Ridiculously Easy Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe with Lemon Tofu
This is the last caesar salad recipe you’ll ever need- vegan or not! With a quick creamy vegan Caesar salad dressing, croutons, grated vegan parmesan, it’s crunchy, crisp, and perfectly flavorful!
Your New Favorite Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe:
This is about to be your new favorite vegan salad recipe of the summer.
Enter in the last Vegan Caesar salad recipe you’ll ever need. It’s legitimately perfect.
Crisp, fresh romaine, tossed with crispy, flavorful croutons, freshly shaved vegan parmesan cheese, zesty lemon tofu cutlets, and the creamiest, most perfect Vegan Caesar dressing you’ll ever taste.
No eggs. No anchovies. Not even any nutritional yeast nor fancy sauces. Just simple pantry ingredients with some fresh veg. YUM.
And you can even make it entirely nut-free too (psst! The caesar dressing, while dairy free, is also NUT free and soy free- so skip the tofu and opt for my BBQ pulled jackfruit instead!).
Plus, you can even swap out the romaine for kale in the winter time (though I do love this roasted delicata squash and kale salad – it has super crispy chickpeas and a maple seed & nut brittle that is just so YUM!), and enjoy this dairy free caesar salad all year round!
Britt’s 3 Key Tips for the Perfect Vegan Caesar Salad Every Time:
- Make this Vegan Caesar dressing: I swear, this dressing legitimately tastes like traditional caesar dressing, and I don’t know how. Well, I do, and it’s really simple. You don’t even need any fancy ingredients (like raw cashews, nutritional yeast, worcestershire sauce, or even dijon mustard). It takes just 2 minutes to make, and the salty brine from the capers and olives replaces the saltiness of the anchovies completely- trust me, this is literally caesar dressing that happens to be vegan.
- Use homemade croutons: Want a restaurant style caesar salad? Go for the homemade croutons. It takes all of 15 minutes to make, and uses up any leftovers stale bread! You can even make them gluten-free.
- Pan-sear the lemon pepper tofu steaks: I then like to make diagonal slices so that it splays open, almost like a vegan chicken cutlet.
How to assemble:
If you’re serving this salad right away, you can simply add everything to a bowl, toss, and coat with the dressing.
If you’re serving this salad at a dinner party or summer barbecue (it pairs fantastically with pasta salad!), then you can toss everything together EXCEPT the dressing. Then add on the dressing right before serving!
How to customize:
- Add extra veggies: Roasted red peppers, cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, steamed broccoli, or even roasted Brussels sprouts would be so delicious!
- Make a wrap! Load up your new favorite Vegan Caesar salad in a hearty wrap for a caesar salad wrap!
- Add extra lemon: Grate some fresh lemon zest over top for even more tangy citrus flavor- trust me you won’t miss the real cheese!
- Swap out the croutons for crispy chickpeas! Roasted chickpeas are just as easy to make as croutons, and have a great crunch and a new flavor!
- Add some BBQ pulled Jackfruit instead: Not a tofu fan? No worries- this deliciously refreshing Vegan Caesar goes so well with my homemade 5-minute BBQ sauce that’s drenched over pulled jackfruit. It’s incredible.
Can I store dressed salad?
Yes, absolutely! Romaine lettuce (and even kale!) are a bit heartier and hold up better even after being dressed.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. However, if you’re meal prepping this salad, you can also just divide the salad undressed yet tossed into containers, and dress right before consuming. Either way works!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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Ridiculously Easy Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe with Lemon Tofu
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the last caesar salad recipe you’ll ever need- vegan or not! With a quick creamy vegan Caesar salad dressing, croutons, grated vegan parmesan, it’s crunchy, crisp, and perfectly flavorful!
Ingredients
Vegan Caesar Salad:
- 5 cups fresh romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 batch homemade croutons
- 1 batch vegan Caesar dressing
- 1/2 cup shaved vegan parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup caper berries
- 1/4 cup chopped olives
- Lemon pepper tofu (see below)
Lemon Pepper Tofu:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 15 ounces tofu, pressed
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Read through the instructions before beginning. Prepare the lemon tofu and homemade croutons first. Follow the instructions for making the croutons linked in the Ingredients section.
- Make the lemon tofu:
- Prep: Make sure that the tofu is pressed and ready to use. If you’re new to cooking with tofu, check out my guide on how to prep and cook tofu. Slice the tofu into cubes or “steaks.” Minced the garlic, and gather the remaining ingredients.
- Make the marinade: In a large container, add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Cover the container and toss to mix.
- Marinate the tofu: Place the tofu into the Tupperware container with the marinade and marinate for at least 1 hour, but the longer the better.
- When ready to cook: Heat a large skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Pour the marinade including the garlic into the skillet, and cook the garlic until it browns.
- Sear the tofu: Once the garlic is lightly browned, add in the tofu, and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let the tofu cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until lightly brown. Press the tofu down gently with the silicone spatula to sear it even more. Once cooked, set aside or store in a storage container and in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- While the tofu is cooking: Chop the romaine lettuce, and make the caesar salad dressing according to instructions.
- Assemble the salad: Add the romaine lettuce to a bowl, along with the capers, olives, parmesan, and lemon pepper tofu. Add half of the dressing to the salad, and toss to coat. Add more dressing if you’d like.
- Serve and enjoy! Plate the caesar salad or store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
See blog post for tips & tricks!
