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! PRO TIP: If you have leftovers, or are looking for a lunch on the go, you can convert this recipe into a Chicken Caesar Wrap.

A low bowl with an avocado kale caesar salad, with some extra dressing in a small bowl on the side, and a pink kitchen towel next to it.


 

Why I Love This Recipe

This Kale Caesar literally everything I've wanted in life and more. Crispy lettuce, crunchy breadcrumbs, the tahini dressing of your dreams and some Everything But The Bagel seasoning to boot. I'll be chowing down on this all week long and I can guarantee that I won't get sick of it. But... If you want to switch up the greens, try my epic go-to kale salad. And.. if you just love these flavors but don't feel like salad, check out my Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza! Delish!

An overhead close up shot of avocado kale caesar salad, with croutons on top.

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 about 10 days in the fridge but I promise you'll go through it even faster! It's also great drizzled on top of some roasted veggies!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mise-en-place of all the ingredients to make avocado kale caesar.
  • French Bread a few days old
  • Olive Oil
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Garlic
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Italian Seasoning
Tahini Caesar Dressing
  • Tahini
  • Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Kosher Salt
  • Salad
  • Tuscan Kale 
  • Romaine Heart
  • Gaby’s This is Everything Seasoning
  • Avocados

*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.

How to Make Avocado Kale Caesar

A rectangular parchment paper-lined baking sheet of cubed pieces of bread.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the bread into small cubes. Transfer cubed bread to a parchment lined baking sheet.

A rectangular parchment paper-lined baking sheet of cubed pieces of bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic, salt, pepper and italian seasoning.

Step 2: Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and butter and then sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

A rectangular parchment paper-lined baking sheet of cubed pieces of bread and tossed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic, salt, pepper and italian seasoning.

Step 3: Using your hands, gently toss the croutons and make sure they are coated with all the oils, butters and seasonings.

A rectangular parchment paper-lined baking sheet of cubed pieces of bread baked in the oven to make croutons.

Step 4: Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

A small glass mixing bowl with tahini, lemon, oil and garlic.

Step 5: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, oil, and garlic.

A small glass mixing bowl with tahini, lemon, oil and garlic, and a whisk being used to mix it into a dressing.

Step 6: Whisk until smooth. Add the water and continue mixing and season with salt.

A low bowl with shredded lettuce and kale, tossed with caesar dressing.

Step 7: Transfer the lettuce and kale to large bowl and add the dressing and toss to coat.

A low bowl with shredded lettuce and kale, tossed with caesar dressing, with avocado wedges and croutons on top, and a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning.

Step 8: Add the croutons, tuck the avocado in, and sprinkle the salad with the everything but the bagel seasoning blend. Serve immediately.

How to Store Avocado Kale Caesar

I would recommend eating this fresh since it does not stay well with the dressing mixed. That said, you can store any extra dressing and croutons in the fridge for a week, and make more salads.

Tips & Tricks

Dressing keeps in the fridge for a week, and extra croutons are never a bad thing either. This means you can enjoy salad any day of the week!

A closeup shot of a bowl of caesar dressing, with a spoon drizzling it into the bowl, with the blurry view of avocado kale caesar salad in the back.

FAQs

Which kale is the best for this salad?

I recommend Tuscan Kale for this salad. If you only have curly kale, you can use it, however, it is less tender which makes it slightly less suited for this salad. If you choose to use it, I recommend removing the ribs and shredding it finely.

Can I make this gluten-free?

Yes! Just use gluten-free bread or nuts instead of the french bread for croutons.

Similar Recipes

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today

Tahini Kale Salad from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Avocado Kale Caesar

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.9 from 20 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 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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:

  • 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.

Notes

Dressing keeps in the fridge for a week, and extra croutons are never a bad thing either. This means you can enjoy salad any day of the week!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 2056mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7054IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!

61 Comments

  1. STRONGLY recommend to use the whisk attachment of an immersion blender to blend the dressing together. Otherwise it’s a pain with the tahini!

  2. 5 stars
    Love this! Easy to prepare and very flavorful! Instead of French bread, I used stale sourdough sliced bread from Trader Joe’s and came out so good!

  3. 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.

  4. 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!!

  5. 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!

  6. 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!

  7. 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!

  8. 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 !

  9. 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!

4.85 from 20 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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