Avocado Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad

Loaded with silky avocado, sharp Parmesan, and crispy chickpeas and croutons, this chickpea caesar salad is a delicious twist on the classic and goes well with so many meals!

Salads like this one are hired for permanent lunch duty around these parts.

I mean, no one can argue with a good caesar salad, but throwing crispy chickpeas, homemade croutons, silky avocado, and homemade caesar dressing into the mix??

You’ve just made the one salad no one will be able to resist, congrats.

The crispy chickpeas and croutons are honestly the game-changer in this salad because they provide the perfect level of heartiness and an insanely good crunch factor. We will never make our caesar salad any other way.

This Caesar Salad features…

• Crisp romaine lettuce and silky avocado
• Tangy capers and lots of fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
• Crispy roasted chickpeas and croutons
• A creamy homemade caesar salad dressing

Making the Caesar Salad

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Mayonnaise
• Worcestershire sauce
• Lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Bread cubes
• Chickpeas
• Olive oil
• Romaine lettuce
• Avocado
• Capers

Choosing Your Bread

Any type of bread works well for the croutons! We typically like to go with a heartier bread such as Italian, French, challah, or ciabatta but any bread will work.

For best results, we recommend watching bread closely during roasting to ensure it doesn’t get too crispy. If you find the croutons are browning too quickly, remove them from the sheet pan and continue roasting the chickpeas.

Tips for Perfect Caesar Salad

1. Cut bread into uniform cubes – aim for uniform 1/2-inch cubes so the croutons cook evenly.
2. Use Worcestershire sauce in dressing – we don’t typically keep anchovy paste on hand, so Worcestershire is a handy substitute that gives off a similar flavor.
3. Cut avocado just before assembly – this prevents the avocado from turning brown.
4. Assemble salad just before serving – this helps all the ingredients stay crisp and fresh.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this recipe.

• Add meat – try adding cooked chicken, bacon bits, or turkey.
• Try a different cheese – Parmesan cheese is traditional in Caesar salad but shaved cheddar, gouda, asiago, or mozzarella would also be delicious.
• Use different greens – spring greens, arugula mix, or kale would be great greens alternatives to the romaine lettuce.

Make Ahead Instructions

Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.

• Make dressing – this dressing stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days.
• Chop romaine – chop the romaine and store in refrigerator up to 6 days.
• Shave Parmesan – use a potato peeler to shave the Parmesan and store in refrigerator up to 6 days.
• Assembly – once you’re ready to assemble the salad, roast the chickpeas and croutons, assemble the rest of the salad ingredients, dress the salad, and serve.

Trust me, this is the salad you never knew your life was missing! The texture contrast of the silky avocado to the crispy croutons and chickpeas is absolutely out of this world! And the creamy homemade dressing just seals the deal.

Ready to dive in yet??

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More loaded salads to try next!

• Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
• Mediterranean Lentil Salad
• Cherry Caprese Pasta Salad