Kale Caesar Salad

Kale caesar salad with crispy chickpeas and vegan caesar dressing. Serve with cherry tomatoes, hemp hearts, and cheezy white bean dip!

I’m hard to please when it comes to eating out. 

That’s facts.

It’s something that I’m working on accepting about myself, because my whole life I’ve wanted to be easy going, relaxed, and go-with-the-flow. 

But many times when I purchase food out, I take a few bites and would honestly rather be eating something at home. 

Now, in my defense, that’s because I’m super sensitive to salt, garlic, and spiciness, three things that people love to dump on vegan food to make it “tasty”. 

Yeah, it’s kind of like I’m allergic to flavor (HA!), but I truly believe that plants taste delicious as they are. 

Can anyone else relate? 

Anyway, there used to be a kale caesar salad from my local Greenheart Juice Shop that I always grabbed for a healthy lunch along with a juice or smoothie. 

It was delicious and flavorful and made you feel a bit like you’re glowing from the inside out after consumption. 

I’ve spent a long time trying to recreate that salad at home, because they don’t sell the salad anymore! 

Now, I haven’t had the salad in years, but I think what I came up with is pretty darn near perfect.

For my picky eater-outers, this is a salad that doesn’t compromise flavor but also won’t knock you over with the big three! 

This kale caesar salad is made with crispy chickpeas and a creamy vegan caesar dressing.

I highly recommend it with cherry tomatoes, hemp hearts, and my latest cheezy white bean dip!

What You Need to Make Kale Caesar Salad

The ingredients to this salad are simple.

Here’s what you need:

• lacinato kale
• chickpeas
• avocado oil 
• pumpkin seeds
• hemp hearts
• cherry tomatoes
• Cheezy White Bean Dip 

That’s it!

Make the Crispy Chickpeas

First, prepare the chickpeas.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with avocado oil until they’re evenly coated.

Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crispy.

Shake the pan once halfway to ensure even roasting.

What You Need to Make Vegan Caesar Dressing

Next, make the Vegan Caesar Dressing.

You need:

• runny tahini
• almond milk yogurt
• dijon mustard
• lemon
• filtered water
• garlic powder
• miso paste
• Himalayan sea salt
• black pepper

That’s it!

How to Make Vegan Caesar Dressing

While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare the vegan caesar dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon juice, water, garlic powder, and miso paste until it’s smooth.

You could use a blender for this if you wanted to, but I found that everything mixed together beautifully by hand. 

You want the dressing to be thick but well combined.

Taste the dressing and add more salt, pepper, miso, or dijon to your liking. 

How to Assemble Kale Caesar Salad

Add the shredded kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it with a bit of olive oil.

Massage the kale with your hands to start to break down the leaves.

This is important because it really changes the texture of the salad, and makes the kale a lot easier to both chew and digest.

I like to let me kale sit for 5-10 minutes after massaging to ensure it’s broken down. 

Don’t skip this step! 

Blend up the Cheezy White Bean Dip if you haven’t done so prior to starting this recipe. 

To assemble the salad, add the massaged kale to a bowl and add the vegan caesar dressing on top.

Mix well with a spatula or spoon so the kale is completely coated.

Top the salad with the roasted chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and hemp hearts.

Serve with several spoonfuls of Cheezy White Bean Dip!

Notes on Meal Prep

If you’re not eating the salad all at once, store the massaged kale, toppings, and dressing separately and recombine for lunches throughout the week.

I recommend prepping everything in advance so you can easily recreate salads for lunch throughout the week. 

You can reheat the crispy chickpeas in the microwave or on the stovetop, but I usually add them chilled. 

I like to let my salad ingredients sit outside of the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before combining for optimal flavor. 

This is totally optional! 

You can also divide the ingredients between meal prep containers, keeping the dressing separate, so you can grab salads for a quick portable lunch. 

How to Serve Kale Caesar Salad

I love enjoying this Kale Caesar Salad as a nutritious lunch, especially when the weather starts to get warmer. 

It always makes me feel nourished and satiated during a busy workday. 

While I love it as the main course, you can also serve it as a side salad alongside a main. 

For extra protein, try adding grilled tempeh or tofu. 

If you have extra dressing after the greens are gone, try enjoying it with vegetable slices for a healthy snack. 

Enjoy! 

More Kale Salads 

• Roasted Beet Salad With Citrus Tahini

• Curried Cauliflower Kale Salad

• Cran-Apple Tempeh Kale Salad

• Warm Kale Salad With Citrus Tahini

• Raw Krazy Kale Salad

• My Go To Kale Salad

• Beet & Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

• Kale Caesar Salad with Avocado Dressing

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Kale Caesar Salad recipe, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.

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XO Lauren

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