Vegan Cobb Salad

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

If you make this vegan cobb salad be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting us know how it turned out for you. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and our readers!

Vegan Cobb Salad

5 from 4 votes

A vegan Cobb salad recipe that gives you all of the delicious flavors of a traditional Cobb salad along with 19 grams of plant-based protein! Vegan, gluten-free and a perfect meal-sized salad.

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 salads

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

Serving: 1salad w/ out cheese + dressing Calories: 385kcal Carbohydrates: 54g Protein: 19g Fat: 11g Saturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 953mg Fiber: 20g Sugar: 6g

Author: Brittany Mullins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: vegan

Keyword: vegan cobb salad

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