If you thought you couldn’t make a vegan Caprese salad then think again! This recipe calls for only three main ingredients and takes as little as 5 minutes!
This quick and easy Vegan Caprese Salad is the perfect summertime dish for anyone following a Candida Diet, or looking for a new healthy recipe. It's light, refreshing, and full of flavour.
This salad is great on its own, or you can serve it with some homemade gluten free bread or crackers for a more substantial meal. Either way, I think you're going to love it!
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🤔 What is a Caprese Salad?
A Caprese Salad is a classic Italian salad conventionally made from slices of mozzarella, tomato, and basil that mimic the colours of the Italian flag. It celebrates the simplicity and effectiveness of quality ingredients. I love this salad which is why I had to come up with a Candida Diet friendly version which was completely free from dairy.
The first time I had a caprese salad was while traveling in Italy. It was on the rooftop of a gorgeous restaurant; the sun was blazing, the cutlery was perfectly polished, and I felt very sophisticated indeed!
This was back in the days when I still ate cheese, so I enjoyed it with buffalo mozzarella. I remember taking very careful bites, savouring every mouthful - because it was a very expensive restaurant. The exquisite thing about this meal is how very simple it is, you really have a chance to enjoy each individual ingredient to its fullest.
I am happy to report, however, that I have found a way to make a delicious caprese salad dairy free and vegan – no processed vegan cheese in sight either! And it is every bit as elegant as the one I ate in Italy!
This recipe is so easy to make, it just shouldn’t taste this good! In fact, the thing that takes the longest is not the cooking, but the assembly to make it look as pretty as possible!
🥣 How to Make a Vegan Caprese Salad
In terms of ingredients, it couldn’t get much simpler than this salad.
The secret to the perfect caprese salad is all about the ratios of flavours. Too much silken tofu and the meal will taste bland and boring. Too much tomato and well, it will just taste like you’re eating a plain tomato for lunch.
You want just enough basil to bring out the flavour of the tomato, but not so much that it’s overpowering. Sound complicated? It doesn’t need to be! I have calculated all of the quantities out for you so that all you need to do is lay it all out on a plate and enjoy!
Here are the steps for how to make a vegan caprese salad:
1. Prepare the Silken Tofu
First things first, you’re going to need to slice up your tofu into equal portions.
I have allowed for 100g of silken tofu per serving, which is usually much less than a standard pack of silken tofu.
One thing to be aware of if you’re planning on serving this dish to guests, is that because silken tofu is so delicate, you may find some of the tofu has already fallen apart in the packet. Therefore, I recommend planning for one pack of silken tofu per person, that way you can be sure to have a solid block of tofu at least in the middle of the pack.
Be sure to reserve the leftover tofu “crumbs” for another dish. Simply refrigerate or freeze what is left for another day. In fact, why not try my completely sugar and dairy free Blueberry and Lemon yogurt recipe, which calls for silken tofu, crumbs, and all!
If you’re only making this salad for yourself and you don’t mind the using the silken tofu “crumbs” then don’t worry, it will still taste the same. You could even chop up all the ingredients and turn this into a more conventional style salad.
I chose to keep the slices square to avoid wasting parts of the whole slice of tofu, however, feel free to cut with a circle cookie cutter if you want to mimic the authentic round slices of mozzarella.
You will need 4 slices of silken tofu in total per person, each about ½cm thick, and around 25g.
2. Prepare the Tomato
Preparing the tomato is slightly more straight forward. All you need is a medium – large sized tomato which you can slice into 5 sections. A tomato that is approximately 150g can be sliced into at least 5 slices plus some spare ends for the chef to snack on.
Once you have your tomato slices, you want to lightly salt each individual slice, and then season with some cracked black pepper.
Tip Regarding Salt
I am quite conservative with my salt intake and like to use the minimum needed to bring out flavour.
In this recipe I have suggested ⅛ teaspoon of salt for one serving. Once measuring this amount out, I recommend adding the salt to a separate container so that you can then take small pinches of the salt to sprinkle over each slice of tomato.
The benefit of this is that you can control the total quantity of salt in the meal, while still being able to freely sprinkle the salt on your tomato slices.
3. Preparing the Basil
As for the basil, all you need to do is to wash and pat dry 4 large basil leaves (per serving) ready to be layered into the salad.
4. Assembling the Salad
Now for the fun part – assembling your Vegan Caprese Salad!
Start by layering up the ingredients one at a time. Starting with one tomato slice, followed by a tofu slice, and finally a basil leaf. Repeat this pattern until you finish with the fifth tomato slice.
5. Add the Dressing
Finally, you can drizzle the salad with the simple vinaigrette which will finish it all off beautifully. Many Caprese Salad recipes call for a balsamic reduction, however, as this is a Candida Diet friendly recipe, I have kept things simple and low sugar (yet delicious), with an apple cider vinegar vinaigrette instead.
As with the other ingredients, your vinaigrette is only as good as the olive oil you use. Be sure to select a good quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, preferably contained within a glass bottle.
You can add extra salt to the dressing if you wish, however, I kept this version salt-free because the tomatoes have already been generously seasoned, plus the salted tomato juice will eventually mix with the dressing.
Although the salad is ready to eat immediately, the taste will improve if left for up to an hour as salt will draw out the juice of the tomato slices creating a delicious sauce.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Prepare Vegan Caprese Salad in Advance?
I would strongly recommend this recipe as a starter at your next dinner party! It’s so easy to make for a larger crowd, caters to most dietary restrictions, and is oh so sophisticated.
Here is how you can meal prep it in advance to make your life easy:
Simply make the dressing and portion out and slice the tofu and tomatoes ahead of time. Then all you need to do at the last minute is assemble the ingredients together with the fresh basil, top with the dressing, and serve!
Because the tofu is so delicate it is not a dish that will travel well or be stored easily, however, if needs be, this can be refrigerated and kept for up to two days, or as long as your tofu packaging recommends once opened.
Can I Substitute Silken Tofu for Firm or Extra Firm Tofu?
In this recipe it’s a no. Only silken tofu has a water content that is high enough to mimic the delicacy of mozzarella. Any other tofu types will be too tough and overpower the flavour.
Silken tofu can be easily found in most supermarkets – check the world foods aisle. Be sure to select Organic silken tofu so as to avoid exposure to pesticides.
Do I Need to Marinate My Tofu?
This is completely optional. In this recipe I like to keep things simple and keep the tofu plain so that the flavour is more focused on the tomato, basil, and dressing.
If you would prefer to marinate your silken tofu that is fine, just note that marinating does not have a huge impact on flavour because the tofu does not absorb flavours very easily, it is more just being “coated” with flavour.
And there you have it! An easy, vegan caprese salad recipe that's perfect for summer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Be sure to rate and leave a comment below, and tag @anti_candida_kitchen on Instagram with the hashtag #anticandidakitchen. Happy cooking!
Easy Vegan Caprese Salad - Candida Diet Friendly
Ingredients
- For the Salad:
- 100 g silken tofu makes 4 individual slices
- 1 large heirloom or on-the-vine tomato approx 150g to make 5 individual slices
- 4 large fresh basil leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon pink salt
- For the Vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon 15ml cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon 5ml apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Slice a 100g block of silken tofu into 4 equal slices - they will each be around ½cm thick.
- Slice a large tomato into 5 slices (or more if you wish to only use central sections instead of the ends).
- Season each slice of tomato with salt and cracked black pepper.
- Wash and pat dry 4 large basil leaves or several smaller leaves.
- Sandwich the tomato, tofu and basil leaves in the following order: one slice of tomato, followed by one slice of tofu, followed by one basil leaf and repeat. Add the fifth tomato slice to the end.
- Drizzle over the vinaigrette before serving.
Notes
Ideally serve this salad immediately, however, if required the salad can be stored for up to two days or as long as your tofu package instructions advise.
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