Vegan Roasted Chickpea Caesar (Printable Version)

Crispy roasted chickpeas and creamy cashew dressing brighten this fresh, dairy-free Caesar salad.

# What You'll Need:

→ Roasted Chickpeas

01 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Cashew Caesar Dressing

07 - 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 2-4 hours and drained
08 - 1/3 cup water
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
10 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
11 - 1 tablespoon capers
12 - 2 teaspoons white miso paste
13 - 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
14 - 1 clove garlic
15 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
16 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Salad

17 - 2 medium heads romaine lettuce, chopped
18 - 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan, optional
19 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste
20 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, optional
21 - Thinly sliced red onion, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Pat chickpeas dry with a clean towel. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet.
03 - Roast for 20-25 minutes, shaking halfway through, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool slightly.
04 - Combine soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, capers, miso paste, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and pepper in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping sides as needed. Adjust seasoning or thin with additional water as desired.
05 - In a large bowl, toss chopped romaine lettuce with sufficient cashew dressing to coat evenly.
06 - Top dressed lettuce with roasted chickpeas, vegan Parmesan, and optional vegetables. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.
07 - Transfer to serving plates and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The roasted chickpeas crack and crunch in a way that makes you forget croutons ever existed.
  • That cashew dressing is so silky it feels like you're breaking some kind of health rule, except you're not.
  • Everything comes together in under an hour, and most of that is just oven time you can ignore.
  • It's the kind of salad people actually want to eat for dinner, not just as a side dish.
02 -
  • Soaking cashews isn't optional if you want creamy dressing; it softens them enough for a blender to actually break them down into silk rather than grit.
  • The chickpeas must be completely dry before roasting, otherwise they'll steam and soften instead of crisping up into the texture you want.
  • Assemble this salad right before serving because the dressing will wilt the lettuce over time, though storing components separately means you can eat it for days.
03 -
  • The moment your blender sounds like it's struggling with the cashews, stop and scrape down the sides instead of pushing it harder; let the machine do the work gradually.
  • Taste the dressing before you dress the salad because salt and acid levels vary by brand, and you want to dial it in now rather than fix it at the table.
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