Vegetarian Caesar Salad

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

Vegetarian Caesar Salad

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

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salads, Side Dishes

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Caesar salad, vegetarian Caesar, vegetarian Caesar salad

Diet: Vegetarian

Occasion: 4th of July

Time: 15 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, 45 minutes or less

Prep: 15 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Sarah Bond

5 from 2 votes

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

Serving: 1salad | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.9g | Protein: 8.9g | Fat: 35.5g | Saturated Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 516mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 1.3g | Calcium: 190mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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