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 (see the original photo above), 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)
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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.
Alyssa McCord says
SO GOOD!!!!!! This is the first recipe I've made of yours and WOW! So very good! You are a beautiful genius!
Sam says
Awww thank you!!! Yeah, it's still one of my most favourite dressing recipes 🙂
angie s says
Dang. This was REALLY good!!! Thank you for a great recipe that I'll return to over and over!
Sam says
Haha! You're welcome Angie!! So happy you loved it 😀
Elise says
I can't wait to make this. Do you use raw or roasted cashews? Thank you.
Sam says
Hi Elise!
Raw cashews work best. Enjoy the recipe!
Anna says
Wow. Just made this...it is honestly better than the bottled Ceasar dressing that has been my favorite for years. Thanks for making something so delicious and nutritious! I'm a total convert.
Sam says
Awww shucks!! That's the best Anna! So very happy you loved the recipe so much! (And I agree, way better and more nutritious than bottled).
Priscilla says
Can almonds do the job??? :))
Sam says
I've never tried them. My guess is they won't be as creamy. Cashews have an awesome creamy texture when blended, so I tend to use them a lot in sauces for that reason. Not sure how it will turn out with almonds, but you are welcome to try! If you do, I recommend using almonds without skins, and boiling or soaking the almonds so they are soft and bendable. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out!
Christina says
I am soooooo excited to try this!!!! I recently found out I'm allergic to dairy and have been craving a Caesar salad but they all have milk 🙁 Thanks so much!
Sam says
You're sooooooo welcome Christina! Haha. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Ole-E. Nesse says
Hello Samantha!
This sounds and look like something I NEED to (un)cook! Wow!
And btw, LUVE your URL! Made me laugh out loud! XD
/Ole
Sam says
Haha! Thank you Ole-E.! So happy to have you here. I hope you love the recipe 😀
Anj says
This sound delicious. Is nutritional yeast the same kind of yeast that you actually bake with? Turkey bacon is the staple in our house 🙂 YUM
Sam says
Hi Anj,
No, nutritional yeast is a different thing. It isn't an active yeast and has no rising properties. You can find nutritional yeast in in the health food section of your grocery store. It's a flaky yellow powdery looking stuff and it has a sort of cheesy nutty taste. I use it in a lot in my recipes because I love the umami flavour it provides! I'm a big fan of mushroom bacon in my house 😀
Nancy says
OMG, this looks delicious!
Sam says
Thank you Nancy!
staci says
Can this be made yeast free? I just learned I'm sensitive to yeast and am looking for new ideas. No yeast, dairy, or eggs.
Sam says
Hi Staci,
Welcome! Yes, the yeast here is for flavour. So it might be a bit bland, but it will work fine, just add more seasonings as desired. Enjoy!
Madelyne says
Can this be made with macadamia nuts??
Sam says
Welcome Madelyne!
I don't see why not. I haven't tried it myself, but usually macadamia nuts work great for any creamy textures as well. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out 🙂
Susan R says
I thank you for bringing capers back into my life! hehe This is my new fav dressing. Ive made it 3 times in 2 weeks 🙂 The faux bacon adds something special for sure. tastes even better the next day! Thanks again!
Sam says
Hi Susan,
Welcome 😀
So happy you love the dressing as much as I do! It does get better, I always make a double batch because you can never have too much delicious dressing around!
Anonymous says
Do you have any substitutes for the capers? Or do you think it would work out without adding them?
Sam says
You could just leave them out. I use them to replace the anchovy favour of non-vegan caesar salad dressings, but leaving them out won't make a huge difference. You could also try a bit of the juice from a dill pickle jar.
jen says
This may b a funny question but do I put the lake in the dressing
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi Jen,
The lake? Do you mean the kale? If you do, no don't put it in the dressing. Just use the dressing on whatever kind of salad you like! (Doesn't have to be kale).
Brittni says
How much kale do you use?
Samantha Turnbull says
However much you like! The dressing makes enough for about 4 servings, so dress to your taste. 🙂
Lissa @ Kitchen Rebellion says
This recipe looks so great! I have been craving creamy salad dressings lately and have had my eye out for a creamed cashew based one 🙂
Also, this New Zealand based lady thanks you for NOT including a product like Vegannaise (sp?) in the ingredient list. There is literally nothing like that available here - and either way it is always way more awesome to make something completely from scratch!
Samantha Turnbull says
Thank you Lissa! I try to use mostly whole foods, products like veganaise are convenient but I know not everyone has access to them. From scratch is totally the best!! This is honestly my favourite salad dressing recipe. I often double it so I can have monstrous salads all week long! haha
Natasha says
Does anyone know about how much dressing this recipe makes? Thanks! 🙂
Samantha Turnbull says
Hi Natasha! It will make about 1 cup of dressing. Enough for about 4 servings.
Anonymous says
About 1 1/2 cups. Or 3/4 of a pint jar. It's wonderful!!!
Samantha Turnbull says
Thank you for sharing! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Laura Lee says
Even my boyfriend liked it....that's big because he likes to stick with his same old (non healthy) store bottle salad dressing. I LOVED it with lots of simulated bacon bits on top. I'll have to make it for potluck, picnics this summer
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Haha! Love the boyfriend test! ...although mine seems to like everything I make, which isn't a very good test. Isn't it weird that those simulated bacon bits are actually vegan!? So glad you loved it...you are making me want to go on a picnic now.
Kate Blackburn says
Just made this for lunch and it was GOOD! Thanks so much for the recipe. 😀
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Hi Kate. Yay! So glad you liked it too. 🙂
Connie Trowbridge says
ohhhhhh mannn! You are speaking my language! I LOVE salads. I used to be very anti-salad (sad I know) and didn't even eat one until I was in my early-mid 20's. Now I have them every day, and like you, they are the main attraction not a side dish. My husband laughs, because I'll sit with this HUGE serving salad bowl and eat right out of it. It's the only one big enough to hold all the salad I want! I can't wait to try this dressing, I'm printing it as we speak. My usual one does consist of vegenaise and it will be awesome to make a dressing without it. Rock on girlfriend!
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Haha! Thanks Connie!! I too have serving bowl sized salads. If you're going to eat a salad for a meal, it's really the only way. I look at a salad fork and am always confused that it isn't the larger one!
Nena says
Hello,
Can I make this dressing and freeze it for later use?