Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe
Go Vegan Salad Salad Recipes

Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe

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Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe

There’s never a bad time to serve Caesar salad, and this vegan Caesar salad is a crowd-pleasing lunch or healthy side dish that anyone can enjoy, no matter their dietary preferences (meat lovers, you’ll love this too!).

It starts with our best vegan Caesar dressing, made from olive oil, fresh lemon juice, tahini, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, capers, and garlic. The tahini gives the dressing that characteristic creaminess that you’d expect in a Caesar, while the nutritional yeast plays the role of Parmesan cheese. If you haven’t tried nutritional yeast, which mimics the flavor of a salty cheese, you’re in for a very vegan treat!

The dressing gets tossed with gem lettuce or romaine hearts, then the salad is topped with hearty fresh croutons and crispy chickpeas. To add a little more heft and interest (this is a vegan recipe, after all), we included delicious, sweet grilled onions and peppery radishes. Trust us, it’ll be a Caesar unlike any other.

Top tip: Make a double batch of the dressing and save it in an airtight container in the fridge for future healthy salads. This Caesar will go fast, so you won’t mind having some extra dressing at the ready to drizzle on your work lunches all week.

Directions

MAKE THE CRISPY CHICKPEAS:

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Rinse chickpeas; pat very dry with paper towels, discarding any loose skins.
  2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss chickpeas with olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast, shaking occasionally, until crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.
  3. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl and toss with lemon zest. Chickpeas will continue to crisp as they cool.

MAKE THE DRESSING AND SALAD:

  1. Heat grill to medium. Make dressing: In a mini blender or food processor, puree all dressing ingredients, until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon water at a time to adjust consistency and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.
  2. Make salad: Brush bread with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Brush onion slices with 1 tablespoon oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss radishes with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and season with a pinch of salt. Thread radishes onto small skewers. Grill bread until toasty, 2 to 3 minutes per side; immediately rub with garlic. Grill onions and radishes until tender, about 5 minutes per side for onions and 6 to 8 minutes for radishes.
  3. Tear bread into pieces and separate onion rings. Toss lettuce with half the dressing to coat. Gently fold in grilled croutons and onion rings. Serve with radish skewers, crispy chickpeas, and remaining dressing for drizzling or dipping.

Ingredients

FOR CRISPY CHICKPEAS

  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

FOR DRESSING

  • 1/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 c. tahini
  • 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. capers plus 1 tsp caper brine
  • 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
  • Kosher salt and pepper

FOR SALAD

  • 4 thick slices bread
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 small red onions, cut into thick rounds

Kosher salt and pepper

  • 2 bunches small radishes
  • 1 clove garlic, cut in half
  • 2 heads gem lettuce or romaine hearts, leaves separated

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