Vegan Wedge Salad

Name: Vegan Wedge Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces Butler Soy Curls; 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari; ⅓ cup water; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast; 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise; ¼ cup unsweetened soy milk; 1 clove garlic; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon dried parsley; ½ teaspoon dried dill; ½ teaspoon organic sugar (or other sweetener); ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 2 teaspoons dried chives; 1 head iceberg lettuce; 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes; ½ cup Vegan Bacon Bits; ½ cup Vegan Ranch Dressing

This Vegan Wedge Salad combines fresh, crispy iceberg lettuce with creamy vegan ranch dressing, smoky vegan bacon bits, and sweet acidic tomatoes for the perfect salad! This recipe is easy to make for a flavor packed plant-based twist on a steakhouse classic.

Wedge salad on a square red plate with wedge of lettuce and bowl of bacon bits in the background.

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This vegan wedge salad is satisfying enough to be a meal on its own, but will also make an eye-catching side for your dinner parties. And it requires very little cooking, making it an easy recipe to enjoy when you’re short on time.

In fact, you can make the dressing and the vegan bacon bits several days in advance, allowing you to assemble this wedge salad in minutes!

While Iceberg lettuce doesn’t contain as high a level of nutrients as other leafy greens, it is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and folate. It is also one of the least caloric foods there is, containing only 10 calories per shredded cup of lettuce. This makes it a great way to increase the bulk of food without increasing your calorie intake.

What is a wedge salad?

A wedge salad is a type of salad that typically consists of a wedge-shaped piece of iceberg lettuce that is topped with ingredients such as chopped tomatoes, bacon bits, blue cheese crumbles, and a creamy dressing like ranch or blue cheese.

It was very popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but is recently making a comeback.

I’ve created my own vegan version of this salad using my Vegan Ranch Dressing and my Vegan Bacon Bits. If you want to use the more traditional blue cheese dressing, my friend Cindy of Veggie Fun Kitchen has a wonderful Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe.

The iceberg lettuce used in wedge salads is particularly crisp and refreshing, making it a popular choice for this type of salad. The wedge shape also allows for the dressing to seep into all the nooks and crannies.

Ingredients for this vegan wedge salad

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Soy Curl Bacon Bits Ingredients

Labeled ingredients for vegan bacon bits.

Butler Soy Curls – you can substitute TVP (textured vegetable protein, but soy curls are less proccessed.
Low sodium soy sauce – this can be replaced with tamari or coconut aminos
water
maple syrup – be sure to use use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
nutritional yeast – adds a little umami flavor to the bacon bits.
liquid smoke -for that smoky flavor.
smoked paprika – adds color and more smoky flavor
onion powder and garlic powder – for savory taste
salt and black pepper

Vegan Ranch Dressing

My Tofu Cashew Mayonnaise. This vegan mayo is made from tofu and raw cashews, and has less than 17 calories per tablespoon (as opposed to 90 or more in traditional mayonnaise), making this dressing much lower in fat. You can substitute this with any mayo you like.
Soy milk and apple cider vinegar mimic the buttermilk that is in traditional recipes.
A bit of lemon juice adds just a little more tang.
A fresh garlic clove, because I like my dressing to be a bit garlicky
A bit of lemon juice adds just a little more tang. Fresh is wonderful, but bottled lemon juice is fine.
Seasonings – onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried dill, and dried chives.

Other Wedge Salad Ingredients

labled ingredients for vegan wedge salad.

Iceberg lettuce – while Iceberg is the traditional lettuce used in wedge salads, you can substitute with a sliced head of Romaine lettuce for a change of pace with more nutrients.
Tomatoes – I like to use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes for the best flavor, but other diced tomato is fine.
Chives

How to make a vegan wedge salad

Make the vegan bacon bits

These are the bacon bits featured in my Vegan Bacon Bits post. More information about this recipe can be found in that post.

Start by chopping the soy curls. I found the easiest way to do this was with nut chopper. Transfer them to a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, water, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to make a marinade.

Pour this over the chopped soy curls. Stir it around to make sure all the bits are well coated.

Allow the soy curl bits to sit and soak up the marinade for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the bacon bits to a parchment lined baking sheet and spread them into a single layer.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bacon bits are as crispy as you like. Watch them carefully, because they can go from crispy to burnt very quickly.

Make the salad dressing

Place all the ingredients except the chives in the blender and blend them until they are well combined.

Add the chives and just pulse the blender a few time to mix them in. Pour into a jar and refrigerate.

The dressing can be made up to 4 or 5 days in advance. For more information about this dressing, see my Vegan Ranch Dressing post.

Assemble the Vegan Wedge Salad

Wedge salad on a square red plate with fork and knife on edge of plate.

Begin by removing any outer, damaged leaves. Cut the head in half lengthwise, then in half again, cutting through the core. Finally, remove the tough core end of each wedge.

Place each lettuce wedge on a plate, cut side up. Drizzle ranch dressing over the top, then sprinkle on vegan bacon bits and diced tomatoes. Garnish with chopped chives or green onions.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this vegan wedge salad with a protein entree like Lentil Loaf or BBQ Tofu. It would also be a tasty side salad to accompany a burger like my Black Bean Burgers or my Chickpea Burgers.

Frequently asked questions

Are bacon bits vegan?

You might not be aware, but most store-bought bacon bits are vegan. To avoid the artificial color and processed ingredients, you can make my easy Soy Curl Bacon Bits.

How do you cut lettuce for a wedge salad?

First remove the outer limp leaves. Then cut the head of lettuce in half lengthwise, cutting through the core. Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise again into quarters. Then cut off the tough core on the end of each quarter.

How do you eat a wedge salad?

This salad requires a fork and a knife for eating. Stab the salad with a fork to stabalize it. Then use the knife to cut off a bite size piece of lettuce from the end. Be sure to swipe up some dressing, bacon bits, and cherry tomatoes with your bite. Repeat this until you’ve eaten the whole salad.

Other vegan salad recipes:

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