Ah, the Caesar salad. It’s something to behold.
I don’t know how many times I’ve gazed longingly upon other diner’s salads, while my sad, oily balsamic vinaigrette drips down lettuce that deserved something better. Something creamier. Something zesty. Something garlicky.
I think you get where this is going. I’m tired of not being able to enjoy Caesar salad because the dressing isn’t dairy-free. So I decided to make my own!
The best part is, it only takes 5 minutes. No cashew soaking, grinding, or blending involved. You can do this – and you totally should.
Origins of Caesar Salad
It’s thought that the Caesar salad originated in Mexico in the 1920s (source). Who knew?!
Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant, is believed to have created the recipe (by accident) at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. However, Caesar’s brother, Alex, claims that they invented the dish together prior to its success at Caesar’s Restaurant Bar.
The restaurant more commonly credited with its origination still exists today. And the salad is still made with the same original ingredients: romaine, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, egg, and a crouton.
Caesar salad has now spread across the globe and has taken on many modifications. This is our inspired, plant-based take on a similarly garlicky, zingy dressing!
How to Make Vegan Caesar Dressing
The base for this simple, 6-ingredient, 5-minute dressing is hummus. It creates a creamy, savory base that’s easy to come by since there’s almost always hummus in the fridge. Or at least in my fridge.
Next comes copious amounts of minced garlic, capers for that salty ocean taste, lemon juice + zest for brightness, and a little spicy mustard for zing. Add salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go.
I hope you all love this dressing! It’s:
Creamy
Bold
Savory
Briney
Garlicky
Slightly spicy
Undetectably dairy-free
100% delicious
This dressing would be perfect on hearty salads, especially kale that’s been massaged with a little lemon and olive oil. Throw on some vegan parmesan cheese and it’ll taste just like the real thing – promise.
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see. Cheers, friends!
5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain hummus (store-bought or DIY)
- 1 tsp spicy mustard
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, to taste
- 2 tsp capers (finely minced/smashed, plus 3 tsp brining juice as original recipe is written- adjust amount if altering batch size)
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 healthy pinch each sea salt + pepper (more to taste)
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (optional // for added creaminess)
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- To a small mixing bowl, add hummus, spicy mustard, lemon zest + juice, minced capers + brining juice, and minced garlic, and whisk thoroughly to combine. Olive oil is optional, but will add a bit more creaminess.
- Add a little hot water to thin until pourable and whisk until creamy and smooth (see photo). Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt and pepper, lemon juice, or minced garlic if desired! Maple syrup will help offset how salty and briney this dressing is, if you find you need it (I did not).
- Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days.
- This dressing is delicious on kale, romaine, and arugula. It would also be great on roasted vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts and potatoes. Top with a little vegan parmesan cheese for the ultimate Caesar salad experience.
Video
Notes
*Recipe makes ~1/2 cup dressing.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Mel says
Loved it. Used canned white beans instead of hummus and threw it all in the food processor. Didn’t measure so I accidentally did too much brine but it was still delicious.
Great idea! Thank you for sharing, Mel! xo
Jacqueline Gibney says
Fantastic recipe. More of a mustardy flavor. I couldn’t find capers and I do not like olives so I used a bit of apple cider vinegar instead. Would love to try this with actual capers when I can find them. Since I’m not vegan I would add Parmesan when I have the budget. It’s got to be authentic which is expensive. Definitely not vegan then. But my reason for making this is because I have sensitivity’s to a lot of artificial crap and making real Cesar from scratch is not my thing. Raw eggs worry me. And real ceasar is too tedious. This is my go to base dressing and will play with it depending on what I want. I have made this twice now. Great if you want to eat healthy on a budget.
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe as a base, Jacqueline! Thank you for sharing! xo
Tamara Koroscil says
What brand of spicy mustard do you use?
Hi Tamara, we’ve used several brands, but typically Trader Joe’s. Hope that helps!
Teresa M Rodriguez says
As usual, another great recipe! I am super low sodium so I mash the capers with a fork and soak them until there is no /or at least very low salt and still the recipe is fantastic!
Thank you for another lovely review, Teresa! We’re so glad you enjoy this dressing! xo
Bri says
This was delicious. I upped the garlic and didn’t add the maple syrup and can confidently say this will be a fridge staple. Thank you!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Bri. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Wanda says
So good: I wish I had made a larger batch, just made half.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the dressing, Wanda! xoxo
Anna Ockelford says
My first time making Vegan Caesar dressing and it’s delicious. I won’t be buying store bought ever again. I even had a go and made the DIY hummus for it! I blended this dressing so my children couldn’t pick the capers out
:) This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Anna. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Leah says
This recipe is in my permanent rotation – it’s SO good. I max the lemon juice and go a little easier on the garlic compared to what’s in the recipe, especially when I have big, fresh cloves. The caper brine makes a big difference and truly makes it “Caesar-y”. I find I don’t need the maple syrup. I’ve used this as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, and have tossed roasted mini potatoes in it. I can’t imagine buying Caesar dressing ever again after this, vegan or not.
Whoop! We’re so glad it’s in your permanent rotation, Leah. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
kj says
So good!!! One time I didn’t have hummus so I subbed 2 TBSP tahini and now there is no going back. Amazing and everything things there is Parmesan in the dressing :)
Great idea! We’re so glad you enjoy it, KJ. Thank you for sharing! xo
Lisa says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It is really hitting the spot! I made a “chicken” Caesar pasta salad with this and it was perfect!
Sounds delicious! We’re so glad you enjoyed, Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Devon says
This is soooo yummy and easy to make!! Definitely going in the weekly rotation ☺️
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Devon. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Ryan Burnett says
I’m using this recipe for a catering tomorrow! Curious how it would be with tahini subbed for hummus 🤤 might give it a go
Hi Ryan, it would have a stronger flavor, but probably still be tasty!
Sammy says
Its better with just tahini, I don’t do the hummus cause it’s not a fridge staple for me
Paige says
I didn’t use any brine from the capers. And I used half of the garlic and half the maple syrup. Delicious!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Paige! xo
Rylee says
Great vegan Caesar dressing recipe! I used the full 3 Tb lemon juice and 5 cloves of garlic and added the optional olive oil. I don’t find that it needs maple syrup at all. The tanginess and flavor is right on par with traditional Caesar dressing. Can’t wait to have it in my salmon Caesar salad wraps this week!
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing, Rylee!
Jessi says
Is capers have no place in my home 🤣, will the recipe turn out without them or is there a substitute? I’d be fine with trying it, but don’t want to throw away the rest of the capers when they sit unused in the fridge for two years haha.
Hi Jessi, The capers do add to the classic “caesar” flavor, but are not essential if you’d prefer to leave them out! Other readers have also reported subbing kalamata olives. Hope that helps!
Rebekah says
This is an awesome caesar dressing – made many times with the hearty casear salad with cannelini beans and root vegetables – yum!! My only problem is that I end up with a jar full (or half full) of dry capers because the brine goes faster than the capers! Any ideas for “re-brining” the capers somehow?
That’s such a great question, Rebekah! We haven’t experimented with it, but wonder if adding leftover pickle brine might work? Especially a fermented dill pickle brine!
yono says
This is amazing. I substituted white beans for the hummus (and I added a bit more garlic to compensate). I make a triple recipe and we eat it all week long. This has become part of our standard rotation. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
yono says
This is amazing. I substituted white beans for the hummus (and I added a bit more garlic to compensate). This has become part of our standard rotation. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Yono. Thank you for sharing! xo
frankeee says
Way too much garlic and mustard, otherwise interesting recipe
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it! This definitely is a garlicky one, which we enjoy!
Lauralea Dawson says
This hummus dressing was fantastic! I’ve been making my own dressings for a while now and none of them hit the spot ~ this one absolutely did! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy this one, Lauralea. Thank you for leaving a review! xo
Nicole says
10/10! The only thing I would change next time is to use less garlic (can’t believe I’m really saying that). Super creamy and definitely delicious!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Nicole! xo
Shawnna Maltbie says
Perfection! Absolutely life changing. Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Shawnna! xoxo
Kerri says
Have made this several times now. Adjust each time. Fab recipe. Packs a punch which we like in a Caesar. Love that it uses hummus. Always plenty left over for lunches etc.
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Kerri! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Katherine says
Omg this salad dressing has just changed the salad game!!! I can’t even believe how good this is. I really wanted to try it and didn’t have hummus but had the ingredients so I made your plain hummus to use and it was SO GOOD as well. I followed the recipe exactly other than the maple syrup-I used agave nectar because I was out of maple. I love sweet dressings so I did use the sweetener but it was definitely good without it as well. Thank you so much for this I am going to eat this every day now!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Katherine! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Kristina says
This recipe came together so easily! I love the briney flavor! I omitted the maple syrup. This is a big winner – even with my non vegan family members and our kiddo who doesn’t like ANY dressing! Thanks for this simple recipe – it will stay in the regular rotation!
Amazing! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Kristina. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Kristen says
The BEST vegan Caesar dressing!! I make this regularly and it’s so so good. No one can tell that it’s vegan either. So good! Love your recipes 😊
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Kristen. Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Rachel says
Very good! I didn’t add maple syrup. I’ve add it before in salad dressing it I feel like that flavor is too heavy for salad
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Rachel! Thank you for sharing! xo
Leslie Howard says
Holy crap! This was amazing! Super simple and delicious, and it was a crowd pleaser at a dinner party. No one knew it was vegan! I tripled the recipe as is, but I only added a tsp of maple syrup at the end to balance it.
Amazing! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely review, Leslie! xo