Herb Vinaigrette: Dairy-Free & Vegan Alternatives for Caesar Dressing

Vegetarian  ✻  VEGAN  ✻ Grain-Free  ✻  Gluten-Free  ✻  Dairy-free  ​✻  Paleo

The original version of this dressing comes from a recipe that my dear friend, Jennifer Rieger!  She makes the absolute best Caesar dressing.  Her dressing inspired these dairy-free and vegan versions. This vinaigrette is perfect for classic caesar salad with romaine (try the romaine grilled - yum!), coleslaw, as a dip for crunchy veggies, or on grilled chicken or fish for a weeknight meal. It holds well in the fridge for 3-4 days, so including this recipe in your weekly meal prep is a great way to add tons of flavor and even nutrition with not a lot of work. 

One of my favorite twists on this recipe is to add handfuls of other fresh garden herbs for variety and extra punch. Fresh herbs like thyme, cilantro, basil, and dill are all wonderful. Most herbs you have on hand will work!

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Some insights on nourishment:

One of the nutrient-dense superstars in this recipe is the nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is unique because it packs a serious plant-based protein punch, is loaded with B vitamins, and has a yummy cheesy flavor! Plant-based B12 can be challenging to get in, so having nutritional yeast on hand can become a staple pantry item.

1-2 Tbsp of nutritional yeast (serving size varies per brand), provides more than 100% Daily Value (DV) of B1 Thiamine, B2 Riboflavin, B3 Niacin, B6 Pyridoxine, B9 Folate, and B12 cobalamin + 5 g protein! All of this makes nutritional yeast really exciting (1). 


Number of servings: 8
Serving size: 3/4 - 1 oz

Dairy-Free Herb Vinaigrette/ Caesar Alternative (vegan option below)

Ingredients:

• 1 jar flat anchovies (1.5 oz jar)
• 1 large handful of parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• Juice of two lemons (about 1/2 cup) - you can also use bottled lemon juice when needed
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp mayo (one great brand to try is Chosen foods)
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast (brand ideas listed below)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil  

Directions:

1. Blend together the anchovies, parsley, garlic, and black pepper in a blender or food processor until coarse and broken down.

 

1. Next, add in the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, mayo, and nutritional yeast and continue blending.

 

1. While blending, slowly add in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Blend well, taste, and serve!

Note: The dressing should thicken nicely. Add salt to taste if needed but a friendly reminder to taste first as the anchovies, mayo, and nutritional yeast are salty. Extra black pepper at the table is always nice!

Vegan Herb Vinaigrette

Number of servings: 8
Serving size: 3/4 - 1 oz

Ingredients:

• 1 large handful of parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• Juice of two lemons (about 1/2 cup) - you can also use bottled lemon juice when needed
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp vegan mayo (one great brand to try is Sir Kensington’s Vegan Mayo)
• 1 1/4 Tbsp nutritional yeast (brand ideas listed below)
• 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil 

Directions:

1. Blend together the parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a blender or food processor until coarse and broken down.

 

1. Next, add in the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, mayo, and nutritional yeast and continue blending.

 

1. While blending, slowly add in 3/4 cup of olive oil. Blend well, taste, and serve!

Note: The dressing should thicken nicely. Add in extra salt to taste if needed but a friendly reminder to taste first as the initial salt, mayo, and nutritional yeast may be salty enough. Extra black pepper at the table is always nice!
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Resources:

1. Bragg Nutritional Yeast.

Trader Joe’s also offers Nutritional Yeast