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Using my food scientist training, I’ve created a vegetarian Caesar salad that tastes just like the original without any anchovies! It’s ready in just 15 minutes and uses common grocery ingredients.
save this recipe!Whether you know it or not, Caesar dressing usually includes eggs and anchovies (the bacon of the sea). They add umami and savoriness that can be hard to replicate.
But that’s where this food scientist brain comes in! I’ve reverse-engineered that classic umami-rich flavor into something just as creamy, garlicky, and addictive…with zero fish in sight.
After testing a dozen tweaks (yogurt base, tamari tricks, even miso), this version wins on taste and ease. It’s ready in 15 minutes and totally foolproof…even if you’re usually a “just buy the bottle” kind of person.
Reader rating
“So good! Served it to the family and a guest and the salad was gobbled right up!!” —Jill
Tips from the test kitchen
- Blender > whisk: Emulsifies everything into a dreamy, pourable consistency.
- Make-ahead: Keep dressing and croutons separate to avoid sogginess.
- Vegan-friendly: Just swap in vegan mayo and a plant-based parmesan!
P.S. Love Caesar dressing? Make my roasted broccoli salad with tahini Caesar next!
Vegetarian Caesar Salad (No Anchovies!)
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).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!how to serve a caesar salad
Ok, I wanted to touch on not only what to serve with this salad but a fun way of how to use the salad.
- Vegetable Baked Ziti is an Italian classic that looks impressive and is the perfect family meal.
- Vegetarian Lasagna is almost as famous as the Caesar salad. This version is quick to make and delicious!
- Vegan Chicken Caesar Wrap uses tofu in place of chicken but you can also just toss this vegetarian salad in a wrap!
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.
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.
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.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful notes, Emilie! 😀
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.
Thanks for letting us know how it went, Mizz! It definitely needs that blending action to fully emulsify.
This recipe states it’s vegetarian but you use parmesan cheese that’s not vegetarian!!
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.
Just wanted to mention that kosher cheeses don’t have anything meat in them, otherwise they couldn’t be kosher.
You can DEFINITELY find vegetarian parmesan – look for it at Trader Joe’s (green wrapper) and Whole Foods.
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!!
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.
Delicious but I added 3 cloves of garlic instead of 1 and just the right amount of Dijon it’s just perfect to me.
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.
total contradiction to say it’s vegetarian then include parmesan. Bizarre
There are vegetarian parmesans readily available out there! 😀
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!
Such a great idea! Thanks for the tip, Anne! 😀
Parmesean isnt vegetarian
There are vegetarian parmesans readily available out there! Check Whole Foods 😀