This Best Ever Vegan Salad made me fall in love with eating greens again. It’s easy, delicious and entirely packed with plant-based ingredients and protein!

best ever vegan salad

I have a confession to make. I used to hate eating salads. The thought of throwing back a big bowl of lifeless greens as a meal just made me sad. As a plant-based food blogger, I hid my despise for salad for years.

That’s until I discovered the HOLY GRAIL of salad combinations that I’m going to share with you today. We’ve named this The Best Ever Vegan Salad, because it truly changed the salad game for me forever.

First of all, I want you to stop looking at salads as sad. Their not simply a bowl of leafy greens that you force yourself to eat on the side of a satisfying meal. A salad can be the WHOLE MEAL, you just need to pack it with a lot of yummy ingredients.

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Salad

  • It’s Hearty: To make this salad a well rounded meal, we’ve amped up the heartiness with delicious savory tempeh bacon, nutritional yeast and crushed peanuts. You won’t leave the table unsatisfied after eating a big bowl of this salad.
  • It’s Healthy: Not only is this salad wildly delicious, it’s also so good for you. With a base of arugula, spinach and lettuce, along with veggies like carrots, banana peppers and onion, you’ll meet your daily intake of greens no problem.
  • It’s Completely Customizable: This salad isn’t mean to be a “follow it to a T” recipe. I encourage you to use this as a base and customize it to your liking, with your favorite vegetables, plant-based protein, nuts and seeds. It’s meant to inspire and tantalize your taste buds!

How To Make The Best Ever Vegan Salad

Making this salad is super easy and takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Or even 10 minutes if you’re in a real rush. 

You want to start by prepping your tempeh bacon. You can actually buy tempeh bacon pre-marinated at most stores, but this is my go-to really quick recipe for making at home.

While your tempeh bacon is cooking on the stove, prepare your vegetables. You want to slice your iceberg lettuce, dice your red onion, chop some pickled banana peppers, crush peanuts and grate your carrot.

If making a homemade salad dressing, you also want to do that too. If you’re in a pinch, I also recommend just using your favorite store-bought salad dressing. A vegan caesar dressing or a balsamic works excellent for this recipe. You can also view some of our favorite vegan oil-free salad dressings in this article. 

Once all of your ingredients are prepared, throw your greens in a bowl, including the lettuce, arugula and spinach. Top with the tempeh bacon, prepared veggies, some nutritional yeast, crushed peanuts and dressing. CONGRATS! You’ve just made the best salad you’ve ever had in your life. 

Hack It

Like I said before, this Best Ever Salad Recipe is ridiculously customizable. Here are some ideas to make it your own. 

  • Protein Swap: Instead of tempeh bacon, use some of our other favorite plant-based proteins like tofu, edamame, chickpeas, kidney beans and more. 
  • Green Swap: Not a fan of iceberg lettuce, spinach and arugula? Try kale instead, or some shredded brussels sprouts as a base.
  • Bulk It Up: Want to make an even heartier salad? Try adding a grain like quinoa or rice to the mix, or add more nuts and seeds like hemp hearts and pumpkin seeds.

 

best ever vegan salad

The Recipe: Best Ever Vegan Salad

This Best Ever Vegan Salad is a hearty plant-based salad packed with tempeh, a homemade Caesar dressing and crushed peanuts.
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Servings: 1
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 servings tempeh bacon
  • 1 serving vegan caesar dressing
  • 2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 2 cups spinach
  • ½ carrot, grated
  • ¼ cup pickled banana peppers, chopped
  • ½ red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp peanuts, crushed
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions 

  • Prepare your tempeh bacon and caesar dressing (if using) according to instructions.
  • While cooking your tempeh, prepare your salad ingredients. Chop the iceberg lettuce, dice the red onion, slice the pickled banana peppers, grate the carrot, and crush the peanuts.
  • Add the arugula, lettuce and spinach to a large bowl, followed by the prepared vegetables, peanuts, nutritional yeast and tempeh bacon, sliced into bite sized pieces if desired. Top with the dressing and mix until everything is coated in the dressing. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and more nutritional yeast as desired.
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Author: carleigh