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If you're feeling uninspired about your salads, vegan "bacon" bits will totally speak to you. They are my favorite part of this vegan chopped salad! Grab your most beloved veggies and let's get started.
Vegan Chopped Salad
Simply put, chopped salad is a salad in which all of the ingredients are chopped up. Usually, a chopped salad contains eggs, deli meat, cheese, and/or bacon... But today we are going totally vegan with our chopped salad.
Not only are we putting some incredible veggies like cucumbers and carrots into our salad bowl, we are also gonna throw in some chickpeas for protein + satiation, AND...drum roll please...cashew bacon bits!
These bacon bits are made from pulsing cashews in a blender and tossing with some seasonings like smoked paprika and soy sauce. Then, put them in the oven for a bit so that tasty flavor really bakes in. The bacon bits really take this salad to the next level and make it unique from other veggie salads. Plus, cashews offer some healthy fats. Much healthier than real bacon.
If you cannot eat nuts, I recommend trying these sunflower bacon bits.
Chopped Salad Dressing Options:
- Hemp Seed Ranch: Creamy, oil-free dressing made with hemp seeds.
- Easy Vegan Ranch: Made from vegan mayo.
- Apple Sage Dressing: 3 ingredients, oil-free.
- Zesty Hummus Dressing: Made with hummus and dijon mustard, oil-free.
- Vegan Caesar: Cashew and vegan mayo base.
The best part is how simple this vegan salad is. You can whip up the dressing, make the bacon bits, and chop up the veggies ahead of time. When lunch rolls around, just toss everything together. Easy!
For more salad ideas, check out this list of Hearty Vegan Salads!
Did you make this salad? I love seeing your re-creations! Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @karissasvegankitchen!
Recipe
Vegan Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- dressing of choice suggestions listed in the post above
- cashew bacon bits
- 1 large tomato or a few small ones
- ½ large cucumber
- 2 medium carrots
- small bunch parsley
- 1 can chickpeas
- 4-5 cups greens like arugula, baby spinach, romaine, etc
Instructions
- Make your dressing and cashew bacon bits (recipe linked to in the ingredients list.)
- Chop up the tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and parsley to your desired size.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Place a bed of greens in your bowl. Top with the chopped veggies, bacon bits, and salad dressing. This recipe makes 2 servings, or 4 servings if used as a side dish.
Notes
Serve as a side dish with:
