this shaved zucchini caesar salad is the perfect summer rendition of this popular salad. thin pieces of zucchini are coated in a delicious vegan caesar dressing with homemade croutons, white beans, and lots of vegan parmesan!

the inspiration

Of course we all know zucchini are the ultimate summer veggie and I love shaved zucchini ribbons. They are easy to make, light, and make a great substitute for lettuce in a salad. I thought it would be really fun to make a vegan Caesar salad with zucchini ribbons instead of typical romaine.

I have a 2 vegan Caesar salad dressings on the blog already: a tahini based one and a tofu based one. For this recipe I opted to use my tahini one as I do prefer it a bit more over the tofu one, but both are great!

To up the protein and fiber a bit I added in the cannellini beans and the homemade croutons make it even better!

ingredients for Shaved Zucchini Caesar Salad (Vegan)

the ingredients

Zucchini: of course for a shaved zucchini salad we need zucchini! Summer is the best time of year for amazing zucchini. I even find if you get a really great one it can be slightly sweet.
Tahini: this is the base of the Caesar dressing. Tahini is sesame seed paste. On its own is a bit nutty but once you mix it with the rest of the ingredients it makes a beautiful creamy base.
Lemon: this will add some tang and acidity to the dressing. You can also use apple cider vinegar in its place.
Vegan Parmesan: I am using the Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan. There are many out there you can use. We will use this in the vegan Caesar dressing and on top of the shaved zucchini Caesar salad. You can also use nutritional yeast. If you aren’t nut free or allergic to almonds you can also use my homemade vegan parmesan recipe.
Cannellini Beans: they add another nice element to the dish adding in some fiber and protein.
Olive Oil: this will be used to help create the croutons. If you are oil free you can omit.
Seasonings: we will need a few seasonings for the croutons and the Caesar dressing. We will use garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Bread Cubes: finally, we need some bread cut into cubes to make the homemade croutons. It is best if the bread is a few days old.

zucchini ribbons for Shaved Zucchini Caesar Salad (Vegan)

making zucchini ribbons

To make zucchini ribbons or shaved zucchini is so easy. You will want a Y vegetable peeler. This helps to make nice long zucchini ribbons.

Cut the ends off of the zucchini. Then, take the vegetable peeler and make your first peel. I do not like to use the ones that are all skin but you can if you like. Now, just start to make long zucchini ribbons until you get to the middle where the seeds are.

Then, I rotate the zucchini and repeat the process on the other sides. When you are in the middle where all the seeds are stop. You can save the rest of the zucchini for soup, salads, smoothies, stir fries, or anything else you want.

homemade croutons

I think homemade croutons are one of those elements that makes a dish even better with minimal effort. You can either air fry them or make them in the oven. If it is really hot, air fry them so you don’t heat up your whole house.

Cut some old bread into cubes. Then, drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle the seasonings on as well. I like to use salt, garlic powder, and paprika.

You will then just cook them in the oven or air fryer until golden brown and crispy.

dressing being poured over Shaved Zucchini Caesar Salad (Vegan)

homemade vegan caesar dressing

The vegan Caesar dressing is so easy to make. All you have to do is blend the ingredients for the dressing until creamy and smooth.

Tahini makes an incredible base for our vegan Caesar dressing. When blended up with water, the lemon juice, seasonings, and vegan parmesan it is so delicious.

Always be sure to taste it and adjust the flavors to your preferences.

assembling the shaved zucchini caesar salad

Once all the elements of the dish are done: croutons, dressing, and zucchini ribbons it is time to assemble the salad.

I love how beautiful this salad is because of the zucchini ribbon. They truly make everything look so fancy. I also find it nice if you have a big plate to serve it on and it can definitely be a show stopper!

Start by adding some of the zucchini ribbons to the plate. Then, I like to scatter some of the beans and croutons. Creating layers I will add more zucchini ribbons, cannellini beans, and croutons. Finally, on the top I like to carefully place and roll up the zucchini ribbons so they look pretty.

We will drizzle the dressing all over the whole salad and top with lots of vegan parmesan and black pepper.

forkful of Shaved Zucchini Caesar Salad (Vegan)

how to enjoy this shaved zucchini caesar salad

My favorite way that I enjoyed eating this salad was with crispy air fried fava bean tofu with buffalo sauce. However, there are so many ways to enjoy this.

I do like adding some tofu or another protein source. Even though this recipe has some protein it isn’t the most protein packed recipe.

This will be beautiful on a summer table with a refreshing drink, maybe something like this cucumber mint lime refresher. I also think it would be great as a side dish for something like my vegan burger recipe or vegan hot dogs. However, because this salad is so jam-packed you can definitely enjoy it as a main.

shaved zucchini caesar salad faq

Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
Is this recipe soy free? Yes.
Is this recipe gluten free? As long as you use gluten free bread for the croutons.
How long does this last in the fridge? This recipe really doesn’t last more than 2 days in the fridge as leftovers. Everything becomes soft especially the croutons.
How can I prepare this ahead of time? If you wanted to make this several hours before serving you can make the croutons, dressing, and zucchini ribbons. Store the dressing and the zucchini ribbons in separate containers in the fridge. Keep the croutons stored in their own container on the counter. Then, assemble the salad right before serving.

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