Is caesar salad gluten free? This gluten free caesar salad is and it will rival anything you can get at a restaurant! Delicious creamy gluten free caesar dressing coats crisp romaine lettuce and garlicky homemade gluten free croutons with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
I used to eat a lot of Caesar salads! I would order one every time I went to an Italian restaurant, and I would make them quite frequently at home. Once I went gluten free, I stopped eating caesar salads altogether. I couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be cross-contamination, and I had no clue if bottled caesar dressing was safe to eat.
As I became more comfortable developing gluten free Italian recipes, I decided to test my hand at a homemade gluten free caesar salad.
I started by working on a gluten free caesar dressing, which is deliciously creamy and perfect.
And, what’s a Caesar salad without a big crunchy crouton? Not good, in my opinion. So I made gluten-free croutons with my homemade Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and olive oil for that crunchy bite.
Then I put all those ingredients together into a homemade caesar salad without gluten that tastes amazing.
Jump to:
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. Sure, some caesar salad components take a little extra effort, but it’s still simple to prepare and worth it.
- Restaurant quality. If you miss getting a big Ceaser salad at your favorite restaurant, you’ll love this recipe.
- Make-ahead. You can make the caesar salad dressing and croutons ahead of time, bringing this caesar salad together in less than 5 minutes.
Ingredients
- Homemade gluten free caesar dressing. My caesar dressing does not include mayo or raw eggs; instead, it uses egg yolks to create an authentic, delicious caesar recipe. You’ll also find other traditional caesar dressing ingredients like anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon, and garlic. I’ll give the full recipe below, but you can also see step-by-step instructions and more cooking tips in my post for gluten free caesar dressing.
- Romaine lettuce is the lettuce of choice with the best caesar salads. You can keep it easy and purchase pre-chopped romaine lettuce or grab a head of romaine and do the chopping yourself.
- Gluten free croutons. Sure, you can use store-bought GF croutons, but it is tastier and cheaper to make homemade. You need a GF baguette, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Again, I’ll give quick instructions below, but you can see more details tips in the homemade croutons recipe post.
- Parmesan cheese. The finishing touch to a perfect caesar salad is a hefty amount of grated parmesan. Of course, for the best flavor, grate the cheese fresh. I find the best deals on hunks of parmesan cheese at my local warehouse (Bj’s wholesale)
How to Make a Gluten Free Caesar Salad
- Start with making the croutons. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you can, I suggest making the croutons at least a day in advance or, at minimum, a couple of hours. You don’t want to put hot croutons in your caesar salad.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes and place it into a large mixing bowl. You’ll get between 4- 5 cups of bread.
- Add half of the olive oil and Italian seasoning to the bread and stir until combined.
- Pour in the rest of the oil and seasoning and mix again. Use your hands to lightly push the bread into the sides of the bowl to soak up every last bit of oil and seasoning.
- Spread the bread cubes onto a large baking sheet, making sure the bread cubes are not overcrowded and in an even layer.
- Bake for 15-20 min or until toasted and firm.
- Let the croutons cool completely before using them in the salad.
- Next, make the caesar dressing. The dressing can be made the day you plan to eat the salad.
- Boil the eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with water and cook over medium-high heat until it’s boiling. Place the two eggs in boiling water and cook for 14 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot and place them into an ice bath. After the eggs have cooled, remove the shells, remove the yolk from the eggs, and set them aside.
- Place the egg yolks, anchovy paste, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and dijon mustard into a blender or food processor. Blend on low for 10 seconds and then slowly pour in the olive oil until combined.
- Add the parmesan cheese and give it a couple more pulses.
- Put together the caesar salad.
- Place 4-5 cups of chopped romaine lettuce and 1 – ½ cups of croutons into a large bowl.
- Drizzle on the desired amount of caesar dressing and toss until the lettuce and croutons are coated with the dressing.
- Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top and serve.
Serving suggestions
This gluten free caesar salad is delicious with all of your favorite Italian recipes! We love it alongside everything from gluten free baked ziti, gluten free lasagna, ragu alla bolognese (a personal favorite), and vodka cream sauce. Check out more gluten free dinner recipes for other options. Oh, and don’t forget the gluten free garlic bread.
You can also make this a main dish by adding grilled or baked chicken breast, shrimp, or salmon.
Cooking tips
- Make sure the romaine leaves are clean and completely dry
- You can make one big salad or individual salads.
- If the dressing is thick, blend in extra olive oil or a splash of water to thin it out.
- To make a dairy-free Caesar salad leave out the Parmesan Cheese or swap in nutritional yeast,
Storage tips
- All of the caesar salad components can be stored separately in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, toss the lettuce, croutons, and dressing together and grate parmesan cheese over the top.
- You’ll likely have croutons leftover; you can store those in an airtight container or bag in the fridge or freezer.
Other Gluten Free Salads
See all of my gluten free salads.
Gluten Free Caesar Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowls
- baking sheet
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
Gluten Free Croutons
- 1 loaf Gluten Free Baguette I like Schar GF baguette
- 1 teaspoon homemade Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Gluten Free Caesar Dressing
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Caesar Salad
- 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce cleaned and dry.
- shredded Parmesan Cheese.
Instructions
- Start with making the croutons. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you can, I suggest making the croutons at least a day in advance or, at minimum, a couple of hours. You don't want to put hot croutons in your caesar salad.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch cubes and place it into a large mixing bowl. You'll get between 4- 5 cups of bread.
- Add half of the olive oil and Italian seasoning to the bread and stir until combined.
- Pour in the rest of the oil and seasoning and mix again. Use your hands to lightly push the bread into the sides of the bowl to soak up every last bit of oil and seasoning.
- Spread the bread cubes onto a large baking sheet, making sure the bread cubes are not overcrowded and in an even layer.
- Bake for 15-20 min or until toasted and firm.
- Let the croutons cool completely before using them in the salad.
- Next, make the caesar dressing. The dressing can be made the day you plan to eat the salad.
- Start by boiling the eggs. Fill a medium saucepan with water and cook over medium-high heat until it's boiling.
- Place the two eggs in boiling water and cook for 14 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the pot and place them into an ice bath.
- After the eggs have cooled, remove the shells, remove the yolk from the eggs, and set them aside. Discard the egg whites.
- Place the egg yolks, anchovy paste, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and dijon mustard into a blender or food processor. Blend on low for 10 seconds and then slowly pour in the olive oil until combined.
- Add the parmesan cheese and give it a couple more pulses.
- Put together the caesar salad. Place 4-5 cups of chopped romaine lettuce and 1 – ½ cups of croutons into a large bowl.
- Drizzle on the desired amount of caesar dressing and toss until the lettuce and croutons are coated with the dressing.
- Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top and serve.
Notes
- Make sure the romaine leaves are clean and completely dry
- You can make one big salad or individual salads.
- If the dressing is thick, blend in extra olive oil or a splash of water to thin it out.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe yet?
Have you tried this Gluten Free Caesar Salad recipe yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group Gluten Free Italian Recipes where we share delicious recipes and helpful tips!
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