This Vegan Avocado Kale Caesar Salad is a lovely seasonal version of a classic kale caesar salad, made with a tangy avocado and hemp seed dressing plus roasted delicata squash and beets tossed in.
It’s Valentine’s Week on the blog, and this avocado kale caesar salad is the first of four recipes that I will be sharing. It makes the perfect compliment to my next recipe, which is lentil walnut bolognese. Keep following along over the next four days to stay up to date!
For the longest time, I had been making vegan kale caesar salads with cashew-based dressings. And while that’s all fine and good, I wanted to change things up by trying out an alternative made with another favourite creamy ingredient: avocado! Regular readers of the blog know well how much I love using avocado in my dips and sauces. See, for example, my smashed potatoes with avocado hemp aioli and my avocado green goddess pesto!
This vegan avocado kale caesar salad is perfect for those occasions when you want a salad with a creamy dressing, but you aren’t in the mood for a nut-based variety. It’s also great for those with nut allergies: there’s nary a cashew to be found in the whole recipe.
I love the avocado and hemp combination used in this salad dressing. Together, they lend a lovely creaminess without feeling too heavy. Plus, kale is so hardy that it holds up well to the creamy dressing. For a wintery twist, I added roasted delicata squash and roasted beets, and then topped it off with my sunflower seed parmesan.
If you have only ever eaten lettuce-based caesar salads before, now is your chance to try one made with kale! I find it to be incredibly addictive. If you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with kale again and again every time you eat a kale caesar.
how to make this avocado kale caesar salad:
Start by roasting up one sliced delicata squash and a couple of peeled and chopped beets in a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
While the vegetables are roasting, wash and chop some kale, and blend together the salad dressing ingredients. You can also throw together sunflower seed parmesan during this time, if desired.
Next, massage the dressing into the kale and, once the squash and beets have cooled, toss half of them into the kale, too. Reserve the other half for garnishing the salad.
Finish with a few sprinkles of sunflower parmesan, if desired.
And, voila. Avocado kale caesar salad made.
Change it up
Variations on this theme abound! You can add different vegetables in place of the roasted squash and beets depending on the season. In the spring, fresh green peas and carrots would be lovely. In the peak of summer, red pepper, tomato, and olives would be to die for. And in the fall, shredded cabbage and cranberries would be positively divine!
You can also add a protein to the salad to make it more of a meal. Baked tofu, tempeh bacon, or cooked beans are all protein-packed additions.
more salad recipes
If you enjoy this salad recipe, you might also like these:
- Detoxifying Kale Caesar Salad with Tempeh Bacon
- Kale Salad with Peanut Baked Tempeh and Hawaiian Green Goddess Dressing
- Santa Fe Salad with Crispy Tofu, Sweet Potato, and Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
I hope you enjoy this one! It just might spark your love of kale. 🙂
If you make this recipe, leave a comment and rating below, and post a photo to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.
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Vegan Avocado Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Squash and Beets
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Vegan Avocado Kale Caesar Salad is a lovely seasonal version of a classic kale caesar salad, made with a tangy avocado and hemp seed dressing plus roasted delicata squash and beets tossed in.
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 medium delicata squash (unpeeled), sliced in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out, and sliced into 1/2-inch semi circles
- 2 medium beets, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp olive, avocado, or grapeseed oil
- Pinch each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Avocado Hemp Caesar Dressing
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted
- 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts)
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (I like Wizard’s brand)
- 2 medium cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of one organic lemon
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 whole lemon)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup water
Everything Else
- 2 bunches kale (green kale or Lacinato/Tuscan kale–your choice)
- Sunflower seed parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Toss the squash with 1/2 tbsp of oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer on one of the baking sheets.
- Toss the beets with the remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Spread them out on the second baking sheet.
- Roast the squash and beets for 30 minutes, or until tender and the squash is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing by blending the avocado, hemp, capers, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, oil, salt, pepper, and water together in an upright blender until smooth.
- Wash and dry the kale. Chop into ribbons and place in a large salad bowl.
- Massage about half of the dressing into the kale with your hands, making sure that it coats each and every bit of kale. Add half of the squash and beets to the salad, reserving the other half for garnishing the top of the salad.
- Add more dressing if you wish. The dressing amount required will vary depending on the size of kale bunches that you have. Top the salad bowl, or individual servings, with the remaining roasted vegetables and sunflower seed parmesan, if using.
Notes
If there is any remaining dressing, it doubles as a delicious spread on sandwiches and wraps!
Amp up the protein content of this salad by adding baked tofu, tempeh bacon, or cooked lentils/beans!
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: avocado kale caesar salad, vegan kale caesar salad, healthy caesar salad with kale, winter vegetable caesar salad
I’m off to edit the Lentil Walnut Bolognese photos for the post I alluded to earlier. I’ll be back very soon with that recipe.
Natalie
This dressing is one of the best vegan Caesar salad dressings I have ever tried. It is tangy and salty and has the perfect balance of everything. Love it. I made it with roasted sweet potato and it was so good. Will be making it regularly now. Thank you, Allison!
★★★★★
Lauren
Very cool recipe! The dressing tastes “naughty” but it’s so healthy! I added Dijon mustard! Will be making again.
★★★★★
Allison
Thanks, Lauren!