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If you shy away from salads because you find yourself hungry 45 minutes after eating one, you aren’t alone. This Kale Caesar Salad is not your average salad. It’s actually filling, creamy and crunchy. Plus, this is a vegan salad, so no bloating, cramping or bathroom runs from a dairy-filled lunch.
Salad isn’t always a filling lunch option, yet I find myself full and satisfied after sitting down to this fun dish. Dress it up to your preference and get ready to enjoy a truly tasty creation.
Ingredients in Kale Caesar Salad
I’ve got two drool-worthy secrets to making this kale caesar salad vegan AND enjoying it even more.
- I smother the whole creation with my Garlic Lemon Aioli. It is seriously good and super easy to make. If you forget to soak the cashews ahead of time then just pour some hot water over them and let them sit for 10 minutes before draining and using.
The Garlic Lemon Aioli is super easy to make, remember to give your cashews time to soak. If you forget to soak them ahead of time, pour hot water over them and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. The drain and add to the recipe. - I use my Vegan Parmesan Cheese recipe that totally tastes like the real deal and yet is completely dairy-free AND packed with protein. Book! I keep a jar of this wonderful creation on hand at all times since it goes with almost everything.
Vegan doesn’t have to be gross, less flavorful or boring. This kale caesar salad still has the creamy dressing and the crunch. It fills me up and doesn’t give me the uncomfortable side effects that dairy does.
How to Make Kale Caesar Salad
- Massage the kale: Squeezing the kale with oil helps soften the hard fibers and aids in digestion. It’ll feel strange the first time you do it, but after the first bite you’ll be sold. If kale isn’t your thing, then swap for dark romaine or do half romaine, half kale and enjoy!
- Puree the dressing: I like to do this in my Vitamix Ascent A3500 blender because I get the best results. Yet you can also make the cashew aioli in a food processor or other high-speed blender. You might want to double the dressing to have it easier for the blades to puree everything.
- Add toppings: What you put on top of your salad is what makes it memorable. Try adding garlic baked chickpeas to create more of a crunchy crouton result. And don’t miss out on the Vegan Parmesan Cheese— it’ll become a staple. Toast the pepitas for a soften crunch and a deeper flavor
Salad Prep Tips
You can make kale caesar salad a day or three ahead! I like to prepare the kale, toppings and dressing in separate containers until ready to eat. That way it’s not soggy and all I have to do it mix it together to eat it. Should last 4 to 5 days in the fridge this way.
Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups kale stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juiced
- ½ cup chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp pepitas raw
- dash sea salt
- dash ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
Garlic Lemon Aioli
- ¼ cup raw cashews soaked
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp lemon squeeze of juice
Instructions
- In a food processor or high-speed blender (small container), puree the Garlic Lemon Aioli ingredients until creamy. If needed, add a few tablespoons of water. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
- Place the kale in a large serving bowl and drizzle it with oil. With clean hands, gently massage the kale until tenderized (5 minutes, at most). Squeeze the lemon juice over the top.
- Mix in the chickpeas and Cashew Garlic Aioli until well combined.
- Serve with pepitas and Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
Video
Notes
- Soaking the cashews for 2+ hours helps get the aioli creamy. If you’re short on time, flash soak in boiling water or just blend them raw. Yet you won’t get as creamy of a dressing.
- Massaging the kale helps relax the leaves as well as takes out some of the bitterness.
- If you don’t have kale on hand, swap with spinach or romaine lettuce.
- Kale does have a bite, so if you’re new to kale then use half kale, half romaine to start.
- Toasting the chickpeas slightly before adding gives them a crouton-like texture.
Nutrition
Common Questions
It depends on what’s in it. The one you get at a restaurant, drowning in dressing and covered in croutons probably isn’t. Yet my version is 100% plant-based, creamy and filling.
This Kale Caesar salad omits the cheese and dairy-based dressing, replacing them with vegan ingredients. My salad has a vegan cheese sprinkle (that’s wonderful!) as well as a dairy-free dressing that you might need to double because it’s so good.
Caesar dressing is dairy-based, which makes it vegetarian yet not vegan. My Kale Caesar salad has a cashew garlic aioli that is super creamy and flavorful and 100% vegan.
Ok tasting, so so, garlicky tasting
I liked this salad but it did take more preparation than I would prefer. I liked the creaminess of the dressing and the lemon balanced it out so it didn’t taste too heavy. I also liked the addition of the cheez sprinkle with the pepitas.
I liked this salad but it did take more preparation than I would prefer. I liked the creaminess of the dressing and the lemon balanced it out so it didn’t taste too heavy. I also liked the addition of the cheez sprinkle with the pepitas.
I didn’t expect to like this one, but I really did!
I used spinach instead of Kale and really enjoyed it! And for me you can never go wrong with garlic 🙂
Loved the Kale Caesar! Especially because I’m postpartum and am trying to eat plenty of kale and other dark leafy greens to rebuild my iron.
Kale os a favorite in my house, especially young kale. Baby kale from the store. Skipped the crumble because no nutritional yeast at this time. Just as delicious
This is my favorite way to eat kale! I enjoyed this salad very much!
This was quite good. I used spinach and mixed greens instead of kale.
This was absolutely amazing! I love the flavor combination and how light and refreshing this salad is. A+ The dressing was a wonderful surprise!
I am a huge fan of kale and I eat it regularly, so this was one of my favorite recipes of the challenge. I am a minimalist when it comes to dressings, so I never even thought a Caesar dressing existed for me. (its been over 12 years).
Everything about this salad was fantastic. And being Italian, can there really ever be too much garlic? (LOL) Many thanks to the entire SGS team for sharing such innovative and delicious recipes.
No such thing as too much garlic – agreed!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying these recipes! Glad we could bring some Caesar salad dressing back into your life!
I liked this. I think I added a little too much lemon juice, but it was good.
I never had raw kale before and was a little afraid of day 9 of the challenge. Now I’m in love. The garlic aioli tasted wonderful and the kale wasn’t how I imagined, it was amazing. Thanks for that awesome recipe.
Way to go, Silke! You tried something new and you liked it – that RAWKS!
I substituted spring mix for Kale. I don’t like cashews, so omitted. Added snap peas and black beans. So delicious!!
First salad I really enjoyed with kale, not usually a fan. The garlic aioli is amazing. I toped the salad off with coconut bacon flakes. This recipe is a keeper.
Coconut bacon flakes for a topping was a RAWKSTAR move! Sounds delicious!
This is so good! I used almonds rather than cashews (still soaked them). The flavors blend well! I will keep this on my kale rotation!
Great idea to use almonds in place of the cashews. Keep on rawkin it!
I even liked this better than a classic Caesar salad! I will definitely make this again, so good