Aquafaba Caesar Salad

This is very much like a restaurant table side caesar salad dressing minus the anchovies and the egg yolk. It is however thinner than a lot of store-bought brand, but has a nice and glossy feel like you would have at a classic restaurant.

Caesar salad is a natural go-to for any home kitchen. In this recipe, I use my hands to tear the lettuce, my hands to break the bread, and my hands to whip this dressing into a beautiful emulsion. The hands on effort really shows and makes this recipe shine!

If you want that classic taste, but want a vegan version I highly recommend you try my recipe! I use aquafaba instead of the eggyolks. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. I got the idea because I often use aquafaba to subsitute eggs. There are also many recipes where aquafaba and oil create vegan aioli. Caesar dressing is sort of like a thinner aioli anyways, so I thought I’d give it a shot! I love the aquafaba in this dressing! To learn more about aquafaba see my “Vegan Essentials” guide.

I always have this stored up in my fridge, but if you happen to open a can of chickpeas for this recipe, you could bake some chickpeas and throw in some crispy chickpeas as croutons for this recipe as well! When you whip the aquafaba it becomes nice and fluffy!

It is hand whipped wonderfully with olive oil and other special ingredients to make the absolute perfect vegan Caesar dressing. The hand-whipping does take a little bit of effort, but it is totally worth it.

I use a little black salt in this dressing. This gives the mix a little of the “eggy” flavor. It’s optional. If you don’t have it, just use regular salt- you’ll love it just the same! To learn more about black salt, again see my “Vegan Essentials” guide.

I also give some tips in the methods below to make every aspect of your salad feel prefectly rustic! If you enjoy this salad, please rate and comment below!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of Romaine lettuce
• 1/2- 3/4 cup of a demi-baguette. (About 4 oz)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 tsp black salt (or regular salt)
• 3/4 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of aquafaba
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Vegan Parmesan (here is a link to my homemade)
• fresh cracked pepper for multiple uses
• A little extra olive oil, salt and pepper for the baguette

Method:

• First you will make your croutons. Preheat your oven to 375º F.
• Tear your baguette by hand into small crouton-like pieces. Usually like 1/4-1/3 inch wide each way. The hand-torn method ensures that the olive oil and seasoning will get into all of the nooks and crannies.
• Put your torn baguette onto a lined baking sheet. Toss with a little olive oil (less than 2 Tbs.) and season with a little salt and pepper (I’d say 1/4 tsp each)
• When your oven is preheated toss your croutons in the oven for about fifteen minutes. Toss them about every five minutes.
• Now rinse your head of romaine lettuce. Shake off any excess water and tear into small pieces by hand into a large mixing bowl. You want your pieces to be bite-sized (About 1 1/2 inches each way)
• Put your lettuce into a bowl and place in the coldest part of your fridge to wait for tossing immediately before serving.
• Next make the dressing. Start with the garlic. Smash the garlic into a mixing bowl or finely chop and place into the mixing bowl. With a fork mix it in with the black salt. Next mix in the dijon mustard, soy sauce, and lemon juice.
• When all of that is well combined add in the aquafaba and mix well. It should be getting a little frothy.
• Slowly and with patience pour in you olive oil. When you slowly add in the olive oil, it should emulsify really well. It will not look like a mayo, but will get nice and glossy. This could take several minutes and persistent whipping, but its worth it!
• After the croutons and dressing are ready, toss with the lettuce and parmesan. Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper. Serve immediately!