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    Home » Salads

    Vegan chef salad with seitan & avocado

    Updated: May 10, 2025 · Published: Sep 14, 2021 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 4 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Text overlay: cadryskitchen.com, vegan chef salad with non-dairy ranch. Salads on table with dressing.

    A vegan chef salad is lined in uniform rows of seitan chicken, tomato, cucumber, non-dairy cheddar, and avocado. Finish it with a generous drizzling of vegan ranch dressing.

    It’s a satisfying lunch that comes together in a flash.

    Vegan chef salad with rows of cucumbers, tomatoes, non-dairy cheese, and avocado on table.

    Lately I can’t get enough of vegan chef salads at lunch.

    I grew up eating chef salads served in bread bowls, while slid into a booth at all night diners.

    Eating a veganized version as an adult really scratches that nostalgia itch.

    The salad is ready in only minutes. And it’s easy to tweak depending on what’s in the refrigerator.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • What’s in a chef salad?
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • What kind of dressing should I use?
    • Make it your own
    • Serving ideas
    • 📖 Recipe

    What’s in a chef salad?

    A chef salad is a full meal in a bowl. It’s popular at all-American diners and casual restaurants, especially for lunch.

    While it can be a side dish, it’s generally served as a main course.

    It has a lot of filling ingredients that make it substantive enough to stand on its own.

    A non-vegan chef salad usually includes a variety of lunch meats, boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers on a bed of lettuce.

    The ingredients are typically served in distinct rows on top of the greens.

    Dressings vary for chef salads, but ranch is a popular choice.

    Even though a chef salad is usually not vegan, it’s easy to veganize with a few simple adjustments.

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “Made this for dinner and loved it! The kala namak on avocado trick is really genius. Thanks!” – Lucy

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

    Labeled ingredients for vegan chef salad.

    Romaine lettuce: Romaine is a mild, light, and crisp green that really lets the toppings and dressing shine.

    Tomatoes: Wedges of ripe tomato add a bit of sweetness & juiciness. Plus, when they are cut in larger pieces, they don’t make the salad as wet as when they are chopped.

    Avocado: Sliced avocado takes the place of boiled eggs here. Plus its fatty deliciousness is welcome in a salad any day of the week.

    To up its egginess, sprinkle it with kala namak. (Or add a dash of Everything But the Bagel seasoning. It’s not eggy, but it is delicious!)

    Non-dairy cheese: I especially like a cheddar-style cheese in this salad. It tastes super classic that way.

    I used Trader Joe’s cheddar slices made with cashews. (It’s a favorite vegan TJ’s product!)

    Use any sliced non-dairy cheese you like, or cube a cheddar block like Daiya home-style.

    Seitan chicken: Homemade seitan chicken is packed with protein and super satiating. It includes spices like oregano, basil, and paprika.

    With a toothsome bite and savory flavor, it gives this salad oomph and staying power.

    (If you don’t have homemade seitan, chopped up vegan deli slices, like Tofurky, are terrific here.)

    Cucumbers: Crisp cucumbers add freshness and crunch. I use Persian cucumbers, but feel free to use any type you like.

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Chopped lettuce, seitan, tomatoes, cucumbers, non-dairy cheese, and vegan ranch dressing on table.

    Fill a serving bowl with chopped romaine.

    Then add distinct rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, seitan, and non-dairy cheese.

    Halve, pit, and slice an avocado. Scoop the slices onto the plate & fan them a little for flare.

    Serve with dressing on the side, so that people can drizzle it on top of their individual salads.

    Then finish with a sprinkling of black pepper.

    What kind of dressing should I use?

    Vegna ranch dressing being poured onto chef salad.

    I especially like vegan ranch dressing for chef salads, because it feels so classic & old school.

    Ranch is creamy & garlicky. And it stands up to the other hearty ingredients. However, you can use any dressing that you like.

    Here are some other good options:

    • Creamy onion & garlic salad dressing
    • Creamy cashew dressing
    • Vegan blue cheese dressing
    • Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
    • Lemon tahini dressing

    Make it your own

    Non-dairy ranch poured over vegan chef salad in bowl.

    Depending on your taste preferences and what’s in your refrigerator, it’s easy to make adjustments.

    • Replace romaine with leafy green lettuce, spring greens, or iceberg
    • Instead of chicken seitan, use your favorite vegan deli meat(s) like hickory Tofurky or vegan chick’n strips
    • For a gluten free option, use roasted chickpeas instead of seitan
    • Instead of non-dairy cheddar, use any hard store-bought vegan cheese or vegan feta
    • Instead of avocado as the boiled egg replacement, try eggy tofu or vegan egg salad
    • Add more vegetables like sugar snap peas, shredded cabbage, carrots, celery, or cauliflower
    • Add a row of homemade croutons for extra crunch

    Serving ideas

    Vegan chef salads on table with slices of bread and container of non-dairy ranch dressing.

    A vegan chef salad is filling enough to be a full meal on its own, or it’s a flavorful side dish.

    Serve it with:

    • Crusty bread
    • Smoky corn chowder
    • Creamy tomato soup
    • Baked potato soup
    • Grilled vegetable skewers
    • Air fryer asparagus
    • Air fryer baked potato, baked fries, or lemony potatoes
    Vegan chef salad with rows of toppings on table alongside ranch dressing and bread.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, seitan, cucumber, and non-dairy cheese on vegan chef salad.

    Vegan chef salad with seitan & avocado

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 3 votes
    A chef salad is a full meal in one bowl. There's protein-dense chicken seitan, non-dairy cheddar, tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado on a bed of romaine lettuce. Finish it with a generous drizzle of vegan ranch dressing & dash of pepper. Great for lunch or dinner!
    Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side dish.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: easy lunch idea, packed lunch

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
    • 1 medium tomato sliced in wedges
    • ½ cup sliced cucumber
    • 2 slices vegan cheese cheddar, diced
    • ½ cup chopped seitan chicken
    • 1 avocado sliced
    • ½ cup vegan ranch dressing
    • Dash of pepper

    Instructions

    • Fill a bowl with chopped romaine lettuce. Top the lettuce with distinct rows of tomato wedges, cucumber slices, diced vegan cheddar cheese, and chopped seitan chicken. Finally, top it with sliced avocado.
    • Serve the salad alongside vegan ranch dressing and pepper, so that people can top their own salads. Then finish them with a dash of pepper.

    Notes

    Chef salads are typically made with hard boiled eggs, not avocado. If you’d like your avocado to have some eggy flavor, sprinkle it with kala namak. It’s amazing how much it tastes like you’ve added egg to this vegan dish.
    For the cheese, use your favorite vegan cheddar slices. Or dice a vegan cheddar block like Daiya home-style. (Two slices are about 1.5 ounces.)
    I recommend making your own seitan chicken and vegan ranch dressing. However, you can easily swap them out if you’re short on time. Replace homemade seitan with store-bought chicken seitan or sliced vegan deli meats like Tofurky. Replace homemade dressing with store-bought like Follow Your Heart ranch.
    The salad will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator, and the dressing will last for about a week.
    The salad keeps best when it hasn’t been tossed with the salad dressing. (Romaine leaves are light & tend to get easily waterlogged with dressing over time.) So for best results, store the salad separately from the dressing in covered containers in the refrigerator.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 481mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Lucy

      September 25, 2021 at 5:37 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner and loved it! The kala namak on avocado trick is really genius. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        September 27, 2021 at 12:12 pm

        Kala namak is magic! I’m delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, Lucy. Thanks for the great feedback!

        Reply
    2. Shell

      September 17, 2021 at 11:30 am

      5 stars
      This is a fast, filling, nutritious lunch! This recipe reminded me of how much I love romaine lettuce. Great idea for a weekday lunch when you don’t have much time.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        September 18, 2021 at 8:38 am

        Thanks, Shell! So glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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