A vegan caesar salad dressing..from sunflower seeds?! If you’re surprised, you’re not alone: few know the many wonders of sunflower seeds. They’re much more than a mere garnish, and this dish’ll prove it. Coat some leaves of your favorite fresh lettuce in a zippy sunflower seed vegan caesar salad dressing, sprinkle some sunflower seed parm atop that, and finish with some toasted sunflower seeds and chickpeas. And there you go – an easy-to-make and unbelievably tasty caesar salad that you’ll be in love with ever after, I assure you.
“We’re all golden sunflowers inside.”
– Allen Ginsberg
Sunflower Seeds 101: What You Need To Know
- Buy raw sunflower seeds (preferably in bulk – it’s cheaper) for this vegan caesar salad dressing recipe.
Raw sunflower seeds have a much less bitter flavor, and they tend not to have any added salts or flavorings, and so will make a better caesar dressing, in my opinion. Plus, you can always toast them in a pan later if you want, but you can’t un-toast a toasted sunflower seed (I want that on written my tombstone).
- No need to soak sunflower seeds before blending.
Unlike raw cashews, which sometimes need to be soaked in hot water before they can be blended into a creamy sauce, raw sunflower seeds can easily become an unctuously smooth vegan caesar salad dressing without any prior soak time. So ditch the pre-soak; it’s not necessary for this recipe.
“Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”
– Joe Hill
Meal Prepers, Rejoice!
You can make both the vegan caesar salad dressing and sunflower parm beforehand.
This is one of those super convenient aspects of this salad that makes it truly special. Everything can be made ahead of time (the dressing, the parm, preparing the lettuce, toasting the chickpeas). Simply store it all in the fridge until you’re ready to combine it into the glorious salad that is this caesar.
For this reason, this recipe is an exceptional option for the meal prepers out there who want a relatively healthy pre-made lunch for the week ahead.
“Never look directly at the sun. Instead, look at the sunflower.”
– Vera Nazarian
Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing: Recipe Video
Of course, here’s that recipe video for all the visual learners out there.
“The sunflower is mine, in a way.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
Toasting Chickpeas: A Quick & Protein-Packed Garnish
To give this dish another punch of creaminess, color and that all-mighty protein, I also toasted some chickpeas in a skillet. Toasting canned chickpeas is one of my favorite ways to add more life to a salad, and it’s something I do often because it is so quick and so delicious.
Here’s how to do it for this vegan caesar salad, if you’re unfamiliar.
1. Drain and rinse 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) thoroughly. This helps to eliminate any of that aluminum-y (can-like) flavor from them, and also helps to mitigate the post-meal..ahem, ahem..flatulence. There I said it.
2. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, drop in the drained and rinsed chickpeas, add a little salt and pepper, and dried herb (dried thyme in this instance), and toast for about 3 – 5 minutes. Test one – you’ll know it’s done when they’re soft and velvety-kind-of-creamy.
“The road to freedom is bordered with sunflowers.”
– Martin Firrell
Looking for Another Vegan Salad?
Beet Green Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
Chickpea & Artichoke Niçoise Salad
Roasted Cauliflower & Tahini Salad
“Like wildflowers you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.”
– Lorde
If you enjoyed this vegan caesar salad dressing made from sunflower seeds, consider leaving me a comment and recipe rating (clicking on the stars) before you go – it helps me immensely!
Sunflower Seed Caesar Salad
Equipment
- Blender
- Food Processor
Ingredients
For the Sunflower Seed Caesar Dressing
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, raw
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup water, plus more for a thinner dressing
For the Sunflower Seed Parmesan
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, raw
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
For the Caesar Salad & Garnishes
- Several cups fresh romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Some toasted sunflower seeds
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Dash of salt and ground black pepper
- Dash of dried thyme
Instructions
- Begin by combining all the sunflower seed caesar dressing ingredients in a blender, and blend until very smooth. Add a little more water if you'd like a thinner dressing. Set this aside or store in the fridge in an air-tight container until you're ready to use it.
- Next, in a food processor, combine together the sunflower seed parmesan until it's a nice fine crumble. Set this aside or store in the fridge in an air-tight container until you're ready to use it.
- Lastly, prepare the romaine lettuce. Then, lightly toast some whole raw sunflower seeds in a skillet over medium heat, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. And after that, toast a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas in the same skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil, a little salt, pepper and dried thyme for about 3 – 5 minutes, until creamy.
- Assemble the salad by tossing the romaine lettuce with the caesar salad dressing in a separate bowl. Then, serve it topped with sunflower parm, toasted sunflower seeds and chickpeas, as well as whatever other fresh veg you'd like.
Video
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
This dressing was really tasty! Awesome salad! I used the leftover dressing for a Caesar potato salad topped with croutons and tvp bacon bits. Also used some to drizzle on top of a veg pizza…yum!
Thanks, Christine! Glad you enjoyed :^)