Wendy's Caesar Salad Is Fine, But It Doesn't Compare To A Homemade One. Here's Why

In the midst of a fast food craving, you're probably not thinking of a salad. Even so, Wendy's is one of the fast food joints with a good (albeit small) salad selection. We tried and ranked all four Wendy's salads and were shocked to discover that the classic Caesar salad was our least favorite. On the surface, a common Caesar salad seems almost too simple to mess up. Now, Wendy's didn't completely fail with its Caesar salad, but compared to the other three, we found a lot more to be excited about in the rest of the salad lineup.

Crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and a tangy and creamy Caesar dressing are the building blocks for a classic Caesar salad — yet, the Wendy's version just doesn't come together in a way we really enjoyed. This salad came in last place in our rankings largely because of the dressing. It was lacking in flavor and turned the rest of the salad ingredients into a lackluster pile of muted flavors and textures, which is about what you'd expect from a dressing that comes in a packet. All in all, we would much rather make our own homemade grilled chicken Caesar salad than order this one from Wendy's again.

Wendy's has a bit of a cult following for its salad offerings. Not many fast food chains do salads well, especially those that focus on the classic burgers and fries combo like Wendy's. So, it's always a welcome change of pace to have some reliable salads on the menu. Even the employees seem to enjoy the salads, with one Reddit user speaking about the cobb salad, saying, "It's the best; I work here, and I would die for a cobb salad right now."

Likewise, a TikTok user reviewing all the Wendy's salads said of the Caesar salad, "This is definitely a good go-to salad. If you love Caesar salads, you know you will like this thing." While we can't cosign that statement, we do agree that if you're looking for something simple and reliable as your "go-to," this salad fits the bill. With 32 grams of protein, too, the Wendy's Caesar salad makes for a light yet filling lunch, dinner, or snack option.

With all that said, we'd still recommend grabbing the short list of ingredients needed to make your own Caesar salad and doing it yourself. Because of its simplicity, a Caesar salad can be a great candidate for experimentation. Elevate the flavor of a Caesar salad by making your dressing in advance, grilling the romaine, or using lettuce spears instead of chopped romaine. Or, give yourself the convenience of fast food with the quality of homemade by finely chopping all of the ingredients together and rolling it up in a tortilla for an easy salad wrap on the go.