Pin RecipeLet’s just say, this Caesar Salad was a high notch above the standard restaurant versions. And it certainly beat those supermarket Caesar Salad kits!
I had never made a Caesar Salad Dressing recipe from scratch that was anything all that special. There are an abundance of Caesar Salad Dressing recipes online, so it wasn’t that I couldn’t find a good one. The problem was I couldn’t find a clean one.
A classic Caesar Salad Dressing recipe, such as Julia Child’s version, calls for raw egg yolks, which I have always been afraid to use. I have nothing at all against eggs (although I only buy pasture-raised), but I just can’t help but worry about salmonella. However, you can’t just leave the egg yolks out, you need to replace them with something. Of course there are plenty of no-egg Caesar Salad Dressing recipes online too, but inevitably they replace the egg with store-bought mayonnaise.
Since I have yet to find a clean store-bought mayonnaise brand (I do have a Clean Cuisine Mayo recipe though!), I just nixed the idea of making a Caesar Salad Dressing recipe for years. But for years, I have wanted to find a delicious Caesar Salad dressing and this week I was determined to revisit how to make a clean Caesar Salad Dressing….
A Clean Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe—No Mayo/ No Egg / No Refined Oil
I decided to substitute the egg for superfood hemp seeds. And believe it or not, pureeing the hemp seeds delivered the rich, creamy texture I was going for and made the perfect substitute for eggs and mayo! You do need a high-speed blender (such as Luvele’s Vibe Blender) to puree the hemp seeds fully, but the recipe itself is incredibly easy. And it is seriously SO good.
Do You Wish You Could Get Your Child to Love Salad?
I realize the average kid is probably not going to be all that excited over my Caesar Salad Dressing recipe, much less the Romaine lettuce it is meant to dress. But I firmly believe a child’s food preferences can be shaped by their first bites and the foods they was raised to eat.
If you are struggling to get your child to eat vegetables, salads, fruits and other healthy foods, I highly recommend the book, First Bite: How We Learn to Eat (Basic Books, 2015). Author Bee Wilson, is an award-winning food writer who draws on the latest research from food psychologists, neuroscientists, and nutritionists to reveal how our food habits and food preferences are formed and…most importantly, how they can be changed.
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Ok, on with the recipe…
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Clean Caesar Salad Dressing
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 2–3 whole garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon organic, gluten free Worcestershire
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds (such as organic Nutiva brand)
- Unrefined sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (leave this out if you want it to be 100% vegan)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a and process until smooth and creamy. Note: Dressing will keep in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days if stored in a covered container.
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Perfect!
★★★★★
Are the hemp seeds shelled? Can I use hemp hearts instead?
Hi Maddy! Yes, you can definitely use Hemp Hearts. Please let me know how it turns out if you make it =)
Why is the worescher sauce needed? They soy ingredients are so not good for you. Can this be eliminated or substitute for something else?
Hi Karen, I’m so sorry I am just now getting back to you. I agree, Worcestershire sauce is not exactly a “superfood”, but an organic version is not the worst thing in the world either, especially considering you are only using a very small amount (which gives a LOT of flavor). Here are the ingredients in Annie’s organic brand I recommend: water, *Apple Cider Vinegar, *Molasses, *Soy Sauce (Water, *Soybean, Salt, *Wheat, *Alcohol), *Cane Sugar, *Tamarind, Sea Salt, *Cornstarch, Xanthan Gum, *Garlic, *Onion, *Clove, *Chili Pepper.
As for soy, there is a LOT of confusion over soy but as long as you are taking “whole” soy (and not soybean oil, soy protein isolate, soy isoflavones, etc) and as long as you do not have a food sensitivity/ allergy to soy then it is actually a very healthy and “clean” source of protein. Here’s a great article by Dr. Furhman explaining more: https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eat-to-live-blog/137/dont-fall-for-the-myths-about-soy
I hope this helps?
This is not vegan, as Worcestershire has fish in it. Do you have another one without Worcestershire sauce?
Hi Mel, Thanks so much for commenting, but the Worcestershire brand I recommend, Annie’s, actually is vegan. You can read the ingredients here: http://www.annies.com/products/condiments-sauces/organic-vegan-worcestershire-sauce
Delicious! I was pleasantly surprised how easy and good this was. Will not go back to store bought jars.
oh so good to know you like it so much Linh =) Thank you for taking the time to let me know!