceous while the dressing packed a punch of flavor, and the “grilled” quality of the chicken definitely came through. All in all, it was one of the better single-serve Caesar kits, though my favorite is yet to come.

Simple Truth’s organic classic Caesar salad kit doesn’t include anything fancy — it only has romaine, garlic croutons, shredded Parmesan, and Caesar dressing — but there was a huge reason it made the number seven spot on my list. I absolutely loved this dressing. It was almost yogurty in its flavor and was very well-seasoned, rich, and creamy.

Fantastic dressing aside, the croutons were well-seasoned, the Parmesan was readily apparent, and the lettuce was as fresh as I could have asked for. Had the brand added some extras to this salad (or chopped it up), it could have earned an even higher score. If you want a really good, classic Caesar salad kit without any frills, this is an easy go-to option.

My favorite of the single-serve Caesar salads was Ready Pac Food’s bistro chicken and bacon Caesar salad. Yep, you read that right — chicken and bacon. The inclusion of both proteins easily took this salad up a notch, but beyond that, this was also the best chicken of any other chicken Caesar options I tried. Combine that with your standard Caesar toppings of Parmesan and dressing, and you’ve got a recipe for a really good salad.

Similar to other contenders in this part of my list, the romaine lettuce was nice and fresh, and the dressing held a ton of flavor. The only thing missing was the croutons, and though I missed having that textural variety, it was a negligible omission, considering that the salad had both chicken and bacon. It’ll be an easy pick the next time I need to get lunch on the go.

Braga Farms’ chopped Caesar Salad Kit includes romaine, crouton crumbles, Parmesan, and an interesting addition: an herb seasoning packet. I’ll admit, I don’t necessarily get the need for this — why couldn’t the herbs just be included in the dressing? Nevertheless, the packet added a stunning amount of flavor to the salad, so I won’t complain.

Being a chopped salad, it also got that little score boost from making everything easily fork-able, so you won’t get any unbalanced bites in the mix. The rest of the ingredients were just really solid, and the lettuce was very fresh. I could see this getting a higher score had it included more ingredients (or a lower one had it omitted the seasoning packet), but as it stands, spot number five isn’t that bad. 

This is the final no-frills Caesar salad kit you’ll find on this list, so it should be the top pick for anyone who wants just a Caesar salad and nothing extra (provided you don’t mind your salads being chopped). Again, Kroger surprised me with this offering — perhaps I haven’t been giving the brand as much credit as it deserves? Regardless, Kroger’s chopped Caesar salad comes with a Parmesan and cheddar crouton crumble, grated Parmesan, and Caesar dressing, and it’ll be an easy one to buy again.

Despite my affinity for shredded Parmesan, I didn’t mind the grated Parmesan here because the croutons were amply cheesy, so the salad certainly didn’t lack in flavor. The dressing was very herby (one of the most flavorful of any on this list) and I had no complaints about any of the ingredients’ quality. I’d add my own grilled chicken to this in a heartbeat

We’ve previously ranked Dole’s chopped kit among the best packaged salad kits, and our verdict remains the same in this ranking. I loved Dole’s chopped bacon Caesar kit, which came with romaine, garlic pepper seasoning, Caesar dressing, garlic crouton crumbles, and bacon crumbles. Admittedly, the bacon gave it a leg up, but who doesn’t love bacon in their salad?

This salad was almost unmatched in terms of flavor due in large part to the garlic pepper seasoning packet. It added a certain sharpness that was a welcome complement to the creamy, relatively mild Caesar. In fact, this salad was so flavorful that I didn’t even notice it didn’t include Parmesan at first. Had Parmesan been present, though, I could have given this the top spot.

Sure, you could DIY a fancy grilled Caesar salad meal at home, but when you’re short on time, there’s no reason not to enjoy this Caesar salad kit. Dole’s premium ultimate Caesar salad kit only had a slight edge over the last thanks to — you guessed it — Parmesan. I’ll never for the life of me understand why the brand didn’t have a version with Parmesan and bacon, but c’est la vie.

This salad was wildly robust in flavor (thank you, spice packet), and the large pieces of shaved Parmesan really shone, adding a certain maturity to this salad that I didn’t even know I wanted. Sure, bacon or chicken could take it up a notch, but I also don’t think this salad asks for any extra accouterments — it’s perfectly satisfying on its own.

Last but certainly not least is my top pick, Taylor Farms’ bacon Caesar chopped kit. The kit comes with romaine, cheese and garlic crouton crumbles, Parmesan, uncured bacon, and Caesar dressing, and its flavor is unparalleled. As you’ve probably already guessed, I was ecstatic that the brand included both bacon and cheese — it’s not a revolutionary pairing, which made me all the more appreciative to finally come across it in a chopped kit.

Everything about this salad was divine. Bacon crumbles add more umami richness to an already flavorful salad, the Parmesan tasted well-aged and sharp, and the croutons boasted a nice herbaceousness. It’s a salad I can recommend without hesitation, and one that will definitely be a personal staple in warmer months. Enjoy this Caesar salad as a meal and pair it with your favorite chardonnay.

I went into this ranking thinking all these salads would taste relatively similar — boy, was I wrong. Not only did I see some massive differences in the preparation of each, but each also featured different flavor profiles and textures. I was most surprised by how important a factor salad dressing became. Believe it or not, not all Caesar salad dressings are created equal, and a subpar dressing caused some items on this list to score way lower than they may have otherwise.

I primarily considered freshness and flavor when ranking these. When having trouble choosing between two options for a spot on the list, I tended to favor salads that had more ingredients. On the other hand, tasty salads with few ingredients (like Simple Truth’s Caesar salad) got a lower score because they only included the basic components. It was unfortunate that many chicken Caesar options ranked low on my list, as I’m generally a fan of chicken Caesar salad; however, most of the selections I tried featured chicken that tasted too processed to be palatable. I also generally favored chopped Caesar salads over non-chopped versions. The smaller ingredient size (like having crouton crumbles instead of whole croutons) made it easier to get a forkful of everything and often made the salad taste more cohesive.