Learn how to make homemade Vegan Caesar Dressing and salad at home! Oil-free and dairy-free. This Caesar dressing is made with only 6 main ingredients (+salt/pepper/water) and with buttery pine nuts, is oil-free & is so creamy and a crowd-pleaser.
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My all-time favorite caesar dressing has always been at a restaurant called Houstons in my city of…wait for it….Houston. Their dressing is a bit different than typical caesar because it was a bit peppery. It was SO addictive and it always came on the largest salad you ever saw. My hubby and I used to always eat there and having the salad was the best part of the meal.
I kid you not….I’m so obsessed with this dressing, I have been eating a manly size salad every single day.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A VEGAN CAESAR DRESSING?
Easy, you just start with my secret ingredient..unlike most vegan caesar dressings, I did not use cashews!
The nut of choice is pine nuts. Reason being is that pine nuts have a more oily, buttery taste to them and are slightly sweet….which basically, means a perfect vegan Caesar dressing.
Your easy vegan Caesar dressing ingredients:
- raw pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon raw agave
- nutritional yeast
- garlic cloves
- dried parsley
- black pepper and salt
I wanted to create a vegan caesar dressing that did not use cashews, oil or soy/tofu. Of course traditional caesar dressing recipes can contain raw egg yolks, anchovies or lots of oil/mayo….sounds kind of gross doesn’t it? Sure, does taste good though.
Feel free to use your favorite greens for the salad. I used an Italian salad blend and also added lots of fresh broccoli and pine nuts because I love the added texture it gives. I also sprinkled some extra nutritional yeast on top…..so delicious!
I also have another Vegan Caesar Dressing with completely different ingredients and is used in this Vegan Caesar Smashed Chickpea Sandwich! That Caesar dressing contains NO nutritional yeast, so if you can’t have it, just use that recipe instead.
OTHER VEGAN OIL-FREE SALAD DRESSINGS
- Best Vegan Ranch Dressing or Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing. Both are great. One has yogurt, the other does not.
- Oil-free Creamy Italian Dressing
- Almond Butter Dressing
- Oil-free Tahini Goddess Dressing
Vegan Caesar Dressing (Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 heaping cup (75g) raw pine nuts (you can sub cashews if necessary, it will just taste less authentic)
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (105g) water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes (I highly recommend this Sari brand, it is non-fortified with much better taste.)
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (SEE NOTE)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper gives flavor without it tasting like pepper. 1/2 teaspoon will give a peppery taste like I noted in the beginning of the post. I make the peppery version since my take is on the Houston's Restaurant one locally.
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy. I used my Vitamix, but I'm sure any blender or even a food processor would work since pine nuts are a soft nut. If you have a weak blender, I would suggest soaking the cashews (if using) overnight, drain and rinse, so your dressing isn't gritty.
- Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. It will be perfect for salads then as it gets well chilled and thickens up some.
- I used an Italian salad blend and added some broccoli, pine nuts, extra black pepper and nutritional yeast on top. However, feel free to use whatever greens you like.
OMG! Made this for supper and it was AMAZING!! I’m a few months into switching to a whole food plant based lifestyle and I am so excited to have a vegan option for my favorite salad.
Yay Genevieve! I’m so happy to hear you loved this so much, thank you for the feedback!
Full disclosure first, I cannot recall eating Caesar dressing prior to becoming vegan (always been a ranch girl); I probably did at some time but I don’t remember what it’s “supposed” to taste like. Lately it’s been so hot and I’ve turned back to the glorious simplicity of salads and needed a new dressing. I made this, only change was to double the garlic since I’m a garlic fiend.
GIRL! This dressing is magically delicious. Like overdo, drown-my-salad, lick-the-plate delicious. I’m not kidding. I even love it more than ranch.
I had a good feeling about this recipe so I made a double batch and it kept nicely for several days. I guess my only complaint, which has nothing to do with the recipe, is that pine nuts are hella expensive. But after making it and reveling in the utter deliciousness and how it made my fresh raw vegetables taste, I don’t care, the recipe is perfect as is and I’ll happily spend a little more for this kind of flavor. 🙂
Husband loved it too and he’s not a salad guy.
Thank you for this creation, Brandi! Absolutely hit it out of the park.
Aww, thank you so much for such amazing feedback Caroline! I’m so very happy you and your hubby both loved it so much! Yes, pine nuts aren’t cheap, so cashews are a decent sub and it still tastes great, not exactly the same flavor, but still good!
That sounds like a great recipe, I am not familiar with nutritious yeast. What happen if I omit it?
Thanks!
Hi Jane! The nutritional yeast has a deep kind of nutty/cheesy flavor, hard to explain, but it gives depth to the Caesar dressing flavor. You can omit it, but the flavor will less pronounced. I would try adding just a tiny amount of soy sauce instead. Otherwise, if you can, get the nutritional yeast, as it really does help with the flavor. They are little flakes. You can see them here. They are also sold at most grocery stores these days. Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. and most stores sell it. But I do order mine online because the flavor is much better with this brand. http://amzn.to/2brkz2A
I use it in several recipes, especially where a cheese flavor is desired because it really helps to lend a cheesy flavor.
Hello Brandi:
I made this recipe last night and it was hit. I usually have to doctor recipes up to my palate but not this one. I can’t wait to try it on other veggies. Thanks for sharing it.
I’m so happy to hear that Nicole, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
I love this recipe! so yummy!!! Thank you for the oil-free recipe!!!
So glad to hear that, thank you so much Karen!
The day pine nuts aren’r ridiculously expensive I will give it a try. It sure does look interesting! Perhaps pine nuts are cheap in the US? It goes for a lot of vegan (glutenfree) recipes, the igredients you use are a) hard to come by or/and hardly affordable. Such a shame really.
Hi Mae, I have noted to use cashews right next to the pinenuts if needed?? I, myself, don’t even use pinenuts anymore. I’m not sure what you mean, 90% of my recipes are extremely cheap and simple ingredients. This is the ONLY recipe on my entire blog out of over hundreds that use pinenuts AND I gave cashews as an option. I do my best to keep my recipes very simple, I use regular everyday items like beans, potatoes, rice, spices, broth, canned coconut milk, cashews and this is what I hear from readers what they love, how simple the recipes are.
Some of my baking will use almond flour, but that is because I do oil-free and almond flour is in pretty much every store here in the US, I would have no idea about other countries. If you are looking for extremely traditional vegan recipes to use vegan butters and oils and white flours, there are plenty of blogs out there that use those ingredients and I’m sure are cheaper and easier to find, however I prefer not to use those types of ingredients in my recipes for health purposes. Hope that clears things up!
Hi Brandi –
I just had to take a minute to say thank you. My 10 year old son has just started an elimination diet where he is excluding 21 foods for the next 8 weeks. Caesar is by far his favorite and had been eating it daily. This dressing met His approval!! I used half the quantity of maple syrup in place of the agave ( cane sugar, honey and agave are all on his exclusion list). You have just made my life a whole lot easier! Keep up the awesome job!
This is just wonderful to hear Alicia, so glad your son loved it! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hi Brandi I am new to vegan world and wanted to try this ceased salad dressing . I was wondering do you have to pre soak the cashews or just blend them raw? I really like your website love the 8 ingredients idea,really good for beginners like me.
Hi Pam! If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, then no, you don’t need to soak them. I never do. However, if you have a regular blender or are using a food processor, then yes, you need to soak the cashews in a bowl of room temp water for 8-12 hours, drain and rinse them and proceed. Otherwise, your sauce will be gritty and not creamy. Thank you so much for your kind words too, I really appreciate it! I would also suggest trying these other 3 dressings, they are my most popular ones!
https://thevegan8.com/2014/05/09/vegan-ranch-potato-salad/
https://thevegan8.com/2016/08/12/vegan-oil-free-creamy-italian-dressing/
https://thevegan8.com/2015/02/18/smoky-oil-free-corn-zucchini-cakes/
So easy to make and delicious. Tastes like the real thing. Thank you.
Awesome Catalina! So happy you loved it!
This dressing/dip is amazing love it! I’ve never been a big fan of salads and I found one dressing I liked but was getting burnt out. This has saved my salad!
Thank you so much Stefanie, so glad you loved it!
I’m looking for a nice Caesar salad dressing for the summer and came across this. I love all your recipes! Just curious if you have tweaked it at all since it’s rather old and I saw recently that you don’t use nutritional yeast anymore? Have you ever used white beans instead of the pine nuts? Thanks!
Hi Linda! I actually haven’t made this dressing in quite a long time and have not tweaked it. I don’t use yeast for my hubby or daughter but I still will personally use it on occasion for some of my recipes, just not real often, so I would definitely still add it here and use it since it does aid in the caesar flavor. You could try miso paste though instead if you like, I have not tested that personally. No, I’ve not tried white beans. I have tried white beans many times in other sauces though and am not a big fan of the lack of creaminess and the kind of sandy texture it leaves. I prefer doing half white beans and half nuts if I do try it and then it’s not as detectable, but haven’t tested that in this dressing, so not sure how it would turn out!
I’ve been making this since two weeks ago, and omg I am addicted! It is soooo good! It’s so easy to make and I will be making double batches from now on. My husband and I are plant-based, but love creamy dressings. We’re eating more greens because of this! Thank you so much for this recipe! Hugs from Singapore!
Yay! So glad you love it Claire! Thank you for the wonderful comment. I actually have another Caesar coming next week, haha, that is even better in my opinion, so you will have to try that too!
Loved this dressing. Always looking for creamy oil free dressings that aren’t sweet. This will definitely be a new fave. Absolutely love that this uses pine nuts instead of cashews just for the sake of variety. Thank you for a great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it Tammy!
Hi Brandi, can it be frozen? Tamar
Sure!
Ok to liquid stevia for the agave?
I don’t use stevia so I have no idea what the taste would be. I do know it’s very strong so would only need a very tiny amount.
Was thinking about doing this we went to vegan restaurant where they served caesar dressing and my son loved it, never eats salads! But it had cashews as the base. I was thinking how to recreate at home with hemp seeds.. saw the Hampton Creek Just Caesar dressing but contained too many foreign ingredients. How will this work?
I’m sorrt, I’m not sure what you are asking? The recipe above is mine so you can make that recipe. I don’t know anything about that store bought brand since I don’t buy them because they have so many added oils and additives. So I make my own!
This looks great!
Thank you!
This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for! What are your thoughts on toasting the pine nuts? Wondering how that would turn out
It could be yummy, as long as you don’t mind pine nuts having a strong flavor!
I have to admit, I rolled my eyes when I read through the ingredient list. Anchovies, raw eggs and parm cheese have a very distinct flavor combo. I had a head of romaine lettuce to use up tonight, so figured I’d give this recipe a shot. My eye-rolling turned into wide-eyed surprise when I tasted it! This is GOOD, REALLY GOOD!
Haha, so funny, I’m so happy you loved it so much Lue, thank you for the review!
This sounds sooo good!! But don’t you roast the pine nuts in a pan before using them? A while ago a used non roasted nuts and I had a very bitter taste with every thing I ate for days…
Hi Caroline! No, you don’t want to roast them, as that will make the pine nut flavor too strong. It’s important to make sure you are using fresh pine nuts. When pine nuts are old or go bad, they are very bitter and that’s what will ruin the sauce! When they are good and fresh, they just taste buttery and amazing in the dressing! No bitterness.
My Facebook saves are pretty much all Vegan 8 recipes. This one came at just the perfect time. I’m getting ready to go on a beach trip with my very meat-loving family, and this southern vegan is totally responsible for bringing all her own food. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but I am NOT bringing my instant pot which I’m almost entirely reliant upon now. So then I had to really think about what easy things I could make ahead of time and pack in containers to bring with me. Enter this Caesar salad dressing. Ah-ha! Pasta salad! Easy, tasty, affordable, and totally packable. I just did a test run with this dressing today for lunch and it is perfect! I’m not a huge salad eater, but I’m sure it’s great for that as well. One recipe stretched enough to perfectly cling to 12 ounces of penne, broccoli florets, a bell pepper, and some spinach! I did add a few extra tablespoons of water to thin it out slightly. This might even be good enough to fool the omnis in my life (I’m not sure since I haven’t had Caesar dressing in ages). Either way, absolutely delicious! I would have never thought to use pine nuts, but DANG they are so good here!
This salad dressing was freakin AMAZING!! Best salad dressing I’ve had since going vegan. Absolutely love it and I share it with everyone I know.
Yay, really happy to hear how much you loved it Jen, thank you so much for making it!
I’ve searched high and low on the recipe, but can’t seem to find any mention of agave even though I see it discussed in the comments. Am I missing something? I’d love to try this recipe!
I removed it! It was a tiny amount and after making it again I felt it didn’t need it, so don’t worry about adding it 🙂
This dressing is the bomb diggity!! I made it and used it on the grilled cheese you shared….major yumminess factor. My 15 year walked through the kitchen as I was eating and said oh something smells so good, so against my true feelings, I did cut her off a very small piece and she gave her seal of approval too, duh!! Then, I did something unconventional and added mexican seasoning to it and made a taco salad with it today….so very good. Needless to say the first batch is gone. Thanks Brandi!
I see a comment regarding a substitution for agave but I don’t see agave in the ingredients. Maybe a general question? If in the caesar dressing, how much agave? Thanks!
Hi Christine, I removed the agave from the recipe. I originally used it years back when I first posted the recipe, but have since felt it tasted better without it, so you don’t need it!