This deconstructed vegan caesar salad recipe features lightly grilled romaine lettuce heads, a creamy dressing, a handful of crunchy croutons and a sprinkling of "cheesy" vegan parmesan. It's a beautiful and delicious variation on the familiar classic salad.
To a blender, add all of the dressing ingredients. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Add the vegan parmesan ingredients to a small food processor and blend into a coarse sand. Alternatively, mince the cashews with a knife and mix the ingredients together in a bowl.
Preheat a griddle pan on high heat. Cut the romaine lettuce heads in half lengthwise*. Lightly brush olive oil over the cut sides. Place the heads cut-side down on the pan for 10 - 15 seconds, or until there are light grill marks on the lettuce, then remove from the heat.
To assemble, place the lettuce heads grilled-side up on a platter. Drizzle over some dressing, and add a sprinkle of croutons and vegan parmesan. Serve the remaining dressing, croutons, and parmesan on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
†If the cashews are unsoaked, cover with boiling water and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
* The lettuce heads must be completely dry when grilling! Any water droplets will cause the lettuce to steam rather than sear, resulting in wilted lettuce.
Storage
The salad is best enjoyed immediately.
The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The vegan parmesan will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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Watch it step-by-step!
Nutrition per
serving
Calories 322 kcal
Total fat
22.9 g
Omega-3
0.4 g
Omega-6
2.4 g
Saturated fat
3.9 g
Trans fat
0.0 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Total carbs
24.9 g
Dietary fiber
8.7 g
Total sugars
5.5 g
Added sugars
0.0 g
Protein
10.0 g
Sodium
238 mg
Iron
5.08 mg
Potassium
1050.1 mg
Calcium
130.6 mg
Magnesium
112.5 mg
Zinc
2.67 mg
Copper
0.72 mg
Manganese
0.60 mg
Phosphorus
250.8 mg
Selenium
6 μg
Vitamin A
1368 μg RAE
Vitamin B6
1.8 mg
Vitamin B12
3 μg
Vitamin C
22.2 mg
Vitamin D
0 μg
Vitamin E
2.2 mg
Vitamin K
336 μg
Folate
453 μg
Thiamin
1.7 mg
Riboflavin
2.1 mg
Niacin
9.0 mg
Choline
48.0 mg
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food.
Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul.
For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician.
While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
Lekker. made this for my daughter and we added olives, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and crispy tofu. she loved it thanks so much for this amazing App by the way.
PUL Team - June 26, 2024, 3:24 a.m.
Woop woop! So glad to hear this, David. Thanks for the love, support, and for welcoming us into your kitchen💛
Reply
Martunia - June 4, 2024, 10:10 a.m.
I made this salad once when I had a ton of romaine lettuce that I didn't know what to do with, and I must admit I was extremely skeptical. But ever since, this salad has been on repeat at my home, and I can't recommend this recipe enough!
PUL Team - June 5, 2024, 12:38 a.m.
Gosh how exciting! Love it when recipes exceed our initial expectations. Thanks a bunch, Martunia 🫶
Reply
Evi - Feb. 24, 2024, 12:07 a.m.
I have this recipe on repeat (the version with chopped lettuce), literally can’t stop making it! One suggestion from me would be to swap step 1 and 2 for those who use the same blender for both the dressing and the cheese. Starting with the dry one saves a lot of time and dish washing. Also when I made the recipe for a first time, I used 3 garlic cloves (small ones) as suggested and it was an absolute garlic overkill. Be careful in case you want to avoid a strong and long lasting garlic breath 😜. One clove is more than enough in my option.
PUL Team - Feb. 25, 2024, 6:05 p.m.
Thanks for sharing your feedback and tips, Evi! Garlic breath is not for everyone 😜
Reply
Nikisha - Nov. 6, 2023, 9:14 a.m.
Again a winner of a recipe. And it is much healthy hand the original version. I'm loving the use of various flavours to make it a good vegan option.
Reply
Sigrid - Aug. 5, 2023, 2:07 p.m.
Delicious salad!
Reply
Lara - July 2, 2023, 11:44 a.m.
Soooo good
Reply
Ilse - Feb. 23, 2023, 3:18 p.m.
Exquisite recipe! The flavours go so well together. I did switch things up a bit by adding roasted chickpeas (seasoned with garlic, onion and paprika powder) and by chopping up the romaine lettuce. The 'parmesan' is sooo tasty :) I will definitely make this recipe again.
PUL Team - Feb. 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Mmm love the modifications, Ilse, we appreciate the kind words so much 😃
Reply
Tiffany - June 28, 2022, 6:09 p.m.
A very good salad with a very good dressing that will make me smile all summer :) Although it did not remind me of a caesar salad, it was easy, tasty, healthy... What's not to love?
PUL Team - June 29, 2022, 1:53 a.m.
We appreciate the glowing review so much, Tiffany, it's one of our favourites! Enjoy 🌻
Reply
Renée - June 10, 2022, 4:25 p.m.
This was sooo good. The sauce is amazing :)
Reply
Sebastian and Luise - June 8, 2022, 6:29 p.m.
If anyone told me a year ago, that a salad would make it to my personal top 5 dishes I wouldn't have believed it. But here we are. There are very few dishes I would prefer to eat over this salad, if any. Truely feels almost like a hidden gem of this site. And we only made it because we searched at the last minute for something quick to make on a long and tiring monday evening. Now we have made it a couple of times and love it more each time.
PUL Team - June 9, 2022, 5:31 p.m.
Aw beyond thrilled to hear, Sebastian and Luise, and it means so much!
Reply
Ashley - Feb. 7, 2022, 5:32 p.m.
Incredible flavor and so easy to whip up in a blender. I added cucumber, avocado, and chickpeas to make our salad a very filling meal. I’ll definitely be adding this one to our weeknight recipes :)
PUL Team - Feb. 8, 2022, 10:37 p.m.
Mmm lovely additions to the recipe, Ashley, thank you 😃
Reply
Catalina - Jan. 28, 2022, 9:07 p.m.
Great idea l, now we always finish the salad because everyone has their own.
PUL Team - Jan. 29, 2022, 12:45 a.m.
We're so glad it's being enjoyed, Catalina!
Reply
Marie - July 26, 2021, 12:11 p.m.
Great recipe! Thank you so much!
Reply
cha - July 24, 2021, 11:09 p.m.
Such an easy and flavourful recipe! Made it for a dinner party and everyone enjoyed it ❤️❤️
Reply
Lindsay 🇺🇸 - July 12, 2021, 9:38 p.m.
We loved this salad! This definitely took me some time to do all of the different parts, but it was well worth it! The dressing is so delicious and it all felt really healthy. Usually a Caesar salad is super unhealthy, but I felt good about eating every element of this salad (especially because we used gluten free bread for the croutons, which still turned out fantastic).
PUL Team - July 16, 2021, 1:29 a.m.
So happy the labour of love was worth it, Lindsay! Thanks for sharing ✨
Reply
Aurora - July 9, 2021, 9:02 a.m.
This post has changed my life (and I never overexagerate...)! I didn't really follow the full salad recipe but I now regularly make this incredible salad dressing and I always have a jar of the vegan parmesan in the fridge. I am still amazed at how it makes everything better! Thank you so much
PUL Team - July 13, 2021, 7:20 a.m.
Aww this is so wonderful to hear, Aurora! Thank you for the glowing review and for helping make the PUL community so incredible 💖
Reply
Bhavani - June 6, 2021, 10:23 p.m.
So going into making the dressing, I didn't really get the combination of ingredients and how it would taste like a ceaesar dressing at the end. It doesn't taste like a ceaser dressing.....its more tangy and way better than a ceaser dressing! I would definitely make this dressing for diffrent type of salad again!!!
PUL Team - June 6, 2021, 10:31 p.m.
Ahh so glad you enjoyed the dressing, Bhavani, thank you for the honest review 🤩
Reply
Carla Poot - May 29, 2021, 3:56 p.m.
Just had this salad for lunch. So simple yet so delicious. It’s a keeper!
PUL Team - May 30, 2021, 8:26 a.m.
Thank you for the review, Carla!
Reply
Michaela - May 28, 2021, 5:07 p.m.
Cool idea with the roasted salad and very tasty! But if you press your lemon with a citrus press you will get to much juice and the dressing is too sour. Next i will try the vegan feta salad :-)
PUL Team - May 30, 2021, 8:03 a.m.
Hi Michaela, thanks for the tip! We will stick to squeezing with our hands 😃🍋
Leave a comment
Lekker. made this for my daughter and we added olives, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and crispy tofu. she loved it thanks so much for this amazing App by the way.
I made this salad once when I had a ton of romaine lettuce that I didn't know what to do with, and I must admit I was extremely skeptical. But ever since, this salad has been on repeat at my home, and I can't recommend this recipe enough!
I have this recipe on repeat (the version with chopped lettuce), literally can’t stop making it! One suggestion from me would be to swap step 1 and 2 for those who use the same blender for both the dressing and the cheese. Starting with the dry one saves a lot of time and dish washing. Also when I made the recipe for a first time, I used 3 garlic cloves (small ones) as suggested and it was an absolute garlic overkill. Be careful in case you want to avoid a strong and long lasting garlic breath 😜. One clove is more than enough in my option.
Again a winner of a recipe. And it is much healthy hand the original version. I'm loving the use of various flavours to make it a good vegan option.
Delicious salad!
Soooo good
Exquisite recipe! The flavours go so well together. I did switch things up a bit by adding roasted chickpeas (seasoned with garlic, onion and paprika powder) and by chopping up the romaine lettuce. The 'parmesan' is sooo tasty :) I will definitely make this recipe again.
A very good salad with a very good dressing that will make me smile all summer :) Although it did not remind me of a caesar salad, it was easy, tasty, healthy... What's not to love?
This was sooo good. The sauce is amazing :)
If anyone told me a year ago, that a salad would make it to my personal top 5 dishes I wouldn't have believed it. But here we are. There are very few dishes I would prefer to eat over this salad, if any. Truely feels almost like a hidden gem of this site. And we only made it because we searched at the last minute for something quick to make on a long and tiring monday evening. Now we have made it a couple of times and love it more each time.
Incredible flavor and so easy to whip up in a blender. I added cucumber, avocado, and chickpeas to make our salad a very filling meal. I’ll definitely be adding this one to our weeknight recipes :)
Great idea l, now we always finish the salad because everyone has their own.
Great recipe! Thank you so much!
Such an easy and flavourful recipe! Made it for a dinner party and everyone enjoyed it ❤️❤️
We loved this salad! This definitely took me some time to do all of the different parts, but it was well worth it! The dressing is so delicious and it all felt really healthy. Usually a Caesar salad is super unhealthy, but I felt good about eating every element of this salad (especially because we used gluten free bread for the croutons, which still turned out fantastic).
This post has changed my life (and I never overexagerate...)! I didn't really follow the full salad recipe but I now regularly make this incredible salad dressing and I always have a jar of the vegan parmesan in the fridge. I am still amazed at how it makes everything better! Thank you so much
So going into making the dressing, I didn't really get the combination of ingredients and how it would taste like a ceaesar dressing at the end. It doesn't taste like a ceaser dressing.....its more tangy and way better than a ceaser dressing! I would definitely make this dressing for diffrent type of salad again!!!
Just had this salad for lunch. So simple yet so delicious. It’s a keeper!
Cool idea with the roasted salad and very tasty! But if you press your lemon with a citrus press you will get to much juice and the dressing is too sour. Next i will try the vegan feta salad :-)