Avocado Kale Caesar

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We’ve talked about my aversion to a traditional Caesar dressing before and I’m happy to say I’m working through it! But, in the meantime, I’ve also discovered the best vegan Caesar dressing ever and this Avocado Kale Caesar is going to be your new go to!

Vegan Kale Caesar from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycooking)

It’s literally everything I’ve wanted in life and more. I’ll be chowing down on this all week long and I can guarantee that I won’t get sick of it.

The dressing is like a smooth and creamy hummus that gives the kale the BEST flavor. I make it ahead of time every sunday night and keep it on hand to use all week long. It saves for 2 weeks in the fridge but I promise you’ll go through it even faster! Add the avocado because, duh. And the Everything but the bagel blend… omg I’m obsessed.

Avocado Kale Caesar

4.9 from 13 votes
Get ready for the Caesar Salad of your DREAMS. This Avocado Kale Caesar is everything plus the dressing is seriously not to be missed
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Salad, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Croutons:

  • 6 ounces french bread a few days old
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Tahini Caesar Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • kosher salt

Salad

  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale ribs removed and shredded
  • 1 whole romaine heart shredded
  • 3 tablespoons Gaby’s This is Everything Seasoning
  • 2 ripe avocados cut into large wedges

Instructions
 

To make the croutons

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cut the bread into small cubes. Transfer cubed bread to a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and butter and then sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
  • Using your hands, gently toss the croutons and make sure they are coated with all the oils, butters and seasonings.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

To make the dressing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, oil, and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Add the water and continue mixing and season with salt.

To prepare the salad

  • Transfer the lettuce and kale to large bowl and add the dressing and toss to coat. Add the croutons, tuck the avocado in, and sprinkle the salad with the everything but the bagel seasoning blend. Serve immediately.

66 Comments

  1. OMG- this is the best salad ever! Of course, your croutons look extra good (BUTTER!!!!) Also, the avocado addition is on-point.

  2. Hello – this looks amazing. When u say Italian seasoning – does it just come as a pre-made jar, or do you mean a combo of dried basil, parsley and oregano? Anything else? Thanks!

  3. This is awesome. I always avoid Caesar salad as I can’t stand anchovies. This looks like it will solve all my problems!

    1. It’s not like hummus because there are no chickpeas! I’d say its very much like a Caesar!

  4. Made this dressing and it looked/smelled great! But when I tasted it, it left a really bitter aftertaste. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions please!

    1. where did you get your tahini from?? I’ve bought a bad jar of it before and it was awful

  5. This salad was amazing!! So delicious! Made it for my son’s 30th dinner party last night and it was a huge hit with everyone! Had to make it three times! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks Gaby!

  6. When you’re making this for a week of lunches do you keep dressing and avocado separate and toss together small portions each day?

  7. I just made this for breakfast because I woke up thinking about it…it’s THAT good. Greens-check, healthy fats – check, seeds-check, – LOVE this salad…..

  8. Tonight’s menu included Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto, Avocado Kale Salad and Layered Carrot Cake. I can’t say which is my favorite because they were all delicious. I’m really excited for leftovers tomorrow.

  9. I tried to make a tahini dressing once and I failed miserably — I bought a tahini paste from a local Middle Eastern store — should I be buying something different? Would appreciate any guidance 🙂

  10. Hey Gaby..as you may I love this recipe. But just watched your video for the first time. Please next time in a mention use grocery stores such as WALMART (not that I particularly like Walmart) but I’m sure many of your fans live in “fly over nation” there is NO TRADER JOES OR WHOLE FOODS sadly around the corner. Please be more inclusive of your fans who make poverty wage and live in the sticks

    1. wherever you can find tahini is fantastic – doesn’t have to be from any one place in particular!! Trader Joes and whole foods are just the 2 stores within walking distance for me, so those are usually top of mind!

  11. When I click the link for your Gaby’s this is everything seasoning, I receive an error. Possibly because I live in Australia- can you please advise what types of herbs, or combination of herbs, I could use instead? Thanks!

  12. Hi Gaby! The salad looks amazing! Please help, the video and ingredients for the dressing or not consistent. No oil was used in video, 2 cloves instead of one, and you used a 1/2 cup tahini in video but recipe says 1/4. Please help, just want to make it perfect. Thanks so much for all of your amazing recipes!!

  13. I’m making this as a side dish for a bridal shower for about 50 women… Think I could pull it off?

    1. absolutely. prep the dressing a few days ahead of time – you’ll need to thin it out with water before serving as tahini gets thick as it sits. Croutons can be prepped ahead of time too and store in an airtight container

  14. 5 stars
    This is a unique and creative salad that is so fun to serve to guests. In most cases, they’ve probably never had a salad like this before! It’s so simple and easy to prepare, and it wows people every time. I love serving this for dinner at home and also prepping the salad to bring in for lunch each day throughout the week. I just keep the dressing separate until I’m ready to toss it and eat, and that’s also when I add in fresh avocado.

  15. 5 stars
    Gaby,

    I love this recipe! Delicious. I need some advice though. My dressi is always super super think to the point I can’t stir it even when I add double the water you recommend. Is my tahini crappy or am I doing this wrong?!

    Ps I love you

    1. if you let it sit for a while it really tightens up! You can add as much water as you need to thin it out!

  16. 5 stars
    Is it possible to crave a salad? YES. This recipe is fantastic. My garlic was very strong so the dressing came out very garlicky and a little spicy, which was perfect for me. If I make it for my husband, who is less of a garlic fan, I’ll probably start with 1-2 cloves and go from there.

    I also made it with sauteed mushrooms like Gaby did in an instagram live. It was great addition!

  17. 5 stars
    Per usual…delicious! The croutons were insane. I couldn’t find day old bread so I used fresh and they still turned out wonderful. The only feedback I would give is to tear the bread pieces smaller than you’d think otherwise they’re hard to pierce with a fork. I added some grated parmesan on top too and didn’t have the everything seasoning but it was all still so delicious.

  18. 5 stars
    This is my new favorite salad! The dressing is delicious and the homemade croutons are everything!! Sometimes I add grilled chicken to the top to make this a full meal – so so good!

  19. 5 stars
    So yummy ! I have tried and failed to make a good tahini dressing . When I made this last night I thought it was OK . However … I just used it again for lunch and After sitting overnight and it was nice and cold it was so much better ! I will add this one to my list for sure . The only other thing I did was massage my kale with a little olive oil / lemon juice . I prefer kale that way !

  20. 5 stars
    Best. Salad. Ever. Been craving salad for days and finally made this today and hands down the best dressing I’ve made and the everything seasoning is the perfect addition!

  21. 5 stars
    This was SUCH a nice change from the heavy cashew-based caesar dressing that I usually make. The kale + romaine combo was perfect and the croutons were the perfect topping. Will be making again, thank you for this inspiration!

  22. 5 stars
    I love a solid salad for dinner but it’s got to be hearty so this was perfect. I skipped the bread just because we are avoiding gluten, and added roasted sweet potatoes. My husband loved this recipe too!

  23. 5 stars
    The best! Loved everything about it- the crunchy croutons, dressing, everything! I added chicken for some protein and it was just nummy. Thanks Gaby!!

  24. 5 stars
    This salad is sooo good! I even converted my husband who usually doesn’t like kale. This is great as I always have kale from my weekly csa box, definitely a repeat meal.

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