I'm OBSESSED with this recipe. This vegan cashew caesar salad dressing is oil-free, whole-foods, creamy, tangy, garlic-y perfection! Not only does this dressing taste just like traditional Caesar salad dressing, but it's so easy to make. Just 7 ingredients and only takes 5 - 15 minutes (depending on the kind of blender you have). Then you have this gorgeous creaminess that's, of course, perfect for making a homemade Caesar salad, but it's also fantastic as a dip for veggies, tofu bites, or even pizza!
The creaminess in this dressing comes from raw cashews. When cashews are raw they are fairly mild in flavour and when blended becomes creamy and rich, no oil needed! Traditional Caesar dressing is made with anchovies so to get a similar brine-y taste I use capers. Capers can easily be found in your grocery store in the pickle aisle. The combination of the two with garlic and a few other seasonings results in a dressing that is healthy, but it tastes like a guilty pleasure. See why I'm obsessed?
This vegan Caesar salad dressing recipe has been on my blog since 2014, so I recently updated the photos, but the dressing recipe hasn't changed at all as it was perfect just the way it was.
To make vegan cashew caesar salad dressing:
If you have a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Breville (my personal fave), you can just add everything straight to the blender and combine until completely smooth.
If you have a regular blender, you may want to soften the cashews first to ensure they blend smoothly. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using. Then simply add the cashews along with all the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
The dressing thickens up when chilled so it will become perfect for dipping, but feel free to thin with a bit more water as needed.
Whenever I whip up this dressing I make a double batch because I end up using this dressing everywhere! (I told you I'm obsessed).
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Cashew Caesar Salad Dressing
Servings: (makes about ¾ cup)
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water, (or as needed)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- If you have a high-powdered blender you can skip straight to step 2. If you have a regular blender, you may want to soften the cashews first to ensure they blend smoothly. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using.
- Add the cashews to your blender along with all the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. For a thicker dressing, use less water. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. The dressing gets thicker as it cools, great for dipping! If needed you can always add more water to thin as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Terri says
Absolutely delicious! I was looking for a Caesar dressing recipe that didn’t have a long list of ingredients and tasted delicious. Check and check!
Kathy S says
OMG, my son just made this for me and it's scrumptious!! Delicious!! 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it Kathy 🙂
Caitlin says
Delicious, easy, and healthy!