Vegan Cobb Salad
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Published Jun 19, 2018, Updated Jul 24, 2023
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A vegan Cobb salad recipe that gives you all of the delicious flavors of a traditional Cobb salad along with 19g of plant-based protein! Vegan, gluten-free and a perfect meal-sized salad.
Is there anyone out there that doesn’t enjoy a good Cobb salad? It’s hands down one of my favorite types of salads to make. There are so many ways to change it up and keep it exciting, plus it’s loaded with toppings that make you feel satisfied and full.
I eat meat so I make this blackened chicken Cobb salad all the time, but I wanted to create a vegan Cobb salad for everyone wanting a little more plant-based protein in their life.
This salad has a lot of similar components to a traditional Cobb salad, just with a vegan upgrade.
Vegan Cobb Salad Ingredients
- baby spinach, spring mix or chopped romaine – I like using baby spinach for this salad. It’s loaded with a ton of health benefits and the leaves are smaller, more tender and more flavorful. You can also used spring mix or chopped romaine for a crunchy base.
- chickpeas – instead of using chicken or turkey, we’re using chickpeas. I kept it simple and just used canned chickpeas but you can always season and roast them for some extra crunch!
- grape tomatoes – cherry tomatoes work as well! I love the sweet flavor explosion that small tomatoes add to this salad.
- cucumber – a refreshing, crisp addition to the salad.
- red onion – adds a kick of flavor!
- corn – I used fresh uncooked corn, but feel free to use frozen and cooked or grilled corn instead.
- carrots – for some added crunch!
- tempeh bacon– instead of traditional bacon or even turkey bacon, we’re using tempeh bacon, which is the real star of the show here! I love making my homemade tempeh bacon, which turns out so crispy and has a delicious savory and sweet flavor. You can also use prepackaged tempeh bacon if you want. I love the Lightlife brand.
- avocados – this adds the perfect amount of creaminess to the salad. Just look for avocados that give slightly when you press down on the skin.
- dressing – we’re using a simple red wine vinaigrette with Dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper
Notes and Substitutions
Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
Veggies – The great thing about this salad is that it’s totally customizable based on the ingredients you have on hand. Feel free to great creative and make up your own combo of veggies!
Fresh herbs – I love adding fresh dill to this salad, but honestly any fresh herb would be a delicious addition.
Dairy-free cheese – Feel free to add some vegan feta or any dairy-free cheese for some added creaminess!
Dressing – I love the red wine vinaigrette I created with this salad but any vinaigrette would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: Greek salad dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette or turmeric tahini dressing.
Can You Meal Prep this Vegan Cobb Salad?
Yes! I love prepping this salad ahead of time so I have lunch ready to go throughout the week.
Just add 2-3 Tablespoons of dressing to a wide-mouth quart size mason jar or at the bottom of a glass container. Add ingredients in the following order: onion, carrots, cucumber, chickpeas, corn and tempeh bacon. Add greens and top with cheese, if using. When ready to serve, shake the container and dump contents into a bowl. Top with avocado and garnish with fresh dill, if using.
More Tasty Vegan Salad Recipes:
- Avocado Salad
- Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Curried Chickpea Salad
- Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Vegan Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 12 cups baby spinach, spring mix or chopped romaine
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas, about 2 15 oz cans
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 large cucumber, sliced or chopped
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 6 slices cooked tempeh bacon, sliced
- 1 –2 avocados, sliced
- 1/2 cup dairy-free cheese, optional
- Fresh dill, optional
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Make dressing: Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar.
- Cook tempeh bacon: Cook tempeh bacon following my homemade recipe or according to package instructions, if you haven’t already.
- Combine ingredients: Add your greens to a bowl and arrange equal portions of chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, corn, red onion, tempeh bacon and cheese (if using) on top of the greens.
- Add avocado and dressing: Just before serving, top salad with avocado and 2-3 Tablespoons of the red wine vinaigrette or your favorite dressing. Garnish with fresh dill, if using.
- For mason jar salads: Add 2-3 Tablespoons of dressing to a wide-mouth quart size mason jar. Add ingredients in the following order: onion, carrots, cucumber, chickpeas, corn and tempeh bacon. Add greens and top with cheese. When ready to serve, shake mason jar and dump contents into a bowl. Top with avocado and garnish with fresh dill, if using.
Notes
- Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
- Veggies – The great thing about this salad is that it’s totally customizable based on the ingredients you have on hand. Feel free to great creative and make up your own combo of veggies!
- Fresh herbs – I love adding fresh dill to this salad, but honestly any fresh herb would be a delicious addition.
- Dairy-free cheese – Feel free to add some vegan feta or any dairy-free cheese for some added creaminess!
- Dressing – I love the red wine vinaigrette I created with this salad but any vinaigrette would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: Greek salad dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette or turmeric tahini dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love how many flavors, toppings, and textures this has!! 🙂
Yes! The toppings totally make it. 🙂
I like it very much. Very attractive. Thanks for sharing.
Hi
Can You Tell Me How Much SaturatedFat Does It Contain?
Thanks
Love all of your vegan recipes. This Vegan Cobb salad will definitely be a regular dinner meal option, especially when craving a salad. The dressing was flavorful and light. Loved it!
Woo! That makes me so happy to hear, Tracy! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
sorry just saw this now will be making all salads soon i never had salad before perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Let me know how it turns out, Ramya 🙂
This is SUCH a good salad. I have really been neglecting my health and this is so easy to meal prep and whip up during my lunch break while I work from home. Definitely a staple lunch for me.
So glad you loved this recipe, Katie! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
The sodium content seems really high. What ingredients does this come from so I can adjust?
Hi Melissa – I believe a majority of the sodium content is from the tempeh bacon. You could omit it or use less. Hope this helps and you enjoy this recipe!