Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu
This vegan Caesar salad with crispy tofu is the perfect recipe to scratch the itch for something familiar and utterly refreshing. And let me tell you, the dressing is truly divine!
We might only be at the start of spring, but after the long Canadian winter, I am already envisioning refreshing summer recipes.
This vegan Caesar salad is the perfect meal to celebrate the arrival of spring! The crunchy lettuce and kale are mixed with creamy plant-based dressing and topped with crispy, savory tofu. Yum!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- There is no rule that says you have to give up your favorite dishes just because you switched to a plant-based lifestyle. If you loved Caesar salad before, you’ll love this vegan version too!
- This vegan Caesar salad with crispy tofu only uses whole-food ingredients, most of which are accessible and affordable.
- The dressing is SO GOOD, you’ll be pouring it on every other salad by the bucket! Okay, I may be exaggerating a little bit, but it is honestly delicious.
- My favorite thing about this vegan Caesar salad is that it works both as a main meal and as a side dish.
- Best of all, the entire salad comes together in only twenty minutes! And it is worth every second of your time in the kitchen.
History of Caesar Salad
The Caesar salad is a popular dish that has a somewhat disputed history regarding its origin. Its origins date back to the 1920s or 1930s, with several stories claiming its invention.
One of the most popular accounts attributes the creation of the Caesar salad to Caesar Cardini, an Italian-American restaurateur. According to this story, Caesar Cardini owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, where he improvised the salad with ingredients he had on hand during a particularly busy Fourth of July weekend in 1924.
Supposedly, he created the salad tableside to impress his customers and named it after himself, calling it Caesar’s salad. Another version of the story suggests that Caesar’s brother, Alex Cardini, was the true inventor of the salad and that it was named after Caesar’s restaurant.
Regardless of the exact origin, its popularity stems from simple yet flavorful combination of ingredients, including the creamy dressing.
How to Veganize Caesar Salad
The quintessential ingredients of a Caesar salad typically include romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and a creamy dressing made with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, egg yolk, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper.
Many places that serve Caesar salad also add some form of protein as a topping, which typically isn’t vegan-friendly.
To make a vegan Caesar salad, we have to modify some of the ingredients and preparation methods.
- You can use croutons as long as they don’t contain animal products. I prefer to use a mixture of sunflower, flax, chia, and hemp seeds for the crunch.
- Substitute the Parmesan cheese with a vegan alternative, such as finely grated or shaved vegan cheese made from nuts or nutritional yeast. Psst, if you preorder the Scrappy Cookbook, you gain access to a vegan cheese-making ebook, which contains a Parmesan recipe among others!
- Unless you are lucky to have access to store-bought vegan Caesar dressing, you will have to make it from scratch. On the upside, it is super easy and WFPB-compliant!
- As our protein topping, we are using crispy tofu. All you do is cut it and lightly pan-fry tofu until crispy and browned.
By making these ingredient substitutions, you can create a delicious vegan version of the classic Caesar salad that captures the essence of the original dish while catering to dietary preferences and restrictions.
How to Make This Recipe
Start with tofu. This part of the process requires most of your time and attention. Don’t worry, the whole recipe still fits within 20 minutes!
Add nutritional yeast to a plate and preheat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Slice the tofu into 8-12 rectangles, and dip each side in the nutritional yeast. Transfer to the oiled pan, and cook until browned and slightly crispy on all sides.
You can use this time to slice your greens and prepare your dressing. Combine vegan yogurt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, minced garlic, and herbs in a jar and whisk until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
Add your lettuce and kale into a mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Add your seeds, crispy tofu, and vegan parmesan (optional). Get ready to enjoy the best vegan Caesar salad you’ve ever tasted!
Hack It!
- As I already mentioned, you can definitely use croutons instead of seeds, or together with seeds. Equally, you can use toasted nuts or crispy onions for the crunch.
- Make sure that the non-dairy yogurt you use for the dressing is unsweetened. I like to use coconut yogurt or “Greek style” vegan yogurt because of its extra thickness.
- You can mix the dressing with the kale in advance if you liek to meal prep. However, avoid adding romaine lettuce until you are ready to enjoy the vegan Caesar salad.
- If you’re allergic to soy, you can enjoy this as a side salad without crispy tofu. Alternatively, you can top it with seitan pieces or edamame as a source of protein.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Smashed Potato Salad
- Warm Broccoli Couscous Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Waffle Iron Tofu Salad
- Shirazi Salad Pitas
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The Recipe: Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu
Ingredients
- 375 gram extra firm tofu, cut into 8-12 rectangles
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- olive oil, just a drizzle, for frying
Salad base
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, sliced
- 1 cup kale, finely chopped
Vegan Caesar dressing
- ½ cup vegan yogurt, unsweetened, ideally "Greek" style
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp water, or more, to thin
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, or parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
To serve
- ½ cup mixed seeds, I used sunflower, flax, chia seeds and help hearts
- vegan parmesan, optional
Instructions
- First, prepare the tofu. Add the nutritional yeast to a plate, and preheat a pan to medium heat with oil. Slice the block of tofu into 8 to 12 evenly sized rectangle slices, and coat each side with the nutritional yeast. Transfer to the oiled pan, and cook until browned and slightly crispy on all sides.
- In the meantime, thinly slice your lettuce and kale and transfer to a bowl. Then prepare your dressing by combining all listed ingredients in a jar and whisking until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over top of the lettuce & kale, along with your seed mix. Serve with the crispy tofu, vegan parm if desired, and more salt & pepper to taste.
