Today we’re updating (and vegan-izing) an old classic with my vegan kale Caesar salad recipe! You know I love Caesar salads… I’ve shared buffalo chicken Caesar, and now, vegan Caesar salad! It’s a flavorful mix of hearty kale, red onion, avocado, and spiced pepitas. It’s all drizzled with my addicting vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe! You’ll want to put this dressing on just about everything. I know because I do it! 😉
How To Make Vegan Kale Caesar Salad
First, gather the ingredients and seasonings. The whole kale Caesar salad recipe comes together in three easy steps:
- Make the vegan Caesar dressing. In a blender, combine the avocado, garlic, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Add water as needed to thin it out.
- Make the spiced pepitas. Toast pepitas in olive oil and the paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Toast until they are golden and fragrant. They make a delicious salad topper, but also are delicious for snacking!
- Assemble the salad. Top the kale and veggies with the vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe. Sprinkle with pepitas and avocado slices.
What Is Kale?
Kale is an edible leaf that used to be most often found as a garnish. Over the years it has gained lots of popularity because of its healthy qualities and the fact that you can do so many things with it.
Kale has lots of vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, vitamin K, omega-3 fatty acid, and protein. All for just 33 calories per cup. It packs a nutritional punch!
With this delicious vegan Caesar salad, you will be eating the kale raw. However, you can saute, boil, steam, stir-fry, or add it to soups. So, if this is your first time trying it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how versatile it is.
Can Vegans Eat Caesar Salad?
Many Caesar salads that you buy at the store or order in restaurants are not vegan. Between the cheese, the mayonnaise (in some dressings), the egg yolks, and the anchovies, there are a lot of non-vegan ingredients.
But my vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe is made with vegan-friendly (and paleo-friendly!) ingredients and still full of traditional Caesar flavors! Combined with the kale and pepitas, I think this is one of the best vegan salads!
How Do You Store This Vegan Caesar Salad?
Always store this kale caesar salad recipe in the fridge. Like many salads, it’s best to have everything chopped and ready to go so you can assemble the healthy vegan salad when you are ready to eat, instead of combining everything ahead of time.
Even though kale can stand up to dressings better than many greens, I would recommend waiting to add the vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe until right before serving.
Store this easy vegan salad in an airtight container or plastic zip lock bag in the crisper area of your fridge. The ingredients for this healthy vegan salad will last 4-5 days, cut up and prepped.
When it comes to the avocado, I recommend not having it cut and just slicing a few pieces when you’re ready to eat the salad.
Can You Make Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe Ahead Of Time?
You can make the dressing ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 3-4 days, but it’s best fresh!
More Paleo Vegan Recipes To Try
If you can’t get enough of this vegan kale Caesar salad, you are going to love some of my other paleo vegan recipes:
- Easy Almond Strawberry Spinach Salad – Everything about this salad is amazing!
- Easy Paleo Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip – Creamy, vibrant, and full of flavor!
- Red Cabbage Mexican Slaw – Gorgeous colors and tons of flavor! Plus, you only need 5 minutes to throw it together.
- Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies – They are egg-free, so vegan, too!
Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Recipe:
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RECIPE CARD
Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Recipe
See how to make the BEST vegan kale Caesar salad recipe! Kale, spiced pepitas, + avocado slices are drizzled with the most addicting vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe ever.
Ingredients
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Avocado Caesar Dressing
- 1 medium Avocado (pitted)
- 3 large cloves Garlic (peeled)
- 1/2 medium Lemon (juiced)
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
Salad
- 6 cups Kale (chopped finely)
- 1/4 medium Red onion (minced)
- 1/2 medium Jalapeños (minced; adjust amount to taste)
- 1 medium Avocado (sliced)
Spiced Pepitas
- 1/3 cup Raw pepitas
- 1/2 teaspoon Olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
More TIPS about this paleo recipe in the post above!
- Make the Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I added about 2-3 tablespoons.
- Toast the Pepitas: Drizzle the pepitas with olive oil and toss with the spices. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the seeds to the pan. Toast for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and golden.
- Assemble: Toss the kale with the dressing, onions, and jalapeños. Season with additional salt and pepper to your tastes and top with the toasted pepitas and sliced avocado.
Recipe Notes
Serving Size: ~2 cups, or 1/4 of entire recipe
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols (though the latter are rarely seen on this site), because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
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22 Comments
bindu
The salad looks delicious! All the individual ingredients seem to make this a keto friendly salad but looking at the final carbs, I am not so sure. What could I cut on to make it more keto-friendly?
Katherine
I LOVE caesar salad!!! I just want a big bowl of this! Toasted pepitas on their own are such a great snack, they’d be soooo good in this! Pinning!
Raia Todd
I looove caesar salad! Delicious!
Megan Stevens
I love the avocado base and that you don’t use nutritional yeast. It’s so common in vegan recipes, but it makes me feel unwell.
Maggie
I am newer to the kale world – I know! So behind! And this salad was amazing! Will definitely be making again.
Nellie Tracy
Such a great summer recipe! Love this salad!
Beth
I could eat salads morning, noon and night! Delish dish!
Andrea Metlika
The avocado Caesar dressing sounds marvelous. I also like that you added pepitas to this, they are so good in salads.
Denay DeGuzman
This healthy kale salad looks so beautiful and delicious! It’s the perfect mid-week meal for busy families.
Matt
Definitely excited about the vegan Caesar dressing. Can’t wait to make this again!
Kristine
This salad was to-die-for. I loved the robust flavors and it kept me full for hours. Very delicious, thank you!
Lori
What’s the longevity of the salad? Does it keep well a few days in the fridge after making?
Lauren
Hi Lori! It keeps for a day or so. Kale tend to hold up well more so than other greens so you should be good! Maybe add an extra squeeze of lemon to keep the avocado dressing fresh.
Chrisy
Such a pretty (and flavorful) salad! I’m already craving that dressing just from reading the ingredients!
Alisa Fleming
I’m impressed! I’ve never gotten the whole prep thing down – not even close. I LOVE that your dressing is so simplistic and those spiced pepitas sound divine!
Kristina
too much avocado? NEVER. I love kale salads, this sounds so flavorful!
Christie
I love this recipe. All the ingredients make it so interesting and full of flavor. I love this salad for lunch.
Lauren
Thank you Christie! It does make a wonderful lunch!
Ali
This salad looks so good for you and delicious. Love the addition of pepitas and the creamy avocado Caesar dressing….wow.
Lauren
Thanks Ali! Those pepitas are addicting!
Kacey
Seriously super excited to try this one!! I have made a vegetarian Caesar salad for myself, but I like your spin on the dressing. At times I miss Caesar salads so much so this would definitely help my cravings!
Lauren
Thanks so much Kacey! I was honestly surprised at how much it tastes like traditional caesar dressing! I hope you try it 🙂