This Vegan Caesar Salad is delicious! The Caesar Salad dressing is made with raw cashews to make it creamy along with lemon juice, Dijon, garlic and capers.
Vegan Caesar Salad
For a fun twist on a Caesar salad, it’s made with grilled Romaine, like I did with this Grilled Romaine, Corn and Chicken Salad, the texture of grilled lettuce is wonderful, but you can also skip that step if you prefer.
I love Caesar salad, especially with lots of anchovies like I do in this Eggless Caesar Salad Dressing, so I was very curious to try a Vegan version. When I got my hands on the new Love and Lemons Everyday Cookbook, which is gorgeous and filled with over 100 plant forward recipes, I had to try it! I’ve hung out with Jeanine, the author of the cookbook and creator of the Love and Lemons website several times and even had lunch with her at a vegan restaurant, (it was the best Vegan Caprese Salad of my life!), so I was pretty confident this would be great. Her cookbook, which she photographed herself is stunning, filled with so many seasonal recipes I can’t wait to try!
Can Vegans Eat Caesar Salad?
Most Caesar salads have anchovies, Parmesan cheese and egg, which are not part of a vegan diet. This Caesar dressing is egg-free and dairy-free, so even if you’re not trying to eat vegan, it’s also great for other dietary restrictions.
Vegans Caesar Ingredients
- Raw Cashews, for creaminess
- Raw garlic, for zip
- Lemon Juice, for brightness
- Dijon Mustard, for salty, savory flavor
- Capers, for salty briny flavor
Jeanine used whole grain bread to make the croutons, but if you’re gluten-free swap it for gluten-free bread. Or leave it out if you want to keep it low-carb and Whole30 compliant.
Vegan Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole-grain bread, or gluten-free bread, 2 oz total*
- ½ garlic clove
- Extra-virgin olive oil spray
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- 2 radishes, sliced paper-thin
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- ¼ cup microgreens, optional
- Pinches of red pepper flakes, optional
For the Vegan Caesar Dressing
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons capers, drained
- ½ cup water
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Rub the bread slices with the cut side of the garlic clove and slice the bread into cubes.
- Spritz the bread cubes with olive oil and bake until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the dressing: In a high-speed blender, place the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, capers, water, and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until creamy.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to high.
- Slice the romaine heads in half lengthwise, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper.
- Grill the romaine, cut-side down, until char marks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently flip the romaine and grill for 2 minutes more.
- Assemble the salads with the grilled romaine and a drizzle of the dressing.
- Top with the radishes, chives, capers, and croutons.
- Sprinkle with the hemp seeds, microgreens, and red pepper flakes, if using.
- Serve with the lemon wedges and the remaining dressing on the side.
Last Step:
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69 calories, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1.0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 70mg, Carbohydrates: 4.5g, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 0.5g, Protein: 2g For the dressing only: https://cmx.weightwatchers.com/details/MEMBERRECIPE:5cf8579598c7480238979d6f
Nutrition
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Photo credit: Jess Larson
I love this dressing, we use it frequently.
Question though, if the dressing is 2 pts per serving, how could the whole salad possibly be only 1 pt per serving?
I made this dressing 2 times so far , so delicious, thank you
Tahini would work well here
Thoughts on omitting the capers ?
Sure
Is Dijon mustard actually whole 30? Does it not contain white wine?
You would have to check your labels, some do contain wine, but there are brands that are compliant. 🙂
This was so good. I did soak the cashews overnight just to make the dressing smoother but other than that, I followed the recipe. I would serve this again!
This was a very DELICIOUS dinner. This Could pair nicely with a side of grilled chicken or even steak. This is a great alternative and very filling. My sister is vegan and had to share this yummy recipe! 😋
I’m not vegan but I stay away from Cesar salads because of the anchovies (not a fan). I was excited to try this recipe and OMG it’s so good! Made this twice so far and really love this recipe. We we a bit lazy and used packaged Cesar croutons and passed on the hemp seeds since I was not able to find them at the store. We added a grilled chicken beast and this made a great, filling dinner. Will be on our regular rotation.
I’ve liked every other recipe I’ve tried from SkinnyTaste, but this is not for me. Too runny, very gritty and didn’t taste like a caesar dressing to me.
This is seriously delicious! I’m not vegan, dairy free, or egg free… but I am pregnant and have REALLY missed Caesar dressing! The dressing is the star, but I love the way this whole salad is built. Delicious
No need to soak the raw cashews?
WOW!!! i will NEVER eat regular Caesar dressing again!!! Just Fabulous!!! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with us!! Brilliant!!
I’m sorry if I missed it but do you have to soak the cashews first?
Made this and LOVE IT! The cashews added that creaminess and as someone who is not vegan but dairy-free this filled a Caesar shaped hole in my heart! Thanks Gina!
Made this today, it was delicious. I opted for the Whole30 version. Definitely will make this again and again. But be warned, the raw garlic is strong and may stay with you long after you enjoy this salad. Definitely might need mints or toothpaste.
Absolutely loved this recipe! I didn’t even miss the chicken! Thank you!
I am a bit of a purist when it comes to Caesar Salad so I was skeptical before trying this dressing. Am I ever glad I took a chance – iIt is so delicious! It totally changed my mind about vegan dressings. It is creamy and flavourful and tastes like Caesar should taste. Thanks for sharing this…my new go-to recipe.
Not vegan….made with parmesan cheese!
Did you read the recipe? There’s no parmesan cheese.
It is vegan – Please take time to read the recipe, I did and I just got here found this recipe randomly
Hi GINA
I have longtime followed your blog and the recipes are all on spot. I so much appreciate these vegan recipes now that I am following a whole foods plant based diet!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Any chance you’ll share where you had the vegan caprese salad? Ever since cutting out dairy, I miss fresh caprese salads the most.
Any advice how to thicken up the dressing if it came out too liquidy?
How long can I store the dressing in the fridge? Can it be made a day or two in advance?
About a week, and yes.
Why can’t this recipe unable to be saved in Pinterest?
How long will the dressing keep in the fridge?
Should be fine 1 week.
This recipe for the “Caesar” dressing is delicious. Do you have nutritional information for the dressing? I don’t know what the data for the serving of 1 wedge included. I love everything in the dressing and may consider using on all our salads, especially since my husband can’t eat eggs or gluten and he loved Caesar Dressing.
I will look into this for you!
if you don’t have a high speed blender can this be made in a food processor?
I dont think it will be smooth enough.
Any sub for the cashews? My kids are allergic to them.
I’m wondering this, too. My son is allergic to cashews. Would it work with almonds?
Not sure? Maybe with blanched almonds, you don’t want the skin.
I just made this as soon as it crossed my feed! It is so good. How many TBSP would you say is a serving of dressing? Thanks so much for all you do for us. I love your recipes so much,
Sorry I don’t know, you would have to measure it and divide by 6.