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    Home » Dressings And Sauces

    Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing (Without Anchovies)

    July 24, 2023 by cookingwithelo 2 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    You'll never want to use store-bought Caesar dressing once you've tried this recipe! It's naturally vegan by leaving out the anchovies and incredibly creamy thanks to the nut butter. You can use it on salads or roasted vegetables, such as these roasted Brussels sprouts.

    Creamy white caesar dressing in a small glass jar with capers in the front and a garlic head at the back.

    Between us, this is honestly the best vegan Caesar dressing I've ever tried. It's creamy, tangy, garlicky, and incredibly rich. Pour it over a simple salad and add a few homemade croutons for a mind-blowing side dish. Add some crispy chickpeas if you want to make it a complete meal.

    If you're like me and you prefer a homemade dressing versus bottled stuff, make sure to check out my salad dressing recipes. This green dressing and this roasted garlic dressing are my personal favorites.

    Jump to:
    • Is Caesar dressing vegan?
    • Dressing ingredients and substitutions
    • Step by step with pictures
    • Storage tips
    • Serving suggestions
    • Frequently asked questions
    • The recipe

    Is Caesar dressing vegan?

    A classic Caesar dressing usually contains dairy (e.g., parmesan cheese), raw egg yolks, and anchovies (or anchovy paste), and is therefore not vegan.

    However, you can easily make a vegan version of it that is creamy and tastes like the real thing. Capers are the crucial ingredient that will give the dressing its distinct flavor. All you'll need to provide this vegan Caesar dressing with an extremely creamy texture is nut butter (e.g., cashew butter or white almond butter). I find that it's a healthier alternative to vegan mayonnaise.

    Dressing ingredients and substitutions

    Ingredients for a caesar salad dressing with descriptive labels.
    • Cashew butter: It's the main ingredient and makes an incredibly creamy dressing. It's high in protein and healthy fats and is a great alternative to olive oil. You can substitute it with white tahini or white almond butter. Alternatively, use raw cashews that you boiled for 30 minutes until soft.
    • Small capers: They have a lemony, salty, and olive-like taste and give the dressing its briny flavor.
    • Dijon mustard: Makes the dressing homogenous and intensifies the flavors. But no worry, if you don't like mustard you shouldn't be able to taste it in the final dressing, or you can simply leave it out.
    • Fresh lemon juice: Gives the dressing a fresh kick.
    • A splash of water: To bring it to a pourable consistency.
    • A garlic clove: For some punch. You can also replace it with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for a milder garlic flavor.
    • Maple syrup: Helps balance the acidity of the caper brine and lemon juice.
    • Salt and black pepper: To enhance the overall flavor of the dressing.
    • Nutritional yeast (optional): If you really want that cheesy flavor, you can add 2-4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the dressing. I personally don't find that necessary.

    Step by step with pictures

    Hand squeezing lemon juice in a tablespoon with a blender jar at the back.

    STEP 1: Squeeze the lemon and retrieve the juice. You will need a whole lemon if it's pretty small or half a lemon if it's relatively big.

    Cashew butter, capers, garlic clove, and water in a plastic blender jar.

    STEP 2: Add the cashew butter, lemon juice, garlic, and capers to a blender jar or small food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt, and pepper.

    Blended caesar dressing in a Nutribullet personal blender.

    STEP 3: Blend until perfectly smooth. I really like the 900W Nutribullet blender for dressings and sauces.

    Hand pouring a creamy white caesar dressing into a small glass jar.

    STEP 4: Transfer to an airtight container. My favorite glass jar for dressings is this 250 ml Weck jar with a tight lid.

    Storage tips

    You can store the sealed container with the dressing it in the refrigerator for 1 week. Write the date on the lid to avoid using it after a longer period of time. Give it a good stir before using.

    Serving suggestions

    • Make a vegan Caesar salad with romaine lettuce or baby kale.
    • Pour it over roasted vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts or roasted carrots.
    • This vegan Caesar salad dressing also tastes incredibly good on a cold pasta salad or potato salad.
    • Leftover dressing also makes a great dip for grilled potato wedges or veggie sticks.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is Caesar dressing healthy?

    It definitely depends. Classic Caesar dressing is usually oil-based, with cheese and egg yolks, and is therefore pretty high in calories. Store-bought vegan alternatives often use ow quality oils, sugar, thickeners, and stabilizers, which I would not consider healthy. However, making your own Caesar dressing allows you to avoid excessive amounts of salt and sugar and chose healthier ingredients.

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    The recipe

    Creamy white caesar dressing in a small glass jar with capers in the front and a garlic head at the back.

    Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing (Without Anchovies)

    5 from 7 votes
    This vegan Caesar is creamy, tangy, garlicky, and incredibly rich. Use it for your Ceasar salad or pour it over roasted vegetables.
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Eloïse Jennes

    Equipment

    • Small blender
    • 250 ml Weck jars

    Ingredients 

    • ⅓ cup (100 g) cashew butter sub white tahini or white almond butter
    • ⅓ cup (80 ml) water
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons caper buds from the jar more to taste
    • 4 teaspoons caper brine
    • 1 teaspoon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave syrup
    • 1 clove of garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 pinch of salt and pepper

    Instructions

    • Juice the lemon.
    • Blend. Add the cashew butter, water, lemon juice, capers, caper brine, mustard, maple syrup, garlic clove, and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Alternatively, add everything to a bowl and blend with an immersion blender.
    • Adjust the amount of lemon juice and caper brine to taste to taste. Add more water to make the dressing thinner if needed
    • Transfer the dressing to an air-tight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

    Notes

    1. You can also use raw cashews instead of cashew butter. Use the same amount in grams. Soak them in water for 2 hours or boil them for 30 minutes while roasting the garlic, then follow the same instructions. Add more water if needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
    Leave a rating and comment below! Thank you!Don't forget to mention @cookingwithelo on social media

    If you tried this recipe or any other recipe from the blog, make sure to let me know how you liked it by rating it and leaving a comment below! Your feedback really matters! Follow me on Instragram, Pinterest and Facebook to never miss a recipe.

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    This site contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase through that link, at no extra cost to you. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and wholeheartedly recommend! Please read out full disclosure here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim

      November 30, 2022 at 10:51 am

      So good! Put this dressing on broccoli - so delicious!!

      Reply
      • cookingwithelo

        December 01, 2022 at 8:10 pm

        Such a good idea!!!

        Reply

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