Kale Caesar Salad

This kale Caesar salad features tender greens, garlic croutons, and a creamy homemade dressing. Serve it as a flavor-packed side or a meal all on its own.

Kale Caesar salad

If you think a traditional Caesar salad is good, wait until you try this kale Caesar salad! It features everything you love about a classic Caesar. It has crisp romaine, garlicky croutons, a creamy, savory dressing, and Parmesan cheese, but I throw leafy green kale into the mix too. The dark, curly leaves make the salad feel lush and abundant. Plus, once they’re massaged with olive oil and a little salt, they take on a tender texture that contrasts beautifully with the crunchy lettuce.

This kale Caesar salad recipe would be a perfect side dish for any meal this season (special occasions included!). But if you’re anything like me, you’ll like this recipe so much that you’ll want to put it at the center of your plate. If that’s the case, pile this kale Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas and diced avocado, and you’ll have a great healthy lunch.

Kale Caesar salad recipe ingredients

Kale Caesar Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this kale Caesar salad:

  • Kale, of course! I like the texture of green curly kale here. In a pinch, lacinato kale (aka dinosaur kale) would be fine too.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – You’ll massage it into the kale to soften the leaves.
  • Romaine lettuce – The blend of kale + romaine offers the perfect balance of tender greens and refreshing crunch.
  • Croutons – These homemade garlic ones are delish, though store-bought would work too.
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese – Sub in vegan Parm if you prefer!
  • Roasted chickpeas and avocado – Optional, but super yummy. They make this salad a bit more substantial if you want to enjoy it on its own for lunch.
  • The dressing – Ok, so a classic Caesar salad dressing is made with egg yolks, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Dijon mustard, and Parmesan cheese. It is a) not vegetarian and b) a bit fussy to make at home. So here, I have two alternatives for you. One has a Greek yogurt base, and it’s easy to stir together by hand. The other is totally vegan(!), and it’s made in a blender with a cashew base. Both are super creamy, and in each, lemon juice, mustard, and capers deliver the tangy, briny flavor you want in a Caesar dressing. You can’t go wrong with either!
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Hands massaging curly kale leaves in large bowl next to croutons on a baking sheet

How to Make a Kale Caesar Salad

This kale Caesar salad recipe is super simple to make!

Start by making the croutons and dressing. Find my homemade crouton recipe here. Then, pick either my Greek yogurt Caesar dressing or my vegan Caesar dressing. Both are quick and easy to make! If you’re using the roasted chickpeas, make them now too.

Next, massage the kale. Tear the kale leaves off the stems (you can discard the stems, or save them to blend into pesto or a smoothie). Tear or chop the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and a pinch of salt, and use your hands to massage the kale until it softens and wilts down.

Bowl of dressed greens next to roasted chickpeas, avocado, shaved Parmesan, and Caesar dressing

Then, add the romaine. Toss to mix it with the kale. Pour on half the dressing and toss again.

Transfer the salad to a serving dish. Top it with the croutons and Parmesan. Drizzle on the remaining dressing, and add the chickpeas and avocado, if you like. Season with fresh black pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Kale Caesar salad with croutons, shaved Parmesan, avocado, and chickpeas

Kale Caesar Salad Serving Suggestions

Topped with the avocado and chickpeas, this kale Caesar salad is a wonderful healthy lunch. It’s also a crowd-pleasing side dish. Serve it with your favorite protein, veggie burgers, or homemade pizza, or pair it with one of these comforting classics:

If you want to get ahead, you can make the dressing and croutons and massage the kale up to 2 days in advance. Store the kale and dressing in the fridge, and store the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to serve. Fully assemble the salad just before you eat.

Kale Caesar salad recipe

More Favorite Salad Recipes

If you love this kale Caesar salad, try one of these delicious salad recipes next:

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Kale Caesar Salad

rate this recipe:
4.98 from 37 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This kale Caesar salad recipe is an easy, delicious side dish or healthy lunch! You have two options for the dressing. One is vegan, and it's made in a blender with a cashew base. The other has a Greek yogurt base, and it's easy to stir together by hand. Both are creamy, tangy, and delicious.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Tear the kale into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the leaves until they wilt.
  • Add the romaine and toss. Drizzle with half the dressing and toss again.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the croutons and Parmesan. Add more dressing, roasted chickpeas, and avocado, if desired, and serve.

82 comments

4.98 from 37 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Sheridan Carter
    01.17.2023

    Delicious Caesar salad! Definitely make the homemade croutons and roasted chickpeas with it – they are easy and extra yummy!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Sheridan, so glad you loved it!

  2. Mika Walton
    01.17.2023

    Made this for the January Cooking Club and it was delcious! I love the addition of the roasted chickpeas and avocado.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Mika, I’m so glad you loved the salad!

  3. Annika Carnes
    01.16.2023

    5 stars
    I’m usually not a big fan of Caesar salads but this one I really liked. It must be the hardy kale and the delicious roasted chickpeas. I added smoked paprika to the chickpeas after pulling them out of the oven and that made them quite tasty. The dressing is very easy to make and perfect for the salad. The recipe makes a rather large salad so now I have lunches for the week. Yum! Adding the avocado and shaved Parmesan made this the perfect salad.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Annika, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  4. Meredith Sward
    01.16.2023

    5 stars
    OMG! Simple, flavorful, and crunchy! I loved the dressing.

    • Tova teitelbaum
      01.17.2023

      5 stars
      Love how healthy and nutritious this recipe! Really enjoyed the crunch and flavor of the homemade croutons.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Meredith, So glad you loved it!

  5. Zara
    01.15.2023

    5 stars
    Simply delicious! The post picture looked so good that I had to try this salad with the homemade Caesar dressing for a healthy lunch option. Yowza, this salad was divine! So filling and satisfying too! The dressing is great too….I did dilute it with water because we prefer thinner dressings. Honestly, my hubby and I could drink this stuff…and we wouldn’t feel one bit guilty knowing how healthy it is! I’ve already made this salad 2-3 times last week and it’s definitely something I could eat every day! I did skip the garlic croutons (I know, just not right), but the salad was so delicious with the crispy chickpeas that I didn’t miss them. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It’s definitely a keeper!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      Hi Zara, I’m so glad you both loved the salad and the dressing so much!

  6. Andrea Brady
    01.15.2023

    5 stars
    Such a yummy salad with a good crunch. This one is my rotation. I’ve only made it using the vegan dressing.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      I’m so glad you’ve loved it!

  7. Kristie Phil
    01.15.2023

    5 stars
    Loved the salad but discovered I’m not a fan of thick greek yogurt. Will definitely make again with an adjustment to the dressing for that reason only. My husband had the salad with just everything bagel seasoning instead of the dressing.

  8. Bobbi Crummett
    01.14.2023

    4 stars
    Crunchy and yummy! Definitely need to use all
    the dressing. Will add then chickpeas to leftovers for lunch.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  9. Chris D.
    01.14.2023

    5 stars
    My family loved this salad… I added black eyed peas as part of a New Year’s tradition. ?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      I’m so glad it was a hit!

  10. Shira Isenberg
    01.13.2023

    5 stars
    We really enjoyed this salad! I can never resist a vegan Caesar salad and this one is so good! Love the addition of roasted chickpeas for crunch and protein.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.16.2023

      I’m so glad you’ve loved it!

  11. Hilary Kenny
    01.12.2023

    5 stars
    Loved the Kale Caesar Salad. We had it as a main dish, using the vegetarian yogurt Caesar dressing. Croutons – I used Portuguese rolls to make them and they were so airy and perfect! Chickpeas were so tasty.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      So glad you enjoyed the salad!

  12. Alexandra Loistl
    01.10.2023

    5 stars
    Sooo good! Even my boyfriend who doesn’t like salads loved it.

    Made with L&L croutons and the L&L vegan ceasar dressing. Croutons were perfection with garlic, made with base culture gluten free sourdough. Then topped with blackened chicken!

    10/10 will make again

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      That sounds so good! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad.

  13. Amy
    01.10.2023

    This was fantastic! My husband went back for thirds!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      Haha yay! So glad you loved the salad!

  14. Kim Herbert
    01.09.2023

    5 stars
    So easy but delicious! I subbed hard-boiled eggs for the avocado and added some sliced apple and will be lunching on this all week. Thank you!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      Sounds fantastic! So glad you’re enjoying the salad.

  15. Emily Salinas
    01.08.2023

    5 stars
    Love this! Perfect for a light lunch

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  16. Vlada Belyayeva
    01.07.2023

    5 stars
    Love the salad it is soo good! I definitely recommend this very yummy ❤️

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      So glad you loved it!

  17. janet
    12.10.2022

    Looks fabulous! With all the holiday gatherings and cookie overload, I find myself craving vegetables and healthy food. This will be on the lunch menu for the week

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.16.2022

      Hi Janet, I hope you love it!

  18. Cemre
    12.09.2022

    nice practical salad i will try it

  19. kavya
    12.09.2022

    5 stars
    wow, such a great recipe..?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.09.2022

      So glad you loved it!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.