Crowd favorite Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Brussels sprouts, made with crunchy croutons and an irresistible cashew caesar dressing!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a vegan caesar salad!
Kale caesar to be exact. We're salading with the best of 'em today, friends. I whipped up this vegan kale caesar salad back in December when I had all the ginger molasses and peanut butter cookies to share and sadly, this salad got temporarily put on the back burner.
Not that salad isn't worth celebrating! You folks now how much I love a meal-worthy salad. Not only do I require crunch, tang, and creaminess, but I also want a wicked and totally non-boring dressing to tie it all together. Mission accomplished!
This gem is an ode to the vegan kale caesar we sell at our restaurant Alchemy, piled high with carrot ribbons, lemony roasted chickpeas, and crushed hazelnuts. Like my Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, it's locked and loaded with all the best textures. Crunch galore!
I feel like no one has hazelnuts at home, so I swapped them out for super duper simple homemade rosemary croutons that will exponentially improve your salad game, guaranteed. They're SO GOOD.
If you're anything like me, you always have a loaf or three of bread in the freezer just dying to become a salad topper. Orrrrr French toast. Or both!
I wanted lots of bright, colorful, crisp veggies in this salad. I went with purple kale, red cabbage, and Brussels for texture but it's super forgiving. Not a fan of Brussels or craving a more traditional caesar salad? Ditch the kale for crisp romaine! Just be sure to store the dressing separately.
Let's talk dressing details. This vegan caesar will likely knock your socks right off. The combination of creamy cashews and plenty of garlic paired with tangy capers, lemon juice, and Dijon make for an insanely satisfying salad dressing if I do say so myself.
I mean if you don't have garlic breath, did the caesar even happen?!
We enjoyed this salad as a side dish paired with soup for lunch, but it can totally stand on its own and is perfect for a crowd because it gets better with age and holds up well in the fridge.
For more oomph, feel free to add roasted chickpeas or whatever protein floats your boat.
Your salad, your rules, boo thang.
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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crowd favorite Vegan Caesar Salad with Kale and Brussels Sprouts, made with crunchy croutons and an irresistible cashew caesar dressing!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 bunch kale (I used purple), de-stemmed and sliced into ribbons
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and very thinly sliced or shredded
- 1 ½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage or radicchio
- Optional add-ins: ½ cup toasted walnuts
For the caesar dressing:
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup water (more to thin if needed)
- 1 ½ tsp dijon
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp capers
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
For the rosemary croutons:
- 1 heaping cup stale/crusty bread, cut into cubes (I used defrosted from frozen multigrain bread)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp each dried rosemary, garlic powder, and kosher salt
Instructions
- Place cup cashews in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silipat. Add oil, spices, and salt tossing to combine. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the Brussels, kale, and cabbage and place in a large mixing bowl. (If you have a mandolin or shredding attachment on your food processor, feel free to use for the Brussels and cabbage.)
- Drain and rinse cashews. Combine dressing ingredients in a blender (I used my nutribullet) and blend until very smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust if needed.
- To serve, place veggies and as much dressing as desired in a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly so everything is coated, massaging the dresses into the kale. Top with croutons just before serving. If you're only eating a portion, toss a small amount and keep the rest separate in the fridge and combine just before serving. Dressing will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so add water if needed. I love this shaker bottle for leftover dressing!
Emily says
These croutons are to die for!! Seriously so good, I will never make croutons another way. I made this for my family who doesn’t really like kale, but with the dressing soaking in they loved it. Super crunchy and garlicky, and they didn’t even know it was vegan!!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome, that's the ultimate compliment!
Andrea says
Just moved past a first trimester where all greens made me sick. This is the first salad I’ve made since being pregnant and OMG is it incredible. Super easy and full of flavor. Will be making all the time.
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
OMG I was so there with you, sister. Veggies were the worst! So glad you got over the hump and that this salad hit the spot 🙂
Allison says
This is a perfect weekday lunch and the croutons are to die for. Fun shortcut: buy a bag of the Cruciferous Crunch salad mix at Trader Joe's in place of the cabbage and Brussels sprouts to save time!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Wowwwww game changer. Thanks for the tip!
Caroline says
Super easy to make, colorful and flavorful! Loved it!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Love that! Thank you tons, Caroline!
Kristen says
Loved this recipe! I meal prepped this in the beginning of the week and the mixed salad + dressing (kept the croutons separate) stayed perfectly crisp for days. Going to be a go-to salad from now on!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome! I gotta make this one again soon 🙂 Thanks, Kristen!
Lisa says
I make this weekly. So good!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes! Thanks for letting me know, Lisa!
Erin says
My new favorite salad. All the flavors and textures are spot on! So goo for lunches.
★★★★★
BeccaFoxTN says
This recipe is FAB! Love the flavor of the dressing. We are not vegan, so we added some grilled chicken to it and instead of croutons, roasted chickpeas with rosemary...very tasty! Can't wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Love the chicken addition to make it a whole meal! Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave a star rating, so extremely appreciated.
Julie says
You had me at Brussels sprouts and Caesar! This is by far my favorite dressing! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
XOXOXO Thank you so much for leaving a fab comment and star rating, makes my day 🙂
Kori says
Absolutely perfect! This recipe has so much flavor, texture, & color. It’s appealing to the eyes, mouth, & stomach. Matt & I love it!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Wahoooo! I agree--texture is everything. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, Kori!
Dani says
Love the dressing! Makes me feel so much better about eating a Caesar salad because of the nutrition packed into the dressing! Also with just kale, radicchio/ cabbage and Brussels, it’s super fast to chop and lasted me for three days of work lunches, a win!
★★★★★
Alexis Joseph says
Three days of lunches? I call that a major win! Thanks, Dani 🙂
Alexandra says
My husband and I have been making more salads lately, and this looks right up our alley! I recently found out I'm allergic to spinach and so kale is my next go-to, but I've had a hard time finding yummy looking recipes! Thanks for this!
Laura says
Eating this as I speak and it's so tasty!! I kind of wish I would have dressed the lettuce a little bit in advance but the dressing tastes amazing and ive been snacking on the croutons by themselves. Thanks!
Alexis Joseph says
Yay, I'm so glad! The croutons are so divine, right?!
Alexis Joseph says
Hey again Laura! If you'd be so kind as to leave a star-rating, I'd really appreciate it! It's super helpful for other readers. Thanks again!
Danielle says
Made this for dinner last night alongside the Hummusapien best salmon burgers recipe. Such great texture. LOVED the homemade croutons - so easy! To be honest I cheated and used store-bought Caesar dressing however can't wait to make again, dressing included! Be sure to massage your kale and fully toss your kale and veggies in a large mixing bowl to blend the flavors. Can't wait to have leftovers for lunch this week!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm good combo! Hope you loved the salmon burgers as well, Danielle!
Alexis Joseph says
Hey again Danielle! If you'd be so kind as to leave a star-rating, I'd really appreciate it! It's super helpful for other readers. Thanks again!
Kori says
Absolutely perfect! This recipe has so much flavor, texture, & color. It’s appealing to the eyes, mouth, & stomach. 💁🏼♀️ Matt & I love it!
Alexis Joseph says
Hey again Kori! If you'd be so kind as to leave a star-rating, I'd really appreciate it! It's super helpful for other readers. Thanks again!
Jenna says
This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it.
Alexis Joseph says
Let me know if you do!! XO