Vegan Caesar Salad with Cashew Bacon

Name: Vegan Caesar Salad with Cashew Bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 1/3 cup tahini; 4-5 tablespoons water; 2 cloves garlic; 1 large lemon, juiced; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 3/4 cup raw cashews; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari; 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 1/2 cups crispy chickpeas (or use store-bought); 8 cups fresh kale, packed, stems removed and torn

January 23, 2020 Updated: January 18, 2022 By Leanne 26 Comments

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Vegan Caesar Salad is full of garlicky flavour with crunchy cashew bacon, crispy chickpea croutons and a lemon tahini dressing. It’s dairy-free and gluten-free, and works well with kale or romaine lettuce. Enjoy it as a side salad or pot luck dish!

Day 7 of our state of emergency here in St. John’s. If you haven’t been following along, we had a major blizzard last week, and the city is still cleaning up. Stores are slowly re-opening but I’m not sure I want to venture out for groceries quite yet.

Thankfully, we’re usually stocked for the apocalypse (something I get from my parents), so we’re good with fresh fruit and veg for another few days.

And thankfully, I bought a huge bunch of kale last week, which is never ending and has stayed quite fresh. So, needless to say, we’ve been eating a lot of kale salads.

Good thing this kale caesar salad is my current obsession. I’ve been making versions of this salad for years, but it wasn’t until I brought it to a holiday gathering last month that I decided to share it on the blog. Someone asked for the recipe, so I thought it was a good time to publish it.

Ingredients

Lemon tahini dressing (a simple dressing with tahini, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and water)
Cashew bacon (cashews seasoned with maple syrup, tamari, smoked paprika, oil and pepper)
Crispy chickpeas (you can buy or make them)
Fresh kale (torn and massaged)

How to make vegan kale caesar salad

There are a few steps to follow, but this salad is actually pretty simple to make.

Prepare the dressing

Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Prepare the cashew 🥓

Add the cashews and seasoning to a bowl and toss until well coated.
Spread the cashews out on a sheet pan and bake on 350F for about 15 minutes. Let them cool on the pan.

Prepare the crispy chickpeas

These air fryer chickpeas are my go-to. But you can also buy them. They’re usually in the organic snack section of your grocery store.

Assemble the salad

Add the kale to a large bowl and massage with your fingers. This will help it shrink in size and become more tender.
Pour on the dressing and add the chickpeas and cashews. Toss until everything is well combined.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make this kale caesar salad in advance? While I would wait to assemble the salad until just before serving, you can prepare the kale, dressing, cashews and chickpeas in advance. Just store them separately and assemble when ready to enjoy.

How do you store leftover vegan caesar salad? Just place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. While I’ve enjoyed this salad up to two days after making it, just note that the cashews and chickpeas will get soft. The kale, however, holds up well leftover.

What is tamari? Tamari is a sauce made from fermented soybeans. It’s similar to soy sauce but has a thicker consistency and it’s gluten-free. (Soy sauce is also made from fermented soybeans, but it typically includes wheat so it’s not gluten-free). I use reduced-sodium tamari and you can usually find it in the organic or specialty sections of grocery stores.

Can you use soy sauce to make the cashew bacon instead of tamari? I don’t recommend it. I’ve actually made the cashew bacon with soy sauce and it doesn’t have the same taste. The cashews also baked faster and burned a little.

Can you use other types of greens besides kale? Yes! While I love kale caesars, you can also use romaine lettuce which is traditional in caesar salads. I would stick with hearty greens though, so avoid spinach or arugula as they will wilt quickly when combined with the other ingredients.

How long will the caesar salad dressing last? If the tahini dressing is stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it should last for 4-5 days.

Additional tips and suggestions

If you don’t need this salad to be gluten-free, you can substitute croutons for the chickpeas (or add both!) These everything bagel croutons are great in caesar salads. (To keep it vegan, make sure the bread for your croutons is vegan).

I’ve also made this caesar salad using coconut bacon instead of cashew bacon. It’s seasoned the same way, but bakes in about half the time.

It’s important to massage the kale so the salad isn’t tough. Just tear it into small pieces, add to a large bowl and massage with your fingers. The kale with become tender and shrink a bit in size. You can add a sprinkle of salt or drizzle of olive oil to help it along, but I usually keep it plain. (Marcie from Flavor the Moments has some more tips on massaging kale).

The dressing is easy and customizable:
- - It’s garlicky, so if you like it a little less garlicky, just use one clove of garlic instead of two.
  - To make it more lemony, use more lemon juice and/or add some zest.
  - For a thicker consistency, just you less water.
  - Feel free to add more or less salt and pepper to suit your taste.

What to serve with caesar salad

If you make this vegan caesar salad, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below!

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