This Kale Caesar Salad is made with a creamy homemade dressing (that has NO anchovies in it, I might add!). The blend of earthy kale, crunchy Romaine, and bitter radicchio makes this salad taste so much more hearty and unique than the traditional version. Pair this quick salad with your favorite proteins, pastas, and more!
Table of contents
Your Favorite Salad, but With Kale!
This kale Caesar salad is my take on the traditional side salad. It’s still loaded with crunchy croutons and grated Parm, but I jazzed things up by adding kale and radicchio to the Romaine lettuce base.
The homemade Caesar dressing is made without anchovies, and instead of egg and oil I used a good-quality mayo for maximum creaminess. Believe it or not, this kale-packed salad is better than the classic Caesar salad!
Serve it as a side salad or make it a main dish salad by adding grilled lobster, steak, chicken, or shrimp.
Love Caesar salads? Be sure to try my Little Gem Caesar Salad next!
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
You can go as store-bought or homemade with this recipe as you like, but obviously I’m Team Homemade whenever possible! The anchovy-free dressing takes just a couple minutes to whisk together, and scratch croutons are so much better than the stale, tooth-cracking ones sold in bags.
- Croutons. My favorite bread for making them is sourdough, which has lots of air pockets and a naturally tangy flavor that creates crisp, flavorful salad croutons. The cubed sourdough is tossed with a little olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper before being baked. That’s it!
- Homemade dressing. This might be controversial, but my Caesar dressing doesn’t contain anchovies. Why? Because the original Caesar salad was made with Worcestershire sauce, not anchovies. The rest of the flavor in this creamy dressing comes from fresh garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon, and Parmesan.
- Kale. The best kale to use is Lacinato or dinosaur kale. It’s much more tender than green kale and fairly easy to find. Make sure to give it a good massage so that it’s tender!
- Radicchio. Has a bitter, almost spicy flavor that contrasts nicely with the dressing.
- Romaine. Has a superior crunch that can’t be beat in salads!
Required Kitchen Tools
4 Steps to Kale Caesar Salad Success
- Prep your greens. De-stem, chop, and massage your kale and chop your romaine and radicchio.
- Make your croutons. Toss your torn sourdough with olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and bake until crispy. (Always tear the bread; those jagged edges give croutons so much texture!)
- Prepare your dressing. Get all the ingredients together for the dressing and give them a good whisk until everything is smooth. (I actually like to do this step in advance and let the dressing chill in the fridge for a bit. The extra time gives the flavors a chance to really shine.)
- Toss everything together. In a large bowl, toss your greens and croutons with your desired amount of dressing. Top with more freshly grated Parmesan and serve!
Here’s How I Like to Prep Kale for Making Salads
Lacinato kale has a thick stem running through the middle of each leaf and I always remove it. It’s very fibrous and tough to eat. To remove stems from kale, hold the stem in one hand and strip leaves along the stem away from you.
Then, you’ll roughly chop the kale and massage it for a few minutes. Yes, massage. This is a crucial step and ensures tender kale. I mix my kale with a pinch of salt and a tiny bit of olive oil, and just massage it, working the leaves between my hands.
You’ll notice that the kale will turn dark green and feel very soft. That’s it! This simple step will change the way you feel about eating kale forever.
Serve Your Salad with One of These Mains
- Grilled Lamb Chops
- Skillet Lasagna
- Braised Beef Ragu
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Ricotta Meatballs
- Grilled Lemon Chicken
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Kale Caesar Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Croutons:
- 3 cups torn sourdough bread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Caesar Dressing:
- 1/2 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Salad:
- 1 head romaine, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped (see above notes)
- 3 cups roughly chopped radicchio
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Whisk together all the ingredients for the caesar dressing, transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the croutons: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl toss together the torn bread, olive oil, and parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Croutons can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Prepare the greens: In a large serving bowl add your kale, olive oil, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Gently massage the kale for 2-3 minutes with your hands, rubbing the greens until they turn dark green and lender. Mix in the romaine and radicchio.
- Assemble the salad: Add your desired amount of croutons and dressing, and mix the salad until the leaves and croutons are well-coated. Sprinkle with extra freshly grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Best dressing ever! So easy to make and so full of flavor! I will never buy premade again! And so easy to make it vegan when the need arises, just swap out the mayo for vegan and the Parmesan for nutritional yeast.
So happy you loved it! It’s definitely my go-to favorite salad.
This looks beautiful, however, just IMPO: The most important ingredient for Caesar Salad is: ANCHOVIES. I will look further, but thanks for sharing your personal recipe.
Hi, you’re absolutely entitled to your opinion but if we’re going on facts: The original caesar salad never contained anchovies and instead utilized Worcestershire sauce–feel free to look that one up to confirm. I find the flavor overpowering and I think the Worcestershire adds the right level of umami. If you’re anchovy fan, please feel free to add them at your discretion.