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Home Eat Salads

Vegetarian Caesar Salad

4.70 from 42 votes
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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Feb 05, 2022 27 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Caesar salad in a glass bowl

This vegetarian Caesar Salad recipe is quick to make and perfect for serving as a delicious and healthy side dish.

Caesar salad in a bowl with croutons, romaine lettuce, and parmesan

On my forever-mission to make salads that aren’t boring, I’ve created some out of the ordinary salad recipes (like this Spinach Salad and this Grilled Watermelon Salad). But sometimes the classics can be just as great, and far from boring!

Today I’m showing you how to make a classic Caesar Salad that’s completely from scratch, so easy to make, and just happens to be vegetarian!

Caesar salad in a bowl with croutons, romaine lettuce, and parmesan

How to Make Vegetarian Caesar Dressing

We’ll start by making an easy homemade caesar salad dressing. To make the dressing, simply throw everything in a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.

To make Caesar salad dressing (without the usual anchovies) you’ll need:

  • Olive Oil: Caesar dressing is an emulsion, so oil is going to be our base! Use regular or extra virgin olive oil here.
  • Mayonnaise: Rather than thickening with raw eggs, we’re using mayonnaise for a foolproof Caesar dressing.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan adds a savory element to replace the anchovies that are usually found in Caesar.
  • Lemon Juice: Fresh is best here! Bottled juice won’t have as much tasty lemon flavor.
  • Dijon Mustard: This emulsion is held together by mustard, which will keep the dressing creamy and delicious.
  • Garlic: Just a clove of garlic brings major flavor to this Caesar!
Ingredients to make Caesar dressing

Best croutons for Caesar Salad

You can use store-bought or homemade croutons here (but croutons from scratch are heaven on earth, so you should definitely do that).

To make them yourself, cut a few pieces of stale bread into cubes (sourdough bread is great with Caesar salad). Drizzle with oil (about 1 tablespoon per cup of cubed bread). Then saute over medium heat until golden brown and toasted! Here’s the full guide on homemade croutons.

Caesar salad in a bowl with croutons, romaine lettuce, and parmesan

Finally, mix everything together with chopped romaine or mixed greens! I love using a combination of greens (like spinach and arugula) to pack a few more nutrients in there.

Caesar salad in a bowl with croutons, romaine lettuce, and parmesan

Serve this Caesar Salad with one of these tasty Italian mains!

  • Vegetable Baked Ziti
  • Vegetarian Lasagna
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi
  • Ricotta Stuffed Peppers
  • Eggplant Lasagna
Caesar salad in a glass bowl

Vegetarian Caesar Salad

4.70 from 42 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 409kcal
Servings: 4 servings
Print Rate
This vegetarian Caesar Salad recipe is quick to make and perfect for serving as a delicious and healthy side dish.

Ingredients

Dressing

  • ½ cup olive oil 120 mL
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise 60 g
  • ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese 30 g
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice 30 mL
  • 1 ½ tsp dijon mustard 7 g
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

  • 5 heaping cups chopped romaine or mixed greens
  • 2 cups croutons
  • ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese 60 g

Instructions 

  • Make Dressing: Add all Dressing ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
  • Assemble: Roughly chop romaine or mixed greens. Toss together with croutons and parmesan. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat (you may not need all of the dressing).

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1salad Calories: 409kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 16.9g (6%) Protein: 8.9g (18%) Fat: 35.5g (55%) Saturated Fat: 7.2g (45%) Cholesterol: 15mg (5%) Sodium: 516mg (22%) Potassium: 259mg (7%) Fiber: 1.7g (7%) Sugar: 1.3g (1%) Calcium: 190mg (19%) Iron: 1.8mg (10%)
Did You Make This?

Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!

Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating Pin on Pinterest

I first published this recipe over on Amanda’s Cookin’, where I’m a contributor.

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  1. Jane McLaurin says

    Posted on 7/28 at 11:36 pm

    I agree Sarah. It’s easier to use mayo and this dressing will last a good amount of time in the fridge in a jar with a lid. I always make my own salad dressing and anything store bought will never ever compete! I add a few splashes of Worcestershire and a small dab of anchovy paste that u can buy in a tube. If some are afraid of the anchovy leave it out but you really won’t taste it. And add salt to taste at the end.5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 7/29 at 10:37 am

      Isn’t homemade salad dressing the best? I love that you can make just what you need so you don’t end up with a fridge of half used bottles.

  2. Emilie says

    Posted on 4/24 at 3:10 am

    Super quick and easy to make, but too oily for my tastes. Would reduce the oil to 1/3 cup. Additionally, the dijon mustard flavour was a bit too prominent.3 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 4/24 at 9:05 am

      Thanks so much for the thoughtful notes, Emilie! 😀

  3. Mizz P says

    Posted on 8/2 at 3:00 am

    This turned out remarkably good considering how I kind of botched it! I used half greek yogurt and half light mayo. I think my main mistake was trying to just put it in a jar and shake it. I think it requires mechanical whizzing so I dumped the contents of my jar into a 2 C measuring cup and went at it with my 1995-era immersion blender and it came out pretty darned good. Will definitely make this again but will use a blender the next time around.4 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 8/3 at 5:21 pm

      Thanks for letting us know how it went, Mizz! It definitely needs that blending action to fully emulsify.

  4. Daniel Smith says

    Posted on 9/15 at 7:55 pm

    This recipe states it’s vegetarian but you use parmesan cheese that’s not vegetarian!!

    Reply
    • Alexandria Inkster says

      Posted on 1/16 at 11:17 am

      You are so right, Daniel! Parmigiano-Reggiano and EVERY wedge/brick of “Parmesan Cheese” I have ever seen contain RENNET — so NOT vegetarian! However, I have encountered a few pre-grated/shaved varieties of “Parmesan” which do not contain rennet OR lipase… Finding them requires some sleuthing and a great deal of label reading, but they’re out there.

    • Deena says

      Posted on 10/8 at 11:45 pm

      Just wanted to mention that kosher cheeses don’t have anything meat in them, otherwise they couldn’t be kosher.

    • Danielle says

      Posted on 6/5 at 6:42 pm

      You can DEFINITELY find vegetarian parmesan – look for it at Trader Joe’s (green wrapper) and Whole Foods.

  5. JR says

    Posted on 3/14 at 3:40 pm

    I find sometimes that this dressing breaks and other times it doesn’t. Any idea what I’m doing or how to fix it? Love it!!! And my kids do too… which all I’m saying is WOW!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 3/15 at 12:13 am

      So strange! Could it be different types of mayo? Try adding that in last – mayo can be finicky when you’re making it, makes sense that it might also be finicky in a sauce.

  6. Louise Ménard says

    Posted on 3/15 at 9:01 pm

    Delicious but I added 3 cloves of garlic instead of 1 and just the right amount of Dijon it’s just perfect to me.5 stars

    Reply
  7. Cassie says

    Posted on 3/19 at 9:10 am

    I made this the first time in my vitamix, adding all of the ingredients at the same time. It ended up separated, oily, and a bit chunky. The second time I started everything except the olive oil in the food processor, then slowly drizzled in the olive oil. The result was a delicious, emulsified, creamy dressing. Learn from my lesson and you’ll have a delicious caesar dressing that is just as good as non-veg options.5 stars

    Reply
  8. Jones says

    Posted on 3/22 at 9:04 pm

    total contradiction to say it’s vegetarian then include parmesan. Bizarre

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 3/24 at 12:33 pm

      There are vegetarian parmesans readily available out there! 😀

  9. anne says

    Posted on 3/28 at 8:47 am

    This dressing was so good! One modification I made was to add a few capers and some of the caper brine, which took it over the top!! This will be in our weekly rotation from now on!5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 3/28 at 7:12 pm

      Such a great idea! Thanks for the tip, Anne! 😀

  10. Sarah says

    Posted on 4/2 at 6:16 am

    Parmesean isnt vegetarian

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 4/2 at 9:56 am

      There are vegetarian parmesans readily available out there! Check Whole Foods 😀

  11. Leah says

    Posted on 6/15 at 1:51 pm

    Many vegetarians eat cheese. If the recipe said vegan then that would have been cause for the comments. I think it was fine for you to use parmesan cheese.

    Reply
  12. Jill says

    Posted on 7/10 at 5:24 pm

    So good! Served it to the family and a guest and the salad was gobbled right up!!5 stars

    Reply
  13. Sabine says

    Posted on 11/10 at 3:53 pm

    The perfect dressing!5 stars

    Reply
  14. Don Reiziger says

    Posted on 3/3 at 11:33 am

    Love the recipe, but you do know how Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian right? I used a vegetarian alternative or vegan alternative5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 3/3 at 11:56 am

      Correct, be sure to use a vegetarian version for strict vegetarians! 😀

  15. Jenny n says

    Posted on 6/5 at 3:06 pm

    Just to clarify, as a strict vegetarian, not vegan, on the parmesan issue…. Many parmesan cheeses do contain rennet which make it technically non-vegetarian. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both carry real parmesan (romano too Whole Foods!) in both grated powdered and freshly grated styles.
    This definitely adds to the recipe so please add if you are a vegetarian! One of my favorite dressings!5 stars

    Reply
  16. priscilla says

    Posted on 7/18 at 12:53 pm

    The salad was great, but i wasn’t a fan of the dressing.4 stars

    Reply

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