Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu Chicken

Who doesn't love a caesar salad?! The creamy dressing paired with crisp greens, and crunchy croutons, maybe some additional cheese for tang and texture, and topped with a crispy baked tofu chicken, it's the best dinner salad ever.

I've made so many varieties of caesar salad over the years. When I owned a meal prep company we originally made our dairy free caesar dressing with avocados for a really rich and fatty dressing. Over the years we adjusted the recipe, because while it was delicious, the avocado base made the shelf life limited. Eventually we traded that in for a newer dressing - a tahini based dressing with all the right umami flavours you want from a caesar dressing. It went really, really well and was one of our most popular items we sold! 

One other delicious way to make caesar dressing, and the fastest option, is to make it with a hummus base! Just use pre-made hummus (or homemade) and whip it with additional lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, cracked black pepper, and if desired a touch more garlic in powder form or finely chopped fresh. It takes about 5 minutes and makes a really rich and creamy dressing with next to no fuss.

But this grain free, almond and herb crusted tofu caesar salad served over a creamy, oil free, vegan caesar dressing, with chickpea croutons and topped cranberry plant-based mozzarella is my favourite. 

Please note: some links are affiliate links and I may make a small commission when you shop the links. Thank you for the support!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Oil free, dairy free, and FULL of vibrant flavours. 

Loaded with 34g of plant-based protein.

Customizable. Just whip up the dressing then make your preferred caesar salad mix.

The crunchy chickpea croutons give you added fibre and flavour.

It looks fancy, but it's really simple to make. 

What You'll Need

For the caesar salad dressing you'll need:

Creamy tahini. I find middle eastern grocery stores have the best options for the best prices. (Linking a great option too!)

Lemon juice, fresh or bottled. Personally I love to buy the bottled version since I use it in so much of my cooking. Just look for one with no preservatives or additives.

Apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar for that tang.

Dijon mustard is essential for the rich umami flavour.

Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy and creamy flavour that really makes the dressing pop.

Garlic, and preferably fresh garlic. The strong flavour of garlic is what truly makes a good caesar. I like to boost my dressing with four cloves, you can adjust to your preferences.

Capers! In a traditional caesar salad you'll find anchovies, which are not vegan, so the capers make for the perfect pickled and salty flavour match without the use of animal products.

Black pepper, and if you ask me a ton of black pepper. 

Salt, to taste.

Substitutions

For the caesar dressing, I would try not to make any substitutions. All the components are truly there and balanced in those measurements to make the ultimate vegan caesar dressing. Of course you can adjust seasonings to your preference once it's made.

You can however make as many substitutions with the salad ingredients that you like!

If it's the summer time, maybe you don't want kale and brussel sprouts as your green base. Go for the classic romaine lettuce, or switch it up for arugula!

The mozzarella isn't traditional so, feel free to swap this for your favourite vegan parmesan, or skip the cheese all together. The dressing is creamy enough. 

Crunchy roasted chickpeas add a nice texture, but you could add the same seasoning mix to chopped bread pieces for the traditional crouton.

As for protein, this crispy tofu chicken is absolutely delicious, but if you're not up to the task and you want something quicker, consider adding chopped smoked tofu!

Please note: All calories and macros have been calculated to the best of my ability but may vary slightly.

 

Next up make sure to check out my Chopped Vegan Caesar Salad for a different twist on this classic salad!

 

Vegan Caesar Salad with Crispy Tofu Chicken

Recipe makes 4 large salads

Macros per fully loaded salad:

670 cals - 34g fat - 57g carbs - 34g protein

 

Macronutrient and Calorie Breakdowns

Given that the "fully loaded" salad is close to 700 calories (+ tons of fiber, protein, micronutrients, healthy fats, and complex carbs!!) I want to give you the breakdown so you can skip a topping, reduce a topping, or load up on more of a topping, while adjusting to your preferred meal breakdown!

Pro tip: If you're looking to reduce the calories and effort, skipping the chickpea croutons is a simple way to do that. 

 

Macros per serving almond crusted tofu chick'n:

295 cals - 15g fat - 18g carbs - 22g protein 

Macros per serving caesar dressing:

122 cals - 10g fat - 4g carbs - 4g protein 

Macros per serving chickpea croutons:

128 cals - 4g fat - 17g carbs - 6g protein 

Macros per serving dairy free cranberry mozzarella:

77 cals - 5g fat - 8g carbs - 0g protein 

 

Ingredients, Almond Crusted Tofu Chicken:

• 2 x 350g bricks extra firm tofu (700g) - this amount is specifically for shaping the tofu into breasts (as pictured), but you won't actually use 1/3 of each brick! So if you don't care about the shape, you simple need - 465g extra firm tofu for 4 servings.
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or 2 tsp vegetable bouillon with 2 cups water)
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 40 almond flour crackers 
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning (or a combo of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, onion powder, pepper, salt)

 

Ingredients, Chickpea Croutons:

• 398 ml can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried really well (option to remove skin as well for a crispier chickpea)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt 

 

Ingredients, Vegan Caesar Dressing:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup tahini 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar 
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 tbsp capers with the brine
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Ingredients, Salad:

• 6 cups chopped kale 
• 2 cups thinly sliced brussel sprouts 
• 1 brick Violife Cranberry Mozzarella 

 

Recipe, Crispy Tofu Chicken:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and line two small baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. To slice the tofu bricks into "breasts" slice each one in halve width wise, this should leave you with 4 large rectangles. 
3. Using a sharp knife slice one end of each rectangle into a point. (Save all the tofu discards in a bowl on the side).
4. Then, as best you can round the other side by slicing gently in a half circle. 
5. This should leave you with 4 "chicken breast" shapes. 
6. Now score each breast - slice 1/3 of the way through with several diagonal cuts from top to bottom. This is called "scoring" which allows for more flavour absorption!
7. Set the prepared tofu breasts aside.
8. Bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a low boil and add the tofu breasts, scored side down, into the boiling broth. Place a lid over the pot and reduce to a simmer.
9. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tofu has absorbed most of the broth.
10. Gently remove the tofu and set on a plate to cool.
11. To a small bowl add: 1/2 cup chickpea flour, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk together. Add in 1/3 cup water and whisk to combine. Mixture should be thick but pourable. Set aside.
12. To a blender add: almond crackers and poultry seasoning and pulse until you have a nice bread crumb texture. I like it with a few chunks left, not totally uniform. Pour the crumb mixture onto a plate.
13. On a clean surface make a station with the almond crumb plate, liquid chickpea flour mixture, steamed tofu breasts, and one of the parchment lined baking sheets.
14. Using clean hands, grab one tofu breast and dip it into the liquid chickpea flour mixture, coating it on all sides. Then dip it into the almond crumb mixture and coat it on all sides. Then place it on the prepared baking tray and repeat with remaining three tofu breasts.
15. Place the breaded tofu into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy.
16. ** If you have extra chickpea mix and almond crumb mixture add them to the bowl with the tofu discards and toss well to coat! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy. These are less fancy, but just as tasty to add to sandwiches, bowls or wraps! **

 

Recipe, Chickpea Croutons:

1. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, vinegar, nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt to a bowl and toss well to combine.
2. Spread evenly across a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy and cracking. Set aside to cool completely.

Recipe, Caesar Dressing:

1. Add all the caesar dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
2. Dressing will thicken as it sits. If too thick add 1-2 tbsp water at a time until desired consistency.

Recipe, Salad:

1. Prep the kale and brussel sprouts. Slice the cheese into thin pieces. 

 

Serving and Storing:

Enjoying right away - Add the kale, brussel sprouts, and dressing to a bowl and toss well. I like to massage it in with clean hands to soften the kale and brussel sprouts. Top with crispy chicken, sliced cheese, and chickpea croutons.

Meal prep - Add the dressing to the bottom of four containers then top with kale, brussel sprouts, chickpea croutons, cheese, and crispy chicken. Seal and refrigerate. When ready to eat shake the container really well to mix the dressing through. 

Salads will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.

 

Let us know in the comments if you made this recipe and how it went for you!