My dad is coming to visit this week. This means two very important things are on my “what to make dad” menu. 1) Chili, always and 2) Caesar salad. Those are essential food groups for the guy. Anything else is icing on the cake. Plus, I always welcome the opportunity to use my huge bamboo salad bowl that we received as a wedding gift from our friends. When this bowl comes out, it’s something special!
Even though Caesar salad isn’t traditional holiday fare, I totally think you can serve it as part of a holiday menu. I love an unexpected twist on the table personally. Do you have any non-traditional dishes that are go-to’s for your family? My mother-in-law used to always serve Caesar salad as part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and I swear it was one of the things that went the fastest, next to her famous croquettes. And my dad, well…let’s just say his famous Caesar salad and chili make an appearance at every Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gathering.
I’ve made a couple vegan Caesar salad recipes over the years (one of which is in my cookbook), but I think this version is my best rendition yet. Recipes are always works in progress for me and I find each time I make it, I’m always trying new things. In addition to a new dressing, I also added roasted chickpea croutons and a nut and seed based parmesan cheese. I used a blend of traditional romaine lettuce with non-traditional Lacinato kale (destemmed of course). This way you have the classic flavour of romaine with the nutritional boost of the kale, without scaring anyone away (ahem, dad). I love the two tone greens in the bowl too. It’s a great make ahead salad because you can prep everything the day before (except for the roasted chickpeas) and then just mix it up the day of your event!
The first time I made this dressing, I actually used double the quantities you’ll see in the recipe below. However, I found that it made way too much (I had half leftover after mixing the salad), so I cut the dressing ingredients in half and it still worked out fine in the blender. I’m just mentioning this in case you are wondering about making a larger batch for a crowd – this dressing doubles beautifully!
I had a lot of fun with the photoshoot for this recipe, so I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
And in case I’m not back again this week, I’d like to wish my American readers a lovely Thanksgiving! Thank you for coming here each week and eagerly trying out so many of the recipes I share. If you’re looking for my favourite Thanksgiving recipes, you can find them here. Also check out my 3 Course Step-by-Step Vegan and Gluten-Free Holiday Menu.
Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad
Yield
6 small bowls
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is a delicious, creamy vegan Caesar salad that will wow any crowd! Everyone who’s tried it goes absolutely nuts over it, and it’s my most popular salad recipe on the blog. To take it over the top, I garnish the salad with a generous amount of crunchy Roasted Chickpea Croutons and a delectable Nut and Seed Parmesan Cheese for the ultimate vegan Caesar salad. The dressing recipe easily doubles for a larger group and it’ll keep in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days so you can make it in advance. Dressing adapted from My Vega.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Chickpea Croutons:
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
For the Caesar Dressing (makes 3/4-1 cup):
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small garlic clove (you can add another if you like it super potent)
- 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) vegan Worcestershire sauce (I use Wizard's gluten-free brand)
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt and pepper, or to taste
For the Nut and Seed Parmesan Cheese:
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- fine grain sea salt, to taste
For the lettuce:
- 1 small/medium bunch lacinato kale, destemmed (5 cups chopped)
- 2 small heads romaine lettuce (10 cups chopped)
Directions
- Soak cashews in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least a few hours. Drain and rinse.
- Roast chickpea croutons: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place chickpeas in a tea towel and rub dry (it's okay if some skins fall off). Place onto large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle on oil and roll around to coat. Sprinkle on the garlic powder, salt, and optional cayenne. Toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then gently roll the chickpeas around in the baking sheet. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden. They will firm up as they cool.
- Prepare the dressing: Add the cashews and all other dressing ingredients (except salt) into a high-speed blender, and blend on high until the dressing is super smooth. You can add a splash of water if necessary to get it blending. Add salt to taste and adjust other seasonings, if desired. Set aside.
- Prepare the Parmesan cheese: Add cashews and garlic into a mini food processor and process until finely chopped. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the mixture is combined. Salt to taste.
- Prepare the lettuce: Destem the kale and then finely chop the leaves. Wash and dry in a salad spinner. Place into extra large bowl. Chop up the romaine into bite-sized pieces. Rinse and then spin dry. Place into bowl along with kale. You should have roughly 5 cups chopped kale and 10 cups chopped romaine.
- Assemble: Add dressing onto lettuce and toss until fully coated. Season with a pinch of salt and mix again. Now sprinkle on the roasted chickpeas and the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Tip:
- Be sure to check the label to ensure your Worcestershire Sauce is gluten-free (if necessary) as not many are. I use Wizard`s Gluten-Free Organic Worcestershire Sauce.
- The dressing thickens when chilled, so be sure to leave it at room temperature to soften before using.
Just made it tonight and both hubby & I raved about the taste, texture and combination of ingredients. Delish and thanks for sharing!
What an amazing salad. Made it for New Year’s Eve. Could have doubled the recipe. everyone loved it!
This has become a weekly favorite in our household! I had been on the hunt for the perfect vegan Caesar salad dressing and this is it! I love the crunch of the chickpea croutons as well as the mix of romaine and kale. Whenever my husband and I are craving something healthy but, feels decadent, this works every time. Thank you Angela!!!!
I have cashew meal (from some random thanksgiving baking) and I have been looking for something to do with it. Do you think I could use it instead of whole soaked cashews?
A beautiful combination of ingredients! I should eat more lentils, this salad would be a great way to add them to my diet.
I have the oh she glows cookbook and this vegan Caesar salad is not in it what cookbook is this in.
My new husband and I made all of our own food for our recent wedding, with some help from our friends, and you. We used both this recipe and your make and cheese recipe(the one with the carrots&potatoes in the sauce) and people were extremely impressed(and I’m pretty sure we were the only vegans there). So I wanted to say thank you for your amazing recipes. They did us well
I just made this and I’m certainly going to be making it again soon. I think I’ll also make the chickpea croutons and parmesan mix to add to other recipes as well. Thank you for wonderful blog!
This was AMAZING. I don’t miss much from before I went vegetarian/mostly vegan, but classic Caesar salad is one thing I miss tremendously. I’ve enjoyed Annie’s and Trader Joe’s Goddess dressings, but this is SO much better. Thank you for the recipe and awesome site!!
Tried this today, and while a bit on the salty side, it was delicious!
Made your cookbook version of this (Chakra Caesar Salad) for family (who are not vegan) visiting during the holidays and it was so popular, we made it 3 times in one week! This is our new favorite go to salad – perfectly balanced flavors!
This is AAAMMMAAAAAAZZZING! I really love the cheese i would consider using it warm on pasta on brushetta or ontop of mushrooms. I am going to double the dressing and cheese ingredients next time and use half for other foods. great job!
I tried this out last Sunday as an accompaniment to pizza (vegan for me & meat for everyone else). I was somewhat doubtful-I have tried lots of vegan “dairy” versions of things and I would say 90% of the time it is a fail. But it never stops me from trying! So I roasted my garbanzos & started cashew soaking. The garbanzos that came out of the oven were fantastic-it was hard not to eat those at once. Finally, with cashews done I made that and it was fantastic! So I decided to go ahead with the “Parmesan” and to my surprise the flavor it added was perfect! I tossed everything together and it was a total hit. The only thing I would have done differently is not roasted the garbanzos so far ahead of time as by the time we went to eat the salad they were chewy. My fault-I haven’t roasted them too often so I didn’t realize I needed to do those closer to the actual serving of the salad as fresh out of the oven they were wonderful. This salad was a hit with everyone-no one could even tell it was vegan! Really creamy & lots of flavor. I will definitely be making it again and again.
Delicious salad! All components were great, although I would double the dressing for the amount of greens recommended-it’s so yummy that I wanted it to be well coated. Croutons were good too, but I had to leave then in the oven on low heat for way longer in order for them to be crunchy, otherwise they felt a little chewy. I will make it again!
Hi Angela,
I’d love to make this but I like to make a big salad on a Sunday for a few days at work – what would be the best way to store this? Could I prepare the greens with the “cheese” and bring the dressing and chickpeas in a separate container?
Thanks – it looks delicious!
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte,
I had leftovers for lunch today. I stored the cheese and chickpeas separately in the fridge, but put them both in the same container as the lettuce this morning when I packed my lunch..dressing definitely on the side. I couldn’t tell a difference from when we had it last night, though I probably could have added the cheese and chickpeas to the lettuce for storing in the fridge, too, and still not noticed a difference.
Caitlin
Brilliant – Thanks so much for your help Caitlin!
Charlotte
Made this for dinner and it rocked, even my husband that loves traditional egg based Caesar salad said it was delicious. The cashews give it a fantastic texture and bring a real creaminess to the dressing. Will definitely go on my make again (and again and again) list!
This is amazing. I’ve made it several times and love it. I was wondering if anyone has tried freezing the dressing? I’d like to make a bigger batch.
I freeze the dressing and it comes out great!
Brilliant recipe. A new family fave.
Thank you!
I made this for dinner the other evening and it was a huge hit!
Made this last night and loved it!!! Also ate it for lunch today :) added cucumbers and red peppers.
I made this salad for Shabbos, and it was absolutely delicious! My guests (non-vegan-non-vegetarian) loved it, the sauce was amazing, and the vegan parmesan unbelievable cheesy… yummm! Totally worth the effort and God knows how much I hate washing up my blender! A winner! I will definitely make this again!
Fantastic recipe! I’m a newbie to vegan food and this was a perfect way to try a cashew based sauce. The whole family loved it. Thank you very much!
This recipe was absolutely fantastic. The dressing tasted even better than traditional Caesar dressing. I loved the crunchy chickpeas and the vegan Parmesan, as well as the mix of kale and Romaine lettuce. As an added bonus, the recipe came together more quickly than expected. I didn’t mix mine in a big bowl (rather portioned it out to take for lunch during the week), so I’m not sure how the proportions would work out if I had mixed it all, but when I make this again I think I will double the vegan Parm. This one is going to be a staple in my kitchen!
Really delicious..great “convert dish” — you can’t tell the difference in taste from a traditional Caesar salad, but you can boast that this version is much healthier and cruelty free! I should add my fiancé actually prepared this, and he said it felt like a lot of work for a salad. In my view, though, it was totally worth it (hehe easy for me to say when I am just the one eating it)!
Just tried this for the first time and loved it! Didn’t have any worcestershire sauce so I subbed in soy sauce instead. I also didn’t have capers so omitted those. It turned out absolutely delicious! I’m not a vegan but actually far prefer this to traditional caesar salad.
I just made this today, and it is SO GOOD! I’m gluten/free, dairy-free, and can eat very little meat,and Caesar salad is one of my most-missed dishes. You’ve done a great job making it healthier and somehow tastier! Even my old-fashioned mom loved it. Thanks, Angela!
Hi there, just want to say I refer to your web site a lot and enjoy many of your ideas and recipes. I am making the Caesar dressing and just want to know how long it will keep in the fridge, I guessed about a week or so?
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you
Hi Fiona, I’m not positive but I would guess it would keep in the fridge for 5-7 days, possibly longer. We always eat it up by then, haha!
I loved this recipe!! Just made it and it was absolutely delicious. Because I made it for 2 people and will taking it for lunch a couple of times, I am mixing the salad dressing in to the bowls when I’m ready to eat it. Because of this, I found that I probably could have doubled the salad dressing in order to have a nice amount with each serving. Next time I will :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it this weekend and really enjoyed it. I substituted soy sauce for the Worchestershire sauce because I could not find any of the W sauce that didn’t contain anchovies. As a longtime vegetarian, ceasar salad is my dirty little secret but now I am trying to eliminate the anchovy component of it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi this is your non vegan reader who has been cooking your recipes for almost 2yrs now. My hubby is on the low starchy food diet as well.
Your salads and soups has been a hit. I’ve made this now- 4 x your portions for him. I didn’t say he didn’t eat loads. I love, love this recipe as I actually don’t like the normal Caesar salad recipe anyway. But this is such a winner that I am eating it as well.
Thank you for all your continued inspirations. For a non- vegan, I am sure converting a lot of meat- eaters to your food. People seem to think vegan food is so boring but your recipes are always so colourful, taste wonderful and fills you up ( which is super important to us ).
Oops forgot to day I had to double the recipe for the dressing/ cheese to dress it. I also used baby cos because we don’t have romaine lettuce in season. Or the organic store said they didn’t have it anyway.
This looks amazing!! I am new to vegan cooking and still learning about a lot of things. Two quick questions…if I can’t find Lacinato Kale would you recommend something else in its place? Would other kale be too strong?
Also for the chick pea croutons how do you buy those? I am normally used to buying them canned but can they be dried or? Sorry these may sound silly but I gotta start somewhere! Thanks!
Just found you (luckily) and have made a few recipes so far. I have devoured them all. Made this on SuperBowl Sunday and we devoured it. Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was amazing. Made it exactly as written and it was fantastic. My husband was dubious about the idea of a vegan Caesar salad but he is now sold. I am now tempted to try adding the king oyster mushroom “bacon” I saw on the Food Lab recently to add a touch of smokey goodness.
I constantly play around with vegan caesar dressing and have been meaning to give this recipe a go since you posted it. We LOVED it! I subbed about 2 tablespoons kalamata olives instead of capers (didn’t have any) and used 1/2 cup chickpeas and 1/4 cup soaked cashews and 1-2T extra lemon because it was a little thick from the chickpeas. SO GOOD!
I’ve made this salad several times now. It’s a game changer! Absolutely delicious, even young kids eat it without complaint :)
This was really delicious, a table full of meat eaters plus a vegetarian all said it was the best Caesar salad they’d ever had. Will make again, really glad I doubled the recipe for leftovers!
This salad is amazing. Completely amazing.
Hi there,
I am considering making a big batch of this for my wedding this year… Any idea how long the dressing would keep if I made in advance? Sounds delish, really excited to try!
Could I use non vegan worcestershire sauce. I know this is a vegan recipe but I was looking for a healthier alternative since ceaser salad dressing has a lot of fat and calories
I have made this dressing twice now and it is one of my favorite! Capers give it that caeser taste. This keeps in the fridge for a few days too. Great recipe.
Chickpea croutons, what an excellent idea. And I love the salad bowl in those photos!
Wow !!! Such a delicious Vegan Ceasar Salad. It was a big hit here. Ohhhh…and what can I say about the chickpea crouton…yumm yummmm !!! So delicious. Way better then the regular croutons. It is a keeper and I’ll make it on a regular basis since we LOVE Ceasar Salad and I was missing it soooo much. I couldn’t find THE recipe for us, but now….yummm !!! Thanks for this wonderful recipe :)
Had this as a side dish for a birthday dinner and it was DIVINE!!! Must try! I will definitely be making this recipe lots more!! :)
I have become OBSESSED with this salad and so are many of my friends who have tried the recipe!!! It’s ridiculously good and well worth the different components that need to be prepared.
Thank you soooo much! I modified slightly by reducing the water and adding balsamic in its place, used 5 cloves of fresh garlic, and increased the fresh lemon juice. Finally a wonderful substitute for a much loved, non-vegan, childhood ceasar dressing recipe. Healthier and more earth friendly version! Even Hubby approved! ;)
I am salivating over this! Love your site!!! My kiddos cannot do cashews :(. Do you think I could sub the cashwes for coconut milk in the can in the fridge? And, a sub for the parmesan cheese portion where it calls for nuts, would this be okay with no nuts or is there another sub??
Thanks so much, congratulations on baby and book and new ventures!
Hi! Does anyone know of the nutritional information for this salad?
WOW! I’ve just made something similar – using your dressing. Yumm! What an incredible recipe Angela! I used Hendersons relish which is a british sauce (vegan) similar to WS, delicious! Great recipe.
Due to cashew allergy, would you recommend macadamia nuts or almonds as replacement?
Wait, I’m kicking myself for not making this sooner. It is sooo delicious, filling, and healthy. Now I’ll be making it weekly!