This Mexican Caesar Salad will become a summer salad go-to. A creamy and tangy lime vegan caesar salad dressing coats crunchy romaine, sweet tomatoes, and crunchy tortilla strips and pepitas. Add some crumbled cotija cheese or pepperjack if you’d like, but this vegan caesar has plenty of flavor without it!
Contents
A Summery Twist with a Mexican Caesar Dressing
Caesar salad is one of those things that everyone seems to love. I have been wanting to make one with a vegan dressing for a long time — but today when I looked at my giant Costco-sized pack of crunchy romaine lettuce, all I could think about was putting a Mexican twist on it!
You certainly could save time by using your favorite caesar dressing (if choosing a non-vegan option), but I would recommend adding a few squeezes of lime juice and a pinch of cumin to it.
If you love vegan Mexican recipes, try making Chipotle Sofritas at home!
The limey vegan caesar dressing version I made for this salad is super simple to make — just plan ahead and soak some cashews overnight! If you have a high speed blender, you can get away with just soaking them in boiling hot water for an hour.
You’ll be shocked how similar this cashew caesar dressing is to the real deal! I’ve kept in the flavor essentials – garlic and dijon — but taken it up a notch with LOTS of tangy lime juice, a pinch of cumin, and a tiny bit of heat from some Cholula hot sauce. The anchovies stay out, but the saltiness is replaced by briney capers.
What Makes this a Mexican Caesar Salad?
While definitely an American invention, this salad is bursting with Mexican flavors, like cilantro, lime, and fresh juicy tomatoes. The toasted and salty pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and baked tortilla strips replace the typical croutons and give this salad irresistible crunch! The toasted pepitas and tortillas strips are essentails – but you can save time by using your favorite tortilla chip.
Cover these ingredients in a creamy, tangy, briny dressing, and you’ve got a fun Mexican twist to everyone’s favorite salad.
I kept this Mexican Caesar salad on the simple side, – but you can add more veggies to give this a more chopped caesar salad feel. Chopped bell peppers or sliced olives would both be great additions.
How to Serve this Vegan Caesar Salad
This summery salad gets protein both from the cashews in the dressing and the pepitas on top. Because of the healthy fats, a large bowl of this salad makes a very satisfying light meal.
This salad can also be served with:
- On the side of a Pumpkin Seed Veggie Burger.
- With grilled chicken or salmon,
- Meal prep this salad by packing the salad and dressing separately. I like to keep the pepitas and tortilla strips off to the side as well until just before serving. Add a hard boiled egg for the perfect vegetarian meal prep lunch.
Tips for Making this your Own Caesar Salad
- Make it Vegan:Â To keep this salad vegan, use the dressing recipe provided rather than a store bought version.
- Make it Paleo/Whole30:Â This can easily be a Whole30 Caesar Salad just be omitting the tortilla strips. Add extra pepitas to add extra crunch! Be sure to check dijon mustard for added sugars.
Other Healthy Salad Recipes:
- Watermelon Balsamic Chicken Salad, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Kale Blueberry Quinoa Salad, by Sunkissed Kitchen
I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration.
Mexican Salad with Creamy Cumin Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Mexican Caesar Salad
- 2 heads romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large avocado
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup pepitas toasted
- 5 corn tortillas cut into strips
- olive oil for spraying
- sea salt to taste
Cumin Lime Dressing
- 1/3 cup cashew butter
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon capers with brine
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Slice the corn tortillas in half and then in 1/4 inch wide strips. Add the tortilla strips to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a little sea salt, and toss to coat.
- Bake the tortilla strips for 15 minutes. Flip the tortilla strips over, and then continue to bake for about 5 minutes. Turn the oven off but leave the baking sheet in the oven so the tortillas crisp up. Remove from the oven when they are cooled.
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender.
- Process until smooth and creamy. Add extra salt or cumin to adjust the seasonings to taste.
- Add the romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Toss to coat. I use about half of the dressing on the lettuce and then serve the additional dressing on the side for people to use as desired.
- Add the tomatoes, avocado slices and cilantro to the salad and mix in. Top with more tomatoes and avocado, plus the crispy tortilla strips and pepitas. Serve immediately. See notes for prepping the salad ahead of time.
Notes
How to Store or Meal Prep a Mexican Salad
This salad is best made fresh and served right away. Romaine lettuce will get soggy once it has dressing on it within a couple hours. However, the salad can be prepped by:- Blending together the salad dressing and refrigerating in a jar until ready to serve the salad.
- Prep the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro. Place the fresh salad ingredients in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (I prefer slicing the avocado right when serving the salad).
- Make the crispy tortilla strips and store at room temperature in an airtight container.
- When ready to serve the salad, toss the vegetables with the dressing, and top with the tortilla strips and pepitas.
The best summer salad