Vegan Caesar Salad With Crisp Chickpeas

By Becky Hughes

Published January 8, 2020

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(3,907)
Comments
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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

  • ½ small loaf crusty bread, such as sourdough, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and thoroughly dried

  • 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

  • 1 large head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 1 cup whole (unroasted) cashews

  • 1 snack-size (2-by-3-inch) sheet roasted nori, crumbled (optional)

  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast, plus more for serving

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 2 teaspoons brine from a jar of capers

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon white miso paste

  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt 

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)

74 grams carbs; 689 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 20 grams fiber; 1142 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 13 grams sugar

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 1 ½ 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
3,907 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!

Katie Larsell

This is great! Next time though, I will not put the chickpeas or croutons in the salad but put them on the table. We had left overs the next day and these elements were soggy.

S

Do not serve immediately! Instead allow the massaged kale and dressing time to get to know one another ~10 minutes while you wash and chop/shredded lettuce (or radish!) and gasp fresh tomatoes that needed to be eaten. The longer the kale sits, the monster and less "chewy" it becomes. Converted my other half, who swore I cooked the kale first, because how is it so soft! Went back for seconds too.

Kristine

Delicious! Quadrupled recipe for a luncheon and found it worked well to make ahead. The baked croutons dry out overnight and get even crunchier--making it particularly important to tear the size of the crouton to easily fit in the smallest mouth. One can massage kale in the dressing the night before. Chickpeas can be quickly sautéed back to crispy on the outside. Add all accoutrements to massaged kale just before serving. Pickle juice worked in a pinch when I ran short of caper brine.

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