Vegan Caesar Dressing

Wow, is this vegan Caesar dressing recipe irresistibly savory and creamy! It’s easy to whip up in just 5 minutes.

Here’s a vegan salad dressing so creamy, umami-packed, and irresistible, you might like it better than the original. Meet meet your perfect Vegan Caesar Dressing! You won’t believe the flavor here: it’s just as satisfying as a classic Caesar, no Parmesan, mayo or anchovies required. All you need is 5 minutes and a blender! Add it to a vegan Caesar salad with capers, avocado and croutons, and it’s a total crowd-pleaser, no matter your diet!

Ingredients in vegan Caesar dressing

This vegan Caesar dressing is a new family favorite, around here. A classic Caesar dressing relies on mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, and anchovies to make an umami-packed flavor sensation. So how do you recreate that…without the standard cast of characters? For this dressing, we also wanted to avoid the standard trick of using soaked cashews to make a creamy dressing (which we do in this vegan Ranch). Why? Well, we don’t like having to think 1 hour ahead to soak the cashews! Plus, it makes this vegan Caesar dressing nut free. Here are the tricks to this dressing:

• Chickpeas and aquafaba make it creamy! Aquafaba is the liquid inside a can of chickpeas, and it’s an amazing way to add silky texture to sauces (like this vegan avocado mayo). It even whips up to be magically fluffy for vegan meringues! It adds just the right silky richness to the dressing here.
• Miso paste adds massive savory flavor. Look for yellow or white miso paste; red or brown is not recommended. See below for more!
• Dijon mustard also brings in tangy, savory flavor.
• Fresh garlic and lemon juice add the classic Caesar flavor
• Olive oil + neutral oil combine to make just the right nuanced flavor and color

Use yellow or white miso

Miso paste is one of the secrets to the big flavor in this vegan Caesar dressing recipe! It’s a Japanese fermented soybean paste known for its intense savory flavor or umami: the fifth flavor. Umami is what makes meat and cheese taste so satisfying, so sometimes people equate it as meaty. It’s perfect for using in vegan recipes to mimic cheese and meat: in fact, we use it in our Vegan Pesto as a stand-in for Parmesan! You can find miso near the Japanese ingredients at your local grocery, and there are several varieties. Here’s the type to look for for this recipe:

• Yellow miso is preferred here. It’s fermented a little longer than white miso and has a mild, lightly sweet flavor
• You can also use white miso (aka shiro miso). It a mild, more delicate flavor and less salt than red or brown.
• Avoid using red or brown miso in this dressing! This type of miso is fermented longer; it has a very strong flavor and can overwhelm the flavors in a dish. It also would affect the color of this miso dressing.

Why to use both olive oil and neutral oil

You’ll notice this vegan Caesar dressing uses a mix of olive oil and neutral oil. This is mainly because of the color of the dressing. You’ll notice it’s a little more yellow than a standard Caesar dressing: this is because of the olive oil! Here’s why we chose to use it:

• Olive oil is the healthiest oil, but it also brings a yellow color. Olive oil is one of the healthiest cooking oils in the world. But it does add a yellow color to salad dressings. You can use 100% olive oil here if you don’t mind it being bright yellow.
• Neutral oil keeps the color closer to a Caesar dressing. It also adds a nuance to the flavor. Use grapeseed oil or organic canola or vegetable oil.

Make it into Vegan Caesar salad

Once you’ve blended up this dressing…our favorite way to serve it is of course in a Vegan Caesar Salad! You don’t really need a recipe to make it — but we do have a few tips for toppings that make it over the top delicious. Here’s what we’d recommend:

• Romaine (and/or Tuscan kale): Crunchy greens are all you need! We like adding a little Tuscan kale to the mix for variation in flavor.
• Capers: This is required! Adding drained capers to your salad bring a salty pop to each bite that makes it taste like Parmesan shavings. (Really!) This is our top advice for a vegan Caesar.
• Croutons: Croutons make it a classic Caesar salad. We like making homemade croutons and tearing them into pieces instead of cutting cubes, which makes lovely organic shapes to catch the delicious dressing.
• Avocado (optional): Add even more richness and make it more filling with some chopped avocado.

More ways to use vegan Caesar dressing

It’s not just for salads! You can use vegan Caesar dressing in so many ways outside the greens. In fact, our son Larson was so into dipping veggies into it, we make it on the regular! Here are some ideas:

• Fry dip. Try our Sweet Potato Wedges or Perfect Seasoned Fries. Or even Baked Avocado Fries!
• Sandwich spread. Spread it on a Avocado Club Sandwich for massive deliciousness.
• Roasted vegetable dip. Try it with Epic Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Okra.
• Use it instead of mayo in chickpea salad. Try our epic Chickpea Salad Sandwich.

And that’s it! Let us know in the comments below what you think about this dressing and how you served it.

This vegan Caesar dressing recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

Print