Vegan Caesar Salad With Crisp Chickpeas

By Becky Hughes

Published Jan. 9, 2020

Vegan Caesar Salad With Crisp Chickpeas
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(3,672)
Comments
Read comments

There are many ways to mimic the rich, creamy texture of emulsified, egg-based Caesar dressing: Tofu, vegan mayonnaise, aquafaba whipped with oil, the list goes on. Blended raw cashews prove themselves the best base in this version, which is fortified with garlic, mustard, miso paste and caper brine to achieve the tangy-salty-punchy balance found in the real deal. Crisp chickpeas and hand-torn croutons add a crunchiness that plays well with the velvety dressing.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

    For the Salad

    • ½small loaf crusty bread, such as sourdough, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
    • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1(14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and thoroughly dried
    • 1large bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
    • 1large head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

    For the Dressing

    • 1cup whole (unroasted) cashews
    • 1snack-size (2-by-3-inch) sheet roasted nori, crumbled (optional)
    • ¼cup nutritional yeast, plus more for serving
    • ¼cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
    • 3garlic cloves
    • 2teaspoons brine from a jar of capers
    • 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1teaspoon white miso paste
    • ¾teaspoon kosher salt 
    • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

689 calories; 35 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 1142 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a medium baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. On a second baking sheet, toss the chickpeas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Bake both until chickpeas and croutons are browned and crisp, stirring both halfway through, about 10 minutes for the croutons and 20 minutes for the chickpeas. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    While the chickpeas and croutons roast, prepare your dressing: To a high-speed blender, add all the dressing ingredients, plus ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ¾ cup water; blend until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula every now and again. Set dressing aside. (You should have 1½ cups).

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, add the kale and the dressing. Using your hands, massage the kale until slightly softened. Add the lettuce, croutons and half the roasted chickpeas; toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast. Top with remaining roasted chickpeas; grind black pepper over, and serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,672 user ratings
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Comments

Emily Drew

The best vegan caesar dressing recipe I've ever tasted. I didn't have the nori on hand but next time would add to give the dressing an even "fishier" flavor (I usually make my caesar with tons of anchovies). I will keep this dressing in my fridge constantly. I'm happy to see more and more vegan options on NYT cooking- keep them coming!!!!

Graceann

What a weird day. Jan. 6, 2021. Made this while watching a coup. Best vegan caesar I've ever had. I know this salad isn't named after Julius Caesar, but wow irony huh? Oh and didn't use nori.

Anna B

So delicious... just made it for a second time in 3 days because I'm CRAVING it. TIP: for the cashews, put them in a small pot/saucepan and add water until they are submerged, bring them to a boil, then turn off the burner and let them sit with the lid on for ~20 minutes. Made the consistency super creamy. It was a little chunkier the other (non-boiled) way, but still great!

SS

My favorite salad recipe by far, it’s a huge hit at parties and I’m not vegan nor are my guests. Dressing recipe is perfect as is to the letter. I skip the kale and do extra romaine, also use whatever bread I have lying around including slices hand torn. I usually add garlic powder and/or umami seasoning to the chickpeas and bread in addition to salt and pepper, and I swap the oil for oil spray to properly coat it and save calories. A hit!! In a vitamix you don’t need to presoak the cashews.

M

The recipe should be edited, as it lists 3/4tsp of salt in the "dressing ingredients" but the instructions say "add all the dressing ingredients and 3/4tsp salt..." I assume you do not mean us to add 1.5tsp salt, double the pepper, etc.

Alice

In response to the comments about texture, I decided to soak the cashews overnight. I reduced the amount of water added to the dressing to 1/2 cup. The texture was creamy, pourable and perfect and the salad was delicious.

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