This vegan caesar dressing recipe is creamy, tangy, and super quick to make. It’s nut-free, oil-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and you don’t even need to use a blender.
I have always loved a good caesar salad. To create the perfect vegan caesar salad dressing, I wanted the same balance of creamy, tang, and umami that a traditional caesar dressing has. And, if I can toot my own horn for a second, this hits the spot. My omnivore friend told me “I think this is better than regular caesar dressing!” But, she might be biased. Here are some of the ingredients that make it just as delicious as the original:
Tahini: makes for a super creamy and delicious base.
Capers: for that briny hit that you would get from anchovies in the original recipe.
Nutritional yeast: adds a cheesy, umami flavour that replaces the parmesan cheese.
Choose the right tahini!
If you’ve eaten tahini before and thought, “well, this is gross and bitter” I’m here to tell you that you had the wrong tahini. You want a tahini that’s super smooth, basically fluid (pourable at room temp), nutty and not bitter. I buy my tahini from a Persian grocery store because all the brands I’ve tried from them are inexpensive and delicious. However, if you don’t have a local Persian/middle eastern grocery store to explore, I’ve heard good things about Soom tahini (a family business run by women, which is rad) or check out this tahini guide from Minimalist Baker for other common brands in the US.

Tahini Caesar Salad Dressing
This vegan tahini caesar dressing is a croud pleaser. It's creamy, tangy, and super quick + easy to make!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1-2 cloves garlic (made into paste - see note)
- 1 lemon, juiced (~2-3 tbsp)
- 1 tablespoon capers (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon caper brine
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast*
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce** (or tamari)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste (I use ~¼ tsp)
- Water, as needed
Instructions
-
Add all the ingredients except water to a bowl and mix well.
-
Slowly mix in water until you reach your desired consistency. (I usually use ¼ cup of water). Taste your dressing and adjust salt/acidity/etc. to your liking.
-
Use immediately or store in the fridge for 3-5 days. Make note, the mixture will likely thicken in the fridge.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Garlic paste: you can super finely mince garlic for this recipe, but I prefer to use a garlic paste because it incorporates so well into the dressing and doesn't leave overpowering chunks of garlic. Make it with a knife, or use a microplane for a similar result.
**If you are not familiar with nutritional yeast, it is a plant-based ingredient that adds a cheesy/umami flavour. It is NOT the same yeast that you use in bread. Check it out here.
**Not all worcestershire sauce is vegan. I use this one. You can also sub tamari or soy sauce in this recipe if you don't have access to vegan worcestershire sauce.
I don’t know if I could ever get sick of this recipe. We eat this almost every week with some buffalo tofu on top and it’s freaking delicious. Other delicious toppings are croutons, vegan parm (I like Gusta Foods Italiano cheese if you’re in Canada or Violife if you’re USA and maybe other international locations?), white beans, or chickpeas. If you have any other delicious toppings, let me know in the comments. If you make this caesar dressing, tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see!!
Do you want more tasty salad dressing recipes? try this avocado basil dressing recipe!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Homemade dressings are always the best, but raw egg in my dressing always freaked me out a little. This vegan version looks just perfect!
Plantily
I totally agree! Raw eggs always freaked me out too.
Vanessa | Maple + Mango
I love tahini based dressings. This one sounds super delicious!
Plantily
They're so creamy and delicious!
Leanne
I'm a huge fan of tahini based dressings and use it to make a vegan caesar dressing too! This one looks so good. Love the ingredients you included for maximum caesar flavour!
Plantily
Thanks! Yes, it makes such an awesome + creamy base 🙂
Trish
I had no idea about different kinds of tahini. I’m just happy to find some at my local stores. But, in would totally agree that sometimes I don’t like it as much. Now I know it could be the brand! I’m making this dressing right away. Looks so good