creamy tahini caesar dressing made with white beans (vegan)
This creamy tahini Caesar dressing is everything you want in a Caesar dressing AND MORE! Caesar salad is incredibly popular for a reason…It’s light, refreshing, and very flavorful. But, as delicious as Caesar dressing is, its also super high in calories and not overly rich in nutrients…especially when it’s made with mayo instead of egg yolks. This incredibly flavorful, nutrient rich vegan Tahini Caesar dressing is the answer to that problem.
Creamy Tahini Caesar Dressing is made with tahini, water, white beans, capers, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest, black salt, black pepper, nori flakes, and fresh garlic.
This recipe is incredibly easy to make, simply pop everything in a blender and it will be prepped and ready in under 2 minutes! And best of all this recipe is super clean and super healthy! Creamy tahini dressing is a great source of protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
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Why you will love this Tahini Caesar dressing
- EASY TO MAKE – This recipe is sooooooo easy to make. Simply combine everything in a blender and blend. That’s it folks! Healthy vegan tahini dressing in a flash!
- 2 MINUTE RECIPE – Not only is this recipe a one blender situation. It only takes two minutes to make!
- LOADED WITH FLAVOR – I will boldly say…this vegan Tahini caesar dressing has WAY MORE FLAVOR than most traditional Caesar dressings I have ever had (there are a few exceptions that I would consider its equal). Thanks to the combination of seasoning, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice…this healthy caesar dressing is LOADED with flavor.
- NUTRIENT RICH AND HEALTHY – Although traditional Caesar is made with egg yolks, Caesar dressing is often made with mayo…which isn’t doing your body any favors. This plant-based tahini Caesar dressing is sooo healthy! Made with tahini and white beans instead of mayo, makes this dressing rich in protein, fiber, and other nutrients. Plus the addition of lemon and nutritional yeast makes this dressing incredibly nutrient dense and healthy!
Ingredients needed to make Tahini Caesar dressing
- TAHINI – Tahini is pureed toasted sesame seeds. It is thick in consistency, similar to a nut butter, making this a perfect ingredient to create a super creamy, vegan, caesar dressing. You can find Tahini in the nut butter section or the International section of the grocery store.
- WHITE BEANS – Use cooked white beans for this recipe. I personally used canned cannellini beans.
- WATER
- LEMON JUICE
- LEMON ZEST – Lemon zest is the grated skin of a lemon. If you don’t have a grater, just slice of a super thin piece of the skin of the lemon.
- NORI FLAKES – Nori flakes are seaweed flakes. They help develop a nice, fishy flavor that replaces the sardines that are traditionally found in Caesar dressing. You can usually find them in the International section of the grocery store and always online.
- NUTRITIONAL YEAST – Nutritional yeast, also known as nooch, is basically nature’s vegan cheese powder! Nutritional yeast is yeast made from living saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, which is the same yeast used to make bread. Nutritional yeast is a powdery, with large flakes and has a mustard-like color. Nutritional yeast has a unique, cheese-like flavor that can be described as savory and slightly nutty. This delicious, flavor boosting ingredient is very popular in vegan and dairy free cheese recipes and is often the key ingredient to create a dairy free, cheese-like flavor. You can find nutritional yeast in the seasoning or vegan section of most grocery stores. It’s always at Whole Foods and online as well.
- CAPERS – Capers help develop the fishy, salty flavor that is traditionally found in Caesar salad
- DIJON MUSTARD – can substitute any mustard
- BLACK PEPPER – Fresh ground black pepper is the best option because it has more flavor.
- BLACK SALT – Black salt is also known as Kala Namak. It is a volcanic rock salt produced in the Himalayan region. Black salt is an amazing addition to your spice cabinet. With its pungent, egg-like flavor it is a significant player in making this vegan tahini Caesar dressing taste more like egg that is traditionally found in Caesar dressing.
- GARLIC – Fresh garlic is best! But you can substitute garlic powder if needed.
How to make vegan tahini caesar dressing
This Tahini Caesar Dressing only takes 2 minutes to make!
Simply combine 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/2 cup cooked white beans, 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, zest from half a lemon, 1 tsp nori flakes, 2 tsp capers, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp black salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 clove of fresh garlic, and 1 tbsp of Nutritional yeast in a blender. Mix on high for 30 seconds to one minute, or until the dressing is creamy and smooth. AND DONE!
Tips for making creamy vegan caesar dressing with white beans and tahini
- USE SOFT BEANS – You want to make sure your cooked white beans are super soft. I recommend using canned beans to make things simple. But if you use beans that you cooked from scratch, make sure they are soft so they blend into a smoother consistency.
- TASTE TEST – Always taste test your dressings and adjust as needed. When you are using natural ingredients, like lemon juice and lemon zest, the flavor of each lemon will vary. So always taste test and add more of an ingredient if needed.
- MAKE IN LARGE BATCHES – This vegan tahini caesar dressing recipe is perfect for meal prep! Prep a big batch of this baby at the beginning of the week and enjoy all week long! This recipe makes about 1 cup of vegan dressing.
Questions Answered
- How much dressing does this recipe make – This tahini Caesar dressing makes about 3/4 cup of dressing.
- What can I substitute for tahini or beans – If you need to skip the tahini or beans, you can also make a super creamy caesar dressing with vegan yogurt, silken tofu, or raw cashews.
- What do you use to replace the anchovies found in traditional Caesar dressing – To replace the fishy flavor of traditional Caesar, you will be using nori flakes and capers. The combination of these two ingredients create a plant-based fishy, salty flavor!
- What do you use to replace the eggy flavor found in traditional Caesar dressing – Traditional Caesar dressing is made with egg yolk. To replace that eggy flavor with vegan ingredients, you will use black salt. Black salt is a salt that has a sulfury flavor similar to eggs.
- What do you use to replace the cheesy flavor found in traditional Caesar dressing – A lot of Caesar dressing has Parmesan cheese mixed in. To replace that cheesy flavor you will use nutritional yeast.
What to serve with Plant-Based Tahini Caesar dressing
This vegan Tahini Caesar dressing is the perfect dressing for any salad of course! You can make a traditional Caesar salad with this dressing. You can also make a grilled Caesar salad, Caesar pita pizza, or a Kale Caesar salad…stay tuned for those recipes coming soon! This high protein Tahini Caesar dressing also makes the perfect dip for a veggie platter.
creamy tahini caesar dressing made with white beans (vegan)
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup white beans I used canned cannellini beans
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- zest from half a lemon
- 1 tsp nori flakes
- 2 tsp capers
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp black salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Simply combine 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/2 cup cooked white beans, 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, zest from one lemon, 1 tsp nori flakes, 2 tsp capers, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp black salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 clove of fresh garlic, and 1 tbsp of Nutritional yeast in a blender.
- Mix on high for 30 seconds to one minute, or until the dressing is creamy and smooth.
- AND DONE!
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