A delicious recipe for a classic Caesar salad, made vegan and gluten-free! It’s creamy, lemony and topped with a perfectly salty, slightly smoky coconut bacon.
When I was 12 I had just gone pesco-vegetarian, meaning I ate no meat but still ate fish. This was the deal I had arranged with my parents. They were incredibly supportive of my choosing to go vegetarian, but perhaps a bit worried so the deal was I would eat fish and then eventually cut if out if all went well. At the time I was still playing ringette (an ice sport similar to hickey for those who don’t know) and was in a small town for a tournament. This was 14 years ago, so the vegetarian pickings were slim but I ordered a Caesar salad after checking with the waiter that it had no chicken or bacon. Well, it came with chicken. I sent it back, and it came with bacon. So I sent it back again, and it looked safe but alas, there were bacon bits at the bottom. I ended up ordering a grilled cheese instead.
Since then, the thought of eating a Caesar salad never really crossed my mind again. Until recently.
I’ve fallen in love with Caesar salads again. I’ve tried many recipes – most of them use tahini or cashews as the base. And while I adore both of those ingredients, I wanted that rich, mayo-based dressing. So I took a pretty traditional recipe and tweaked a few things to bring you a classic vegan Caesar salad!
What makes a good vegan Caesar salad dressing?
The base of this vegan Caesar salad dressing is, of course, vegan mayo! There are so many great options on the market these days, and it’s even easy to make your own!
To the mayo I add:
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Dijon
- Vegan and gluten-free worcestershire sauce
- Nutritional yeast, subbing the parmesan
- Capers, subbing the anchovies
You can either mince the garlic and capers and mix it all together in a bowl, or throw it in a blender.
The coconut bacon, is, of course, optional – but highly recommended! Make sure you use unsweetened large flake coconut, and watch them very very carefully in the oven! They can go from perfect to burnt very quickly!
You could always do croutons instead, especially if you aren’t gluten-free and can make them with some delicious bakery bread… mmm…..
Want more vegan and gluten-free salad recipes? Check these out!
- My Favourite Summer Salad with Savoury Dressing
- Roasted Beet Salad with Baked Almond Feta
- Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad (for those who don’t want lettuce!)
- Fall Quinoa Salad
This recipe for a classic vegan caesar salad is packed with flavour and topped with coconut bacon for an added salty crunch!
- 1/3 cup vegan mayonaise
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp capers, minced
- 1 tsp dijon
- 1 tbsp vegan gluten-free worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt, to taste (might not need depending on the mayo you use!)
- 1 head romain lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup coconut bacon (see recipe below)
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Combine all the vegan caesar salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Toss the lettuce in the dressing and serve topped with coconut bacon.
These vegan gluten-free coconut bacon is a perfect topper on salads, but also is great by itself with some tofu scramble or anywhere else you might need a bacon-y salty crunch!
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups unsweetened large flaked coconut
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Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, mix together everything except for the coconut.
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Gently fold in the coconut, making sure that every piece has been covered in marinade -- you shouldn't have too much (if any) marinade leftover.
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Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 6 minutes, stir, and then cook for another approximately 6 minutes -- but watch them carefully to ensure they do not burn! Depending on your oven, you may need to bake the coconut bacon less or more than suggested.
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Let cool on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container.
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Love the simplicity of this recipe! I have a couple of friends who are vegan so I’m looking forward to making this for them PLUS that coconut bacon sounds amazing!
Thank you so much, Jessica! I hope your vegan friends enjoy it 🙂
I recently went dairy-free (in addition to being gluten-free) and I have been missing Caesar salad so much. (It’s one of our favourites!) I am so glad to discover your recipe; can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Kim! I know the gluten-free, dairy-free struggle well — I hope you’re finding alternatives you like!!
Oh wow! Love the idea of a vegan coconut bacon. How intriguing! Definitely going on my must-try list! Also, your photos are beautiful!
Thank you, Jo! I have become a big fan of coconut bacon, especially on salads! I hope you enjoy 🙂
I’ve made coconut bacon but not for years! Thanks for the reminder. This salad isn’t missing anything. The nooch brings all that cheesy flavour. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Sharon! 🙂 There is nothing better than mooch — I put it on everything haha