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!
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.
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!
What you’ll need:
Avocado Kale Caesar
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.
OMG- this is the best salad ever! Of course, your croutons look extra good (BUTTER!!!!) Also, the avocado addition is on-point.
How many does this serve?
4!
Hi gaby! Love the recipe. How long do you think you can store extra dressing for?
1 week!
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!
comes pre-mixed! but you could easily make your own with the dried herbs you mentioned above
Please share the ingredients & quantities for the everything but the bagel seasoning. Thank you!
This is awesome. I always avoid Caesar salad as I can’t stand anchovies. This looks like it will solve all my problems!
Vegan Ceasar dressing!?!? IN!!! This look amazing.
How much like hummus vs Caesar does the dressing taste? Would love a vegetarian/vegan option!
It’s not like hummus because there are no chickpeas! I’d say its very much like a Caesar!
Sounds delish!!! Do you have a chicken recipe I good add to this salad?
I’ve been adding this recently!! https://whatsgabycooking.com/paprika-roasted-chicken/
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!
where did you get your tahini from?? I’ve bought a bad jar of it before and it was awful
Hi Gaby- what type of tahini are you using? I made and the taste of sesame was overpowering. Thanks!
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!
LOVE IT! XOXO
When you’re making this for a week of lunches do you keep dressing and avocado separate and toss together small portions each day?
separate!!
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…..
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.
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 🙂
did you try my recipe or another recipe?! I love the tahini from whole foods!
OMG just make this And had to stop eating it to let you know this is INSANELY DELICIOUS
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
Which is peeps like me
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!
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!
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!!
video is old!! the recipe the way it’s printed is perfect 🙂
I’m making this as a side dish for a bridal shower for about 50 women… Think I could pull it off?
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
This version omits the mushrooms?
yup – I just added caramelized mushrooms on my IG Live
Is there a calorie count on this possibly?
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.
Nice twist to the classic Caesar …
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
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!
This is an incredible salad!
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!
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.
So happy to hear it! xx
Very excited to try this! Where can I find the recipe for “Gaby’s this is everything” seasoning?
it’s at Williams Sonoma! https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/gaby-dalkins-everything-bagel-seasoning/?pkey=s%7Cthis%20is%20everything%7C782
Thank you for posting this kale salad!!! Can I substitute Baby Kale or romaine lettuce?
either or!
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!
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 !
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!
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!
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!
The best! Loved everything about it- the crunchy croutons, dressing, everything! I added chicken for some protein and it was just nummy. Thanks Gaby!!
This was really good! The croutons are amazing.
Could you please give us options to your seasonings? Loyal followers would appreciate that.
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.
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!