Made from a base of creamy cashews, zesty lemon juice and rich Dijon mustard, you'll want this Vegan Caesar Dressing in your fridge at all times! It makes for an amazing dressing for leafy green salads or a dip for raw vegetables.
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It's been ages since I bought Caesar salad dressing at the grocery store.
Once I discovered how easy and amazing homemade salad dressings can be, I've been making them at home ever since!
We are obsessed with my Lemon Tahini Dressing as well as the simple vinaigrette that I use in my Aunt Carol's Crunch Salad.
But most of all, we LOVE this Vegan Caesar Dressing! It's rich, creamy and made with less than 10 ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand already.
Ingredients You'll Need for Vegan Caesar Dressing
One of the main reasons that I like making my Caesar salad dressings at home is because it allows me to control all of the ingredients. Instead of buying one full of hard-to-read, unnecessary ingredients, I can make a delicious, creamy dressing at home using just a handful of simple ingredients!
To make this vegan Caesar dressing you'll need the following ingredients:
- Raw cashews
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic powder
- Garlic
- Soy sauce (or another gluten-free alternative)
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Water
I'm sure you already have most of these ingredients on hand!
How to Make Vegan Caesar Dressing at Home
Thankfully, this vegan Caesar salad dressing is really easy to make.
- First, you'll need to soak some raw cashews. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water overnight. If you forget to soak them the night before, you can also soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes to and hour. OR if you have a high speed blender, you can always skip the soaking processes, although it makes for a smoother, creamier salad dressing.
- Second, drain and rinse your soaked cashews and place them in a blender, along with the remaining dressing ingredients.
- Lastly, blend until smooth!
Always taste your salad dressing before using it or storing it the fridge.
If you want it to be saltier, add more salt. If you want more rich, umami flavor, add a dash more soy sauce. If you want it zestier, add more lemon juice!
How to Make Gluten-Free Caesar Dressing
Almost all of the ingredients in this Caesar dressing are gluten-free, except for the soy sauce.
To make this gluten-free, simply use a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari or another gluten-free soy sauce substitute instead of the regular soy sauce. Something such as Coconut Aminos would work great!
Helpful Kitchen Gadgets to have to Make Homemade Salad Dressings
Most of these homemade recipes can be made simply using a bowl and a spoon. Like my favorite Lemon Miso Tahini Dressing! However, occasionally you'll find that a few other kitchen gadgets will come in handy when making more elaborate recipes.
I love my Zulay Lemon and Lime Squeezer as it allows me to use ALL of the juice and keeps out all of the seeds.
If you're making a dressing with raw nuts, like this Caesar dressing recipe, then using a high speed blender makes a big difference as it is able to blend the nuts into a super smooth, creamy texture. I absolutely love my Vitamix blender and use it most days!
Sometimes a grater comes in handy if you want to grate in some fresh ginger or garlic.
Also, you can never go wrong with a garlic press! It allows you to mince garlic with just one squeeze of your hand.
Lastly, some simple measure cups and spoons allow you to get the perfect taste, especially when first starting out making your own homemade dressings.
If you give this recipe a try, I'd love to know what you think! Leave a star rating by clicking on the stars in the recipe card and/or leave a comment down below!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews soaked
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce use gluten-free if necessary!
- 1 small garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the cashews and add them to a high speed blender.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Add more lemon juice for zest, soy sauce for umami, and salt for saltiness.
- Pour over a green salad, dip veggies into it or use it as a dressing for pasta salad!
K says
Just made this and it’s great! Anyone try freezing it? I’d love to make a larger batch and freeze for later. Thanks, Faith!
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad you enjoyed this dressing! We just had it last night and the entire salad got devoured! I would think it should freeze fine, although I've never tried it. Keep us posted if you try freezing it and let us know how it goes!