This is one of those salad recipes that I start making as soon as it starts getting a little warmer, and I seriously can’t stop. The truth is, my husband Tony has no idea that it’s vegan, he just gobbles it up every single time.
Since we aren’t vegan, we usually we’ll pair this vegan caesar salad with my honey mustard chicken or one of my many salmon recipes, but you’re welcome to serve it however you’d like. I’ve also recently been adding sliced cherry or grape tomatoes + sliced Persian cucumbers to make it go a bit further and highly recommend. Either way, I hope you love this recipe!
What’s in a caesar salad?
Traditional caesar salads are super simple and made with a base of romaine lettuce topped with croutons, parmesan cheese, black pepper and caesar dressing. Classic caesar salad dressings have lemon juice, oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic & dijon mustard.
In this recipe, we’re going vegan and dairy free by using a tahini-based vegan caesar dressing, plus a fun twist on traditional croutons.
Everything you’ll need to make this vegan caesar salad
The best part about caesar salads? They use up minimal ingredients but are bursting with flavor! This makes them the perfect side dish or main to serve with pretty much anything. Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan caesar salad:
- Dressing: we’re using my delicious vegan caesar dressing made with tahini. Get ready to fall in love.
- Lettuce: I like to use super crisp romaine lettuce to give the salad that fresh crunch.
- Chickpeas: add some roasted chickpeas for a little flavor, protein, and texture! I love this brand or you can make a homemade version and use your own seasonings!
- Avocado: a little avocado helps to round out the whole salad. Love that creaminess and boost of healthy fats. Totally optional but delicious.
- Extra salt and pepper: it’s critical that your vegan caesar salad be salty enough to taste like a caesar salad, so don’t be afraid to add some extra salt and pepper!
Customize this vegan caesar salad
While this salad is delicious on its own, it also makes the perfect base for your fav add-ins. Here are some ideas for jazzing it up:
- Choose your greens. I love using crunchy romaine lettuce, but kale would also be delicious in this vegan caesar salad. Just be sure to massage the kale well with all of that dressing.
- Cheese it up. Add ¼ cup parmesan or sub a dairy free parmesan on top. We love this recipe for vegan parm!
- Add more veggies. This salad would be delicious with the addition of halved cherry/grape tomatoes and sliced persian cucumbers, too.
- Swap your protein. If you aren’t vegan, this salad is delicious served with grilled chopped buffalo or even pulled BBQ chicken.
- Pasta party. Make a vegan caesar pasta salad by adding some cooked elbow, bowtie or cavatappi noodles!
Vegan caesar salad in 3 easy steps
- Make the dressing. Mix up all the ingredients for that delicious vegan caesar salad dressing. This can be done a few days ahead of time!
- Toss the lettuce. Give that romaine lettuce a good toss with the dressing so that it’s evenly coated.
- Top & serve. Add the crispy chickpeas, avocado, and any additional toppings you’d like, drizzle with more dressing and serve.
Serving tips
This vegan caesar salad is great for entertaining or meal prep, which means there are a couple of beautiful ways to serve it!
- On a platter. Use a pretty platter and arrange your lettuce, avocado and chickpeas for presentation. Great for serving guests.
- In a bowl. Keep it simple by serving the salad in a big salad bowl for date nights, family dinner and meal prep.
Recipes to serve with vegan caesar salad
This salad is truly the perfect, light side dish for any meal! Here are some great recipes to serve it with:
- Bacon Parmesan Brussels Sprouts Spaghetti
- Date Night In Cilantro Pistachio Pesto Shrimp Pasta
- The Best Healthy Turkey Lasagna You’ll Ever Eat
- Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce
- Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Juicy Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Basil Sauce with Burrata
- Sweet Potato Cheddar BBQ Chicken Burgers
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
- The Best Garlic Bread You’ll Ever Eat
- One Pan Tomato Basil Baked Orzo
How to store
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Recommended tools for this recipe
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More salad recipes you’ll love
- California Roasted Sweet Potato Kale Salad
- Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Damn Good BLT Pasta Salad with Creamy Jalapeño Cashew Dressing
- Spicy Cashew Thai Chickpea Broccoli Salad
- Avocado Blueberry Quinoa Salad
Get all of our amazing salad recipes here!
I hope you love this vegan caesar salad recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Vegan Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 3 heads romaine lettuce, chopped (about 10 cups chopped romaine lettuce)
- 1 ½ cups roasted chickpeas (we love Biena ranch flavored roasted chickpeas!)*
- 1 batch vegan caesar dressing
- Optional: 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- First make your vegan caesar dressing and set aside.
- Next, you can choose to serve this on a platter or in a bowl. Platters are pretty for entertaining or serving guests and bowls are great for date nights, family dinner and meal prep.
- Toss the chopped romaine with the dressing until well coated, leaving a little dressing for drizzling on top when done. Sprinkle chickpeas generously on top, adding more if you’d like additional crunch. Drizzle with a little more dressing, then serve! Serves 4-6 depending on if you are serving as a main or a side. Feel free to add avocado to the salad as well!
Recipe Notes
- Add ¼ cup parm or sub a dairy free parm on top. We love this recipe for vegan parm!
- This salad would be delicious with the addition of halved cherry or grape tomatoes and sliced persian cucumbers, too. YUM.
- If you aren’t vegan, this salad is delicious served with grilled chopped buffalo, honey mustard or bbq chicken.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on March 18th, 2021, and republished on March 3rd, 2024.
19 comments
So good!
Glad you enjoyed!
Loved this! I added some Banza shells and rinsed them in cold water and added olive oil to them, and mixed in the salad to make it a pasta salad. So good.
Love it! So good!!
This was an amazing salad! I followed the recipe exactly as it is written and made my own oil free spiced chuck peas. The vegan Caesar dressing tasted like the real thing! I made it for guests and everyone loved it!
This is my go-to salad! The dressing is delicious and I can save extra dressing in a jar for later use during the week. The salad is so filling, and I have yet to get tired of it. SO GOOD!
I made this salad for a family party because a couple of folks are vegan and….it is delicious!! I’m not vegan and it is still my go to recipe. Everyone loves it and most folks are excited to try something new and it is really an easy recipe to make. Several people asked for the recipe because it is also gluten free. I added halved cherry tomatoes and served shaved parmesan on the side for those people who wanted some cheese. Highly, highly recommend it. If I could post a pic I would because it is beautiful as well as delicious.
PS – The roasted chickpeas are definitely the kicker!!
Oh yay!! I’m so glad that you and everyone loved it! Great idea to add the cherry tomatoes + parm, sounds AMAZING.
Made this salad for a family get together. So delicious. Had the avocado on the said for those that like it to add to their salad. Had croutons and chickpeas on the side for people to choose what they want. Used gluten free noodles! Everyone in the family loved it!
Thrilled to hear everyone enjoyed it!
This was so delish! Even my toddlers loved it!
Hi,
I saw a salad dressing with cilantro and Tahini but now I don’t see it….can you please let me know.
Hi! Was it this one?
I have Bombay spice roasted chickpeas. Would these spices (coriander, cumin) work in this recipe?
I bet they would be fabulous!!
Thanks for another fab recipe I’ve added to my rotation!! Made this salad (with your amazing Caesar dressing) along with gluten free lasagna and breadsticks for my fam Christmas Eve meal and it was a hit. I used the suggested Biena ranch roasted chickpeas and altogether it was so delicious and easy to put together!
Amazing!! This salad was delicious! Your recipes never disappoint 👌👌❤️
Ah thank you so much! Glad you are loving this recipe! ❤️🙂