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.
I love, love, love this dressing! There is a vegetarian restaurant chain in Ottawa that I enjoy and I’m convinced that they are influenced by you, and not only because a copy of your book is artfully displayed on a shelf. :-) I love their “caper vinaigrette” that they put on a salad that looks suspiciously like this one, minus the chickpeas. Your recipe surpasses theirs! I love to make fresh dressings at home and all of your recipes that I have tried have been delicious. Love the cookbook, too!
Hey Christie, That’s too funny..I’ve actually heard this from readers before (in other restaurants, all over). I don’t blame them, really (lol). Thanks so much for your kind words, and for supporting my cookbook!
I make the dressing all the time, at least a few time a month. I love it so much. I use it as a dip for vegetables, put it on sandwiches, and use it as my salad dressing. My only gripe is that since I eat it so often, I have to make it so often. Not that it takes long to make, I’m just lazy. :) I usually double the recipe and have often quadrupled it. Do you think this would freeze well if I would make it in larger batches?
Hey Amber, I believe other readers have tried freezing the dressing with success. If you give it a go, please let me know how it works out for you! You can always test it out by freezing a little bit in a silicone ice cube tray first. :)
This looks amazing! Any suggestions for eliminating the oil? My husband and I have recently switched to a plant based diet and we cannot have any oils. Can’t wait to try this
Hey Sam, You might be able to experiment with using more cashews and some water in place of the oil, but I haven’t tried this out myself. If you try anything please let us know how it goes!
Hi, I’ve made this a bunch of times, but because I’m on the low FODMAPs diet right now, I made the sauce with sunflower seeds instead of cashews and it was almost as delicious as with cashews. Highly recommended!
This has become my favourite dressing and dip. I do, however, put in 1/3 of a cup of Nutritional yeast and it sends it right over the edge in flavour. Thanks for the recipe!
Can you freeze any leftover dressing ?
Hey Brandi, I’m sorry I haven’t tried freezing this before! If you do attempt it, I might suggest trying to freeze a small amount in a freezer-safe bag, and then thawing it to see how it is before freezing a big portion. Please let me know if you try it!
OMG! I have been missing Ceasar Salad and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Thought I could not have these foods.
Thank you!
I tried this recipe for the first time at our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. The family loved it! This will become a regular in our new vegan lifestyle!
Dear Angela,
I made this today and served it for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so, so delicious and everyone loved it – vegan and omnivore alike! This dressing and salad are definitely going on my regular rotation! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hey Christine, Good call serving this as a Thanksgiving side dish! I find it always goes fast at a dinner party. Happy belated Thanksgiving!
made this tonight and was pleasantly surprised at how much it tasted like true caesar salad. Thank you!
We enjoyed it over the weekend too! I found myself saying the same thing (sometimes I forget if it’s been a while). So happy you enjoyed it!
Best Caesar salad ever, vegan or not! I didn’t realize how much I had missed this type of salad. Now I want to eat it every day. I love garbanzo beans but was craving croutons instead. I tossed cut up bread pieces in the leftover oil that sundried tomatoes come packed in and baked them. I always hate to waste it. Turned out awesome. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
Hey Amy, I’m so glad it was such a hit! We can’t get enough of it too :) I love your crouton idea…genius!
This looks amazing. I was wondering if the dressing would keep well if I wanted to make a larger batch for the week. Thank you!
Hey Danielle, I don’t think I’ve had the dressing in the fridge more than a couple days before using it, so I can’t say for sure. But it was fine in the fridge a couple days in advance. The dressing thickens when chilled, so be sure to leave it at room temperature to soften before using. If you try storing it in the fridge for the work week I’d love to know how it goes!
Soooo good. Even better than I remember actual caesar salad being. And the non-vegans loved it too. More time consuming to prep but amazing for guests or a fancy dinner.
Totally agree with you on that…I make it for special occasions when we have people over. That vegan parm on top is just divine!
Can I use something else aside for capers? I don’t have that in my pantry right now
Hey Sharona, I haven’t tested anything else, but I read online that sometimes an equal amount of chopped dill pickle or green olive may work. I’m not sure though, it would be an experiment. You can try leaving it out and seeing if you can amp up the other flavour enhancers instead.
Oh my heavens HOW I ADORE THIS SALAD!!!!!! Thank you for this and the rest of your gorgeous blog!!!!
Aww thanks Carol!!
omg, best vegan salad ever! Made this for a holiday party and it was a huge hit! I just made another batch of the dressing to use on my regular salads. Thanks Angela!!!!
Amanda that’s so great to hear :) thanks for trying it!
this is incredible!! I made a big bowl for my family for dinner but ended up eating the whole thing by myself it was so good (oops!)
I’m so happy to hear that Maiya! Thanks for your review :)
GREAT recipe! Can it be frozen? Thanks!
Hi Andrea, Do you mean the dressing? I’m sorry I’m not sure!
The best Caesar dressing I’ve ever had, even my teenagers loved it!!
That’s wonderful news, thank you!
I strangely didn’t love the dressing – I thought mine was very bland and I had a hard time getting it smooth in my vitamix (maybe because it was such a small quantity?). Loved the chickpeas and the vegan parmesan cheese, though!
Lil, So sorry to hear about the dressing, but so happy you enjoyed the other components! You can try adding more capers, lemon, Worcestershire, or Dijon to punch up the flavours to your taste.