A classic recipe made healthier with the help of whole food ingredients. This vegan caesar dressing is the perfect addition to grilled romaine salad!
You can now have all the creamy tangy goodness of traditional Caesar in a vegan version! It’s perfect for drizzling, dipping or eating with a spoon.
Vegan Caesar Dressing and Grilled Romaine
I have had multiple requests from readers to create a Caesar dressing, so when I was asked to review the new cookbook Love and Lemons Every Day by Jeanine Donofrio, I jump at the chance to try her version.
I love the simplicity and whole food ingredients it uses, it’s basically a dump and blend kind of recipe. Loads of flavor and a bonus, my kids loved it!
Her book overall is absolutely gorgeous. Other than the vibrant yellow color, the recipes inside induce serious drool. A few of my favorites that I marked to try were:
- Creamy Sweet Corn Parpadelle
- Flourless Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Loaded Butternut Squash Queso
Her photos literally make you want to eat the page. And I love the diversity of what she offers.
I also love that she has some helpful sections at the beginning, things like:
- Seasonal produce guide
- Section all about proteins
- What parts of veggies you shouldn’t waste
- Her favorite things
What is Caesar dressing made from?
Traditional Caesar is made from the following main ingredients blended together:
- anchovies
- garlic
- egg yolks
- oil
- parmesan
- dijon
- lemon
Can vegans eat Caesar dressing?
Three of the ingredients above are not part of a vegan diet: anchovies, eggs and parmesan. So what replaces those flavors? There are many ways to use plants to recreate them!
In this recipe, she uses cashews and capers to recreate the traditional flavors. I also love that she uses water instead of oil. Cashews have plenty of whole food fat and oil is not needed.
How to you get grilled romaine lettuce?
While I never though I’d like my lettuce cooked, grilling romaine is delicious! The key is a hot grill and a light coating of olive oil.
You want the grates really hot, and you also want to brush the cut romaine heart with a touch of oil. This helps it char just the right amount. Make sure they aren’t wet or they will get really wilted.
How to make the perfect vegan Caesar dressing
I love easy dressings you can through into a blender and have ready in less than 5 minutes! Especially super flavorful ones like this.
- Put all the ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until creamy smooth!
Once it is all done, you want to put it in the fridge to set and get cold. You can also make some homemade croutons, because yum.
Then assemble your grilled romaine salad with all the things.
A classic recipe made healthier with the help of whole food ingredients. This vegan caesar dressing is the perfect addition to grilled romaine salad!
- 2 slices whole-grain bread , or gluten free if needed
- ½ garlic clove
- Extra-virgin olive oil , optional for drizzling
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- 2 radishes , sliced paper-thin
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons capers , drained
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges , for serving
- ¼ cup microgreens , optional
- Pinches of red pepper flakes , optional
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons capers , drained
- ½ cup water
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the bread slices with the cut side of the garlic clove and slice the bread into cubes. Toss the bread cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and bake until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Make the dressing: In a high-speed blender, place the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, capers, water, and a few grinds of black pepper. Blend until creamy.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to high. Slice the romaine heads in half lengthwise, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Grill the romaine, cut-side down, until char marks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently flip the romaine and grill for 2 minutes more.
- Assemble the salads with the grilled romaine and a drizzle of the dressing. Top with the radishes, chives, capers, and croutons. Sprinkle with the hemp seeds, microgreens, and red pepper flakes, if using. Serve with the lemon wedges and the remaining dressing on the side.
- you can cut the oil out if you don't use oil
- I roasted the radishes for extra flavor
Reprinted from Love & Lemons Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2019, Jeanine Donofrio
Linda Burrell says
OK, it looks like a lovely romaine salad recipe, but i have a couple of issues. First, Caesar Salad is NOT Italian, it was invented in Tijuana Mexico during the 30’s when a lot of Hollywood stars visited the restaurant. Second, any aspiring vegan Caesar salad would be wrong as a tribute or play on the original with the adding of the radishes. (We vegans who recall the original and switched to the vegan version are particular!). A genuine Caesar has only the basics. Because the original anchovies are not used, we forgive the addition of capers to provide a little bite, but the radishes take this out of the realm of vegan modified Caesars. Romaine, a creamy dressing heavy on lemon, croutons and some semblance of a grated (not powdered) sharp dry cheese like Parmesan constitute a Caesar salad. Anything added makes it something else!!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Linda! Since this is my website and recipe, I will stick to calling it a Caesar salad and share my version of it. But thanks for your input!
Mary Brown says
I made the dressing this weekend it was YUMMY!!! I made with 100g (2/3 cup) of cashews as this was the package size I had. I soaked the cashews in hot water for 20/30 mins, drained and then blended. I did not have capers so did not add them. I used 2 cloves of garlic as I LOVE garlic, it certainly was garlicky!!!! Everyone LOVED the dressing, it was reminiscent of a dressing I made in my pre WFPB “life” that was made with egg and oil. The dressing was ultra easy to make, creamy and delicious. I will definitely make again!!!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you liked it Mary!! And I love garlic so that sounds delish!
Alison says
This looks delicious! I love the way you’re able to make plant-based substitutions and still get the amazing flavors of a Caesar dressing. Looking forward to trying this one this summer on the grill.
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Alison! She did a great job at remaking this classic!
Cap'n Dave says
Definitely saving this one. I usually use hearts of romaine, rather than individual cut leaves from a head. For a garnish/side, I like halved heirloom cherry tomatoes and pickled shallots. I like the idea of the radishes and capers!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Dave! I’m glad you like it! And pickled shallots sound delicious!
steviefbillman says
I am always on the lookout for the best Caesar dressing recipe and I will definitely have to try this one out!