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This vegan radicchio Caesar salad is my love letter to radicchio: an underappreciated leafy winter veggie! Radicchio (in my humble opinion) is one of the prettiest winter veggies – it has a vivid purple/pink color and a fresh, crisp, and slightly bitter flavor profile that (with the right technique, more on that here) makes it the perfect for crunchy winter salads.
And nothing shines light on radicchio better than this radicchio Caesar salad: it’s got tons of radicchio (duh), a sweet vegan Caesar salad dressing, and crispy panko. It’s the perfect salad!!
Note: if you want to bump the protein of this salad up, feel free to throw in some chopped roasted chicken, crispy chickpeas, or my personal favorite is to chop up my chicken nuggets in this salad!
Ingredients for this Radicchio Caesar Salad
Everything you’ll need to make this winter radicchio Caesar salad.
- Radicchio
- Parmesan: Feel free to add some (read: a lot) of shaved parmesan to this salad; it’ll make it taste so good!
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Mayonnaise: I’m not the biggest mayo fan, and I will typically sub in a thick yogurt in place of the mayo (it works just as well).
- Olive oil: Highly recommend using a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil – it’ll shine through in the dressing. California Olive Ranch and Terra Delyssa are my go-to brands for olive oil.
- Lemon juice
- Honey: Agave, maple syrup, or cane sugar would work well as a sub. If you do use cane sugar, I would mix it together with the lemon juice first to dissolve it – that way your dressing isn’t gritty.
- Capers
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
Prepping the Radicchio
As much as I love radicchio, it can be a tad bitter. But if you soak radicchio in ice-cold water for around 20 minutes, it significantly reduces the bitterness, and makes it so much more palatable.
That said, I like to prep the radicchio, chop it, and let it soak in the ice water first. Then I’ll prep the dressing and panko breadcrumbs; which takes about 20 minutes. From here, you can either drain and pat the radicchio dry on a towel or if you have a salad spinner, use that.
A Few More Notes
- Don’t blend the dressing, for two reasons. One, if you blend everything together, the capers will discolor the dressing, and instead of being a creamy light yellow, it’ll be a muddy brown-green color that just isn’t appetizing. And secondly, blending raw garlic amplifies the intensity and will make the dressing almost too garlicky!
- Feel free to either toast the panko on the stove or in the oven. I prefer toasting the panko in the oven (it’s more hands-off), but both methods work. Details are in the recipe card!
- If you want to prep this ahead of time, simply prep the radicchio and store it in an airtight glass container lined with a paper towel. Store the dressing in a jar in the fridge, and store the toasted panko in an airtight container/jar in the pantry.
So excited for you to make this salad – it’s a new favorite of mine! P.S. this radicchio Caesar salad would be a great addition to your Valentine’s/Galentine’s dinner menu!
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Radicchio Caesar Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: American
Description
This radicchio Caesar salad is my love letter to radicchio, an underappreciated leafy winter veggie! It’s got tons of radicchio (duh), a sweet vegan Caesar salad dressing, and crispy panko. It’s the perfect salad!!
Ingredients
Radicchio
- 2 heads radicchio, chopped in chunks (320 g)
- Shaved parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Caesar Dressing
- 2 tbsp (34 g) mayonnaise (sub with thick yogurt)
- 2 tbsp (25 g) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (35 g) lemon juice or champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp (13 g) honey
- 1 tbsp (13 g) capers, finely minced
- 2 tsp (11 g) dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Toasted Panko
- 3–4 tbsp (30 g) olive oil
- 1 cup (95 g) panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Prep the radicchio. Slice the radicchio head in half, remove the stem, and chop into chunks. Dump the radicchio into a large bowl, fill with ice and water and let sit for 20ish minutes. Soaking radicchio in ice-cold water significantly reduces the bitterness and makes it much more palatable!
- Make the dressing. While the radicchio soaks, make the dressing. Simply add all of the ingredients into a jar and whisk to combine – taste and adjust the honey and salt to taste.
- Toast the panko. Feel free to either toast the panko on the stove or in the oven. I prefer toasting the panko in the oven (it’s more hands-off), but both methods work. To toast the panko in a pan, add the panko and olive oil to a skillet and toss to coat the panko in the oil. Heat on medium heat, and let toast, stirring occasionally, until the panko is golden brown. To toast the panko in the oven, preheat the oven to 450°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the panko and olive oil to the sheet pan, toss to coat well, and flatten into an even layer. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes (watch it closely, it burns fast), mixing halfway through.
- Dry the radicchio, assemble, and serve. Remove the radicchio from the water, drain and pat the radicchio dry on a towel, or if you have a salad spinner, use that. Add the radicchio to a large serving bowl, add half the toasted panko, pour over 3/4 of the dressing, then toss well. When you’re ready to serve, top each plate with the remaining breadcrumbs, a drizzle of extra dressing, and shaved parm.
Notes
If you want to bump the protein of this salad up, feel free to throw in some chopped roasted chicken, crispy chickpeas, or my personal favorite is to chop up my chicken nuggets in this salad!