Creamy Cashew Caesar Dressing [Vegan]

This thick, creamy, cashew-based caesar dressing is made right in a blender for the perfect dairy-free, egg-free, vegan-friendly ceasar dressing filled with the quintessential briney, salty, creamy, cheesy elements as the classic. Toss with romaine and top with croutons for the perfect Caesar salad!

Caesar salad lovers, unite!

Today we’re making caesar dressing without any anchovies, egg yolk, or parmesan cheese, while still managing to capture the thick, creamy, rich, salty, garlicky flavor profile that transforms a big bowl of romaine lettuce into a crowd-pleasing salad.

It’s kind of amazing how good this dressing is.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Raw Cashews. These provide the thick, creamy, neutral-flavored base of the dressing. Make sure you soak them first, either in cold water for a few hours (or up to overnight), or in boiling water for 15 minutes before using. Soaking helps soften up the cashews and ensures the dressing is completely smooth.

Capers. For that briney, salty umami flavor that typically comes from anchovies. We’re going to use both the capers and a few tablespoons of the salty, vinegary brine they’re packed in for maximum flavor.

Nutritional Yeast. For a complex, subtly cheesy flavor profile. We’re only using a tablespoon in this recipe…a little goes a long way!

Lemon Juice. To add acidity and bright, fresh tart flavor to this dressing.

Olive Oil. Just a little bit of extra virgin olive oil makes this dressing extra luscious. We only need two tablespoons of oil to achieve the right consistency!

Garlic, Dijon, Salt, and Pepper. For allll the flaaaaaavor. These are classic caesar dressing additions and the flavor just wouldn’t be complete without them!

Water. To thin it out and help everything blend together well.

That’s it! Just 10 ingredients (most of which I’m guessing you already have in your kitchen like olive oil, water, salt, pepper, dijon, and garlic) get unceremoniously dumped into a blender and whizzed up until creamy.

The final product? A super luscious, creamy, garlicky salad dressing that is unnoticeably dairy-free/egg-free/vegan; when tossed with crunchy romaine and topped with homemade garlicky croutons, it just tastes like, well, caesar salad. Really good caesar salad, if I do say so myself.

And, don’t let the fact that this is salad dressing stop you from using it in other places. We’re loving this as a spread for sandwiches and wraps, as a drizzle on top of burrito bowls, and as a dip for veggies. I even love it tossed with shredded cabbage as a fun fusion of caesar salad and coleslaw.

If you’re a fan of ceasar salads, you are going to FLIP over this quick + easy version made with cashews and capers. Despite being all wrong, it tastes so right.

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your Creamy Cashew Caesar Dressing and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!

Creamy Cashew Caesar Dressing [Vegan]

Time: 15 minutes
Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 large lemons)
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons capers
• 2 Tablespoons caper brine (the liquid the capers are in!)
• 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Sea salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. First, soak your cashews. This can be done by covering them in almost-boiling water and letting them sit for 15 minutes, or by covering them in cold water and letting them sit for 3-4 hours at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
2. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews, then add them to the bowl of a food processor or high powered blender with all remaining ingredients. Blend on high until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Taste and add salt, a pinch at a time, until the dressing tastes salty enough for your tastebuds. The caper brine adds a good amount of salt to begin with, so you may find you only need a pinch or two to get it tasting right.
3. Transfer caesar dressing to a jar with a lid, and store in the fridge for up to a week. Toss with chopped romaine for a classic caesar, or use as a spread, dip, or sauce.

Be sure to check out my Shop page to purchase some of my favorite ingredients and kitchen equipment used in this recipe!

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