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Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpea Croutons

This fresh and crunchy kale Caesar salad is a plant-based twist on a classic! With crispy chickpeas “croutons” and a creamy homemade tahini dressing, this vegan salad recipe is flavor-packed, gluten-free, and delicious as a meal or side.

Caesar salads are timeless for a reason. There’s something so perfect about the tangy, salty dressing, the crisp lettuce, and the crunch of the croutons. While a traditional Caesar salad is packed with eggs, cheese, anchovies, and bread, this kale Caesar salad is an easy and delicious plant-based recipe. It's vegan, gluten-free, and packed with flavor and crunch. Drizzled with a rich and creamy tahini dressing, if you ask me, it's better than the original!

For more satisfying vegan salad ideas, try my warm farro salad, this creamy kale quinoa salad, or my Thai superfood kale salad.

Why You'll Love This Kale Caesar Salad Recipe

  • Fresh and crunchy. Made with kale in place of romaine lettuce and pumpkin seeds for extra crunch, this salad is packed with greens and so delicious. If you’re craving a Caesar salad but want it to be vegan and gluten-free, this is the salad for you.
  • Chickpea croutons. The crispy chickpeas are the star of this recipe. Crunchy, garlicky, and 100% plant-based, chickpea croutons are the best alternative to the real deal!
  • Creamy dressing. The tahini dressing is also fantastic. Capers and caper juice give the dressing the briny, salty flavor of anchovies while nutritional yeast makes it rich, hearty, and cheesy.

Watch the Video

Check out this quick video showing how easy it is to make a fabulous vegan kale Caesar salad at home! You'll find more tips and details below.

Ingredients for vegan kale Caesar salad.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are some quick notes on what you’ll need to make this easy kale salad. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a printable ingredients list.

  • Chickpeas – Remember to drain and rinse canned chickpeas beforehand. You'll toss the chickpeas in garlic powder, salt, and pepper before roasting them to recreate the flavor and crunch of traditional croutons.
  • Coconut Oil – Or another cooking oil for roasting.
  • Tahini – I make a vegan Caesar salad dressing from creamy tahini. You can use store-bought or make your own homemade tahini.
  • Dressing Add-ins – Hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, capers (and juice), Dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and garlic.
  • Kale – Curly green kale is best for this recipe. You'll find kale in the produce section next to the other greens.
  • Pumpkin Seeds – You can substitute pumpkin seeds with sunflower seeds if you'd like.
  • Toppings – I like to sprinkle over some quinoa crispies for extra crunch. Feel free to choose your own toppings to make this Caesar salad your own!

How to Make a Kale Caesar Salad

Here’s a short step-by-step showing how to make this easy vegan salad. Don't forget to scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

  • Prepare the chickpeas. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then toss them with oil and seasonings. Roast the chickpeas in the oven at 375ºF until they’re golden brown and crispy, about 40-45 minutes. 
  • Make the dressing. While the chickpeas bake, add all of the Caesar dressing ingredients to a blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth. 
  • Prepare the kale. Wash the kale and remove the stems. Tear the greens into bite-size pieces, and put them in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the kale, and massage it into the greens until the kale gets soft.
  • Add toppings. Top the kale with roasted chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and quinoa crispies. Drizzle over some additional dressing if you'd like, and serve!
Vegan kale Caesar salad in a white bowl topped with crispy chickpeas and tahini dressing.

Tips for Success

Here are a few of my favorite tricks and tips for making this vegan kale Caesar salad. 

  • Don’t burn the chickpeas. You want to get a good crisp on the chickpeas, but it’s important not to burn them. To keep from burning the garbanzo beans, shake the pan every 10 minutes or so while they cook. Keep a close eye on the chickpeas, and remove from the oven right before they would start burning. 
  • Add a protein. If you want to turn this kale salad into a complete meal, top it with the protein of your choice. I recommend topping this Caesar salad with crispy tofu, but it’s also great with tempeh or a lean meat like chicken, if you eat meat. 
  • Thoroughly massage. Raw kale tends to be a little chewy, so it’s important to massage the kale for your Caesar salad. Massaging with your hands not only coats the greens in dressing, but it softens them, too. They should be almost wilting once you're done. See my massaged kale salad for details.
Overhead view of vegan kale Caesar salad in a white bowl topped with crispy chickpeas and tahini dressing.

What to Serve With Kale Caesar Salad

This kale Caesar salad is satisfying enough on its own! I also love it on the side with a delicious vegan entree, like these stuffed sweet potatoes, my curried chickpea carrot burgers, or these easy vegan meatballs. A fresh Caesar salad is also the perfect way to round out a pasta dinner, like this creamy walnut pasta or a creamy vegan mushroom Stroganoff.

Vegan kale Caesar salad in a white bowl topped with crispy chickpeas and tahini dressing, with a spoon for serving.

How to Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerate. Stored any leftover kale Caesar salad covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The chickpeas will lose some of their crispiness, and the kale will get a little more wilted with time, but the flavors will still be delicious.
  • Freeze. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Salads do not freeze well, and the kale will be an odd texture after it thaws. 

More Kale Salad Recipes

Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpea Croutons

5 from 10 votes
This kale Caesar salad is a fresh take on a classic dish, made with tender greens, crispy chickpeas, and creamy tahini dressing. This salad recipe is rich, vegan, and gluten-free!
author: Alyssa
yield: 4 Servings
Overhead view of vegan Caesar kale salad in a white bowl topped with crispy chickpeas and tahini dressing.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the Crispy Chickpeas:

  • 1 15-ounce can organic chickpeas
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder, more or less to taste
  • Salt + pepper to taste

For the Vegan Caesar Dressing:

For the Salad:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  • Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then transfer them to a large bowl. Top with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet and roast for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, shaking the pan a few times to avoid burning.
  • While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a container and set aside.
  • For the salad, wash the kale leaves thoroughly, then remove the stems. Tear the leaves into smaller pieces and put them in a large salad bowl.
  • When you're ready to assemble the salad, pour the dressing over the kale and begin to massage it with your hands until the leaves begin to soften. Transfer to serving dishes and top with chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and the optional quinoa crispies.

Video

Notes

  • If the chickpeas don't fully crisp up, leave them in the warm oven with the door propped open for 30-60 minutes.
  • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, though it won't be as good after the first day.
  • You can top the salad with the protein of your choice to create a complete meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 6g | Vitamin A: 1480IU | Vitamin C: 24.8mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3.4mg
cuisine: American
course: Salad

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21 comments on “Kale Caesar Salad with Crispy Chickpea Croutons”

  1. This recipe was perfect!! I haven’t had a Cesar salad since I’ve been vegan and this hit the spot. I used my air flyers for the chickpeas and it’s only took 15 mins and I followed the dressing exactly and it came out so tasty! This is definitely a recipe I’m using again.

  2. Thanks for this! It was amazing! I made it and tagged you on Instagram. So so good. I didn’t have the capers and it was still good. The dressing was amazing and so we’re the chickpea croutons! I did add a bit of chicken and a sprinkle of hemp hearts. I’m not vegan but my goal is to do 80 to 90% plant. You are helping me get there so thank you!

    1. SOOO glad you enjoyed it! And I love hearing that you adapted it to work with your diet. Checking out the pic now…thanks! xo

  3. Pingback: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Roundup: Tomatoes and Chickpeas — Wheat-Free Meat-Free

  4. Avatar photo
    Emilie @ Emilie Eats

    That dressing sounds SO amazing! Crispy chickpeas really are addicting – I swear I eat half the pan before I add them to my salads. Oops! Better make a double batch when I make this salad. 😉

  5. I’m so excited by this recipe! I just picked up my CSA share for the week, and this is what I’ll do with my beautiful organic kale. And crispy chickpeas are a bonus. Thanks for all time and effort you put into this blog. I love your recipes.

  6. YAS! ???????? thank you thank you for creating a vegan cesar dressing without cashews. I can’t have them and always disappointed by vegan recipes cause seriously EVERYONE uses cashews. Cannot wait to make this!
    Xoxoxo

  7. Avatar photo
    The Girl In The Purple Sweater

    Thanks for this brilliant idea! I love chickpeas but my children don’t. To use them as croutons is pretty smart 😉

  8. Alyssa, I totally love your site and all that you are doing to share awesome recipes. Thanks for giving me new tasty ways to eat healthy. I am so hooked, my first recipe was the quinoa pizza crust – WOW! I didn’t want to heat the kitchen by baking so I used a large fry pan. It came out just fine, but am looking forward to giving baking a try. Being gluten free has become so much more interesting! Thanks again 🙂

    One question about this recipe, oven temp 375 right?