This Vegan Caesar Dressing tastes remarkably like the real thing, without using cheese, eggs, or anchovies. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make it, and you’ll want to lick your bowl clean once you try it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is in vegan Caesar dressing?
- Cashews
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- White miso (adds a Parmesan cheese flavor)
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
I’ve kept the oil in this recipe to a minimum (you only need 2 tablespoons!) and you can probably leave it out all together if you want an oil-free recipe. It adds a nice richness to this salad dressing, but isn’t 100% necessary.
I’ve made this dressing without the white miso before, too, but trust me when I say the miso is what adds the “wow” factor here. It really makes it taste like a real Caesar dressing!
How to Make It
How do you make vegan Caesar dressing? Add everything to the blender, and blend until it’s silky-smooth.
Keep in mind that the dressing will look a little runny at first, but it will thicken up in the fridge if you want to make it in advance.
The flavor will develop even more after it melds in the fridge!
Note: If you have a high-speed blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews before blending them. My Vitamix pulverizes them in seconds! But, you can soak them if you have a less powerful blender, or want to help remove some of the phytic acid naturally found in nuts. Soak cashews in water for up to 6 hours, then drain & rinse before blending if you want to go that route.
Substitution Ideas
Need to make an ingredient swap?
- How to substitute cashews. I’ve used hemp hearts instead of cashews in my Vegan Ranch Dressing, and I imagine those would work well here, for a nut-free option. Macadamia nuts might also work, but I don’t usually experiment with those since they’re so expensive.
- How substitute miso. The miso adds a Parmesan cheese flavor to this recipe that’s hard to mimic with other vegan ingredients. You can leave it out for a less cheesy flavor (in that case, the dressing will be slightly runnier in texture, too) or try adding in a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast, or a teaspoon of spicy brown mustard, to help add some extra umami flavor.
Storage Tips
Vegan Caesar dressing will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. After that, I think the garlic flavor can start to taste off, so be sure to use it by then.
It’s delicious not only as a Caesar salad dressing, but also as a dip for sliced veggies, french fries, and pizza.
Vegan Caesar Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cashews (107 grams; not roasted)
- 3 garlic cloves (9 grams; minced)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (44 grams)
- 1 tablespoon white miso (21 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (25 grams)
- 3/4 cup water (6 oz.)
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (5 g; plus more to taste)
- 1/2 teapoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, miso, olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and silky, with no cashew pieces visible.
- Taste and adjust any seasoning to taste. I usually add a 1/4 teaspoon more salt, and sometimes more black pepper, too. Pour into an airtight container and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it. The dressing will thicken slightly when chilled. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Vegan Caesar Dressing, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite salad dressing? Let me know if you have any other recipe requests!
I literally can’t stop tasting this straight from the blender. It tastes just as good as I remember real Caesar Dressing tasting!
If there is a ever a dressing recipe that has oil in it, can I sub water instead? I try to avoid oil as much as possible.
I just made this vegan Caesar dressing using the hemp heart substitution like you suggested, and it’s amazing! Thank you for always offering substitution ideas for those of us who can’t eat cashews.
This recipe is a keeper. I passed it on to a friend and she makes it a lot (as do I!). Thank you!
Better than the original and super easy! Tastes great without the miso too if you don’t have it on hand.