This Kale Caesar Salad is topped off with smokey roasted chickpeas, hemp seed “parmesan” and a creamy egg-less Caesar dressing for a delicious salad that everyone can enjoy!

a serving bowl of kale Caesar salad topped with crispy chickpeas

Caesar Kale Salad

Don’t you love a great salad recipe? I know I do!

This Kale Caesar Salad is probably one of the most delicious ways you can enjoy eating kale. This salad is topped with a super creamy vegan Caesar dressing made with a secret ingredient, smokey “bacon” chickpeas, and a hemp seed crumble!

This salad is a great option to please a crowd and can be enjoyed by anyone who follows a vegetarian, dairy-free, vegan or gluten-free diet! And if you have leftover kale, it would be great to use in this Massaged Kale Salad and Easy Kale Pesto!

Why You’ll Love this Kale Caesar Salad

  • This salad makes the kale shine! The kale stands up well with the thick and creamy dressing and is absolutely delicious in this salad. It will even convert kale skeptics!
  • The kale is packed with tons of nutrients and vitamins. Kale is loaded with iron, vitamins K, C & A, is high in calcium and is anti-inflammatory. Talk about a superfood!
  • The smokey roasted chickpeas add the smokey bacon flavour, and that crouton crunch.
  • The hemp seed parmesan gives this salad that cheesy salty flavour that you know and love in a traditional caesar salad
  • This salad is so easy to throw together and uses just a handful of ingredients!

How To Make This Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

Roast the chickpeas in the oven at 425 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until crispy.

a white bowl with roasted chickpeas in it

Prepare the hemp seed parmesan by pulling the hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt together in a small food processor blender.

a small ceramic bowl with hemp seed parmesan in it

Blend the dressing ingredients together in a small blender until smooth and creamy.

a small ceramic bowl with creamy vegan Caesar dressing in it

Rinse and chop the kale, then add all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

a top down view of kale caesar salad with crispy chickpeas and crumbled hemp seeds on top

What type of kale is best for a salad?

There are a few different types of kale that work well in a kale salad.

I used curly kale, (the most common type of kale) but you can also use lacinato kale, (also known as dinosaur kale) or purple kale.

Tips for Making Vegan Kale Caesar Salad Perfectly

  • Make sure to remove the stems from the kale. The stems are tough and stalky.
  • Let this salad sit for 5 minutes before serving so the kale softens ever so slightly. This will make the kale a better texture for enjoying.
  • Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry before tossing with the seasoning for roasting. This will help ensure they come out nice and crispy.
  • Keep leftover ingredients stored in the fridge separately. The salad tastes best when dressed fresh.
a speckled white plate with kale caesar salad and a small fork

More kale recipes to try

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a serving bowl of kale Caesar salad topped with crispy chickpeas

Vegan Caesar Kale Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Jess
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer, side
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This vegan Kale Caesar Salad is topped with crispy smoked chickpeas, hemp crumble and a creamy dressing. It’s vegan and naturally gluten-free!

Ingredients

Scale

Crispy smoked chickpeas

  • 1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Hemp parmesan

Caesar dressing

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 4 tbsp water

Salad

  • A bunch of kale (about 8 cups chopped)

Instructions

Crispy smoked chickpeas

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Drain & rinse the can of chickpeas and then place on a baking pan between two paper towels. Roll the chickpeas in the paper towels and remove as much water as possible. Some of the skins will come off the chickpeas, discard the skins. (This will make the chickpeas crispier!)
  3. Drizzle olive oil, liquid smoke and sea salt on the chickpeas mixing with your hands or a spoon until evenly coated.
  4. Bake for 35-40 minutes

Hemp parmesan

  1. Add the hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt in a food processor.
  2. Pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly, but still has a few whole pieces in it.

Caesar dressing

  1. Blend the olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, dijon mustard, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and water together in a blender until smooth.

Salad

  1. Wash & dry the kale and remove the stems.
  2. Finely chop the kale and add it to a bowl.
  3. Toss with as much dressing as you like, the chickpeas and hemp parmesan.

Notes

Make sure to remove the stems from your kale, they are tough and stalkly and not good in salads!

Let this salad sit for 5 minutes before serving so the dressing helps to soften the kale ever so slightly.

Make sure to pat the chickpeas dry before mixing them with the sesasoning. This will help make sure they come out nice and crispy.

Store any leftovers in the fridge separately! This salad is best when the ingredients are mixed together right before you want to eat it.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
  • Calories: 200
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Fat: 10g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 20g
  • Fiber: 8g
  • Protein: 8g

Find it online: https://choosingchia.com/kale-caesar-salad-with-crispy-smoked-chickpeas-vegangluten-free/

If you tried this Kale Caesar Salad or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!