Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

Easy Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with fresh kale, crispy croutons and a super creamy cashew dressing is a very delicious yet simple recipe. It’s great for a quick lunch, a light dinner, or as a side dish, and you can easily customize it with your favorite toppings to make it more filling.

Listen, I know that kale salads are very 2010’s (hey, one of my first recipes here in 2014 was a kale salad). But I can’t help myself, I just love kale salads. Kale has simply the perfect texture, especially for creamy salad dressings and all kinda fun toppings. It’s also a lovely green that’s full of vitamins and minerals, and it’s very versatile. Plus if you happen to have a garden or a balcony for pots, it’s also super easy to grow, and a single plant will basically feed you through the whole winter.

Anyways, one of my favorite kale salads are for sure a Kale Caesar Salad. I was actually totally surprised that I haven’t posted a recipe for it yet. So here it comes, finally.

Sometimes I like to use pine nuts for the dressing (here you can find the recipe), but my go-to is usually cashews. Soaked cashews simply make the perfect creamy dressing base. Then I like to flavor the dressing with mustard, nutritional yeast, capers, miso and lots of garlic.

For the salad itself I especially love to use Tuscan kale, but curly kale, or a combination of both is just as delicious too. Some finely chopped Brussels sprouts are great as well.

Some days I love to keep it all simple with just some the kale, Caesar dressing and the croutons, other days I like to add all kind of extras like vegan chicken nuggets, crispy chickpeas or butter beans, avocado, quinoa, or seeds as a topping. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.

Vegan Kale Caesar Salad is….

• vegan and fully plant-based
• easy to make
• creamy and flavorful
• full of fresh greens
• topped with crunchy homemade croutons
• made with a rich, garlicky cashew dressing
• great for lunch or dinner
• delicious as a side dish
• easy to customize with your favorite toppings
• perfect for using up garden kale

How to make Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

Start by roughly chopping kale and adding it to a large bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Massage the leaves with your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until they soften a little. This makes the kale easier to eat and helps it soak up the dressing.

Next, prepare the croutons. Cut the baguette into bite size pieces and spread them on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Arrange bread pieces in a single layer and bake at 360°F / 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or until golden and crispy. Let them cool slightly before adding them to the salad.

For the Caesar dressing, add soaked cashews, miso, mustard, capers, caper brine, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and vegan Worcestershire sauce to a blender. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until completely smooth. Add water gradually until the dressing reaches your preferred consistency. I usually use around 1 cup / 240 ml, but you might need a little more or less depending on your blender and how thick you like your dressing.

Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add more lemon juice for extra tang, capers for a saltier flavor, or garlic if you like it extra punchy.

Pour the dressing over the massaged kale, add croutons, and toss everything together until well coated. Divide between bowls and finish with any extra toppings you like. Serve right away while the croutons are still crispy!

How to serve Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

This salad is delicious on its own for a light lunch, but you can easily turn it into a more filling meal by adding some extra protein. Vegan chicken nuggets, crispy chickpeas or butter beans, fried tofu or tempeh, or cooked or roasted lentils all work really well.

You can also add avocado, hemp seeds, toasted nuts, or vegan Parmesan for extra flavor and texture. If you’re serving it as a side, it goes especially well with roasted veggies, burgers, baked tofu, or a simple bowl of soup.

If you’re making the salad ahead of time, keep the dressing and croutons separate until you’re ready to eat. The kale holds up better than most salad greens, but the croutons will lose their crunch once mixed with the dressing.

Customize it the way you like it!

• For the base you can use Tuscan kale, curly kale, or a combination of both. Finely chopped Brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, or napa cabbage are delicious too

• You can totally play around with the dressing! Add more garlic, omit the vegan Worcestershire sauce, or use a splash of maple syrup to adjust the taste. You can also make it richer by using more olive oil, or make it a little thinner by adding more water to it

• Keep the croutons simple, or flavor them with smoked paprika, garlic powder, rosemary, or lemon salt. You can also use pretzel bites, sourdough bread, or a multigrain bread for extra taste and texture

• Choose all kinda fun toppings for your salad! Vegan chicken bites, nuggets, or bacon bits, fried tempeh, crispy chickpeas, beluga lentils, sliced apples, avocados, or toasted nuts are some of my favorites here

More delicious salad recipes to try:

• Vegan Banh Mi Salad w/ Marinated Tofu
• Quick Vegan Tofu Caprese
• Roasted Potato Salad with Yogurt Dressing
• Crispy Rice Salad w/ Edamame & Cucumber
• Hummus Potato Salad w/ Roasted Vegetables
• Vegan Kimchi Potato Salad
• Kale Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Roasted Pumpkin + Tahini Dressing
• Zucchini Panzanella Salad
• Vegan Salad Niçoise
• Green Spelt Salad w/ Roasted Pumpkin

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