Tired of the same old Caesar Salad? This tried-and-true recipe is our absolute favorite way to enjoy this classic recipe! Made with an irresistibly creamy dairy-free Caesar dressing, chopped romaine, optional parmesan, and (the best part!!) ultra crispy gluten-free homemade garlicky toasted breadcrumbs that are a million percent worth the effort to make. It’s the perfect side salad for any night of the week, and can just as easily be made into an entree by topping it with chicken, salmon, or shrimp!
Better than your average Caesar salad!
A really good Caesar salad is one of my favorite things in the WHOLE entire world.
The crisp romaine, creamy dressing, umami-rich parmesan, and the crunch of a crouton is a literal *chefs kiss* combo.
But, since I switched to eating gluten free, I would typically just make a homemade Caesar without the croutons and call it a day.
Then (because I really did miss the crouton!), I tried making some croutons with gluten-free bread. But they always just sort of fell flat. Store-bought gluten free bread tends to be on the thinner side, and the croutons got almost too (?) crunchy and didn’t have that perfect texture I was after.
So I rethought the whole process and figured – why not some panko-style breadcrumbs in place of croutons?!
And folks, let me TELL YOU – this is the way 😍
Adding these garlicky breadcrumbs to the mix is 100% my new favorite way to make a Caesar salad at home. And I’m so VERY excited to be sharing the yumminess with you!
🌿 Do you love a decidedly UN-BORING homemade salad as much as I do?! Be sure to peek at our recipes for The Perfect Spring Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, Chopped Kale Salad with Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas, or our Watermelon Arugula Salad with Feta and Pistachios!
Run to the kitchen & grab these simple ingredients
👉🏼 All you need to make this salad are most of the usual Caesar salad ingredients: Romaine lettuce, a Caesar salad dressing you love, and some optional Parmesan cheese.
The breadcrumbs are the only part that’s a little bit different than what you might be used to prepping.
The gluten free bread
When testing this recipe, I tried a few different GF bread options and got the best results with Canyon House Mountain White bread. The breadcrumbs held they’re shape well and got oh-so-perfectly crunchy!
Out of all the breads I tested, the options that were egg-free performed the worst. They tended towards breaking down a little too much in the food processor and didn’t hold their shape as well.
So if you can’t find the brand I used, look for an option that includes eggs in the ingredient list!
Olive oil, salt, pepper, & garlic powder
By tossing these ingredients with the breadcrumbs you get that perfect bit of extra flavor!
How to make the perfect up-leveled GF Caesar Salad
🌿 While this recipe does include a few more steps than your basic Caesar salad, the result is SO worth it. And once your breadcrumbs are in the oven, you’ll have just the right amount of time to whisk together the super easy dressing and wash the lettuce.
👉🏼 For the CRISPIEST breadcrumbs, be sure to wait to add them to the salad until just before digging in. Because they’re smaller than croutons they’ll start to soak up the dressing quickly and lose some of their crunch if they are tossed with the rest of the salad. They work best as a ‘finishing touch’!
Serving suggestions
This mouth-watering Caesar is the perfect side salad for just about any meal!
If you’re serving it this way as a part of a bigger dinner spread, this recipe should serve about 5-6 people.
If you want to use it as a base for an entree-sized salad (highly recommend!), it’s the perfect amount for 3-4 people.
We love to top it with Baked Chicken Breasts, Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon, Seared Blackened Salmon, or Pan-Seared Shrimp!
✨ If you’re not planning on serving the salad right away, wait until just before serving to dress it! This will help ensure the lettuce doesn’t get soggy while it sits.
If you enjoyed this creamy potato salad we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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The Caesar Salad I’m Obsessed With (Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-6 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Tired of the same old Caesar Salad? This tried-and-true recipe is our absolute favorite way to enjoy this classic salad! Made with an irresistibly creamy dairy-free Caesar dressing, chopped romaine, optional parmesan, and (the best part!!) ultra crispy gluten-free homemade garlicky toasted breadcrumbs that are a million percent worth the effort to make. It’s the perfect side salad for any night of the week, and can just as easily be made into an entree by topping it with chicken, salmon, or shrimp!
Ingredients
For toasted garlicky breadcrumbs (Makes about 1 cup of breadcrumbs – you may have a little extra)
- 3 slices of Canyon House Gluten Free bread (110 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, or 2 small heads, OR 2-3 romaine lettuce hearts, cut into any size piece you like, washed and dried*
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional – a dairy free parmesan can be used here!)
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- About 1/3 cup Caesar Salad Dressing, more or less as desired
For the Dairy Free Caesar Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 large clove of garlic, grated using a microplane or very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or tamari (or 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut or tear bread into 2-inch pieces and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until crumbly – less time for more coarse breadcrumbs or a little longer for fine. I like to keep them somewhere in the middle for more crispy textured bits. Dump the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper, and use your hands or a spoon to toss to combine. Spread out in a thin and even layer and bake for 10-13 minutes, removing after 6 minutes to stir – this ensures they brown evenly. They’re done when they appear golden brown and are dry to the touch. Taste and sprinkle with a little more kosher salt if desired after removing from the oven. Set aside to cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.
- While the breadcrumbs are baking, you should have the perfect amount of time to whisk together the dressing and wash and dry the lettuce. To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together to combine. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste if desired.
- Assemble the salad. Add cut romaine to a large bowl (ideally large enough that it’s only about 1/2 – 3/4 of the way full to make it easy to toss the salad). Drizzle with Caesar dressing and add about 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (if using), reserving the rest to garnish the salad. Toss to combine until lettuce is evenly coated. Stash any leftover dressing in the refrigerator to use for another meal!
- Serve and enjoy! Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and top the salad with desired amount of toasted breadcrumbs, fresh cracked black pepper, and remaining parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Romaine lettuce heads and romaine hearts can vary pretty significantly in size. I’ve tried to give options for smaller and larger heads of lettuce, but use your best judgement when shopping for that ingredient!
Feel free to cut your romaine as small or large as you prefer! Sometimes we cut it a little bigger (as is pictured in this blog post), and other times prefer smaller pieces.
You may have some extra breadcrumbs, and will almost certainly have a little leftover salad dressing. Both can be saved for another use! The breadcrumbs can be stored in a sealed container on the counter for 5-6 days. The dressing should keep in the refrigerator for upwards of 1 week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
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