Introducing the winter edition of the classic Caesar salad, aka this lemony kale Caesar salad recipe that is vegan, healthy, and packed with nutrients. 

Think dino kale and crunchy romaine, topped with crispy roasted chickpeas, blitzed croutons, vegan parmesan, and a creamy vegan Caesar salad dressing. It’s the perfect winter salad imo! 

vegan kale caesar salad in a white bowl

Kale Caesar Salad Ingredients 

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy lemony kale Caesar salad; consider it your grocery list! 

As always, the full recipe with detailed instructions and measurements is in the recipe card below. But I like to include a list of the ingredients here as I always have a few notes on which brands to buy, etc. 

  • Kale: I love using dino kale. 
  • Romaine lettuce: Feel free to use all kale if you prefer, I like mixing them for added texture. 
  • Croutons aka sourdough bread: I highly recommend making homemade croutons (you can bake them while the chickpeas roast). Store-bought croutons have so many unnecessary ingredients. Plus, they don’t even taste that good. I’ve included notes in the recipe card if you want to make homemade croutons.
  • Canned chickpeas
  • Vegan parmesan: I know, I know. Vegan parmesan is highly processed, but as someone who does NOT do well on dairy, it’s fun to use things like this now and again. So feel free to leave it out entirely if you wish. Or if you’re not vegan, throw in some real parmesan instead. The dressing is creamy and slightly cheesy, so you won’t really miss the vegan parmesan if you leave it out. 
  • Raw cashews 
  • Lemons: You’ll need both lemon juice and lemon zest, so try to buy organic lemons if you can. 
  • Honey or maple syrup 
  • Non-pareil capers
  • Vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • Dijon mustard 
  • Olive oil
  • Spices: Including garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and nutritional yeast. 
  • Kosher salt
vegan kale caesar salad in a white bowl

The Method Behind This Salad 

Ok, I’m just going to say it. This vegan kale Caesar salad does have a lot of steps. However, don’t let that deter you, because it’s super easy to streamline this recipe and prep the items needed in parallel to making the croutons or chickpeas. 

So here’s my strategy!

  1. Start by soaking the cashews. Simply soak the cashews in boiling water for 10 minutes. 
  2. While the cashews soak, prep the chickpeas and croutons. The chickpeas and croutons take about 10 minutes to prep before roasting, which is why I like to soak the cashews before making the chickpeas/croutons. 
  3. In parallel to baking the croutons and chickpeas, prep the dressing. This should take about 6-7 minutes and align perfectly for you to take the croutons out of the oven. 
  4. While the croutons and chickpeas cool, prep the romaine and kale. 
  5. Assemble and toss the salad. 

Full transparency, I like to make this salad on the weekend, but only use ⅓ of the salad, croutons, chickpeas, and dressing. And I’ll save the ingredients for later during the week when I need a quick meal.

vegan kale caesar salad in a white bowl

Even More Healthy Salad Recipes  

After you make this kale chickpea caesar salad, you have to try out the salads below (if you haven’t already)! 

XO, Yasmeen.

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vegan kale caesar salad in a white bowl

Lemony Kale Caesar Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Yasmeen Ali
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Think dino kale and crunchy romaine, topped with crispy roasted chickpeas, blitzed croutons, vegan parmesan, and a creamy vegan Caesar salad dressing. It’s the perfect winter salad imo!

Ingredients

Scale

Crispy chickpeas

  • 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Olive oil 

Lemony Caesar Dressing

  • 1 cup cashews, raw
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
  • 1 tsp lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon)
  • 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp non-pareil capers, drained
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast 
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salad

  • 1 small head dino kale, finely chopped 
  • 1 small head romaine lettuce, finely chopped 
  • 2 cups croutons, crushed or lightly blitzed in a blender*
  • 1/4 cup vegan parmesan, finely grated**

Instructions

  1. Roast the chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dump the chickpeas onto the baking sheet, and sprinkle over the salt, spices, and olive oil. Toss to combine. Bake the chickpeas in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. If you’re making croutons from scratch, I’d bake them with the chickpeas and then take them out after 8-10 minutes. 
  2. Make the dressing. While the chickpeas bake, prepare the dressing. Soak the cashews in a big bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes. Once the cashews are soaked, drain and rinse with cold water and add into a high-speed blender with the rest of the salad dressing ingredients. Blend the dressing on medium, slowly ramping up the speed to high. Let the dressing blend for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Taste test and adjust for salt.
  3. Prep the lettuce and kale. The last step is to prep the lettuce and kale. My top tip here is to finely chop the lettuce and kale into small pieces; it just tastes better. 
  4. Assemble. Add the chopped lettuce into a large bowl, followed by the blitzed croutons, chickpeas, vegan parmesan, and a generous drizzle of the dressing. Toss to combine, adjust salt, and add more dressing as needed. Enjoy!

Notes

*I like to blitz the croutons in my spice grinder once or twice, it makes the croutons smaller and helps the croutons coat every single leaf in the salad. Leave the croutons whole if you prefer, both ways work. Speaking of croutons, I highly recommend making homemade croutons; they taste so much better. Slice 4 thin slices of sourdough bread, and cut them into small even-sized cubes. Dump the bread onto a parchment-lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Toss and rub the bread until it’s coated in the oil and spice mixture. Bake in the oven at 450°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp. They burn fast, so keep an eye on them at the 7-minute mark. Keep in mind that the croutons will continue to crisp as they cool on the counter. 

**Love VioLife vegan parmesan cheese.

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