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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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.
Does anyone know a good substitute for the worcestershire sauce? I can’t seem to find one at any local stores. Thanks x
I couldn’t find any locally either so I used Braggs Aminos. I can’t compare it to the original since I’ve not made it with the Worcestershire, but it was delicious with the substitute. Good luck!
My pick for 2014 too! I have to say I almost never make a recipe twice but this one is the exception! It’s so good that my boyfriend requested we start a list of to-make-twice-recipes :) Love the nutritional addition of the seeds and nuts in the “parmesan”. I misreaded and used sunflower seeds instead of sesame and it tasted super great. Will try with coconut bacon because i’m sure this salad will be eat for the third time soon. Thanks Angela for your always helpful blog :) I’m from Québec and it’s nice to read a vegan canadian blog !
You say you add kale for a “nutritional boost” but romaine lettuce is just as nutritious as kale- can you elaborate on how you find kale to be more “nutritious”?
This is literally my FAVORITE thing to eat! I will have this at least once a week. Even my non-vegan husband loves it. The dressing is great on a lot of other dishes, too. :) Keep up the amazing work!
Made this three times over the holidays. DELICIOUS. Always a huge hit. I like it much better than the “classic” salad. The kale makes it so much more delicious and the dressing is so good I could drink it.
I had this recipe filed in my brain as “to make” for several weeks. Then it was featured in your Most Popular Health Recipes of 2014 post, which gave me the extra shove to just make it already. I followed your recipe with one exception – I used Braggs Aminos in place of the vegan Worcestershire (none at my local market). I did add the optional Nutritional Yeast to the parmesan blend. The flavors and textures of this creation blend BEAUTIFULLY! I’ve roasted chickpeas a dozen times but never at so high a temperature so I was a little skeptical. But that high temp transforms those little buggers into light, airy little nuggets of crunchy joy – making them really taste like croutons. It was weird and awesome at the same time! Thank you for sharing so much with us, this recipe included. Even my 10 year old traditional-Caesar-salad-loving-boy was loving the “anchovy” tang! He didn’t believe there weren’t any in the dressing. Your cookbook has been my bedside read since Christmas (thanks, mom) and I thank you for doing what you do!
Just made this salad! So delicious! Thank you, Angela!
I made this recipe and brought it for Thanksgiving dinner-it was delicious! Your website is my go-to for great vegan meals. I received your book for a Christmas gift and noticed a similar chakra caesar salad recipe. Just wondering which dressing recipe you prefer…I haven’t made the one in the book yet. Thanks for all the great recipes and congrats on your sweet baby girl!
Hi Tiffany,
this one is my new fav. :) hope you enjoy!
Alison, how do I adapt the Vegan Sour Cream recipe to translate into the dressing. Made the sour cream yesterday with ingredients mentioned above (was fab with the chilli and have a cup of sour cream left and no chilli – it was THAT good ) but wondering should I add more water and then other ingredients to Caesar it up?
I try not to stop my children from eating veggies, but I had to tell my 6 year old to stop stealing the lettuce and dipping her fingers in the dressing. She also loves the chickpea croutons. Such an awesome salad, and right now I think my favorite. I will be making this many many more times. Thank you!
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!