Attention avocado lovers! You need this avocado caesar salad in your life: with an umami-packed creamy avocado caesar dressing that goes perfectly with crispy bacon, crunchy romaine, croutons and parmesan cheese.
Caesar salad is a total guilty pleasure of mine: I love the salty, tangy flavors, the crunchy romaine and croutons. For a healthier version, check out this kale caesar salad with crispy chickpeas or this healthy caesar salad dressing.
For an amazingly delicious (and indulgent) twist? This avocado caesar salad is where it’s at.
With a creamy, luscious, flavor-bomb of an avocado caesar salad dressing that ditches the eggs (or mayo), crispy bacon and all the classic caesar salad ingredients, this is one salad remix you are going to absolutely love.
Reasons you’ll ♡ avocado caesar salad
- it’s egg and mayo-free as well as gluten-free friendly
- it’s ready in under 30 minutes
- with creamy avocado dressing, crispy bacon and crunchy romaine, it might just be better than the classic caesar salad!
Avocado caesar dressing
For this recipe, you will need a food processor (here’s my favorite one). You may be alright to use a high powered blender, but I have not tried.
To prepare the dressing, add a ripe avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, parmesan cheese, dijon mustard and a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth and no lumps remain. If needed, scrape down the sides of the food processor several times to get all ingredients blended properly.
Salad ingredients
We are going pretty classic for our caesar salad, with the addition of a cubed ripe avocado.
- Romaine lettuce– chop, wash, then dry thoroughly. I highly recommend investing in a salad spinner to do this.
- Croutons– go for a classic crouton, or gluten-free if necessary. You can prep your own croutons using this tutorial
- Bacon– adds a crispy salty bite of bacon to this salad. I love to bake bacon in the oven, it’s so easy and always crispy.
- Parmesan cheese– go for fresh grated parmesan and avoid the scary shelf-stable stuff
- Cubed Avocado– adds a creamy texture to the salad and compliments the dressing. See how to cut an avocado
Variations
- Swap the romaine for kale (give it a massage first to remove bitterness)
- Add some cooked chicken and make it a whole meal
- Add some quartered hard boiled eggs or serve with a poached egg
- Add pasta to make it a pasta salad (you may need to increase the dressing)
Recipe tips
- once dressed, this salad must be served right away
- romaine can be washed, chopped and dried ahead. Store in an air tight container lined with a paper towel for up to 4 days.
- bacon may be cooked, cooled and chopped ahead. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- caesar dressing may be prepared ahead and stored in an air tight jar in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
More tasty salad dressings
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Classic Greek Salad Dressing
- 5 Minute Asian Sesame Dressing
- Healthy Homemade Ranch Dressing
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this avocado caesar salad dressing. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Avocado Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 avocado (ripe)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce (washed and torn into bite-sized pieces)
- 4 slices bacon (cooked, cooled, and cut into pieces)
- 1 avocado (cut into small cubes)
- 1 cup croutons
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
Instructions
Avocado Caesar Salad Dressing:
- In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine all dressing ingredients.
- Blend for 30 seconds on high.
- Scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend for another 30 seconds - 1 minute, until dressing is creamy (as pictured above).
Avocado Caesar Salad
- Wash and dry lettuce, and tear into bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the lettuce with the dressing until completely coated and evenly distributed.
- Serve with the bacon, avocado, croutons, and additional Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- romaine may be washed, chopped and stored in an air tight container with a paper towel for up to 4 days
- avocado caesar dressing can be prepped up to 48 hours ahead
- bacon can be cooked, cooled, chopped and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week ahead
- Swap the romaine for kale (give it a massage first to remove bitterness)
- Add some cooked chicken and make it a whole meal
- Add some quartered hard boiled eggs or serve with a poached egg
- Add pasta to make it a pasta salad (you may need to increase the dressing)
