The Erewhon Vegan Caesar Salad is famously delicious. A bed of romaine and kale, topped with marinated tempeh, crispy chickpeas, sunflower seed vegan parmesan cheese, and all of the creamy cashew caesar dressing your heart desires!
Honestly, when I found the Erewhon Vegan Caesar Salad I knew I had to figure out how to make it at home. Caesar salad is unique in that the flavor is tangy and savory at the same time. After a few tries, I finally perfected this creamy cashew vegan caesar dressing that I hope you all love as much as I do!
Vegan Caesar Salad Ingredients Needed
This vegan caesar salad has four different components to make it absolutely delicious. While it may seem like a lot of ingredients, my copy cat Erewhon caesar salad is actually super easy to make! Here's what you'll need:
- Creamy Cashew Vegan Caesar Dressing: Raw cashews, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, capers, soy sauce (or coconut aminos) garlic powder, lemon juice and salt make up this homemade caesar dressing. The combination of these flavors makes a perfectly creamy, tangy and savory vegan dressing that is so delicious!
- Crispy Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper will make these chickpeas perfectly seasoned and add a nice crunchy bite to the salad.
- Marinate Tempeh: Tempeh, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, and maple syrup are used to marinate the tempeh and really build a lot of flavors going on in this salad.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: This is totally optional, but I love some vegan parmesan cheese. You can get the store bought or make your own using roasted sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and olive oil.
- Copy Cat Erewhon Vegan Caesar Salad: First, you'll want to make a bed of your favorite greens. I like to use a combination of romaine and kale. To top it off, use a vegan parmesan!
How to Make This Vegan Caesar Salad Recipe
For the Cashew Vegan Caesar Dressing
Step 1: Bring a small saucepan with water to a boil. add the cashews and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered for 20 minutes or until the cashews are tender. Strain them and then allow them to cool.
Step 2: Once the cashews have cooled, add them into a food processor or blender, add the water, lemon juice, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, capers, dijon mustard and garlic powder. Blend until creamy and smooth. This dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
For the Crispy Chickpeas & Tempeh
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle generously with olive or avocado oil and use a brush to ensure the foil is evenly coated. Or, use some avocado cooking spray to grease the foil.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, coconut aminos, garlic powder and maple syrup. Once the marinade is mixed, chop the tempeh into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Toss until evenly coated and allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes.
Step 3: After 10 minutes, distribute the tempeh into a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave about ⅓ of the baking sheet empty for the chickpeas.
Step 4: Fill the remainder of the baking sheet with the rinsed and drained chickpeas. Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss gently.
Step 5: Bake the tempeh and chickpeas in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the tempeh and toss the chickpeas. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tempeh and chickpeas are golden brown.
For The Sunflower Parmesan Cheese
Step 6: If making your own homemade vegan parmesan cheese, add the roasted sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and olive oil to a blender. Blend until a crumble forms and set aside until ready to serve with the salad.
Salad Assembly
Step 7: Assemble four bowls with 1 cup of chopped romaine, 1 cup of baby kale, ¼ cup of crispy chickpeas, ¼ of the tempeh and as much vegan dressing and vegan parmesan cheese as desired! Enjoy!
Expert Tips & Variations
My vegan caesar salad is based off of the Erewhon Vegan Caesar Salad, but you can still make some variations to make this salad exactly how you want it! Here are some suggestions:
- Add More Vegetables: If you want more veggies, you should add them! This salad would be delicious with some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers as well. Or, top if off with some fresh avocado!
- Swap Your Protein: I used tempeh because I like the texture here, but you can use tofu or even chicken if you are not vegan! You can even leave out the tempeh and have just chickpeas as your easy protein.
- Allergic to Nuts? I know that some vegans cannot have nuts. If you can't have nuts, replace the cashews with vegan mayo! The dressing will be a bit more runny, but it should still taste pretty great.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store any leftover salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that if the lettuce is dressed, it will wilt the longer it is in the fridge. You can keep any extra dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days!
Generally, caesar salad is not vegan due to the dressing and parmesan cheese. So this vegan caesar salad has been adapted to use only plant-based ingredients and still taste just as good!
More Vegan Salad Recipes to Try
- Easy Chickpea Salad
- Sweet Potato & Chickpea Salad with Honey Mustard
- Chickpea & Avocado "Tuna" Salad
- 15 Minute Peanut Sauce Salad
Copy Cat Erewhon Vegan Caesar Salad
Ingredients
Creamy Cashew Vegan Caesar Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Crispy Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper
Marinated Tempeh
- 1 8 oz block of tempeh
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Greens
- 4 cup chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 cup chopped baby kale
Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese (or use store-bought)
- ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon vegan or gluten-free bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Creamy Cashew Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Bring a small saucepan with water to a boil. Add the cashews and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until the cashews are tender. Strain them and then allow them to cool.
- Once the cashews have cooled, add them into a food processor or blender, add the water, lemon juice, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, capers, dijon mustard, and garlic powder. Blend until creamy and smooth. This dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Tempeh and Crispy Chickpeas Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle generously with olive or avocado oil and use a brush to ensure the foil is evenly coated. Alternatively, you can use olive or avocado oil spray to grease the foil.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), garlic powder, and maple syrup. Once the marinade is mixed, chop the tempeh into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Toss until evenly coated and allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, distribute the tempeh into a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave about ⅓ of the baking sheet empty so that you can add the chickpeas to the sheet.
- Fill the remainder of the baking sheet with the rinsed and drained chickpeas. Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and gently toss.
- Bake the tempeh and chickpeas in the oven for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and flip the tempeh pieces over and toss the chickpeas. Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the tempeh and chickpeas are golden-brown.
Recipe for Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- If making your own homemade vegan parmesan cheese, add the roasted sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and olive oil to a blender. Blend until a crumble forms and set aside until ready to serve with the salad.
Vegan Caesar Salad Assembly
- Assemble 4 bowls of salad with 1 cup of chopped romaine, 1 cup of baby kale, ¼ of the crispy chickpeas, ¼ of the tempeh, and as much vegan caesar dressing and vegan parmesan cheese as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
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