Chickpea Caesar Salad
Enjoy this green mouthwatering Chickpea Caesar Salad for lunch or dinner. You will have it ready in under 30 minutes!
This healthy vegan dish is perfect for many occasions: If you have friends or family visiting, make more servings and fill up a beautiful big bowl with the salad.
It’s also a perfect container-meal that you can bring everywhere as you can eat it cold as well as hot! The dressing, that combines the whole dish, is mind blowingly delicious but also nutritious.
About the recipe
Nutrition-packed salad yet so simple
Ready in under 30 minutes
Big bowl-friendly for gatherings
Perfect as a side salad for a bigger crowd
Top with a vegan parmesan to make it even more delicious
For topping on this Vegan Caesar Salad I use our homemade vegan parmesan instead of regular parmesan. You simply mix raw cashew nuts, nutritional yeast and some salt - voila!
You can find the vegan parmesan recipe in our app. You can of course also use a store-bought vegan parmesan.
Ingredients needed for the Chickpea Caesar Salad
Chickpeas - Golden roasted chickpeas will give that perfect crunch and an extra protein boost to the vegan Caesar Salad
Quinoa - Go for the quinoa you have at home, no rules here!
Dressing - This delicious dressing combines the salad in many ways. It gives the salad a creamy texture! Don’t skip the dijon and capers
Lettuce - I use romaine lettuce because it gives the Caesar Salad a perfect crunch. But feel free to use whatever lettuce you prefer!
You can find the exact measurements and details in the recipe card further down in this post.
How to make the Chickpea Caesar Salad
This recipe is healthy, party friendly and ready in under 30 minutes. A bonus with this recipe is that you don’t need any special kitchen tools at all, just a blender and a big bowl! Below you can read more about how to make the Chickpea Caesar Salad.
Prepare the main components
Start with preheating the oven to 180C/360F. While heating up, drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Don’t forget the seasoning - garlic, onion powder and salt.
Cook the quinoa according to packaging instructions, set aside and let cool down. If you don’t have a powerful blender (900W+) you can now also boil the cashews for 5 minutes. This makes the cashews easy to mix into a smooth texture, no matter what blender you have.
Make the Chickpeas
When the oven is ready, roast the chickpeas for 25 minutes or until golden. Leave them to cool a bit as this allows them to get even more crispy.
Make the dressing
Add the cashews, water, lemon juice, capers, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, garlic powder and salt to a blender. Blend all the ingredients until completely smooth and pour into a jar and put into the fridge.
Assemble the Chickpea Caesar Salad
Now when everything is ready, grab your favorite bowl that is big enough, chop the lettuce and add to the bowl. Add the quinoa, chickpeas and lots of dressing! Top with vegan parmesan and enjoy.
Serving and storage suggestion
To get the most crispiness out of the chickpeas I highly recommend to serve this plant based Caesar Salad right away. If you get leftovers, store the components in individual containers in the fridge. The dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. The longer the chickpeas are in the fridge, the less crispy they become. But at least the taste is still there.
If you are having friends or family over, why not impress with this beautiful healthy easy vegan recipe for dinner or as a side dish. They will not be disappointed!
Cooking tips and FAQ
Vegan Caesar Salad dressing
Except for the health advantages of the dressing it is also prep friendly. Prepping this sauce a few days or the day before makes the salad super easy and quick to make.
Pro tip: You can use this dressing for any kind of salads or bowls. Why not try it as a vegetable dip?
How many calories are in the Chickpea Caesar Salad?
In one serving there are 500 calories. The nutrition is distributed as follows: 22g proteins, 56g carbs and 22g fats. A very well balanced meal to be a salad!
If you wish to have the salad even lower in calories, simply adjust the amount of dressing you put on top.
How do I make vegan parmesan?
To make vegan parmesan is super easy just like many other plant based food recipes. If you have cashew nuts, nutritional yeast and salt laying around at home then you are all set! You can find your vegan parmesan recipe in our app.
Don’t have a blender?
Actually, you don’t need a blender. Maybe you have a food processor at home and that is just as good. If you don’t have a blender nor a food processor maybe you have a stand mixer which is also a good alternative.
I always use a high-speed blender myself which is perfect when making smoothies, cashew sauces or nice cream. But I also use my food processor a lot for chopping, pureeing and for guacamole.
The blender I use is called Vitamix E310 and has been my helper and savior ever since 2017! One of the best health investments I have ever made.
Chickpea Caesar Salad Recipe
Ingredients 2 servings
For the chickpeas
1 x 15 oz can chickpeas
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
For the quinoa
1/4 cup quinoa, dry
For the dressing
1/2 cup cashew nuts, raw
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
For the salad
4 handful fresh romaine lettuce
2 tbsp 'Vegan Parmesan' from category Sides in our app
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/360F
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add to an oven tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with garlic, onion powder and salt, stir to combine
3. Roast the chickpeas in oven for 25 minutes or until golden. Leave them to cool before adding to the salad (this allows them to crisp up some more)
4. Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions, then let it cool down
5. Now quick soak the cashews by boiling them in water for 5 minutes and then drain
6. Add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge while you prepare rest of the salad
7. Roughly chop the romaine lettuce. Add to a bowl with the quinoa, chickpeas and lots of sauce, then top with the vegan parmesan. Enjoy!
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 500 kcal, Proteins: 22g, Carbs: 59g, Fats: 22g
