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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.
I did not think I would like this salad because I am not a fan of kale. But wow I really enjoyed this salad. It definitely deserve an encore.
Delicious. I added a strawberry vinegar. Very easy. Add any vegetables you want.
Delicious and very easy to customize to your tastes.
Very good salad! Love the flavors and loved the addition of the “parmesan cheese” (recipe listed separately). I did a 50/50 blend of kale and lettuce because my kale looked stiff and intimidating but next time I would do all kale. The massage technique worked great. I will definitely make this again!
Yummy.
Tasty but the aioli was very difficult to get smooth in the food processor. It never really got to the right consistency, but it did taste very good. Thanks!
I have been eating kale for many years and NEVER knew it needed to be massaged; which completely makes a difference. We used organic Tuscan Kale. The Garlic Lemon Aioli was a treat and so easy to make. Our preference is real parmesan cheese so we went with that. Would definitely make it again, and now no matter what, I will massage that kale in any salad!
I have been eating kale for many years and NEVER knew it needed to be massaged; which completely makes a difference. We used organic Tuscan Kale and it worked beautifully! The Garlic Lemon Aioli was a treat and so easy to make. Our preference is real parmesan cheese so we went with that. Would definitely make it again, and now no matter what, I will massage that kale in any salad!
So delicious. I was completely surprised at how much I enjoyed this salad. Caesar salad’s are my favorite salads so I wasn’t expecting much or to really like this one. I wouldn’t call it a dupe but it satisfied the Caesar craving and it’s healthier too!
Delicious! We enjoy Caesar salad and really enjoyed this vegan version.
Awesome!
Delicious salad! I love kale salads and the addition of the “cheeze” and the garlic dressing takes it over the top!
Yummy with the lemon garlic aioli! I combined the previous day’s carrot salad with this, added shaved parm and voila! This might work well in a spinach wrap too.
Great idea, Carol!
This was delicious! Really my favorite so far. Even my 91 yr old mother liked it and she said she didn’t like kale! I’m am so loving this challenge
Aww! That’s fantastic. Never too late to start enjoying more leafy greens!
I truly enjoyed the bright flavors in this salad. I will be making it again, for sure!
We enjoyed the Kale Caesar Salad, so different than how we’ve made it in the past, will certainly be making this winner again
Amazing! One of the best and they have all been great!
Another hit at our house! I will be making this one again. Even my kale hating husband ate it.
Love that!