This is the best Vegan Caesar Salad with classic flavors and ingredients like romaine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan, but dairy-free and made entirely from scratch!
Caesar salad is a staple. It's easy to see why it's so popular: the crisp, refreshing and hardy romaine, the crunchy and salty croutons, and plenty of cheese.
Not to mention the creamy and savory dressing!
Traditional Caesar salad is full of dairy and eggs in the dressing and on top, so I wanted to make a vegan version that's just as delicious. If you're dairy-free or not, you'll appreciate the classic flavors in this delicious vegan Caesar salad.
How to Make Vegan Caesar Salad
The important components of every Caesar salad are the croutons, dressing, lettuce and cheese. It's easier than you think to make your own salad entirely from scratch!
Ingredients
Here's what you need:
- Chopped romaine. Cut your lettuce into bite-sized pieces for easier eating. You can also use kale if you prefer.
- Croutons. I like big, crusty bites of croutons in my salad.
- Vegan parmesan. Use any brand you like. Violife makes a nice block-style cheese that you can shave yourself, instead of the pre-shredded cheese.
- Vegan Caesar dressing. My recipe is made with tahini, capers, and lemon juice for an ultra-creamy and savory flavor.
- Black pepper. Add a few cracks of black pepper to the top of each salad bowl just before serving.
Recipe Steps
Follow this order of events to compose your Caesar salad:
Make the croutons. Start by toasting cubed bread in the oven until they're golden and crispy. Use plenty of olive oil for added color and flavor. We also have a recipe for homemade garlic croutons if you want to try that!
Make the dressing. Next, make the Caesar dressing in a blender. You'll love that our vegan caesar dressing uses tahini, capers, lemon and mustard to make the most delicious topping to this salad!
Prepare the lettuce. Chop the romaine on a cutting board into neat pieces. If necessary, grate the cheese.
Assemble the salad. When the croutons are cool enough, add the chopped romaine, croutons and cheese to a serving bowl. Drizzle on the dressing, add black pepper, and toss to coat everything in the dressing. Dig in!
What to Serve with Caesar Salad
You can turn this healthy salad into a complete meal with some protein, like:
- Crispy Chickpeas
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- Soft Boiled Eggs
- Almond & Quinoa Crusted Chicken
- Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes
Or serve the salad as a side dish with a vegan entree like Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers or Vegan BBQ Pizza with Quinoa Crust.
More Vegan Salad Recipes
Try these other fresh and healthy dairy-free salads next:
If you make this Vegan Caesar Salad, let me know what you think with a comment below!
Classic Vegan Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped romaine (about 2 - 3 hearts)
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups homemade croutons
- 1/2 cup shaved vegan parmesan
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup vegan caesar dressing
- Generous crack of fresh pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a large bowl. Toss together and serve immediately. Top with your favorite choice of protein if desired!
I made this Caesar dressing and was amazed at how good it was! Hemp hearts can have a strong flavor, but with the other ingredients, it really worked! Delicious and nutritious!!