Vegan Caesar Salad

4.84 from 12 votes

Enjoy this plant based take on a classic with my Vegan Caesar Salad. The oil-free cashew based dressing is creamy and flavorful, and the salad is topped with my crunchy oil-free croutons. You're going to love it!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Condiment, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Caesar Dressing, Caesar Salad, Oil Free

Servings:

Calories: 169.3kcal

Author: Teresa Sklenicka

Ingredients

For the Caesar Dressing

1 cup cashews
¾ cup water
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
2 teaspoons Vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Oil-Free Croutons

4 cups bread cubes diced (approx. 1/2" to 3/4" cubes)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon paprika

For the Caesar Salad

2 medium heads Romaine Lettuce chopped
Nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

To Make the Oil-Free Croutons

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cut the bread into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes. Place in a medium bowl.
Mix together the seasonings and sprinkle over the bread cubes.
Spread the bread cubes onto a baking pan and toast in oven for 10 minutes or until dry and toasty, stirring after 5 minutes.

To Make the Caesar Salad Dressing

Place all the dressing ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

To Make the Caesar Salad

Chop the Romaine lettuce and place in a large bowl.
Add the croutons and dressing, as much as you like, and toss until well coated. There will be extra dressing.
If desired, garnish with additional nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese.

Notes

If you want your dressing to have the fishy taste of the anchovies that are typical to Caesar salad, you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of kelp.

For a gluten free salad, choose gluten free bread for the croutons.

If your blender is not high speed like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you will need to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours and then drain them before making the dressing.

Nutrition calculations are based on about 2 cups of lettuce, 1/3 cup of croutons, and 2 tablespoons of dressing. Additional nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese are not included in the calculations.

Nutrition