Vegetarian Chef's Salad

This vegetarian twist on chef's salad features crisp romaine, plant-based chicken tenders, and a handful of refreshing vegetables. It comes together in just about 20 minutes and is super easy to customize!

As much as I enjoy ultra-nutritious kale salads and spinach salads, it's hard to beat a chef's salad made with crisp romaine, vegetarian chicken tenders, and ranch dressing.

File this one under "childhood favorites" like chili mac and sloppy joes, which I still gladly eat as an adult.

When I was a kid, chef's salads were my favorite thing to order at restaurants. They are traditionally made with julienned meats like turkey, chicken, and ham, along with hard-boiled eggs. I no longer eat meat, but I still love making a giant chef's salad for lunch or dinner.

If I was a chef, this would be my chef's salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Recipe features

• Balanced: Nutritious veggies and seeds are paired with chef's salad classics like hard-boiled eggs, meatless chicken tenders, and cubed cheddar cheese.
• Versatile: This recipe has a lot of ingredients as-is, but it is really easy to swap out ingredients to make this chef's salad your own.
• Texture: There are a lot of textures going on here, from crispy romaine wedges to creamy cheese and pops of sunflower seeds.
• I like to use my vegan ranch dressing recipe, but you can easily use store-bought ranch to save on time.

Ingredients and customization

• Romaine hearts: I usually roughly chop one romaine heart per salad. I like that the hearts have a mix of crunchy pieces and leafy pieces.
• Cherry tomatoes: These add a great pop of acidity and color. Grape tomatoes also work well.
• Vegetarian "chicken": I usually use Quorn chicken nuggets or Beyond chicken tenders. They are best if chopped up into bite-sized pieces.
• Seeds: Roasted pumpkin seeds and roasted sunflower seeds are a great way to add texture and a touch of salt. These are two ingredients that I always have on hand for salads and to use as toast toppers.
• Ranch dressing: Feel free to do homemade ranch or storebought. My chipotle ranch also goes really well here.
• Cheddar: I prefer sharp cheddar. I buy a block of cheddar and dice it into cubes. Colby jack is another good option.
• Peppers and cucumber: Green pepper is my go-to for chef's salads, but snacking peppers also work well here. Diced cucumber is a very refreshing addition.

Recipe tips and variations

• This recipe makes two large chef's salads. It can easily be doubled or cut in half depending on how many you are serving. These are best served immediately.
• Other good additions are avocado, carrots, hemp seeds, sliced mushrooms, croutons, and crispy chickpeas.
• Make this meal vegan by using my vegan ranch dressing, omitting the hard-boiled egg, and using your favorite vegan cheese alternative.
• If you don't love ranch dressing as much as I do, this salad also goes well with lemon vinaigrette, a simple balsamic vinaigrette, or tahini dressing.

Looking for more salads?

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