Are you brand new to eating plant based and having a hard time finding a compliant salad dressing that you like? Then try my Vegan Caesar Dressing, oil-free of course.
A creamy, cauliflower based dressing with all the same delicious flavor as your favorite Caesar Dressing.
I don't know about you, but I personally have a hard time getting my daily dose of greens (let alone 6x a day, i.e. Esselstyn, yikes!).
It's not that I don't like salad, I do.
In fact I REALLY miss Sweet Tomatoes, our local go-to restaurant for awesome salads, which had to close due to the pandemic.
And it's not that I can't find a good dressing either. There are lots of good Vegan options for salad dressing these days. A company called Maple Grove Farms even has a couple of fat-free dressings that I really like, not to mention my own Ranch, Thousand Island, or Greek Dressing that you can find right here on my blog.
There's always the infamous Esslestyn 321 Dressing that you can easily find online, or even just a splash of plain Balsamic Vinegar is good too.
No, there are plenty of dressings available so that's not the reason either.
I just don't.
So in an effort TO eat more salads, AND to give you yet another fast, simple, and oil-free recipe, I give you my version of a Vegan Caesar Dressing.
It's creamy, it's tangy, and yes there is lots of lemon and garlic.
But there are a few cashews too.... so while this dressing IS oil-free - it's not completely fat-free.
I did cut way back on the cashews though - compared to a few other online recipes I saw - and in place, I used a few ingredients that I think might surprise you.... like cauliflower!
So I hope you give it a try, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. If so, don't forget to leave those comments down below, and with that all said and out of the way.....
Let's get into this week's recipe.
Vegan Caesar Dressing (Oil-Free)
To make this recipe all you need is a few simple ingredients and a blender.
I personally have a high-speed Vitamix - which can pulverize an avocado pit in nothing flat. But you don't have to use a Vitamix as any blender should do.
I've leave my Amazon Affiliate Link if you do ever consider purchasing a Vitamix. I cannot recommend this blender enough as I use mine almost daily. Remember that as an affiliate I do earn from all qualified purchases but at no extra cost to you.
I'll also leave the link for the glass cruet I use as well as my toaster oven which doubles as an air fryer. You can probably find the cruet in your grocery store along with the packages of dressing mix. I don't use the mixes - but I bought them just to have the glass cruet for my dresssing.
Products I Used
All the ingredients are in the recipe box below. You can find capers in most grocery stores. Look in the area near the olives, pickles, condiments, etc.
The cauliflower I used was Kroger's "Cailflower Pearls" which is usually located in the cooler with all the pre-packaged salads. I 'think' it is just chopped, raw cauliflower. I did not cook it. Just dump it into your blender as is.
Start by soaking ¼ cup of raw, unroasted, unsalted cashews in hot water for at least 20 minutes. The longer you soak them the easier they will be to blend. Even though I own a Vitamix - I still soaked mine too. Just be sure to drain them before adding them to your blender.
Simply add all the ingredients to your blender and process until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides a few times as needed.
That's it. That's the whole recipe. Super easy, fast, and delicious.
Feel free to tweak the amounts of any of the ingredients. The amounts given are what worked for me, but don't be afraid to experiment.
I poured my finished dressing into my glass cruet and stored it in the refrigerator until I was ready to make my salad. It only makes about 1 cup so depending on how much you use per salad, you should have enough for 4 salads (give or take).
As for the salad - I made mine using traditional Caesar Salad ingredients. I chopped up some Romain Lettuce, sprinkled a little Vegan Parmesan on top, and added some homemade oil-free croutons.
To make the croutons, I toasted a couple of slices of my favorite oil-free sourdough bread from Portland French Bakery (Costco) - using my Cuisinart Toaster Oven/Air Fryer until brown and crispy.
Super easy, super quick, HEALTHY, and delicious. The dressing should keep in your refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Again, hope you like it and be sure and comment below if I can answer any questions.
I have a few exciting things I am planning for the blog, so stay tuned.
See you soon
Vegan Caesar Dressing (Oil-Free)
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad Dressings
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A creamy, cauliflower based dressing with all the same delicious flavor as your favorite Caesar Dressing.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup riced cauliflower
- ¾ cup water
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- 2 Tbs nutritional yeast
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 3 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp capers
- 1 tsp vegan worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp white miso
- ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in hot water for at least 20 min (1-2 hours if not using a high speed blender)
- Drain and add to blender along with all the remaining ingredients
- Process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed
- Store in a glass cruet or jar in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Sue
This sounds so good!
Daria Horrocks
This was a very very good recipe. A friend told me about this and it is my favourite. I made this with my grandson and it was OMG AMAZING!! I have made other stuff from you and it was very good. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Melody Sieglitz
What can I used instead of cashews no nuts for me or seeds:(
Chuck Underwood
I was going to say Sunflower Seeds - but I just saw you don't do seeds either. You can TRY white beans - but I have no idea how it will turn out.
CindyLu
I made this with aquafaba instead of cashews to be fat-free. I added a splash more Worcestershire sauce, used the zest of 1/2 lemon and extra miso, too. It was delicious! I did not have capers so I skipped them. Thanks for another great recipe!
Sherril
How much aquafaba did you use?
Pat
Like you, I really miss Sweet Tomatoes and was so disappointed to hear of their restaurants closing several months ago. We didn't have one in our rural area, but whenever I made a trip to Albuquerque, I so looked forward to eating there as many times as I could cram into one trip, and I always made sure to stop in for one more huge, hearty salad before hitting the road back home. I'm looking forward to trying this dressing recipe. Thanks for your wonderful website and for sharing your creativity!
Paula Ward
This is delicious. I am just beginning my WFPB journey and finding a salad dressing this good is reassuring!
Judith Lautner
It's a winner! I can taste the cauliflower but that doesn't bother me at all. The overall taste and texture works well on just about everything - salad, rice, potatoes, you name it. I am also going to try it with white beans and with walnuts some time, as suggested here by others.
Elizabeth
I made this tonight and loved it. I’m not normally a big fan of cauliflower and have found only one or two ways I can actually eat it. I loved this dressing recipe because I don’t taste the cauliflower at all. This is a nice, tangy and delicious dressing. I need several more dressings like this one so that I can increase my salad intake, as you said in your email. I’m glad I tried it because I almost didn’t. Recently I made a couple of vegan, oil free dressings that I found online. Both used oat flour as a base/thickener. They weren’t to my liking. I could always taste the oats prominently, and it didn’t work for me. So when I saw yours, and it featured cauliflower, I recoiled. But then realizing I need to keep trying new things, I whipped up your dressing. It’s phenomenal. And the cauliflower flavor disappears somehow. Hats off to you. I’ll be trying your thousand island and Russian dressings next.
Cate
I made with walnuts (more favorable omega 3/6 ratio than cashews and didn’t change the flavor at all) and used cooked cauliflower...love LOVE this recipe Chuck!
Jo
Hi Cate,
Did you soak the walnuts in hot water beforehand?
ROBERTA KAUFMANN
That is what I am going to do...walnuts!! So glad to read your comment!
brewster cogburn
Hi Chuck, I love oil free garlicky-lemony dressings and pretty much always have one on hand. To get an anchovy-ish flavor I like to use some wakame or even a few sheets those packaged seaweed snacks. Also, sometimes I use white beans instead of cauliflower along with the cashews. Or sometime a tofu cashew mix. Lot's of variations to play with!
Lisa
Just wondering if the cauliflower you're using is raw, or thawed from frozen riced cauliflower? Also, do you steam it first to soften?
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Chuck Underwood
I buy Kroger Brand Cauliflower Pearls - which look to me to be just raw, finely chopped cauliflower. It is not frozen and I did not precook it or steam it.