This Vegan Cobb Salad is a colorful, satisfying dish combining fresh veggies, plant-based proteins, and a delicious dressing. It’s perfect for a fulfilling lunch, dinner, or show-stopping dish at your next gathering, and it's ready in about 20 minutes.
The Cobb salad—arguably the original Buddha bowl, power bowl, or salad bowl—has come a long way.
These days, it’s often more about the stylish rows of ingredients than the ingredients themselves. Even the Cheesecake Factory jumped on the trend, ditching the meat but keeping the name because, well, it still looks the part.
This vegan Cobb salad follows suit, sticking to the classic row arrangement and chopped ingredients while giving a respectful nod to tradition with a plant-based twist.
For extra flavor, sprinkle on some Baked Tempeh Bacon to add a smoky crunch.
If you’re in the mood for more quick and fresh ideas, try my Vegan Chickpea Tuna Salad or a seasonal Autumn Pasta Salad. And for sandwich lovers, my Vegan BLT Sandwich With Soy Curls is a delicious side to this salad.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This salad keeps the beloved structure of the traditional Cobb but swaps in a few extra vegan goodies that are just as satisfying.
- Between the bacon bits, blue cheese, red onions, and seasoned tofu, this salad lacks nothing, including flavor.
- Avocados, tomatoes, and a rainbow of veggies offer a burst of vitamins and a splash of color.
Ingredients
- Greens: The classic greens in a traditional Cobb salad typically include romaine lettuce, watercress, and endive and sometimes iceberg. Use whatever combination you want or have available, and consider adding a spring mix or baby spinach for variety.
- Vegan Blue Cheese: In my area, vegan blue cheese is only available at King Soopers. I use the Follow Your Heart brand - and let me add it's a dead ringer for its dairy counterpart...so good! If you prefer a homemade recipe, try this homemade vegan blue cheese.
- Vegan Bacon Bits: many store-bought bacon bits are vegan, but it depends on the brand. Surprisingly, popular options like McCormick Bac’n Pieces are vegan-friendly because they’re made from textured soy protein and artificial flavoring, not real bacon. However, some brands do contain animal-derived ingredients or natural flavors that aren’t vegan, so it’s always best to check the ingredient list to be sure. You can also make Vegan Bacon Bits at home.
See the recipe card for quantities and a list of ingredients to make a big salad Mr. Cobb would be proud of.
Variations
- If you want to add a "chicken" texture to the salad, substitute chickpeas or tofu with plant-based chicken alternatives like mushroom-based Meati Classic Cutlets. Meati products have clean ingredients and are more widely available now in stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Target.
- I pan-fry the tofu cubes, but you can also bake or air-fry them. You can also marinate them in Homemade Cherry BBQ Sauce instead for a BBQ Cobb salad.
- Substitute the vegan blue cheese for vegan feta.
- You want to add that bacony flavor, so substitute the bacon bits for Baked Tempeh Bacon or store-bought. You can also use Lightlife's Smart Bacon, which is good, I must say.
- It's drizzled with a delicious classic French dressing, but use Blueberry Salad Dressing or a vegan ranch dressing for variation.
How To Make Vegan Cobb Salad
Here is the process in pictures. By following the recipe, you can be eating in 20 minutes. See the recipe card for details.
Step 1: Prepare the tofu. Wash and chop the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocadoes, and cucumbers.
Step 2: While the tofu is sizzling, prepare the dressing.
Step 3: Place all the salad ingredients in rows in a large bowl for a nice classic presentation.
Step 4: Dress the salad with the dressing.
Top Tips
- I've never met a green I don't like so I use a mix of fresh greens but always include a crisp green like romaine for the extra classic crunch.
- As a time saver, buy pre-shredded carrots.
- For the toppings, start by spacing the larger ingredients and filling in the gaps with smaller ones, adjusting as necessary to make sure everything fits in rows perfectly without overcrowding.
- You can premake the bacon bits and store them for when you're ready to use at a moment's notice.
Serving Suggestions
- Pair it with a light vegetable soup or a Healthy Red Lentil Soup.
- If you know me, you know I gotta say it - everything is better in a wrap. Tuck the dressed and tossed salad into a large whole wheat or gluten-free tortilla for a portable, mess-free lunch option.
- Accompany the salad with slices of crusty artisan bread or warm pita bread.
Vegan Cobb Salad FAQS
A traditional Cobb salad typically features iceberg and romaine lettuce, chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, Roquefort cheese, tomatoes, and a red wine vinaigrette.
Prepare the components separately and keep them in air-tight containers in the fridge. Assemble the salads just before serving to keep everything fresh and crisp.
To preserve your vegan Cobb salad, stash the greens, tofu, and all the other bits in separate airtight containers in the fridge. The dressing should be kept on the side. The tofu is the only thing you can or should freeze if necessary. That will last for about 3 months in a freezer-friendly container.
Vegan Dressings You May Enjoy
Got a minute? Dive into the comments and rate this Vegan Cobb Salad to let me know how it turned out for you. Was it a hit? Any ingredients you added or left out? I want to know if my directions were any good or if you plan to make it. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for inspiration.
Vegan Cobb Salad
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 8 ounces extra firm tofu drained and cubed*
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the French Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar substitute with white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot minced (~ ¼ cup)
- 1 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 ounces watercress
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup red onion chopped finely
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- ½ can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup vegan blue cheese crumbled or vegan feta cheese
- ¼ cup vegan bacon bits
- fresh chives optional
Instructions
- Cook Tofu: Slice tofu into small cubes. Add garlic powder, paprika, and salt to the tofu and mix well. Add the tofu to a skillet and cook until browned about 7-8 minutes.
- Prepare Dressing: While the tofu is sauteeing, whisk together red wine vinegar, shallot, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Assemble: Lay down a bed of mixed greens on a large platter or in a big salad bowl. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, shredded carrots, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, tofu, vegan blue cheese, and bacon bits in neat rows over the greens to create a colorful palette.
- Serve: Sprinkle some fresh chives, then drizzle your choice of prepared dressing over the salad just before serving. Gently toss to ensure all the components are lightly coated in the dressing.
Michael says
We loved this salad and loved your recommendation for the blue cheese. We put it now on everything. Presentation was great and we only changed out one ingredient because my wife doesn't like tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe.
Regi Pearce says
Hey, Michael! So glad you were able to stop by the site. I know - that blue cheese is the bomb. Thanks for commenting!
Madison says
This is the OG of bowls! lol. Great combination for a vegan version. Love the vinaigrette. Thanks for the recipe.
Regi Pearce says
Thanks, Maddie!