Serves 4
Total time: 15 minutes
Quick, easy, and simple vegan Caesar salad. This recipe gives you its all in just a few simple ingredients. You will use the easy tahini-based vegan Caesar dressing for everything!
I rarely put the word “vegan” into a recipe because that would get tedious. But the reason I’m using it now is that I want to stress that this is a classic vegan Caesar. Not a classic Caesar, but a salad that vegans have been making for as far back as, I don’t know, the 1980s? The legend goes that some vegan awoke from a long VCR’ed Dynasty marathon, with a yearning for garlic and nutritional yeast… and the vegan Caesar was born.
The difference matters because vegan Caesar dressing has its own logic. No anchovies, no egg yolk, no parmesan (duh) and instead, tahini for creaminess, nutritional yeast for that umami depth, whole grain dijon for tang, and enough garlic to mean business. It comes together in a coffee mug with a fork. No blender, no soaking, no drama. And it tastes exactly like Caesar should.
This version is loaded with avocado and chickpeas which make it a full meal: creamy, protein-packed, and satisfying enough to actually hold you. But it’s also endlessly versatile. Pile it into a wrap with some roasted veggies for lunch. Throw in grilled asparagus, capers, olives, or roasted portobello. It’s the kind of recipe you make once and then slowly make your own. Here are some proteiny ideas for what else to use to bulk her up.
Make It Even More a Meal: What to Put on Top
Here are some of my favorite things to pile on:
Kate’s Buffalo Tofu Wings — Shatteringly crispy, dunked in buffalo sauce, with extra Caesar dressing on the side. You already know.
Golden Savory Baked Tofu — Five minutes of prep, thirty minutes in the oven, and you’ve got crispy nooch-crusted tofu that belongs on top of every salad you ever make.
Chickpea Cutlets — The PPK original. Slice them warm over the top and call it a day.
Gluten-Free Tofu Chick’n Cutlets — Golden, crispy, poultry-seasoned, and done in about 15 minutes. Slice on a bias and fan out over the salad for maximum drama.
Garlicky Thyme Tempeh — Ultra flavorful, smoky, incredibly satisfying. If you’re a tempeh person this is the one.
A Note on Garlic (To Make Your Life Easier)
You don’t have to waste time measuring garlic into a teaspoon… just eyeball it. Since this dressing comes together so fast you can adjust to your taste easily. And if you’re feeling lazy about peeling, here’s a trick: grate it on a microplane with the skin still on. The skin stays on top of the grater and falls away. You won’t get the whole clove this way but hey, all in the name of laziness. Just don’t start at the nub side, it’s too rough to grate.
VEGAN CAESAR SALAD FAQ
Is this vegan Caesar dressing nut-free? Yup — tahini is made from sesame seeds, not nuts, so this is totally nut-free. Great for anyone with nut allergies who still wants a creamy Caesar.
Can I make the dressing ahead of time? Hells yeah. It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It thickens up a bit as it sits so just thin with a little water and stir before using.
Why does my tahini seize up when I add water? It’s a tahini thing! It will look weirdly thick and curdled for a moment and then smooth right out if you just keep stirring. Give it a minute. It always comes good.
Can I use something other than tahini? Not for this recipe. I mean, you could fudge with it, but I would just use a mayo based or cashew based caesar dressing instead.
Can I use this as a vegan Caesar wrap? For sure — it’s one of my favorite ways to use it. Spread the dressing on a large flour tortilla, pile in some romaine, chickpeas, avocado, and whatever else you’ve got. Grilled tofu, roasted red peppers, or a handful of arugula all work great. Roll it up tight, grill it if you like, and you’ve got a seriously good lunch.
What can I add to this vegan Caesar salad? So many things. Toasted pine nuts, capers, olives, grilled asparagus, roasted portobello, sliced Chickpea Cutlets, Golden Savory Baked Tofu, vegan bacon, grilled seitan, or a handful of cooked quinoa. It’s one of those recipes that plays well with basically everything. See links above!
Is this gluten-free? Yup yup yup, everything in the base recipe is naturally gluten free.
How did I end up here? Searching “vegan Caesar salad” or “vegan Caesar dressing” probably. Maybe “tahini Caesar dressing” or “vegan Caesar without cashews.” You found the best one! You are amazing at googling.
Classic Vegan Caesar With Avocado & Chickpeas
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water (plus more for thinning)
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated garlic (see note)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Salad:
- 8 oz romaine (2 hearts) chopped
- Handful of baby arugula
- 15 oz can chickpeas rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 pc avocado diced
- Fresh black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Stir together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, or a coffee mug. Use a fork to blend smooth. Add additional tablespoons of water to thin, as needed. Taste for salt and seasoning. It should be slightly salty, because the saltiness will subside when you dress the salad.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the greens with the dressing. Add the avocado and chickpeas. Serve with fresh black pepper sprinkled on top.
Just had this for lunch and it ruled. I’m going to make this dang dressing all the time now!
woohoo!
I made this in a hurry to go with my parents “official” first vegan meal. It was whipped up in no time and they really enjoyed it. I didn’t tell them it was a vegan caesar and they didn’t pick up on it to the best of my knowledge. There was some taste reminiscent of it to me but I think we all just enjoyed the salad for what it was, delightful! My mom even said, Yeah, it’s good, but it had to be time consuming to make and was very surprised when I told her how simple it was and curious about the ingredients in it. Thanks So much for your lovely recipe and for sharing your creations with everyone!
That is so nice to hear, thank you!
[…] vegan Caesar salad based off this recipe Top right: Steamed veggies and prawns with brown rice Middle right: Noodle-less lasagna! recipe […]
[…] Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (click for recipe)–LOVE THIS […]
Thanks so much for this! I am part of a CSA and have a steady stream of fresh greens all summer, and the old olive oil and vinegar gets a little old after awhile. I’m excited to mix it up with this!
Thanks, Isa! In an attempt to save money, I made my own tahini, which may have been why my dressing was less awesome than anticipated (I think I over-toasted the seeds… oops). However, I added more crap to it, namely lemon juice, more garlic, more pepper and a dash of Braggs and olive brine. Within minutes, it was ultra yummy! I halved the batch as it’s just me (hence the hesitation to buy a big thing of tahini), and I still have enough for one more caesar. Yum!!
PS As fledgling vegan, I am soooo blown away by the power of nooch! 🙂 Amazing stuff!
I made this tonight with tempeh bacon and it was delicious! I modified the dressing just a touch, adding about a teaspoon of lemon juice to give it a little more acidity. I also used a spicy dijon mustard to give it a little kick. It all came together nicely–it made for a tasty summer meal!
Awesome! I was wondering what to do with all the Romaine in my garden!
The tahini-freeze thing is actually due to temperature (tahini reacts really quickly to cold temps). If you add lukewarm water instead of cool or cold water it should all stay liquidy.
I read something about the tahini and water thing a little while ago! It’s because tahini has lots of oil in it from the sesame seeds, and oil and water don’t mix easily. That’s why you add oil really slowly when making Vegenaise 😉 so that the oil and plant-based milk (essentially water) emulsify! Maybe next time you’re adding water to tahini, add it little by little and slowly
I made this salad tonight, with crunchy seitan dipped in whole wheat & sauteed in olive oil (like in seitan piccata), then more of this scrumptious dressing on the seitan. So yummy. Your recipes can get me excited about making dinner even in this heat!
This was my first vegan ceasar dressing and I was super excited to try it! Mine came out tasting extremely bitter, is that to be expected? I poured it over a salad with avocado, onion, and Jamaican jerk tempeh so the bitterness wasn’t overwhelming, but I’m not looking forward to packing it for lunch 🙁 maybe I used too much tahini — any suggestions?
I think it’s because the fat molecules absorb water to a certain extent and then get saturated so then it starts to smooth out
Using tahini for Caesar dressing is so genius! Looking forward to making this, maybe with some chickpea cutlets!
Delicious! Made this 2 times in 1 week! loved it that much. Only thing we do different is roast the chickpeas with olive oil and cajun seasoning. In case your interested, just toss the chickpeas and seasonings together and bake for 20 minutes @ 425 degrees.
I love how you say to mix things in a coffee mug. Totally!!!
LOVE IT! I’ve made this dressing 3 times already! (But I haven’t done the full combo, yet). I love the Caesar dressing recipe from Appetite for Reduction, too, but this one is way faster to make!
This looks and sounds amazing! I’m with Anna (June 10th comment) in wondering if the yeast flakes can be skipped – or substituted with something else? I can’t get those where I am. Looking forward to trying this!
It’s really good for thickening, but you could leave it out and do a little extra tahini.
Hey Isa! How long does this dressing stay good for? Thanks!
I’ve had it for 5 days or so.
This dressing was delicious!!!! I love all of your dressings, especially your oil-free ones are always a home run. Thanks for sharing them.
Delicious!! We had tons of kale so I used that instead of arugula and romaine. Made it kind of bitter but I counteracted with more nootch and mustard and was satisfied with the results. Boyfriend added kalamata olives and pepperoncini. Also, my dressing turned out too thin so I blended in another avocado.
Thank you! Great inspiration.
Thank you Isa!!!! Just made this salad tonight for my family who are meat eaters who laugh at my vegetarian food. I have been craving so badly a Cesar salad, and this was so perfect! My mom and dad both were surprisingly loving the salad. My mom even asked for second helpings! My grandma got me your Veganomican for Christmas and now I am bound and determined to start cooking and make as many meals I can out of it! Thank you so much Isa! Please keep up your great work!
Thank you!!
[…] entrees, I did my favorite Vegan Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas from Post Punk Kitchen (click for recipe). I didn’t take a picture of the trough of salad that I served at this barbecue, but here […]
What are yeast flakes? Can you make this without? I’m allergic to brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast… doe yeast flakes come from either of those?
I love this dressing! I was addicted to the caesar chavez dressing from Appetite for Reduction, and I thought I could never love another caesar dressing as much, but I was wrong…This dressing is so easy to whip up. I make a double amount and keep it in a jar in the fridge. I use it as dressing on salad but also dip for veggies or pita chips. I even like to put it on sandwiches. I always add black pepper and lemon juice when I make it to give it some extra zing.
This Caesar is a favorite in my house, we’ve eaten it for about a week now & haven’t tired of it yet. Tonight I’m going to make your Ranch salad. You’re a very talented chef & we’re reaping the benefits, thanks! Being Vegan never tasted so good!
[…] vegan Caesar salad recipes are very unhealthy. I love this one adapted from Post Punk Kitchen’s Classic Vegan Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas because I don’t feel guilty after indulging on the dressing. Here’s how I made […]
I’m obsessed with this salad dressing. Who the hell needs ranch? Or dairy caesar? Damn this is good. I wish I’d known about it earlier in life. Thanks, Isa!
[…] * You can use this dressing in various salads. It’s extremely healthy, compared to the original Caesar’s dressing because of the tahini that has iron and calcium so the more the merrier! Enjoy! Original recipe which is a salad too: http://www.theppk.com/2013/06/classic-vegan-caesar-with-avocado-chickpeas/ […]
Have any of you guys actually put the arugula in the salad?
I have literally EVERYTHING else just sitting around — except for the arugala!
Wondering if I should throw in some spinach, or just leave it entirely romaine. I see how arugula could add some nice bite to the Caesar, but spinach might be too…. spinachy.
I’m a lousy (and lazy) vegan cook, but I love Caesar salad and creamy vegan dressings. “No need to break out the blender” got me interested at once. I had all the ingredients at home – so good. Thank you for this recipe.
very good for manual to use it – thanks for share
BACON!!!
Thank you for this great recipe and making it OIL FREE!! I love you for that.
For those who may want to have vegan Caesar Salad, try Beyond Meat. their ‘chicken’ strips are fabulous and vegan.
I have been making a vegan Caesar with Beyond Meat lightly seasoned strips, croutons, capers, romaine and this dressing. It’s a staple in our house. Thanks so much for the dressing recipe. it is amazing!
Hi
I just discovered your site and LOVE IT! I feel like it’s Christmas all over again. Thanks!
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Every time I see that picture, I say, Mmm, I have to go eat salad.
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Really great Caesar dressing recipe. I made a couple of small adjustments: I used vegetable broth instead of water and I added a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.
I also cut the romaine heads in half, drizzled them with oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper and then grilled them on the stove top for a couple of minutes on the cut side. I then drizzled the dressing on top. Delish!
[…] In any event, all these years (and many bottles of champagne) later, I finally attempted the grilled Caesar salad, and it was a great success. And I made it with a vegan version of the dressing, which even J found delicious! Here’s the dressing recipe, adapted from Post-Punk Kitchen: […]
[…] Cesar con aguacate http://www.theppk.com/2013/06/classic-vegan-caesar-with-avocado-chickpeas/ […]
Has anyone tried to make extra dressing and bottle it? How long do you think it would keep for?