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.
Table of Contents
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. Delish!
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
- 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
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the bread into small cubes. Transfer cubed bread to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Step 2: Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and butter and then sprinkle 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.
Step 4: Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.
Step 5: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, oil, and garlic.
Step 6: Whisk until smooth. Add the water and continue mixing and season with salt.
Step 7: Transfer the lettuce and kale to large bowl and add the dressing and toss to coat.
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!
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
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:
- â…“ 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.
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
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
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!
This is an incredible salad!
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!
Nice twist to the classic Caesar ...
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.
Is there a calorie count on this possibly?
This version omits the mushrooms?
yup - I just added caramelized mushrooms on my IG Live
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
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 🙂
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!
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!
OMG just make this And had to stop eating it to let you know this is INSANELY DELICIOUS
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!