Is there anything better than a Caesar salad? This dairy-free Caesar salad recipe is the ultimate healthy lunch. Not only is this recipe dairy-free, but it’s also gluten-free and keeps all the flavor and crunch that we love in a traditional Caesar salad.
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite foods to eat in the summer is Caesar salad. Better yet, I love making a Caesar wrap as the perfect picnic lunch. Caesar salads remind me of summer and being near a body of water. Whether it’s the pool, lake, or ocean, a Caesar salad or wrap is my ideal lunch. While summer still feels so far off at the moment, I wanted to share my favorite way to recreate the beloved Caesar salad.
I think the most important parts of a caesar salad are the croutons. They give the salad the perfect crunch and make it so filling and delicious. Since going gluten-free, I’ve found one of the best replacements for croutons is roasted chickpeas. The roasted chickpeas give the salad the much-needed crunch that we love croutons for. To make this recipe dairy-free, I’ve created a dairy-free caesar dressing that tastes just like the real thing. This is one of my favorite salads to make for lunch during the work week!
Ingredients Needed
To make this delicious and healthy dairy-free caesar salad recipe yourself, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken breast: You’ll need 1 lb of chicken breast to roast for this recipe. If you’re vegetarian, you can omit the chicken to make this recipe vegetarian-friendly.
- Chickpeas: I like adding roasted chickpeas to replace the croutons in this recipe. Because chickpeas are good sources of protein, they can also be used to replace the chicken in this recipe. You’ll need 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is the base of the dressing. For the caesar dressing, we’ll need a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I’ve linked the Primal Kitchen brand mayonnaise, which is my favorite Whole30 approved mayonnaise.
- Lemon juice: You’ll need 2 tbsp of lemon juice for the caesar dressing. You should be able to get this amount of juice out of 1 large ripe lemon.
- Minced garlic: For the dressing, you’ll need 2 cloves of garlic. I recommend buying a jar of minced garlic and using that for ease.
- Anchovy paste: I know it may sound gross, but anchovy paste makes a big difference in the taste of the caesar dressing! You only need a 1/2 tsp to get the taste right, and it can be found at most grocery stores over by the canned tuna.
- Dijon mustard: We’ll add a 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard to the dressing. Again, I’m a huge fan of the Primal Kitchen products and have linked their mustard.
- Worcestershire sauce: Please don’t ask me to pronounce this one, but like the anchovy paste, it makes a big difference in the taste of the dressing. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 tsp.
- Dairy-free parmesan: Finally, it wouldn’t be Caesar salad without parmesan cheese! For this recipe, we’ll use a 1/4 cup of dairy-free parmesan cheese. You can usually find parmesan cheese at health food stores like Whole Foods. Trader Joe’s has a really good vegan parmesan cheese as well.
- Salt: We’ll need 1/4 tsp of salt to tie all of the flavors together in the dressing.
- Pepper: We’ll also use a 1/4 tsp of cracked black pepper in the dressing recipe.
- Shredded romaine lettuce: For the base of the salad, we’ll use 1 cup of shredded romaine lettuce.
How to Make This Dairy-Free Caesar Salad Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add the chicken breast and a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to a baking sheet. Drizzle with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.
While the chicken is baking, mix the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise through pepper). Whisk together until well combined.
Once the chicken and chickpeas are done baking, place the chicken and chickpeas on top of a bed of shredded lettuce. Pour the dressing on top to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Answering any questions you may have about this easy and delicious dairy-free Caesar salad. If you don’t see the answer to your question below feel free to leave a comment!
Making this recipe vegetarian
To make this recipe vegetarian-friendly, omit the chicken and anchovy paste from the dressing. While the dressing flavor will be slightly different without anchovy paste, it will still have a Caesar dressing flavor profile. Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, so you’ll still have a great protein source even if you leave out the chicken.
Making a Caesar Salad wrap
To make this salad into a delicious wrap, all you’ll need is to grab your favorite wrap and add the salad to it. My favorite gluten-free wraps are the Siete almond flour wraps. I added this salad to a wrap for dinner the other night and it did not disappoint!
Dairy-Free Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup dairy-free parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the chicken breast and a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas to a baking sheet. Drizzle with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.
- While the chicken is baking, mix the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise through pepper). Whisk together until well combined.
- Once the chicken and chickpeas are done baking, place the chicken and chickpeas on top of a bed of shredded lettuce. Pour the dressing on top to taste. Serve and enjoy!
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