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Anti-Inflammatory Easy Egg-free Caesar Salad is a lovely, simple romaine salad with a flavorful homemade Caesar Dressing. It’s perfect each summer when you eat more salads (like I do!), as well as year round. This crispy comfort food salad contains no mayo, no eggs and has two no dairy options. Perfect for Paleo, AIP, Whole30, Keto, GAPS, Anti-Inflammatory and Gluten-free diets.
And, this salad includes the recipe for the best Croutons you’ll ever eat — sooo delicious, but almost no work.
Ingredients in Easy Egg-free Caesar Salad
There are three versions of this recipe, to be sure the ingredients meet your needs! Because none of the recipes contain mayo or eggs, what varies is what makes the Caesar Salad Dressing creamy:
- The first recipe uses coconut milk and olive oil, whisked together with the other ingredients. This is the AIP, and optionally Paleo, Whole30, GAPS and Keto, version of the recipe. The coconut milk in the recipe is subtle; you can barely taste it, and probably won’t if you don’t know it’s there.
- Pine nuts are puréed with olive oil to create the creamy base of the second option. This option is Paleo, Whole30, Keto, GAPS and Gluten-free. (This version is not for anyone on a low oxalate diet.)
- The last version is made with sour cream and olive oil. This version is Keto, GAPS, Gluten-free and great for anyone who enjoys dairy or cultured dairy.
All three versions are fantastic.
Optional: add protein on top
To make Anti-Inflammatory Caesar Salad into an easy main dish, simply cook chicken or salmon for the top.
What makes the dressing anti-inflammatory
What’s omitted from this Caesar Dressing? To keep it anti-inflammatory and pro-health, I’ve omitted not only eggs and mayo, I’ve also left out the:
- Dijon mustard, for two reasons: one, mustard clings to zinc and contributes to the now common zinc deficiency present in our world, (and for AIP, mustard is not compliant). Since most of us won’t eat this dressing everyday, if you’re not AIP and would like the Dijon, I give that option in the recipe Notes section.
- Dairy — 2 versions of the recipe exclude dairy, and the final version uses fermented dairy, which is almost always healthier.
- Black pepper is optional — Omit it for AIP.
The dairy version
You won’t see Parmesan used in this recipe, but if you choose the sour cream option and can also enjoy aged cheeses (on GAPS, for example, or Keto), go ahead and add grated Parmesan.
How to make croutons that fit your diet
Lastly, what kind of bread to use to make the YUMMY croutons? You just need a bread you can eat, and then you’ll make the best easy homemade croutons with that bread.
I’ve come to be able to enjoy sourdough bread myself, so I’ve photographed the recipe with sourdough croutons. But the crouton recipe is wonderful made with various grain-free breads, including Paleo, AIP and Keto options. I link to those in the Notes section below the recipe.
Anti-Inflammatory Caesar Salad Ingredients
- romaine lettuce
- extra-virgin olive oil
- coconut milk, pine nuts or sour cream, depending on your diet
- fresh lemon juice
- fish sauce, Red Boat brand — much easier than using anchovies, but with the same flavor benefits
- garlic
- sea salt
Enjoy this fabulous version of Caesar Salad, with only 6 easy ingredients in the dressing!
Anti-Inflammatory/Easy Egg-free Caesar Salad (Paleo, AIP, Keto, Whole30, Gluten-free)
Equipment
- salad bowl
- small mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 large head romaine lettuce or a bit more if you're feeding more people or want extra big portions; there is extra dressing that won't be used; discard any outer leaves that are damaged, extra dark or too leafy (crisp hearts of romaine are best for Caesar salad)
Easy AMAZING Homemade Croutons
- 4 slices bread (or more slices if they are small) one that fits your diet: see Notes section for links and options for AIP, Keto and more; I personally use a good sourdough bread.
- about 3 Tablespoons coconut oil or preferred solid fat, such as: bacon fat (not as good for Anti-Inflammatory diet but very delicious), butter, ghee etc, whatever works best for your diet
- sea salt to taste
- garlic powder to taste
Caesar Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk (for AIP), pine nuts (for 2nd dairy-free option) or sour cream (for Ancestral, Keto, GAPS or anyone who eats dairy), depending on your diet
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce Red Boat brand
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or Potassium Lite Salt; use more, to taste, for a bigger salad with more Romaine.
- Optional ingredients (not for AIP) include: 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, black pepper, to taste and for dairy, grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Instructions
Croutons
- Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Generously spread fat of choice on both sides and cut edges of bread slices. Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder, to taste.
- Bake 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and chop into crouton size and shape squares.
Romaine Lettuce
- While Croutons bake: Wash and chop lettuce. Most importantly, dry it well, by either rolling it up in a dry towel or using a salad spinner.
Caesar Dressing
- If using the pine nut option: Place pine nuts in spice grinder or mini food processor. Pulverize until powdered and then turning into butter. Add half the olive oil, and process again until you have a very smooth and creamy pine nut butter.For all three versions: In small bowl or Pyrex, combine: olive oil, [coconut milk, pine nut butter or sour cream], fresh lemon juice, fish sauce, garlic and sea salt.
- Whisk together well.
Assembly
- Place lettuce in salad bowl. Add desired amount of dressing. Toss well. Serve salads, then top with croutons.Optional: For main dish, top with chicken or salmon.
Notes
The following nutritional data is for the Keto version of the recipe.
Bread options for making croutons on various diets:
Nutrition
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