Today's recipe, oil-free vegan Caesar salad dressing, has a nice creamy consistency and clean tart taste.
Traditionally a Caesar salad dressing uses anchovies, parmesan, and garlic, of course, to create flavor. I used cauliflower as the base, miso, capers, lemon, dijon, maple syrup, and garlic. A slurry of ground flaxseed replaced the oil.
Making it is a breeze. Just throw all the oil-free vegan Caesar salad dressing ingredients in a food processor and blend. The result was quite delicious.
Without a doubt, I get a lot of pushback about choosing to use little or no oil in my recipes. It all gets back to calorie density and nutrients.
Vegetable oils have more than twice the calorie density of refined sugar. Calorie density is a measure of the calorie content of food relative to its weight or volume. Choosing foods with low calorie density can help with weight loss.
In addition, vegetable oils are highly processed and refined, which means they lack nutrients. They contain no fiber, no minerals, and are 100% fat calories.
Oils have also been shown to decrease endothelial function. Endothelial dysfunction is the gateway to cardiovascular disease. So, bottom line, it doesn't matter whether it's olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, or any other kind. Try to avoid all oil.
Hope you enjoy this oil-free vegan Caesar salad dressing as much as we did.
Visit my Top 5 Oil-free salad dressing recipes for more delicious salad toppings. If you love the flavors of Caesar dressing, try my Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Caesar Dressing and my Vegan Caesar Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette. Other yummy oil-free recipes include Three Healthy Oil-Free Summer Salad Recipes.
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- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 2½ tablespoons water
- ½ cup cauliflower florets
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 head romaine, chopped
- Garnishes - croutons, toasted, crumbled nori sheet, vegan parmesan, pine nuts or sunflower seeds
- Whisk together the ground flax seed and water. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to thicken.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients including the ground flax slurry. Process until smooth adding a little water if it is too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Toss with romaine and garnish with your favorite toppings.
Hi! Enjoying your posts. Just so I’m clear – the cauliflower in the Caesar dressing is raw, not cooked when processed?
Hi Pat – Yes the cauliflower is raw. Thanks for your kind words and for being here!
This recipe blew my mind. It was exactly like the best Caesar dressing I’ve ever had. I will make again and again. I’m so grateful I found you!
Thank you Audrey for stopping by and for being part of our healthy community!
I made this dressing and yes, it is fantastic! My only wish is that the recipe came in options to make it in a nice large batch. My husband and I go through a serving of four in two days.
Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by. I will definitely try to do that in the future.