Vegan Baked Chicken Caesar Sandwich

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Caesar Sandwich

This recipe is loosely inspired by the new Caesar McCrispy, but this version is completely plant-based and uses baked ‘chicken’ instead of fried so it’s a little lighter. You could definitely swap in my air-fried vegan chicken, if you’d like though. A few more things we love about this recipe are:

• It’s packed with different textures. You get tender juicy baked ‘chicken’, crisp lettuce, creamy dressing, crunchy croutons, and a soft toasted bun.
• The components can be prepared ahead. Make the vegan chicken and Caesar dressing in advance, then assemble the sandwiches when you’re ready to eat.
• It’s easy to customize. Use homemade vegan chicken or your favorite store-bought plant-based chicken patties. You can also swap the brioche bun for a Kaiser roll.

What’s Inside The Sandwich:

Toasted vegan brioche bun

A soft vegan brioche bun makes this sandwich feel a little more like something you’d order from a restaurant. Toasting the cut sides keeps the bun from becoming soggy once the dressing is added. Kaiser rolls also work well if you can’t find vegan brioche buns.

Homemade baked vegan chicken

My homemade baked vegan chicken is layered onto the bottom bun. It has a juicy (yes, juicy!), meaty texture and is baked instead of breaded and fried. For a faster option, replace it with your favorite store-bought plant-based chicken patty and prepare it according to the package instructions.

Creamy vegan Caesar dressing

Spread a generous spoonful of my homemade vegan Caesar dressing over the toasted bun. The dressing is creamy, garlicky, and a bit tangy. It tastes exactly like traditional Caesar but without the dairy, eggs, or anchovies.

Caesar-dressed lettuce

Romaine gives the sandwich that familiar Caesar salad crunch, but green leaf lettuce is another great option (what I used in the photos). Toss the chopped lettuce with just enough dressing to coat it immediately before assembling the sandwiches. This prevents it from becoming soggy.

You can also use leftover salad from my vegan Caesar salad, as long as the lettuce hasn’t already been sitting in the dressing for too long.

Thinly sliced shallot

Shallot adds a mild onion flavor (and a bit of crunch) that cuts through the creamy dressing. Slice it very thinly so it blends into the salad instead of overpowering the other ingredients.

Crouton sprinkle

Instead of trying to balance whole croutons inside the sandwich, chop or crush them into smaller pieces and sprinkle them over the lettuce. You still get that classic Caesar crunch, but the croutons are far less likely to shoot out the other side of the bun when you take a bite.