Home » Diet » Vegan » Kale Caesar Salad [Vegan+Gluten-Free]
Jump To Recipe 7 reviews posted Aug 5, 2019 by Jessica Hoffman
This Kale Caesar Salad is topped off with smokey roasted chickpeas, hemp seed “parmesan” and a creamy egg-less Caesar dressing for a delicious salad that everyone can enjoy!
Caesar Kale Salad
Don’t you love a great salad recipe? I know I do!
This Kale Caesar Salad is probably one of the most delicious ways you can enjoy eating kale. This salad is topped with a super creamy vegan Caesar dressing made with a secret ingredient, smokey “bacon” chickpeas, and a hemp seed crumble!
This salad is a great option to please a crowd and can be enjoyed by anyone who follows a vegetarian, dairy-free, vegan or gluten-free diet! And if you have leftover kale, it would be great to use in this Massaged Kale Salad and Easy Kale Pesto!
Why You’ll Love this Kale Caesar Salad
- This salad makes the kale shine! The kale stands up well with the thick and creamy dressing and is absolutely delicious in this salad. It will even convert kale skeptics!
- The kale is packed with tons of nutrients and vitamins. Kale is loaded with iron, vitamins K, C & A, is high in calcium and is anti-inflammatory. Talk about a superfood!
- The smokey roasted chickpeas add the smokey bacon flavour, and that crouton crunch.
- The hemp seed parmesan gives this salad that cheesy salty flavour that you know and love in a traditional caesar salad
- This salad is so easy to throw together and uses just a handful of ingredients!
How To Make This Vegan Kale Caesar Salad
Roast the chickpeas in the oven at 425 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until crispy.
Prepare the hemp seed parmesan by pulling the hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt together in a small food processor blender.
Blend the dressing ingredients together in a small blender until smooth and creamy.
Rinse and chop the kale, then add all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
What type of kale is best for a salad?
There are a few different types of kale that work well in a kale salad.
I used curly kale, (the most common type of kale) but you can also use lacinato kale, (also known as dinosaur kale) or purple kale.
Tips for Making Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Perfectly
- Make sure to remove the stems from the kale. The stems are tough and stalky.
- Let this salad sit for 5 minutes before serving so the kale softens ever so slightly. This will make the kale a better texture for enjoying.
- Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry before tossing with the seasoning for roasting. This will help ensure they come out nice and crispy.
- Keep leftover ingredients stored in the fridge separately. The salad tastes best when dressed fresh.
More kale recipes to try
- Easy Kale Pesto
- Quinoa Power Bowls with Green Goddess Dressing
- Superfood Salad
Vegan Caesar Kale Salad
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 7 reviews
- Author: Jess
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer, side
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan Kale Caesar Salad is topped with crispy smoked chickpeas, hemp crumble and a creamy dressing. It’s vegan and naturally gluten-free!
Ingredients
Scale
Crispy smoked chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Hemp parmesan
- 3 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Caesar dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 tbsp water
Salad
- A bunch of kale (about 8 cups chopped)
Instructions
Crispy smoked chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Drain & rinse the can of chickpeas and then place on a baking pan between two paper towels. Roll the chickpeas in the paper towels and remove as much water as possible. Some of the skins will come off the chickpeas, discard the skins. (This will make the chickpeas crispier!)
- Drizzle olive oil, liquid smoke and sea salt on the chickpeas mixing with your hands or a spoon until evenly coated.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes
Hemp parmesan
- Add thehemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt in a food processor.
- Pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly, but still has a few whole piecesin it.
Caesar dressing
- Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, dijonmustard, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and water together in a blender until smooth.
Salad
- Wash & dry the kale and remove the stems.
- Finely chop the kale and add it to a bowl.
- Toss with as much dressing as you like, the chickpeas and hemp parmesan.
Notes
Make sure to remove the stems from your kale, they are tough and stalkly and not good in salads!
Let this salad sit for 5 minutes before serving so the dressing helps to soften the kale ever so slightly.
Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry before mixing them with the sesasoning. This will help make sure they come out nice and crispy.
Store any leftovers in the fridge separately! This salad is best when the ingredients are mixed together right before you want to eat it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 2g
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 8g
If you tried thisKale Caesar Salador any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along onPinterest,InstagramandFacebookfor even more deliciousness!
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. I only recommend products that I know, trust and love!
Fall Gluten Free Grain-free Recipes Refined sugar-free Salads Spring Summer Vegan Vegetarian
posted by Jessica Hoffman on August 5, 2019 (updated January 29, 2024)
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20 comments on “Kale Caesar Salad [Vegan+Gluten-Free]”
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Tania — Reply
I don’t have any liquid smoke and wanting to make this tonight. Would not using the liquid smoke make a big difference?
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Jessica Hoffman — Reply
You can leave it out!
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Josée Comtois — Reply
So delicious! I have been making it on repeat since a few weeks. Everybody loves it! Thanks Jess.
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Colleen Shannon — Reply
Wow, it tastes like a Ceaser salad! When I first made it I thought it tasted like it had too much lemon, but I put it in the fridge and let the flavors marinate for a few hours and then it was perfect. The only change I made to the dressing was to add 2 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast instead of the one teaspoon. I like mine with a little more cheesy and sharp-tasting.
I left the chickpeas out. I made my salad with half kale and half romaine lettuce, chopped green onions, chopped cucumbers and some match stick carrots and chopped cabbage.
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Jess — Reply
Hi Colleen, It’s surprising how much it tastes like a “real” Caesar salad isn’t it? It’s equally delicious to use Romaine too in place of kale. Your veggie additions sound great too!
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Jenna — Reply
My husband and I LOVE this recipe! It’s light, refreshing, and tastes just like a Caesar salad – only way healthier. We will definitely be making this again!! Highly, highly recommend!
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Jess — Reply
Thank you Jenna! So glad you both enjoyed this salad. Crazy how much it tastes like a “real” Ceasar even though there is no dairy in it, right?
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Tayler Langan — Reply
Been searching high and low for a ceaser dressing, and this is by far the best one I have tried, tastes exactly how ceaser dressing should taste only better, Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
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Jess — Reply
Thanks Maria!!
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Bianca — Reply
This kale salad looks so fresh and delicious! Love lighter meals in summer! Great recipe, Jess!❤️
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Jess — Reply
Thanks so much Bianca!
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Amanda — Reply
This salad was delicious!! I could not believe how spot on the dressing tastes compared to standard ceasar.
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Jess — Reply
Thanks Amanda! So happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
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Julie — Reply
I am loving this salad! How did you arrive at the nutritional information? The recipe shows it serves 4-6 and the nutritional information says serving size is one bowl. What percentage of the entire recipe is the bowl?
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Jess — Reply
Hi Julie! The “one bowl” just means one serving of the recipe 🙂 it would be roughly 1/4 of the salad!
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Karson — Reply
I always grew up eating ceasar salads, however, I haven’t eaten them in 15+ years because they are…not low in calories and fat. But when I found this recipe, I had to try it and it was amazing! First the use of kale was a great addition for both texture and healthiness. Second the dressing tasted like ceasar dressing, just better because the taste is not as overbearing and it’s vegan! Great, great recipe!
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Jess — Reply
Hi Karson, so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Definitely a much healthier alternative to a traditional Caesar salad recipe!
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