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This Kale Caesar Salad is a hearty, healthy meal all on its own. Made with dark leafy kale, romaine lettuce, roasted sweet potatoes, and crispy chickpeas. Topped with an amazing creamy Caesar dressing that is packed with flavor. Gluten-free and vegetarian.
Kale Caesar Salad is a wonderful hearty salad recipe that is a crowd-pleaser for sure! Every time I make this salad my family goes crazy for it! They pretty much love any salad I make like Mediterranean Chickpea Salad or this Chickpea Chicken Salad.
A salad of any type is great since you can easily pack lots of veggies and protein in one big bowl. What I love about a healthy Caesar salad is the fact that it is just so creamy and crunchy at the same time. This Caesar salad recipe has crispy roasted chickpeas and roasted sweet potatoes that add a great amount of crunch plus flavor.
Why you’ll love this Kale Caesar salad recipe
- Filling, hearty and nutritious.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser and great for entertaining.
- Simple make-ahead meal and perfect for meal prep. I could eat this every day.
- Crisp kale and romaine are the perfect bed of greens in this salad.
- It’s vegetarian and packed with lots of plant-based protein.
What is Caesar salad?
A Caesar salad is traditionally a tossed salad with greens, like romaine lettuce mixed in with croutons, parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing. This chickpea caesar salad recipe is made slightly healthier with the addition of hearty kale, crispy chickpeas in place of the croutons, and a low-calorie Caesar Salad Dressing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Kale + romaine lettuce – this combo works great but you could also use all kale in this recipe. Any type of kale or sturdy green will work.
- Sweet potatoes – perfectly roasted sweet potatoes that add great flavor to this recipe. You could also use croutons.
- Crispy chickpeas – you could use store-bought, but homemade roasted chickpeas are much better and add amazing crunch and protein to this salad recipe.
- Avocado – chunks of fresh avocado give the salad great taste, texture, and added nutrients.
- Walnuts – for extra crunch. You could also use almonds, cashews, or pistachios
- Caesar dressing – you can use homemade Caesar dressing or store-bought.
- Grated parmesan cheese – for that salty flavor that we all love in a Caesar salad.
How to make a kale Caesar salad
- Roast the sweet potatoes. Chop up the sweet potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat, and roast at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. Or use these air fryer sweet potato cubes.
- Add the chickpeas. After 20 minutes, turn the sweet potatoes over and push them to one side of the baking sheet. Pour the chickpeas onto the other half of the baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix. Use your hands to lightly toss the chickpeas to coat them in the oil and spices. Continue baking for 20 more minutes until they are nice and crispy.
- Prepare the rest of the salad. Add the sliced kale and romaine to a large salad bowl or platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lightly massage for a minute or so. Then add the rest of the ingredients along with the sweet potato and chickpeas.
- Make the healthy caesar dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to blender and blend until creamy.
- Assemble and dress the kale Caesar salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss the salad to evenly coat the rest of the ingredients. You may not need to use all of the dressing. I use about a ½ cup of the dressing for the whole salad or you can plate it and then dress each portion individually. Finish with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
This kale Caesar salad is amazingly creamy yet crunchy and so satisfying. It is great as a meatless meal all on its own. You could also add more protein like diced chicken breast or salmon.
How to store this kale Caesar salad
To store this salad you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you are making this kale salad for meal prepping then store the salad and dressing separately then dress when ready to eat.
You can store the dressing in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 3 days.
Serving suggestions
- Skinny Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Simple Instant Pot Healthy Turkey Chili
- Healthy Turkey Meatloaf
- Hearty soup: Such as this Healthy Creamy Tomato Soup or this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Baked Eggplant Meatballs
- Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
More kale salad recipes to try!
Looking for more hearty kale salads? Here are a few reader faves!
- Simple Kale and Sweet Potato Salad
- Chopped Kale Salad With Quinoa
- Kale Strawberry Salad
- Easy Kale Salad with Lemon
- Kale Crunch Salad
Recipe tips
- Switch up the greens. You could swap the kale with spinach or even add in some sliced cabbage in place of the romaine lettuce. Arugula would also be great in this kale Caesar salad.
- Make this recipe vegan. Simply swap the manchego cheese in the dressing with ¼ cup of cashews that have been soaked overnight in some water and leave out the Greek yogurt or sub with vegan mayo.
- Want more toppings? Almonds, cranberries, or shredded carrots would all be great and add some additional taste and texture.
- Add some more protein. Grilled chicken, crispy tofu, or sliced hard-boiled eggs would add a nice bump in protein to this salad.
- Make the sweet potato and chickpeas 1-2 days in advance then crisp them up in the air fryer or oven before adding them to the salad.
The recipe and post have been updated with better step-by-step photos and ingredients.
Did you try this kale caesar salad recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!!
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Kale Caesar Salad – with crispy chickpeas
- Total Time: 50 Minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This kale Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas and sweet potato makes the best statement salad that everyone will love! It is easy to whip up and only requires a few simple ingredients. The addition of the crispy chickpeas and sweet potatoes adds loads of incredible crunchy texture and great flavor to this salad!
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potatoes
- 1-2 small-medium sweet potatoes – cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1.5 cups diced)
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the crispy roasted chickpeas
- 1 (15 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For the Salad
- 4 cups of curly kale-sliced thin
- 2 cups romaine lettuce-sliced thin
- 1 cup diced avocado – about 1–2 avocados depending on their size
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- Shredded parmesan cheese for serving – optional
Other
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 425° F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the cubed sweet potato onto the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Mix up the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Move the sweet potatoes to one side of the pan flipping them over as you move them. Then pour the chickpeas onto the same pan on the empty side. Drizzle the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle them with the seasoning mix. Toss them with your hands to coat everything in the oil and seasoning. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for another 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
Assemble the salad
- While the potatoes and chickpeas are roasting you can prep the rest of the salad. Place the shredded kale and romaine into a salad bowl or large-rimmed dish, lightly drizzle with olive oil or water and massage for one minute.
- Add the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, diced avocado, and chopped walnuts to the bowl with the kale and romaine.
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse for 30-45 seconds to combine and emulsify into a creamy dressing.
- Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and lightly toss to coat all of the ingredients in the dressing.
- Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if desired.
- Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- Switch up the greens. You could swap the kale with spinach or even add in some sliced cabbage in place of the romaine lettuce. Arugula would also be great in this salad.
- Make this vegan. Simply swap the manchego cheese in the dressing with ¼ cup cashews that have been soaked overnight in some water and leave out the greek yogurt or sub with vegan mayo.
- Want more toppings? Almonds, cranberries, or shredded carrots would all be great and add some additional taste and texture.
- Add some more protein. Grilled chicken, crispy tofu, or sliced hard-boiled eggs would add a nice bump in protein to this salad.
- Parmesan cheese or feta cheese can be used in place of the manchego cheese in the dressing.
- This salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add the sliced avocado when ready to eat.
Recipe adapted from: Half Baked Harvest
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Healthy Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Are there any other cheeses that would work well in this recipe?
Hi Donna, Thank you for your comment. Parmesan cheese would also work. I will add that in the recipe notes section.
I always use Parmesan when making this 😊
Absolutely delicious recipe. The dressing is just perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Have you updated this recipe? Main picture shows sweet potato rounds but description says to chop and your other images show them chopped. I also don’t remember red onions in the original recipe. I’ve made this loads and love it – just want to know I’m not going mad 😆
Hi Lynette, Thank you for your comment. Yes I updated the recipe. You can cut the sweet potatoes into rounds or half circles or chop them up. The larger you cut them the longer they will take to cook. I did add red onion which you can leave out if you prefer to.