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You’re going to want to put this garlicky creamy cashew salad dressing on everything. It stands up to massaged kale. It’s great on romaine with croutons.
Keep a batch in the refrigerator at all times, and watch as your salad intake increases. Vegan & gluten-free.
Outside of work and travel emergencies where there are no other options, David and I rarely order salads in non-vegan restaurants.
It’s not because we don’t like fresh, delicious greens. At home, we have salads multiple times a week.
However, the thing that’s missing with most restaurant salads is a “main event.”
I think the reason for this is that most non-vegan restaurants think of the animal products as the main event. Restaurant salads are often covered in fried meats, shreds of dairy-based cheese, and smothered in ranch dressing.
If you’re vegan and you’ve ever been served an iceberg lettuce salad with a few shreds of carrot as your entire meal, you may have wanted to ask the chef, “Would you be full on this?”
Because while a lettuce salad with balsamic vinaigrette can do in a pinch, there are much more interesting, satisfying, and filling ways to get your greens in.
Here is how to create the perfect crave-worthy salad at home:
Variety
Each bite should include something different.
When I start on a salad, I look through the produce bins first to take stock of what I have. I usually start with a base of massaged kale, green leaf lettuce, romaine, or spinach.
Never massaged kale? It’s pretty self-explanatory.
You chop kale, throw it in a bowl, and knead it with your hands until it softens.
You’ll be amazed at how much it shrinks. For even softer kale, massage cashew salad dressing or avocado into the leaves.
Then I always include red bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, and tomatoes.
I go for cherry tomatoes during winter months since they retain their sweetness and aren’t mealy.
Depending on the season, other possibilities include broccoli, radishes, cabbage, watercress, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, and even berries like strawberries or blueberries on occasion.
Bold Flavors
I’ve heard that what makes an addictive restaurant appetizer is having a balance of sweet, salty, and fatty. When those things come together, it ticks all of the pleasure sensors in the brain.
When I’m making a salad, I like to do the same. Having elements with bold flavors keeps me digging in for more.
I especially like any or all of the following: sauerkraut (especially raw sauerkraut), olives, coconut bacon, dolmas, jarred artichoke hearts, and the marinated cashews from my artichoke crostini.
Texture
The best salads have a mixture of soft, crunchy, and creamy.
While vegetables themselves have some crunch, for even more I like nuts or seeds like peanuts, pistachios, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or homemade vegan croutons.
Something Hearty
When a salad is going to be a meal, I like to add at least one protein-heavy component that is hearty.
I often include baked tofu, roasted chickpeas, black beans, or marinated lentils.
When one of these components is involved, the salad really feels substantive, like a full dinner.
Something Fatty
Salads are typically thought of as a low calorie meal, which is fine, I guess, if someone is counting calories. But I’m not.
So I want to make sure that there are enough calories for it to be satiating and filling. I don’t want an hour to pass and then be hungry again.
Plus, some fat in a salad helps with absorption of certain nutrients. For extra calories and deliciousness, fat is where it’s at.
Obviously, avocado makes anything better.
That dreamy fruit was meant for salads (and jackfruit carnitas tacos, and vegan black bean burritos, and vegan tofu scramble, and nachos with cashew queso, and straight out of the peel with a spoon…)
The nuts, seeds, coconut bacon, olives, and tofu mentioned above also have some good fat in them.
And a rich cashew salad dressing adds fat, making every leaf more inviting.
Creamy cashew salad dressing
My favorite go-to salad dressing is creamy cashew salad dressing.
I have been making it for years now. The first time I posted the recipe was way back in 2011. Since then, the recipe has evolved a bit. And I’m sharing it below.
Nowadays when I’m making creamy cashew dressing, I don’t even bother measuring. It’s one of those things I just know by heart.
I pour all of the following into a blender:
- A couple big handfuls of raw cashews
- Enough water to cover them
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- A splash of low-sodium tamari
- A clove of garlic
- A small handful of cilantro
Since I have a high-speed blender, I don’t have to soak the cashews first, like I did when I originally posted the recipe. Then I adjust to taste.
If it needs more sour, add lemon. More salt or richness, add tamari. More creaminess, add cashews. More liquid, add water.
I’ve made it without garlic for people averse to it and without cilantro for people who think cilantro tastes soapy. Even without those two ingredients, it’s still delicious.
If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you have three options:
- Soak the cashews in water overnight and drain before following the recipe.
- Grind the dry, raw cashews first in a coffee grinder until they become a flour, and then put them in the blender.
- Cover the cashews in boiling water and let them soak 10-20 minutes before draining and using.)
The creamy cashew salad dressing has a wonderful mix of umami from the tamari, tanginess from the lemon, and hit of garlic.
I especially like it on kale salads, because it’s a full-bodied dressing that can stand up to the boldness of kale.
The velvety texture of the dressing is yet another reason why cashews are the magicians of nuts. Who would have guessed that cashews could make a dressing so creamy without any dairy at all?
While I have made a ton of different dressings over the years, this is the one I keep coming back to. It’s my all-time favorite.
See how to make the creamy cashew salad dressing in this video:
Creamy Cashew Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews*
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon tamari
- 1 heaping Tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small clove garlic
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Bianca says
YUM! I love giant homemade salads with lots of protein and texture. But you’re right: Restaurant salads are usually just sad. That cashew dressing sounds OMG-amazing.
Cadry says
It’s funny that what many would consider the obvious thing for vegans to order (“Just get the salad!”) is what I avoid. I’d so much rather go out for Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, etcetera, and have lots of varied and interesting options instead. But at home, salads are the best!
Jenny says
Yes, absolutely – missing the main event. I always say that a well done salad is probably my favorite food. I don’t know why it’s difficult for restaurants to come up with awesome vegan salads? Yours all look amazing.
Cadry says
You wouldn’t think it would be so impossible to find. So often I say to David, “I wish there was somewhere to go for a good salad.” It’s not a hard thing to make, obviously, but sometimes it’s nice to let someone else put it together. Thanks for the kind words, Jenny!
Susmitha - Veganosaurus says
Oooooh you sure know how to make salads more magical! 🙂
I love adding cilantro in my sauces and dressings too. Yum!
Cadry says
Thanks, Susmitha! Cilantro is my favorite herb. I’m glad it’s not soapy to me!
Andrea says
Thank you for an oil-free dressing! I see this as a staple in my fridge from now on.
Cadry says
That’s great, Andrea! I’m glad to hear it, and I hope you enjoy the dressing.
An Unrefined Vegan says
We are on the same wavelength when it comes to salads! Kel and I eat one nearly every night, so variety is key – and lots and lots of flavors. I love that you added cilantro to this dressing – definitely will be trying this!
Cadry says
That’s great, Ann! I hope you enjoy it!
Amey says
I love this post, Cadry. So many great salad ideas. Salad Samurai really advanced my salad sensibilities. I am actually a calorie counter, so that means a bit less avocado and fewer croutons, but I still love the combo of some crunchies and some proteins and all that fun stuff. <3
Cadry says
Thanks, Amey! I’m glad you liked it. I need to do some more exploration with Salad Samurai. I found a few recipes that I love, and I keep making them again and again. Now that warmer temperatures are here, it’s a good time to do it!
Susan says
I love making big, interesting salads. The creamy cashew dressing looks really good. I often end up mixing together some sort of vinegar and nooch over my salads because I am lazy like that (and I love nooch).
Avocado really does belong everywhere!
Cadry says
Yes, avocados improve everything they touch!
Caitlin says
i love your salad suggestions! those croutons look awesome.
Cadry says
Thanks, Caitlin! I love that crouton recipe. You wouldn’t think they could be that much better than store-bought croutons, but you can really taste the difference. So good!
cookeasyvegan says
You are so right about salads (and other dishes) in mainstream restaurants missing the ‘main event.’ I often wonder why restaurants can’t at least keep a few cans of chickpeas handy and learn to make a decent vegan dressing. You could teach them a thing or two! Your salad looks fabulous — no one would find it lacking the ‘satisfaction factor.’
Cadry says
Yes, even just a scoop of plain chickpeas would be an improvement. It’s always funny/sad too that most of the time when David orders a meager salad, it’s because he’s on a business trip and the restaurant was chosen for him. People see his meal and think that’s what vegans eat all the time, when actually that’s nothing like what he eats at home or in his regular life. The sad salad is a reflection of the restaurant’s creativity, not David’s lifestyle.
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
I second every single thing here! I know a lot of people think that vegans eat JUST salads, which is so not right. I kind of hate ordering them because it’s rarely something I can’t make at home, which just makes me mad. Like $9 for something I could make for $3, no thank you!
Cadry says
Absolutely! They remove all of the costly ingredients, but then still expect you to pay full price. I’d rather have a salad at home and feel satiated afterwards. However, I do miss being able to go out for a really great salad! That’s something that’s lacking where I live.
River says
This dressing sounds so perfect, Cadry! You’re right, a salad without a yummy dressing is just sad. It’s a sadad!
Cadry says
Thanks, River! Sadad for sure. 🙂
Nicole {VeganShowOff.com} says
Let me just tell you how awesome I think this dressing is!! It’s my new favorite by far! I’m one of those soapy cilantro people so the first time I made it I used dill instead, which was pretty good. The second time I made it I just omitted any herbs and it’s definitely my favorite this way! I’ve made a lot of cashew dressings but I’ve never thought to put tamari in it before! The lemon/tamari/cashew combo almost has a tahini-ish taste to me. Oh and today for lunch I had a vegan frozen flatbread pizza (American Flatbread Vegan Harvest, it was good), and I used this dressing as a dipping sauce for the pizza and it was amazing this way! I could eat it with a spoon (well I kinda did a few times when I was cleaning out the blender!). Thanks so much for sharing this easy recipe!
Cadry says
I’m so happy to hear that, Nicole!! Thank you for letting me know. <3
Laura Black says
I love your five essentials for a great salad…..I’m always looking for new and fresh ideas for utilizing extra produce. And the salad dressing looks amazing. I love making my own dressings; there’s nothing quite like homemade! 🙂 Thanks Cadry!
Cadry says
Thanks, Laura! I totally agree on the superior quality of homemade dressings. I haven’t bought dressing in years. Plus, it’s so easy to whip one up.
Dave says
Just following up that we all really loved the kale salad and cashew dressing, and expect to make it often.
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear that, Dave. Thanks for letting me know!
Becky Striepe says
This looks so good, Cadry! And I love the salad tips.
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky!
Barb says
Do you think I could use jarred cashew butter in place of the cashews with a similar result? Just wondering if you’ve ever done that and if so was it a one-to-one ratio or did you reduce the amount of cashew butter? Thanks.
Cadry says
That’s a great question, Barb! I’ve never done that, but it certainly seems like it would work. It definitely wouldn’t be a one-to-one swap since cashew butter is more condensed than whole cashews. It takes about 1 1/2 cups of cashews to make a cup of cashew butter. So I’d probably start with 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of cashew butter and adjust from there. Also, if your cashew butter is salted, you may want to reduce the tamari since it’s also salty. Let me know how it goes!