Say hello to one seriously satisfying salad: the vegan BLT! Think all the flavor of your favorite sandwich with salty tempeh bacon, tangy tomatoes, and crunchy lettuce tossed in a creamy ranch dressing. She’s nourishing and DREAMY!
Just 7 ingredients required for this EASY, veggie-packed, plant-based twist on a classic. Let’s make BLTs in a bowl!
This bountiful salad begins with a mix of fresh veggies including crunchy romaine, sweet cherry tomatoes, hydrating cucumber, satisfying avocado, and peppery red onion. These are our top picks for a BLT vibe, but feel free to experiment — you could replace up to half the romaine with other greens or add other crunchy veggies like radish or carrot.
Next comes the protein-packed, plant-based tempeh “bacon,” which adds salty-sweet flavor and helps give these bowls 17+ grams protein per serving!
A creamy vegan ranch dressing completes the party, making for one seriously delicious and nourishing BLT in a bowl!
We can’t wait for you to try this BLT salad! It’s:
Fresh
Creamy
Crunchy
Savory
Easy to make
& SO satisfying!
It makes the perfect summer meal and is also great for meal prep! We like to make the tempeh bacon and ranch in advance so the meal is super quick to throw together when hungry. Top with croutons for a complete meal, or serve with a side of sweet potatoes, chips, or potato salad.
More Hearty Vegan Salads
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 4 (Servings)
Prevent your screen from going dark
- 1 batch tempeh bacon (or store-bought such as Lightlife)
- 2/3-3/4 cup vegan ranch dressing (or store-bought)
- 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped (1 head yields ~6-8 cups or 360 g)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (1 pint tomatoes yields ~2 cups)
- 1 medium English cucumber, chopped (1 cucumber yields ~2 cups or 280 g)
- 1 large avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (1/2 medium onion yields ~1 cup or 100 g)
FOR SERVING optional
- Croutons (or store-bought // gluten-free as needed)
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TEMPEH BACON: For homemade tempeh bacon, prepare according to this recipe. If using store-bought, cook according to package instructions. Once cooked and slightly cooled, crumble the strips into ~1/4 inch pieces.
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RANCH: Meanwhile, if making homemade vegan ranch, prepare it at this time.
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CROUTONS (optional): If adding homemade croutons, prepare them at this time.
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To a large mixing bowl, add chopped romaine lettuce, quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, diced avocado, and thinly sliced red onion. Pour the vegan ranch dressing (starting with the lesser amount) on top of the salad and toss to combine. Add more dressing if desired.
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Divide the salad between serving bowls and top with tempeh bacon crumbles and croutons (optional). Enjoy!
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Salad without avocado or dressing will keep for up to 2-3 days. Dressing and tempeh bacon will keep stored separately for up to 4-5 days. Not freezer friendly.
*Prep time and cook time assume using store-bought tempeh bacon and ranch and do not include making optional croutons.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of dressing and without optional ingredients.
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 342 Carbohydrates: 34.1 g Protein: 17.7 g Fat: 17.5 g Saturated Fat: 2.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.6 g Monounsaturated Fat: 9.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 915 mg Potassium: 1053 mg Fiber: 11.6 g Sugar: 14.1 g Vitamin A: 1748 IU Vitamin C: 23 mg Calcium: 147 mg Iron: 4 mg